Craigslist Founder to match DC Food Project Donations

On this day last year, schools shut down - cafeterias closed - and kids went home. And those kids who do not have what they need at home suddenly faced that harsh reality of not knowing where or when their next meal would come from.  We knew it and while our own worlds came to a halt, we immediately shut down all of our operations, pivoted everything we had learned to figure out how to help those kids and families, knowing that many were facing a terrible situation.

We began collecting food from neighbors’ front porches to bag and donate to families.  But schools were calling, there were families in dire need who could not leave their home, who were afraid, who wondered how they would feed their children.   We launched our Emergency Weekend Bag Program, and from the few dozen families we had been feeding we began to bag hundreds, to thousands.  

Thanks to all of your support, donations and various partnerships, we have been providing Emergency Weekend Bags to thousands of families since last March:

• Distributing over 100,000 pounds of food

• Providing over 800,000 meals

• By June that number will be over 1.5 million meals

But our work continues.  As we look to continue to provide food through the end of the school year - and beyond - we need to raise more funds to ensure we can cover the growing demand.  We are humbled and beyond thankful that Craig Newmark and Craig Newmark Philanthropies, in collaboration with DC Central Kitchen, will MATCH donations of up to $30,000 to help us tackle the immediate needs of our community here in DC.  

We remain committed to be a volunteer-led organization, working with our school communities, quickly getting food to where it is needed most. We hope you will join us by supporting us today.

In Community,

Alysa, Katie, Krista & Lucie

DC Food Project Co-Founders