4 Days Left to Give: Bring Hope to Our Sick Neighbors

Hope, compassion, strength and quality of life. You bring these to children and adults as they battle through their darkest days.

Thanks to your support, nearly 2,900 individuals received specialized meals and nutrition counseling this year. This is wonderful, but these individuals will still need you next year along with the many others that await our services.

Your gift of $25, $50, $100 or more will mean so much to so many. Please donate today.

As you celebrate the New Year with family and friends, please don’t forget those who count on your support every day. This year may be ending, but we remain committed and you can help provide the critical meals clients need during the coming winter months.

Make a gift to ensure that we will be there when needed most.

On behalf of the entire community, I thank you in advance for your support this holiday season – together we will continue to make a difference!

Best,

Craig Shniderman
Executive Director

P.S. You can build a healthier and more caring community with a gift today.

You have the power to improve lives

You have the power to improve the lives of men, women and children struggling with the hardships of critical illness. This is a daily battle - they cannot fight without you.

Please make a gift today to ensure our sick neighbors do not have to face their illness alone or on an empty stomach.

The impact of your support is best expressed with Claire's words:

"You have literally saved me and my child ... Not only did we have food on the table, but having so many wonderful people helping us three times a week brightened our days. Though I’ll always live under the shadow of my disease, my health is much better now.”

This year is ending, but our commitment to those in need is not. Your gift today is needed to buy groceries, prepare more meals and make deliveries to the homes of clients just like Claire.

Thank you for helping us be there for our clients when they need us the most.

Sincerely,

Craig Shniderman
Executive Director

P.S. A small act of generosity can have a big impact – each gift of $100 provides 4 days of meals for someone in need.

Engaging Youth through Service Learning Program

Half of the 12,000 volunteers who join us annually are under the age of 25. Last school year, more than 1,000 of our youth volunteers participated in our Service Learning Program. Through this program, we engage students in traditional community service and highlight educational activities. Some students even receive on-the-job training to prepare for life after school.

Food & Friends engages thousands
of youth every year through its
Service Learning Program

This year, we will continue to enhance our Service Learning Program with help from Youth Service America (YSA). YSA’s mission is to improve communities by increasing the number and diversity of young people serving in substantive roles. Food & Friends was chosen as a Lead Sodexo Organizer, meaning we will recruit and assist at least 10 community partners in growing their volunteer and service learning programs. The kick-off for recruitment started in October at the Youth Service Institute conference in Houston, Texas.

As part of our partnership with Sodexo, I had the opportunity to attend this three-day event designed to introduce the latest and most effective strategies for quality youth engagement. My primary objective for attending was to share ideas and learn from other people working in this field. I was honored to share Food & Friends’ successes in recruiting charter schools, and how we use surveys to track progress in our afterschool students. New contacts taught me to focus school recruitment around a day like Global Youth Service Day, and a few organizations shared useful lesson plans designed to prepare classes before volunteering.

We're participating in GYSD this year!
Check out our opportunities for youth that week!

Now, back at Food & Friends, we are discussing ways to incorporate some of these new ideas into our program. We love working with our youth volunteers and want to ensure they are part of a top quality program. Based on the growth we’ve experienced in recent years, we know Service Learning will continue to grow and serve more local high school students. This unique experience provides a glimpse into community service and exposes youth to valuable lessons that are not taught in a classroom.

For more information regarding Service Learning, please contact me at agaudette@foodandfriends.org or at (202) 269-6832.

Angela Gaudette is the Service Learning Coordinator at Food & Friends. She has been a member of our team for over three years. Prior to Food & Friends, she worked in Los Angeles as the Youth Resource Coordinator at an afterschool program. Among Angela’s favorite things are working with students, cooking, gardening and her recent Ironman Wisconsin finish.

Donna’s continued care, and that of all our clients, is in your hands

Every day, nutritious, specialized and delicious meals leave our facility headed for the homes of our most vulnerable neighbors and their families. Last week we shared Donna's story with you. Just like Donna, each client has a personal story and struggle. But, they all have one thing in common; they need you.

Our red delivery bags carry more than just food. They bring hope, compassion, strength and a better quality of life. They represent an entire community of caring individuals looking out for children and adults at the most difficult time in their lives. You have served as a dedicated member of this community and with a gift today you can continue to make a difference.

We have made a promise to our clients – as long as they need us, Food & Friends will be there with a smile, a word of encouragement and a nutritious meal.

Together, we can fulfill this promise.

Best,

Craig Shniderman
Executive Director

P.S. Please act now. Your gift will be immediately put to work. As 2012 comes to an end, our commitment is stronger than ever. Donna’s continued care, and that of all our clients, is in your hands. If not you, then who?

WATCH: If Not YOU, Then WHO?

"When I was first diagnosed with HIV I felt very much alone, but I don't feel alone anymore; I feel like someone cares."

Each time a delivery from Food & Friends arrives at Donna’s door, it is a reminder she is not alone. This is our promise to Donna and all the clients who rely on our service. Listen as Donna shares what this promise means to her.



The meals you make possible provide the critical nourishment necessary so that Donna, and others like her, can continue their fight in the battle against life-challenging illnesses.

Your gift of $25 will provide breakfast, lunch and dinner for Donna; with a gift of $150 you can feed Donna for an entire week.

“They are not just supporting me with a meal, but they are actually supporting me with my daily living, and it is a blessing.”

As 2012 comes to an end, our commitment is stronger than ever. Donna’s continued care, and that of all our clients, is in your hands. Please make a gift today.

Look what you made possible!

Through your support of our Slice of Life pie sale and participation in Thanksgiving, you helped provide thousands of meals to children and adults facing life-challenging illnesses. We asked you to give . . . AND YOU DID! Thank you!

One life touched by your support is Deborah's. Deborah suffers from lymphoma and can barely muster the energy to get out of bed, much less go grocery shopping and prepare her own meals. You give Deborah the support she needs to fight and her words express the tremendous impact of your support:

"For those of us who have cancer and getting treatment who don’t have the support of somebody living with us, this program saves our lives."

Thanks to you, there are many like Deborah whose hopes are restored because you made a priceless investment in changing lives. Thank you for your kindness and generosity.