Arlington Charities Adds New Lockers, Enabling Grocery Pickup 24/7
Published on February 05, 2026
By Arlington Charities Communications
Arlington Charities is one of the oldest social service organizations in the city, and Arlington’s largest provider of supplemental food for people in need. In 2025, the nonprofit distributed nearly 3 million pounds of food through its multi-faceted food assistance programs that include drive-up service, home delivery, mobile markets, and a Market Truck that delivers fresh produce to food deserts throughout the city.
The organization is thrilled to expand its services even further with the launch of an innovative new program, made possible by the installation of new refrigerated lockers. With the opening of the new lockers, funded by a grant from the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation, Arlington Charities will launch an After-Hours Grocery Pickup Program.
Arlington Charities' current food distribution programs operate within normal business hours, creating access challenges for students, shift workers and hourly employees. The new After-Hours Grocery Program addresses this gap by installing 18 refrigerated and frozen smart lockers, enabling 24/7 grocery pickup. This first-of-its-kind program in Arlington leverages industry-leading technology to:
- Provide secure, temperature-controlled food storage for pre-selected grocery orders.
- Ensure real-time monitoring and reporting of food pick-ups, power status, and inventory levels.
- Offer multilingual digital interfaces to accommodate Arlington’s diverse community.
- Reduce environmental impact with energy-efficient R290 refrigerant technology.
Lockers consist of nine frozen and nine refrigerated containers because clients receive both frozen and refrigerated items in their orders. This 18-locker combination allows for up to nine orders per day, potentially serving more than 8,000 individuals annually.
Arlington Charities is located at 811 Secretary Drive.
Arlington Charities Website