Pantry Program

DC Food Project, in partnership with DC Central Kitchen and Amazon, is implementing Pantry Programs in schools throughout Washington, DC. This program provides students easy access to non-perishable food and toiletries on an as needed basis. We began this program in November 2021 and it is now supporting over 2200 students throughout 40+ schools in DC, and is expanding into Arlington, Virginia in 2024.

Over the past few years, our team has aimed to reduce food waste in schools while improving access to healthy food for students in DC. In the midst of launching these efforts, one thing that became clear to our team was that more often than not, students coming from homes concerned with food access are also not receiving household and personal care items they need -- something that can become a major stress factor for these children.

Each Pantry is stored on school grounds for easy access to students and families. Items are distributed to students from the School Pantry throughout the school year and are given away free of charge to program participants.

One in three (34%) low-income families found it difficult to afford basic household necessities in the past year.

Of these families, 82% live in a households with low or very low food access, meaning that they cannot afford enough food.

Nearly three in four (73%) low-income families have cut back on food in the past year in order to afford household goods.

WHAT IS A PANTRY?

The Pantry Program is designed as a place where students can discreetly get food and items they need, including kids’ toiletries and other household items.

The Pantry will be stored on school grounds for easy access to students and families.
Items will be distributed to students from the School Pantry throughout the school year.
Pantry items will be given away free of charge to program participants.

WHY A PANTRY?

Conveniently located on-site at schools for students and families in-need.

Pantries can complement existing school breakfast and lunch programs either throughout the school day, when the school day has ended and/or over the weekends.

Provide an easy-to-access location that students can visit discreetly as-needed.

“School pantries make staple grocery items available to students and their household family members at no cost. They are easy to operate, but have a big impact. The pantry itself requires minimal storage space; many schools find there is a suitable location for a pantry within their walls.” - Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin

**Source: Feeding America Study Reveals US Families Struggle to Afford Basic Needs

Our team aims to double the number of pantries year over year. If you are interested in helping us create a greater impact on the students we support, consider making a donation, becoming a Sponsor or learning more about what we do: