City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: OCTOBER 7, 2026
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER
FROM: LEAH RILEY, DIRECTOR, TRANSPORTATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of a Resolution Supporting the City's Submitted Application for a Catalyst Grant through the World Wildlife Fund National Household Wasted Food Prevention Project.
BODY
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ISSUE: Should the City Council approve a resolution supporting the City's submitted application for a $500,000 Catalyst Grant through the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) National Household Wasted Food Prevention Project to support implementation and creation of Food Smart Alexandria: A Household Food Waste Prevention Initiative, and authorize the City Manager to execute necessary grant agreements and related documents if funding is awarded?
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
1. Adopt the attached resolution supporting the City's submitted Catalyst Grant application to the World Wildlife Fund National Household Wasted Food Prevention Project.
2. Support the City's request for $500,000 in Catalyst Grant funding to initiate and implement Food Smart Alexandria: A Household Food Waste Prevention Initiative; and
3. Authorize the City Manager to execute all grant agreements and related documents necessary to accept and administer the grant should funding be awarded.
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BACKGROUND: Staff submitted a $500,000 Catalyst Grant application to support implementation of Food Smart Alexandria on September 1, 2026, for a citywide household wasted food prevention initiative. Alexandria's established Resource Recovery programs, nationally recognized sustainability initiatives, existing food security infrastructure, and growing network of community and educational partners position the City to competitively pursue this funding while developing a scalable model that can be sustained locally and shared with other communities.
The WWF, in partnership with the Ad Council, ReFED, the United States Composting Council, and the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, established the National Household Wasted Food Prevention Project to support local governments in developing community-based initiatives that reduce household food waste through measurable behavior change, strategic partnerships, and performance evaluation.
DISCUSSION: Food Smart Alexandria: A Household Food Waste Prevention Initiative represents the next evolution of Alexandria's Resource Recovery strategy by shifting to upstream strategies to prevent food waste before it is created. The submitted application proposes a citywide initiative designed to reach approximately 20,000 households through broad outreach, education, communications, and partner engagement. Within the larger reach, approximately 5,000 households would be targeted for active participating in a structured Household Challenge. Through practical education, household tools, and recurring engagement centered on the PLAN → SHOP → STORE → USE → SAVE framework, residents will learn strategies to better plan meals, shop intentionally, properly store food, use what they purchase, and save food from going to waste. The initiative complements existing programs such as Food to Good while advancing the City's WasteSmart Strategic Plan and Environmental Action Plan 2040 through measurable household behavior change, waste prevention, and resource recovery.
The initiative will be led by Transportation and Environmental Services’ Resource Recovery Division, which will be responsible for overall project leadership, grant administration, program implementation, partner coordination, performance monitoring, and reporting. The Department of Community & Human Services (DCHS) and the Alexandria Food Security Coalition will strengthen community coordination and connections with priority households and trusted community networks, including through existing initiatives such as the Community Childhood Care Connector. Virginia Cooperative Extension will serve as a core education and technical partner, supporting workshops, volunteer training, and practical food-management education. Additional community partners, including ALIVE! and Capital Area Food Bank, will provide opportunities to extend outreach through existing food security and community networks. Together, these partnerships will help the City deliver culturally responsive education and engagement while connecting household food waste prevention with broader sustainability, affordability, and food-security goals.
FISCAL IMPACT: No local match is required. The City submitted a request for $500,000 in Catalyst Grant funding to support the initiation, implementation, and evaluation of Food Smart Alexandria over the proposed grant period. The grant budget includes personnel, educational and household food-waste prevention materials, community outreach and communications, evaluation and data-analysis services, and a subaward to Virginia Cooperative Extension for education and technical support. Existing City and partner resources will also support implementation where appropriate.
The grant-funded period will provide the City an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of the initiative and identify which components, if any, warrant continuation. Any successful practices considered for continuation beyond the grant period would first be evaluated for integration into existing Resource Recovery and, where appropriate, DCHS programs, operations, and available resources. The initiative does not assume or commit the City to additional funding beyond the grant period.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Resolution
Attachment 2: Presentation
Attachment 3: Letters of Support
STAFF:
Emily A. Baker, Deputy City Manager
Tarrence Moorer, Deputy Director, Transportation & Environmental Services
Flavio Goncalves, Jr. Division Chief, Transportation & Environmental Services
Howard Lee, Environmental Program Manager, Transportation & Environmental Services
Caroline Partridge, Program Analyst, Transportation & Environmental Services