You Changed Thousands of Lives in 2012

Your support has provided hope for thousands of people like Geraldine (pictured), who spends her day caring for her mother, Ruby, who is facing Alzheimer's.

Ruby (left) and her daughter Geraldine

Thanks to your generosity in 2012, we:

• Home-delivered nearly 1.2 million healthy, customized meals to more than 2,900 children and adults facing HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging illnesses.
• Hosted more than 12,000 volunteers who worked alongside our staff to prepare, package and deliver 3,500 meals every day.
• Re-evaluated and updated our client eligibility guidelines. As individuals with HIV/AIDS live longer, they are facing secondary illnesses complicated by their status; our revised guidelines take each prospective client's overall health status and needs into account.
• Expanded our services in Maryland to serve more individuals with cancer and their families. Thanks to our partnership with Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, we will serve an additional 50,000 meals in Montgomery County next year.

This year, we will celebrate our 25th Anniversary of caring for the community. And, as long as HIV/AIDS and other critical illnesses threaten our community, we will be here, thanks to you.

On behalf of the men, women and children who were served and will be served through your generosity, thank you for your support and Happy New Year!

Thanks to You, Debra Can Host a Full Holiday Dinner for her Family

With Food & Friends' help, Debra will host a full
Thanksgiving meal for her friends and family

When Debra was diagnosed with sciatica, a disability causing extreme pain and numbness in the legs, she worried about how she would care for her two teenagers. Living in a three story house, buying and cooking meals was extremely challenging.

“I couldn't be on my feet for long so standing up in the kitchen and preparing food was excruciatingly painful,” says Debra. “Sometimes, the pain was so bad that I had to crawl up three flights of stairs.”

An independent single mom, Debra never dreamed she would need assistance cooking meals for her family. But when that time came, Food & Friends was there to help by delivering healthy meals almost every day for Debra and her children.

“Anyone with a teenager knows that they are ravenous! Food & Friends delivered enough food for all three of us,” expresses Debra. “When I first got on service, I did not believe it would be this nice – the prepared meals are varied, nutritious and delicious!”

Deliveries on Thanksgiving Day are no different – just bigger! Every year, volunteers arrive at Debra’s doorstep with a Thanksgiving meal for four. Packed with a full turkey, cornbread stuffing, green beans, pie and more, this meal is not just about having something to eat, it allows Debra to still host Thanksgiving dinner and share that day with her family.

“It’s one of the few times a year that I can get my whole family together around a table and I don’t have to suffer through it. It is very heartwarming to the point of tears . . . You add immensely to a person’s life when you bring the gift of food,” says Debra. “The food gives people hope and keeps them alive. You’re bringing families together and are fostering a sense of community.”
Debra wishes she could do more to show her gratitude to the volunteers who have selflessly made time in their holiday to help her and her children fill their stomachs.

“Were I in a better economic situation, I would tip the volunteers! It’s a sacrifice without value.”