Serve Locally
Love begins nearby. Love begins nearby. Find a meaningful way to serve in Arlington, Northern Virginia, and the wider DC region.
Not sure where to start?
Explore. Connect. Start Serving
Hands on
Family-Friendly
Justice & Advocacy
Creation Care
In our own community
Serving locally is about relationship.
We partner with organizations already doing meaningful work—listening, learning, and joining in with humility and care.
Many opportunities are hands-on. Many are intergenerational.
All are grounded in dignity and connection.
Ways to serve locally
There are several ways to serve nearby, each grounded in dignity, care, and connection.
Food Security
We help meet immediate needs with consistency and care.
Prepare meals for S.O.M.E. in Washington, D.C.
Deliver meals with Meals on Wheels
Assemble lunches for Bailey’s shelter
Distribute food through AFAC
Grow produce for Plot against Hunger
Simple acts. Real impact.
Housing & Homelessness
We support efforts to create safe, stable living spaces.
Assist with Rebuilding Together housing repair projects
Partner with ACH (Arlington Housing Corporation), providing Christmas trees and gifts
Care is showing up with what’s needed.
Migration & Refugee Support
Sometimes care looks like showing up with what’s needed.
Organize and contribute to supply drives
Support refugee and resettlement efforts in Homes not Borders
Respond to seasonal or urgent needs
Small things become something more when shared.
Creation Care
Loving our neighbors also means caring for the places we share.
Reducing energy use through solar panels and insulation.
Caring for our trees.
Planting natives and removing invasives.
Growing flowers and vegetables.
We seek to bless both our local community and the wider world with hope and faithful action.
Community Engagement
We care for our neighbors not only through direct service, but also by working for change. Through our partnership with VOICE, we join with other Northern Virginia faith communities in nonpartisan advocacy rooted in listening, relationship, and the common good.
Attend trainings and listening sessions
Join public actions and meetings with local leaders
Take part in faithful, community-based justice work
Sometimes love looks like service. Sometimes it looks like raising our voices together.
A VOICE Assembly
Four Ongoing Food Security Opportunities
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Lunches for Bailey's Shelter
First Sundays, 11:30 a.m.
Families helping families. As part of our first Sundays at Saint Peter's we invite parishioners of all ages to gather in the parish hall after the 10:15 a.m. service to assemble 100 lunch bags for the Bailey's Homeless Shelter. This is a great service project for families. Bailey’s Shelter & Supportive Housing is a multi-service facility that houses both a shelter program and permanent supportive housing.
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Barcroft Food Market
Second Thursday, 1:00 p.m.
Saint Peter's volunteers will help at the the Barcroft Elementary School food market with food distribution on the second Thursday of the month. Volunteers help with set up from 1-3pm and / or food distribution from 3-5pm. The Barcroft market serves an important community need. Volunteers are needed for this important ministry. Contact the parish office if you want to volunteer.
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Meals On Wheels
1st Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.
Deliver meals to homebound individuals in the Arlington VA community. Our service assists those who continue to live in their own homes, but cannot safely provide meals for themselves. In addition to reliably delivering healthy food, MOW provides a regular “check in” with clients who are living alone. MOW’s distribution site has been at the First Presbyterian Church in Ballston.
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SOME
First Thursdays, 6:00 a.m.
For many years Saint Peter’s has helped So Others Might Eat prepare hot breakfasts in D.C. SOME provides a range of support for vulnerable people in Washington, DC, including a hot breakfast every morning. Saint Peter's has a group of 5-7 people who go to the SOME kitchen to prepare the breakfast. We arrive at 6am and are done cooking and cleaning up by 7:30.
Family-friendly Service Opportunities
Love grows when it is practiced together. At Saint Peter’s, we recognize children as full members of our community as participants in the shared work of compassion, justice, and care. Family-friendly service opportunities make room for all ages to serve side by side, discovering that even simple acts of kindness can become holy work when offered together.
Here are some family-friendly service opportunities.
Stay after the 10: 15 AM worship on the first Sunday of every month to help assemble bag lunches for the unhoused Bailey’s Crossroads Shelter.
Look for our twice-a-year food packaging event with AFAC. The entire parish comes together at 9 AM on a Sunday morning to bag produce.
Drop off cereal and other shelf-stable food for a food pantry.
Plant and tend flowers and vegetables in our garden.
Want to serve locally through Saint Peter’s?
We would be glad to help you find a meaningful way to get involved. Reach out to the church office to learn more about volunteer opportunities, ministry partners, and next steps or view Upcoming Opportunities.