Committee for Helping Others

About Us

The Committee for Helping Others (CHO) was founded in 1969. It is a non-profit (501(c)(3) ecumenical organization dedicated to serving needy residents in Vienna, Oakton, Dunn Loring, and Merrifield by providing food, clothing, furniture, and emergency assistance. CHO's all-volunteer task force also delivers thousands of meals to area shut-ins each year through the Meals-on-Wheels program. Over the years CHO has received generous support from local churches, businesses and civic organizations, individuals, and the Town of Vienna. Although CHO has operated for decades almost in secret, and as a result has suffered financially, efforts are underway to change this so its services can continue to provide essential girding of those in need locally, and ideally expand the help it provides.
CHO would like to partner more closely with its current church and organizational neighbors, and establish additional affiliations in the local community. By doing so, CHO would like to be able to reach out to more families, as well as to more closely target and tailor its services to the specific needs of the diverse clients in our area, beyond just food, clothing, and furniture, and some bill-paying. There are lots of unmet needs, as examples, for financial literacy, language training, daycare, and for jobs. How best to supplement assistance being provided by Fairfax County and some other local agencies, is the question.