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Before the road trips, sunscreen, popsicles, BBQ’s, and out-of-offices signifying the start of summer kick into high gear we thought we would sneak in one quick end of the school year update for you all!

We here at DC Food Project are overjoyed to be celebrating our 5-YEAR ANNIVERSARY – in which time, due to the generosity and ongoing efforts of all of you, we have been able to serve more than 2 million meals, maintain over 20 share tables, and launch and sustain 31 School Pantries throughout all 8 wards in the District.

We are so proud of how far we have come and the progress we have achieved in partnerships throughout the city that will continue to allow us to grow over the next 5 years. Above all, we are so humbled by your trust and continued support.

Our final distribution of the school year took place on June 9th, coinciding with our 5-year anniversary celebration, and it was by far our biggest and best yet! As schools close over the summer, many families who lean and depend on the free breakfast and lunch programs will no longer have those meals available to them. Our annual June Distribution aims to help close that gap, if anything, for a few weeks as summer meal sites open throughout the city.

We were delighted to be joined by Councilmember Frumin who has been a supporter of ours for some time and was excited to see our operation on the ground, meet our partners and volunteers and see what it takes to get the thousands of pounds of food, produce, prepared meals, dried fruit snacks, soup, soccer gear - you name it - to our 30+ partner schools across the city. Thank you Councilmember Frumin sharing this special moment with us. We look forward to exploring deepening partnerships with DC leadership.

Our friends and partners - all of whom make any of this possible - at DC Central Kitchen, Capital Area Food Bank, RIND Snacks, Soupergirl, DC Soccer Club, Support & Feed, PLNT Burger, Hungry Harvest, Deloitte, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, to name a few, were also on-hand -- and of course, our fearless volunteers. We cannot thank you enough.

UPDATE ON OUR PROGRAMS:

Our programs currently support over two thousand pre-identified students across the District and continue to grow.

Pantry Program: The Pantry provides students easy access to non-perishable food and toiletries on an as-needed basis. Each Pantry locker is stored on school grounds for easy access to students and families. Our team is thrilled to announce that we surpassed our goal of doubling pantries year-over-year and are now in 31 schools in all 8 wards throughout the city, supporting over 2,000 pre-identified students. The goal for S/Y 2023-24 is to expand the program to 40-50 (or more!) schools. We seek funding to support these additional schools, to improve our distribution channels and to more effectively store inventory of food and toiletries.
Share Tables: Share tables are the easiest way to reduce food waste in schools while increasing access to healthy snacks and lunch items for all kids! Share tables are currently running in over 20 schools with many new additions coming in the new school year!
Community Bag Program: Our Community Bag Program provides produce and dried goods to families and seniors throughout several DC communities. We are currently serving seniors in Ward 4 and several schools who depend on this program for hundreds of families.

**WAYS YOU CAN HELP:**

**Donate:** Help us continue providing for students and seniors across Washington, D.C. by making a monetary donation HERE. If you are an organization or company interested in an in-kind donation, please reach out to us directly HERE.
**Sponsor: You can donate to and/or sponsor a Pantry! For more information please reach out to us** **HERE**

THANK YOU FROM OUR TEAM TO YOU:

We encourage everyone to check out our wonderful partner organizations and food distribution sites that provide an invaluable bridge during the summer months. Our team has compiled a Summer Meals Sites area for those seeking additional help HERE.

We will be back to you in a few weeks as we gear up for the coming school year!

Thank you as always for all of your support! And as always, you can reach us at dcfoodproject@gmail.com

Happy Summer!
Alysa, Katie, Krista & Lucie

5 Years!