Around Town

Reston residents no longer have to travel to Chantilly to indulge in a bar or box of River-Sea Chocolates.

The chocolate maker recently began welcoming customers to a retail shop at 11495 Sunset Hills Road, Unit 100, months after expanding there with a new, larger production facility.


Countywide

Hundreds of volunteers congregated at sites across Northern Virginia on Saturday (Oct. 25) to collect, sort and distribute donations to local school food pantries.

Timed to coincide with National Make a Difference Day, the sorting events were organized by the nonprofit Food for Neighbors to help the many students in the region who struggle with getting consistent access to food — a challenge expected to worsen as the federal government shutdown approaches a month in length.


Countywide

Affording groceries, already a challenge for many households in the D.C. region, could become an even greater obstacle next month for thousands of Fairfax County residents with the suspension of federal food benefits.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, is expected to pause payments at the end of next week unless Congress and President Donald Trump resolve the budget standoff that has closed the federal government since Oct. 1.


Around Town

Efforts to expand Bunnyman Brewing‘s footprint at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton are officially on the move.

DrinkLocal LLC, which operates Bunnyman Brewing, has received approval for a lease to control a second storefront across from its existing bar, bringing another dining option to the campus.


Around Town

A Reston storefront is the latest expansion target for a local brand offering Argentinian cuisine.

Empanadas de Mendoza, a stalwart at Fairfax-area farmers markets, is moving into a recently-vacated space in North Point Village Center.


Around Town

A New York City food hall venture is slated to open its two latest D.C.-area locations in Fairfax County later this month.

Wonder, which describes its food halls as a one-stop shop to conquer any craving, will soon begin serving diners in Franconia on Oct. 23 and in Reston on Oct. 30.


Countywide

More than one in four Fairfax County households meets the definition of “food-insecure,” and that figure is likely to rise in coming months as the full impacts of federal worker and funding cuts materialize.

“More challenging times are ahead,” Hilary Salmon, senior director of marketing and communications for Capital Area Food Bank, predicted when briefing board members of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) yesterday (Wednesday).


Around Town

Fairfax County is losing Taste of NoVA to Prince William County, a consequence of the federal government shutdown stretching into a second week.

The food festival was set to unfold this weekend (Oct. 11-12) at the National Museum of the U.S. Army in Fort Belvoir, which has been closed since Oct. 1 with all events canceled as long as the shutdown continues.


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