"The deliveries were a lifeline"

Cooking for the clients of Food & Friends is more than a job for me – it’s a joy. I have the chance to get to know some of the neighbors we serve – men and women living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-challenging illnesses. I’d like to share one of their stories with you.

Meet Sasha. She’s a 29 year-old mom living with HIV. When she started receiving services, she was also pregnant.

Support from people like you help Sasha and her family thrive.

Here’s a letter Sasha sent to us:

I want you all to know how much this service has meant to me and my family. While I was pregnant, it was very difficult for me to go grocery shopping, especially considering that I do not drive. 

The food that was provided helped me to eat well and feed my children. Due to financial difficulties which have been exacerbated by the cost of baby formula, diapers, and other baby necessities, the food deliveries were a needed lifeline.

We are so thankful for all that you have done for us and we know that you will continue to help others just as you have helped us. It is still a difficult time for us but we hope that someday we can offer our support in return.

Thank you all, and be blessed, Sasha

You can help families like Sasha’s across the Greater Washington, DC, area this summer. Support the Summer Food Fund with a much-needed donation today.

With gratitude,

Mark Locraft

Executive Chef

From Executive Chef Mark Locraft: Support our Summer Food Fund

I’m usually found preparing nutritious food in Food & Friends’ kitchen. So if this blog post isn’t quite as appealing as our tangy chicken vegetable soup, well . . . I apologize but I had to take a moment to post because I really need your help.

As the Executive Chef at Food & Friends, I am responsible for the team of chefs, dietitians, and volunteers that plan, prepare and cook the nourishing meals we serve to our neighbors in need — breakfast, lunch and dinner, 52 weeks a year for 2,700 clients living with HIV/AIDS, cancer or other life-challenging illness.

As you can imagine, without unlimited resources, I have to plan meals carefully so I always stay within our budget. This isn’t an easy task. If you’ve shopped for groceries lately, you know how expensive they can be. And during the hottest summer months, I have an additional challenge because our level of financial support and food donations decline. But our clients depend on us regardless of the season. Their effort to stay healthy doesn’t take a vacation.

On behalf of the clients I need to feed this summer, I’m asking you to support our Summer Food Fund campaign and help ensure that I have the necessary financial resources to purchase the thousands of pounds of food for meals to be delivered to our clients over the next few months. Today we are only part of the way toward raising our Summer Food Fund goal of $75,000 to help sustain us throughout the tough, hot summer months. This is where you can help!

Your generous, tax-deductible gift will help us purchase, prepare and deliver the healthy meals and nutritional guidance that our clients rely on day-to-day during a very emotional and financially difficult time in their life. Perhaps even more importantly, each meal will be delivered along with a warm smile and words of encouragement from a friendly face. With your help, these meals will not only be healthy, but will also be satisfying. Being able to serve so many people who need my help is one of the reasons that I enjoy my job so much.

While financial support typically declines during the hottest months of the year, demand for Food & Friends’ services continues to increase. Could you tell someone who is hungry and is suffering from a serious illness that you can’t help them? I can’t. As much as I’m able to economize on food costs and utilize the time and energy of our dedicated volunteers, I can only stretch our food budget so far. Food & Friends needs your help to ensure we don’t have to face our growing demands without adequate financial resources.

Help us reach our Summer Food Fund goal of $75,000, you can make sure we will continue to be there for the men, women and children that depend on our services. With continued advancements in treatments for diseases like HIV/AIDS and cancer, nutritious meals have become an even more important weapon in the fight for better health.

I am honored to be working with YOU to help deliver important nutrition to those in our community living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging illnesses. Your caring support delivers the best and safest meals that we can provide and our clients so desperately need.

And thank you for being there when it counts the most.

Sincerely,

Mark Locraft

Executive Chef