We are DC Values

Hunger & Food Justice

  

Mission: The mission of Bread for the City is to provide vulnerable residents of Washington, DC with comprehensive services, including food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services, in an atmosphere of dignity and respect. We recognize that all people share a common humanity, and that all are responsible to themselves and to society as a whole. Therefore, we promote the mutual collaboration of clients, volunteers, donors, staff, and other community partners to alleviate the suffering caused by poverty and to rectify the conditions that perpetuate it.

Website: http://www.breadforthecity.org/get-involved/volunteer/
Volunteer form: http://www.breadforthecity.org/selectvolshift/
Email: volunteer@breadforthecity.org
Phone: (202) 265-2400

What volunteers do:

  • Assist with administrative office work (filing, scanning, data entry, shredding, and other tasks).
  • Distribute food with the food pantry team (Mon – Thurs, 9 am to Noon and 1 pm to 5 pm at the NW and SE centers).
  • Sort clothing (Mon-Thurs, 9 am – 2 pm & Tues-hurs, 2:30 pm – 5 pm @ SE Center).
  • Support the free farmer's market.
  • Sort and pack donated produce into family-sized distribution packages for Bread for the City clients (**Spring opportunity**).
  • Plant, water, weed, and tend to various edible fruits, vegetables, herbs, and ornamental flowers (training attendance required; **Spring opportunity**).
  • Join a roster of bilingual volunteers to help with facilitating social services.
  • List of additional opportunities for skilled volunteers (lawyers + law students, doctors + med students, qualitative data specialists, grant writers) listed here: http://www.breadforthecity.org/internships/

FYI:

  • Individuals can view and register for ALL volunteer opportunities on this shift calendar: http://www.breadforthecity.org/selectvolshift/
  • Handy volunteer documents, forms, and orientation information available here: http://www.breadforthecity.org/volunteer-orientation/
  • Many volunteer opportunities are one-time activities lasting 2-3 hours. Individual volunteers with a regular schedule in one or both of the centers are asked to make a minimum time commitment of at least three months.
  • A background check and confidentiality agreement are required for some roles.
  • Group volunteer opportunities available.

Mission: The Capital Area Food Bank is the largest organization in the Washington metro area working to solve hunger and its companion problems: chronic undernutrition, heart disease, and obesity. By partnering with 444 community organizations in DC, MD, and VA, as well as delivering food directly into hard to reach areas, the CAFB is helping 540,000 people each year get access to good, healthy food. That’s 12% of our region’s mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, and grandparents.

Website: https://www.capitalareafoodbank.org/volunteer-5/
Volunteer form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf4jh_S7P1-YoOo-dRyaavf7t3AAjiv4cCuVlLjRuc5fgAyFw/viewform?formkey=dEkyM1pBSE80UWR2ZnA3TWxaM01naXc6MQ#gid=0
Email: volunteer@capitalareafoodbank.org
Phone: (202) 644-9800

What volunteers do:

  • Pack, sort, and load food at CAFB's food warehouses in DC and NOVA. Volunteers desired @ DC site from Mon-Sat: 9:00am – 12:00pm and 1:00pm – 4:00pm, and @ NOVA from Mon-Fri: 8:00am to 12:00pm, 1:00pm to 3:00pm
  • Support monthly direct food distribution events at schools and community centers in the DC area.
  • Represent the food bank at special events, galas, and fundraisers.
  • Help with gardening (digging, planting, weeding, building, painting) at the Urban Garden Demonstration.
  • Assist with skilled tasks in various departments (marketing, public policy, development, etc).

FYI:

Mission: DC Central Kitchen’s mission is to use food as a tool to strengthen bodies, empower minds, and build communities. We believe we will never feed our way out of hunger, because hunger is a symptom of the deeper problem of poverty. We believe in the transformative power of a job, and that everyone deserves the chance to share in the dignity of work while contributing to our community. We believe in building a more equitable food system that ensures access to healthy, dignified food and economic opportunity for all. We believe that waste is wrong, be it the waste of nutritious food, productive minds, or charitable dollars spent on unsustainable, redundant, and ineffective efforts.

Website: https://dccentralkitchen.org/volunteer/
Volunteer form: http://dccentralkitchen.org/register/
Email: volunteer@dccentralkitchen.org
Phone: N/A

What volunteers do:

  • Prep community meals (cutting vegetables, preparing salads, packaging meals, and other kitchen related tasks).
  • Visit a local farm with other volunteers to harvest produce that would otherwise go to waste.

Mission: The mission of Food & Friends is to foster a community caring for men, women, and children living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-challenging illnesses by preparing and delivering specialized meals and groceries in conjunction with nutrition counseling.

