Donate to Food & Friends' Holiday Toy Drive!

Food & Friends Holiday Toy Drive!

Join us in giving the children we serve a memorable holiday! Donate gifts to our annual holiday toy drive.

Food & Friends is currently accepting toys for children of all ages but are especially in need of gifts for kids age 10-17. Individual gifts should not exceed $25 and can include gift cards. We are also accepting donations of gift wrap and tape. 

Food & Friends will be collecting donations November 28^th through December 9^th, 2016. 

Please deliver donations to:  

219 Riggs Rd NE Washington, DC 20011 and ask for a member of client services upon arrival.  

For more information, contact Lola Adebiyi at ladebiyi@foodandfriends.org or 202-269-6897.

Connie: “I was living on the edge until Food & Friends came along.”

Living with cancer is challenging – no matter what the circumstances. But for those with a limited income, or no income, a cancer diagnosis can present seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Connie, 65, understands this all too well. She is one of over 2,000 breast cancer clients to have received meals or groceries from Food & Friends. Without those nutritious groceries, Connie would be skipping meals and putting her health at greater risk.

Connie learned about Food & Friends during a visit to Washington Hospital Center, where she was being fitted for a wig. “I was crying,” she recalls, “because I couldn’t afford the wig, but also because I couldn’t afford to buy food.” 

Founded at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Food & Friends expanded its mission in the year 2000 to meet the growing needs of people in our region living with cancer.

A special education professional at John F. Kennedy High School in Wheaton, Maryland, Connie was diagnosed with cancer four years ago. Since then, she has been treated with chemotherapy and radiation – twice. As a result, she exhausted her annual leave and sick leave. On top of that, she has no family in this area that she could rely on for emotional or financial support. 

At her lowest point, Connie would go the entire workday without eating. She occasionally borrowed money from co-workers for lunch. Other times she would tell them, “I’ll eat when I get home” or “I’m dieting.”

“I was living on the edge,” she says. “Until Food & Friends came along.”

Twice a month, she now receives four bags of fresh food and pantry staples through Food & Friends’ “Groceries to Go” program. With two weeks’ supply of food, she prepares healthy meals like chicken breast sautéed with onions and garlic over brown rice or turkey burgers with a side of greens. 

Connie believes that having access to nutritious food has improved her health. She has more energy and gets sick less often. In turn, she adds, “I feel more confident at work.”

“When you have cancer, you feel bad enough as it is,” Connie says. “Your self-esteem is low. You are living with uncertainly about the future. A good meal is not only a boost to your confidence, but a comfort like nothing else.”

FOOD & FRIENDS SERVES UP ITS 20 MILLIONTH MEAL!

Food & Friends recently reached a new milestone—serving its 20 millionth home delivered meal! Much has changed at Food & Friends over the years – we’ve expanded services, grown into new facilities, evolved our menu – but the personal impact of serving a meal to a neighbor remains a cornerstone of our work. It’s a communal act that, no matter how many times you do it, never fades in its importance.

In the early days of Food & Friends, during the height of the AIDS crisis, meals were about providing compassion and calories for clients who were near the end of their life. Today, we serve virtually the same number of people living with HIV/AIDS as when we opened our current building 12 years ago, but we also respond to the needs of adults and children living with cancer and other serious illnesses. Our clients have specific dietary needs as a result of their illness or treatments and may be managing several health problems at once.

“Our clients’ needs may look different than in the past. They still have an acute need for our service, but also have complex additional health issues. For instance, we know that folks with HIV are also at greater risk for heart failure and diabetes than the general population. I think our food has come a long way in addressing that complexity,” commented Carrie Stoltzfus, MPH, Director of Program Services.

The meals we provide to our clients are not only essential nourishment, but are carefully developed to improve health outcomes and overall well-being. For example, we can now help those with difficulty chewing or swallowing with a pureed or soft meal plan, or we can address their broader health needs with a diabetic, renal, or heart healthy meal plan.

More broadly, our staff of registered dietitians and trained chefs have worked together closely over the years to shift our meals and grocery programs toward what’s commonly known as a Mediterranean Diet, focusing on fresh vegetables, whole grains, healthy oils, and lean meats and seafood.

“While this shift incurs higher costs and more prep time in the kitchen, the benefits to our clients are undeniable,” said Executive Chef Mark Locraft. “We’re committed to cooking more healthy and tailored food for our clients to ensure their greatest chances for a long and healthful life.”

The 20 million meals that we’ve prepared in our kitchen have only been possible through the work of tens of thousands of dedicated members of the community, like you. As we continue to evolve as an organization, we know that each and every meal has a direct impact on a client’s life. Here’s to 20 million more!

Jumping Into Action: A Volunteer Shares His Experience on the Food & Friends Delivery Route

By Johnny Pitchford, Food & Friends Volunteer

I have been volunteering at Food & Friends for just 2 years now.  In that time, I have worked mainly in the kitchen and in the development office on special events, but have had occasion to work on projects in most all departments in the building.

A recent email message from Volunteer Services Manager Beth Stewart caught my eye.  It was about a new volunteer position, “Delivery Jumper.”  This assignment involves going out on a daily run with one of the staff drivers, delivering prepared meals and groceries-to-go to the homes of clients.  I was intrigued because very few of my previous volunteer experiences had involved client interaction.  While I had done just about every volunteer task within the building, I hadn’t taken the step of going out on delivery by myself.  So, I decided to give it a try.

Beth assigned me to work with staff driver Antoine Johnson.  We met on the loading dock that morning, loaded up his van, and headed out.  Antoine knew the routes and the clients well, and I was able to help by jumping out of the van and delivering the food to the client, their family member or caregiver, while Antoine called the next home to let them know we were on the way.

We made over 40 deliveries that day to the northeastern and southeastern section of the District.  In some cases, the client asked me to relay a message back to Antoine, like “don’t let him forget my birthday cake next week,” showing the personal connection he has made with the clients on his route.

I must say that having Antoine as my driver and “teacher” that day made the time go by quickly.  His warm and engaging personality, tips about shortcuts to improve his efficiency, and anecdotes from his past experiences as a driver, made for an enjoyable day in itself. 

It was a full day, and my muscles were tired that evening…but a “pleasant” tired.  More importantly, it was an extremely heartwarming yet humbling experience to approach the front door of home after home of individuals you know to be living with a life-challenging illness, and to be met with a warm smile and a “thank you” in each case.

Having spent many hours preparing and packaging food in the kitchen on Riggs Road for clients that have been faceless until now, my day on the road with Antoine brought my Food & Friends experience full circle.  It reinforced in my mind the critical value of what we all do together at Food & Friends day after day, week after week, year after year.

I encourage my fellow volunteers to take advantage of this new opportunity.  I’m doing it again next week.


Note: If you are interested in volunteering as a Delivery Jumper, please contact volunteer@foodandfriends.org or call (202) 269-2277. We'd love to have you!