The Tin Cup Fund

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The Tin Cup Fund

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A community of compassionate volunteers dedicated to linking essential items to families in crisis

09/13/2026

What a wonderful event for folks shopping on a budget, people who choose to support small business and those who love to thrift.

Thanks for tying us in once again! Donated winter hats and gloves will be distributed among local Title 1 schools in Reston/Herndon/Sterling. ❤️🧤

08/31/2026

Bombarded? Yes! And we love it. Tin Cup has been busy filling gaps all summer long with a Back-To-School spike. Here are just a few examples of recent impact using your always-appreciated monetary donations. 🎉

Boatload of new, PE approved sneakers for underprivileged students at Cedar Lane Elementary.
Snacks for Herndon High School students who are experiencing food insecurity and often visit their counselors for nourishment.
New clothes and shoes for two underserved Park View High School students experiencing hardship and trauma.
School supplies for many students who could not afford to purchase this year. We especially enjoyed shopping with an adorable set of cousins.💕
Baby formula for a single mom.
Breast pump for another.
T-shirts, leggings and underwear for Dominion High School & William Robey students who appear to attend school with the same outfit day after day.
Incredibly long list of grocery and gas gift cards for struggling families.

We stretch every penny that you give. Thank you for supporting our local mission. 🩷

07/04/2026

July 4th grocery shopping for an unemployed veteran who is struggling to provide food for his family. His pre-teen son, autistic and non-verbal, clearly found it challenging as we strolled the aisles amid loud noises and unfamiliar surroundings. A new toy offered some distraction. ❤️🤍💙

Our June impact included providing household essentials for clients of Loudoun County Mental Health and Substance Abuse Development Clinic, Chick-Fil-A gift cards for sixteen deserving, hardworking graduates of William O. Robey High School, gas gift cards for a Seneca Ridge Middle School family in need and much more.

One of our Spring highlights? Attending the 8th grade graduation ceremony for Ryan, a young boy that Tin Cup heavily supported after a tragic burn accident in 2019. He’s had hundreds of surgeries since that life-altering day but remains strong in spirit.

As for that Dad with today’s full shopping cart, “…just wanted to say thank you so much for all your help today. I really appreciate you taking the time to help me with grocery shopping. It means a lot to me, especially during a difficult time. Thank you for being so patient with my son…I’m truly grateful.”

Our work continues all summer long!☀️

05/20/2026

Requests have been rolling in left and right all Spring. From sneakers and gas cards to blankets and bike locks. We’ve recently impacted students at Park View High School, Sterling Middle School, Seneca Ridge Middle School, Herndon High School, Hutchison Elementary School, Trailside Middle School, Dominion High School, Lowes Island Elementary School, Sugarland Elementary School and Guilford Elementary School in addition to disadvantaged families through Loudoun Cares and the Loudoun County Mental Health and Substance Abuse Developmental Services. Your monetary donations allow to purchase/pay for these kinds of essential items.

• cleaning and hygiene products for a young man living at a local shelter; he struggles with germophobia
• new microwave for a needy family that reside in a basement and do not have access to a kitchen
• donated bike (thank you Melissa Halicy) for a single parent who has no other form of transportation along with a new raincoat, umbrella, hat and shoes for rainy days when they head to work
• emergency hotel stay and gas cards for a vulnerable community member
• new clothes for a middle schooler
• emergency P*P visit at Healthworks
• school food drive contribution
• sneakers for a high schooler
• bike locks for school walkers - an essential given local bike theft
• new vacuum and cleaning supplies for a underserved family
• shoes suited for a single mom who suffers from neuropathy yet must stand at her job
• weighted blanket, cozy pillows, fidget toys and bedside lamp for a young girl who experienced trauma and cannot sleep at night
• snacks for high schoolers who don’t get breakfast at home
• countless grocery store and gas gift cards
• vital, worthy summer camp sponsorship for five middle school students

…and the list goes on…and never stops.

Thank you for supporting our work!

