In the middle of one of the wealthiest counties in the country, Melissa Jansen, 49, occupies herself with the poor. As executive director of Western Fairfax Christian Ministries, she has clients who sleep at campgrounds and in the woods, and some who are barely holding on to their homes and apartments. Her agency’s food shelf has seen a 15 percent increase in the number of appointments in the past year, and they recently opened a new office in Centreville to cope with demand. Jansen spoke with The Washington Examiner about our responsibility to the poor, and a faith that inspired her to leave what she knew to serve them. Do you consider yourself to be of a specific faith?

I am a Christian, and what I most appreciate is that it’s a free gift. I didn’t have to do any specific works to earn God’s grace. In fact, none of us could ever do good enough, or be good enough, to deserve that.