Website: https://www.foodandfriends.org/volunteer/
Volunteer form: N/A
Email: volunteer@foodandfriends.org
Phone: (202) 269-2277

What volunteers do:

  • Deliver meals by car, around the DC/MD/VA area.
  • Prepare and package food, from chopping vegetables to packing groceries.
  • Help at Special Events - greet guests, sell pies, help with logistics.
  • Help with Administrative support - filing, data entry, making phone calls, etc.

FYI:

  • All volunteers must first attend a one-hour orientation, held on the first Thursday of each month at 6:30pm, and on the third Saturday of each month at 11:00am.
  • After completing the background check release and attending the orientation, you'll be ready to schedule your first shift with a member of the Volunteer Services team.
  • Currently, greatest needs are for meal delivery volunteers Monday through Saturday. The only available kitchen shifts are from 6:00-8:00am; 9:00am-12:00pm; and 1:00-3:00pm on weekdays.

Mission: Meals on Wheels operates in virtually every community in America through our network of more than 5,000 independently-run local programs. While the diversity of each program's services and operations may vary based on the needs and resources of their communities, they are all committed to supporting their senior neighbors to live healthier and more nourished lives in their own homes. Together, we galvanize the resources of local community organizations, businesses, donors, sponsors and more than two million volunteers – bolstered by supplemental funding from the Older Americans Act – into a national safety net for our seniors.

Website: http://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/take-action
Volunteer form: N/A
Email: N/A
Phone: (888) 998-6325

What volunteers do:

  • Prepare and/or deliver meals: The most common volunteer job is delivering meals and friendly greetings to homebound seniors. Most typically, this involves picking up meals at a central location and delivering them along a pre-determined route directly to the homes of several seniors in your area. Once you are done, you return the delivery packaging items and get back on your way.
  • Serve meals to larger groups.
  • Support office coordination and events.
  • Provide a safety check.
  • Advocate for the organization.

Mission: Our mission is to end chronic homelessness in Washington DC through the following ways:

  • We connect our chronically homeless guests with the highest quality, most nutritious meals in the city.
  • Our Case Managers build a community where each individual feels safe getting the help that they need, when they are ready to receive it.
  • In partnership with people who have experienced homelessness, we advocate for the D.C. government to make investments in the housing programs that are most proven to end homelessness. Meanwhile, we partner with other service providers and government agencies to change the way homeless services are delivered in Washington.
  • The most successful intervention for chronic homelessness is Permanent Supportive Housing, which couples permanent housing with supportive services that target the specific needs of an individual.

Website: https://miriamskitchen.org/volunteer/
Volunteer form: N/A
Email: volunteer@miriamskitchen.org (Please see volunteer page for more specific contact emails.)
Phone: (202) 452-8926

What volunteers do: 

  • Kitchen: Volunteers help serve a meal or do prep work for a future meal. They ask that kitchen volunteers commit to one regular shift per month. shifts are Breakfast M-F 6:00-8:30 am, Dinner M-F 4:00-6:30 pm, and Prep Tues and Thurs 12:00-2:00 pm.
  • Guest services: Volunteers can help distribute toiletries, fulfill clothing orders, or simply engage with our guests. Some volunteers help by giving haircuts, manicures, or writing resumes. Do you have some other skills to offer? Let us know! Times are M-F 6:00-8:30 am and 4:00-5:45 pm.
  • Miriam's studio: Volunteers can lead a writing group or assist the art therapist before, during, or after studio time. Writing Group leader M-F 8:30-9:15 am or 2:30-4:15 pm. Art Helpers M-F 8:00-10:00 am, 11:00-2:00 pm, or 2:15-4:00 pm.
  • Advocacy: Volunteers can support the advocacy team by lending your writing, communications, and media skills to our campaign.

FYI:

  • Check out FAQ's at https://miriamskitchen.org/volunteer-faqs/ for more specific volunteer information.
  • New volunteers must first attend a volunteer orientation session.
  • Volunteer shifts are only during the week, not the weekend.
  • Must commit to once a month on an ongoing basis.

Mission: Grounded in grassroots senior leadership, We Are Family mobilizes a committed corps of volunteers to reach out to isolated inner-city seniors with free services, advocacy, and companionship, building a network of caring eyes and ears that enables at-risk seniors to age in place. More than simply a social service provider, We Are Family is a bold experiment in building caring, just and inclusive community.

Website: http://www.wearefamilydc.org/get-involved/volunteer/
Email: tulino@wearefamilydc.org
Phone: (202) 487-8698

What volunteers do: 

  • Deliver groceries to our seniors.
  • Visit with seniors in their homes.
  • Help a senior with cleaning/household chores.
  • Provide transportation for a senior.
  • Provide office help for We Are Family.
  • Host a fundraiser or help raise funds for We Are Family.