01/28/2026

Tin Cup often finds itself in the right place at the right time. Last week we were in Target’s baby section purchasing essential items for disadvantaged parents in need. We noticed a man trying to maneuver a shopping cart while FaceTiming a woman using sign language. They were communicating about an infant car seat. We stood on the periphery and observed. One by one he showed her options but when he pointed to the price she shook her head no. We approached with a smile using our phones to communicate, “Do you need help?…Is she in the hospital?…Did she just have a baby?” He excitedly shook his head yes and typed, “At INOVA.” The woman gleefully waved at us then panned her phone to the newborn baby boy next to her. He was swaddled in a striped blanket lying in a clear, hospital bassinet with his name above. In between winter storm warning phone dings, we continued typing, “The one she wants is out stock. It has to be cheap.” Together we browsed the selection but each time we pointed out an option the man would extend a flat palm pumping “lower…lower” as if to say they were too expensive. Embarrassment on his face. Another phone ding. Snow approaching. Temps dipping. Shoppers frantically grabbing last minute groceries. We handed him a Tin Cup business card and typed, “We’ll buy it.” We chose a car seat/stroller combo that will get them through toddlerhood. The man hugged us. The new mom first cupped her mouth in shock, tears stinging her eyes then fingertips to her chin signing “thank you.”

New mothers, vulnerable teens, hopeless families. We help them all.

January impact:
• Medically necssary lice treatment for an elementary school girl
• Oil change and tire rotation for a disabled, unhoused woman who resides in her car. Last month we loaded her up with grocery store gift cards and a heavy blanket
• Two-night hotel stay for a set of parents and their baby with special needs; he had life saving surgery at Children’s Hospital in DC yesterday
• Giant gift cards for several clients of Loudoun County Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Developmental Services (MHSADS)
• New socks for students at Herndon Middle School, new warm gloves for Sterling Middle School students
…and the list goes on…

It’s what we do. It’s who we love.

12/02/2025

It’s Giving Tuesday - the ideal day to support our humanitarian efforts throughout Northern Virginia. The mission has remained the same since our inception. We assist underserved families when there is an essential gap.

Requests run the gamut. From Uber gift cards so folks can get to job interviews to emergency car repair for struggling parents. Hardworking case managers and social workers detect the needs ensuring that the assistance goes to precisely the right people.

Thank you for considering a monetary donation so that we can continue the work.

https://www.thetincupfund.org

12/01/2025

Tomorrow, December 2nd, is Giving Tuesday. It’s a global movement designed to highlight and support humanitarian work in every corner of the world. Tin Cup opts to assist those closest to home. We help by way of filling essential gaps for NOVA families in crisis. Perhaps you’ll consider a monetary donation to support the work we do.

In November alone we:

• purchased new clothing for a high school student and his little sister
• provided grocery store gift cards to a low-Income family that very recently lost their daughter. Countless hospital visits meant lost wages
• gave Giant gift cards to families who could not afford a Thanksgiving meal
• covered car repair for a single mom who got her car through the Vehicles for Change program. She was once in the foster care system and is working hard to provide for her own children
• food contribution to a free food drive just before the holiday
• diapers for a mentally and physically challenged 3rd grader
• gas gift cards for an unhoused woman who lives in her car despite extreme disabilities. A full tank means she’ll get to crucial doctor’s appointments
• space heaters for a family that cannot afford to repair their system
• new bedding and donated bed for a high school senior and her mom; they’ll now share a twin
• essential items for a man who lives in his car
• specialized formula for an elementary school student who has a G-tube
• new leggings and feminine pads for young girls who have menstrual accidents at school

November referral partners: Hutchison ES, Herndon MS, Loudoun County Area on Aging, Creighton’s Corner ES, Cedar Lane ES, Loudoun Cares, Sterling Middle School, Don’t Go Alone, Loudoun County Dept of MHSADS (Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Developmental Services), William Robey HS

You can donate via our website or Venmo. Checks should be made payable to Tin Cup Fund, PO Box 650663, Sterling, VA 20165.

https://www.thetincupfund.org

Address

PO Box 650663
Sterling, VA
20165

Website

https://www.thetincupfund.org/

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