Pantry Program

No child should face the day worried about food or basic hygiene. To meet this critical need, DC Food Project partners with DC Central Kitchen to establish on-site school pantries. These pantries provide students with free, discreet, and easy to access non-perishable food and essential toiletries whenever they need them.

What started as a small pilot initiative in November 2021 has grown into a vital community lifeline. Today, we are proud to support more than 4,000 students across 80+ schools throughout Washington, DC, and Arlington, VA and we are just getting started.

Why This Program is Vital

By bringing pantries directly to schools, we eliminate the hurdles students face in accessing basic essentials.

How It Works

On Site School Storage: Each pantry is located on school grounds for convenient, discreet access.
School-Led Distribution: Dedicated school administrators help distribute items to students throughout the academic year.
100% Free: All food and personal care items are provided completely free of charge, offering students a dignified, worry-free way to access the healthy food they need.

Bring a Pantry to Your School!

Ready to make a difference? Contact us today to get started!

Did You Know?

About the Pantry Program

On-Site & Accessible: Located directly on school grounds, our pantries provide convenient, discreet support for students and families in need.
Filling the “Gap” : By complementing school breakfast and lunch programs, the pantries bridge the gap, ensuring students have access to meals throughout the school day, in the evenings, and over the weekends.
Inclusive Nutrition: Reflects the diverse needs of D.C. communities, ensuring all students receive the nutrition they need to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
Reliable & Free: Every pantry is restocked monthly throughout the school year and remains 100% free of charge for all participants.
Proven Impact: Our team provides an average of 10 lbs of food per student, totaling 300,000+ meals per school year.

What We Are Hearing From Our Schools

“Hunger among students during the school day has decreased, students needing snacks during the school day know where to go, and Students/Families know who to reach out to for food resources. They are less stressed about how they will feed themselves and their kids”. - Roosevelt STAY Opportunity Academy
“Our students are definitely less stress, my children know they can come and ask for a snack if the family is experiencing food insecurity. Sometimes the snack is helping to change a mindset from negative thoughts to positive ones. We have utilized some of our whole groups to help bag pantry items while teaching the principals of problem solving world issues, e.g., hunger. The children love to know they are helping. Many children advocate for their families and ask for a bag of pantry items as young as 1st grade. The larger school community are alerted when a distribution occurs and sometimes offer to help distribute which lends to a "healing" and "bonding" activity. - Bruce Monroe ES
“We have been able to provide classroom snacks during the school day, and we have noticed an increase in engagement/energy to be able to engage in their learning. It has also seemed to empower students to communicate their needs if they are hungry and/or their family could benefit from a food bag to inform us of this and/or inquire about the program.”- HD Cooke ES
“Students always have a reliable meal when they get home. Families count on this every month and have told us they didn't know what they would do without it.” - Rocketship Infinity Community Prep

How You Can Make An Impact

We are aiming to double the number of our school pantries year over year—but we can’t do it alone. You can help us create a lasting, positive impact on the students we support. Whether you choose to make a donation, volunteer your time, become a program sponsor, or simply learn more about our mission, your partnership makes a difference.