DC Food Project #GivingTuesday 2022
The season of gratitude is in full swing this week and this newsletter allows us the perfect opportunity to reflect on the year so far and on what is ahead. Looking back, we are beyond thankful to all of you who have donated your time, your funds, and your enthusiastic support to DC Food Project!
Those who benefit from your support are among our community’s most vulnerable and, at this time of year in particular, we reflect on the meaning of food – as a basic need and also as a way to gather as a community in sharing and in providing for each other. With that in mind, let’s gather together again to commit to providing for those in need.
Today is Giving Tuesday, and your generous donations will help support our programs (updates and details below) in the coming year. Please consider donating your money or your time to help us continue to make change!
DONATE
UPDATE ON OUR PROGRAMS:
Pantry Program: The Pantry provides students easy access to non-perishable food and toiletries on an as-needed basis. Each Pantry is stored on school grounds for easy access to students and families. Donations to support the pantry program provide essential items to those in need. Costs to run the program are nearly $20,000 per month. To date, we have launched pantries in 21 schools supporting over 1,300 pre-identified students and their families. We hope to continue expanding this program with a goal to be in every school throughout the District.
Community Bag Program: We were able to contribute food to the Thanksgiving tables of over 700 families with our November 18 distribution. The bags we distributed to families contained donations from several exciting new partnerships including: Grove Toiletries, Support and Feed Meal Boxes from Plnt Burger, Amore Learning and Amazon. Additionally, they were supported by our amazing and beloved existing partnerships including: DC Central Kitchen, Hungry Harvest, and Soupergirl!
Share Table Program: We’re back and have successfully re-launched over a dozen share tables around schools in the District. Our team is excited to continue to expand this program which rescues over 60 pounds of food per day, per school, allowing kids and school staff alike to access nutritious food throughout the day — that mind you, would have gone to the trash otherwise. We’re also looking forward to partnering with schools in Arlington County who are eager to onboard our program in their schools. Lots more to go on this one and we’re looking forward to it.
For now, we have two more distributions in December, details below, supportingfamilies prior to the holiday break, as we look to continue our programming in 2023.
WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO…
August 22: DC Food Project is the proud recipient of a Neighborhood Grant from The Starbucks Foundation.
September 20: DC Food Project Teams up with Amazon to combat hunger
September 27: White House Day of Service & Rally
September 30: Little Red Fox & DC Food Project Specialty Drink Day
October 3: RIND Snacks & DC Food Project Partner to host Healthy School Assemblies
October 6: DC Food Project Pantry Pack and Deliver Day, with GMMB
November 15: Amore Learning & Flex All Day Donation Drive
November 18: DC Food Project Community Bag Day
November 27: DC Soccer Club & DC Food Project Team up for a World Cup Watch Party & Donation Drive
WHAT’S COMING UP…
November 29: Giving Tuesday
December 1: DC Food Project Pantry Pack and Deliver Day
December 15: DCPS Food & Nutrition Services Collaboration Event
December 16: DC Food Project Community Bag Day, with Marriott
2023….
WAYS YOU CAN HELP:
Sponsor: You can donate to and/or sponsor a Pantry! For more information please reach out to us HERE
WAYS YOU CAN HELP:
Volunteer: If you are in the DC region and are able to help, come support us in-person. We’d love to get to meet you and work alongside you to get the food, toiletries and other essentials to our local schools. For more information please reach out to us HERE
THANK YOU FROM OUR TEAM TO YOU:
Again, from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU for all you do to support our programs. We are humbled by your support, your volunteering, your donations and your partnerships and look forward to continuing to make change together in the coming year.
In community,
Alysa, Katie, Krista & Lucie