You’ve heard us say before that DC Central Kitchen never closes – and we don’t. During Storm Jonas, our staff and volunteers went beyond our normal meal commitments last weekend to provide more than 20,000 healthy meals and snacks for our neighbors in need. Friday through Saturday, our kitchen was open and in full operation.
On Saturday during the height of the blizzard, the Red Cross contacted us to provide 400 meals for an emergency shelter. We jumped into high gear and prepared not only a hot meal for Saturday night, but thanks to a generous donation from the Capital Area Food Bank of 25,000 KIND Bars, were also able send out healthy snacks for Sunday morning.
On Saturday night when our normal snow removal team suffered a broken snow plow, we worked with the Mayor’s office and District government to get our driveway cleared, while our staff recruited some fearless volunteers to help shovel out our trucks on Sunday morning. This team effort allowed us to deliver our regular meal count of 5,000 meals on Sunday afternoon.
Outside of the Kitchen, our annual two-day joint fundraiser with fellow nonprofit Martha’s Table, Sips & Suppers, was also scheduled to take place last weekend. Out of concern for the safety of our guests and partner restaurants, our team and the team at Martha’s Table acted quickly to postpone Saturday’s event and secure a new date for Sips, which will now take place this coming Saturday, January 30 at the Newseum. Most Suppers, which were scheduled to take place on Sunday evening at more than 30 homes throughout DC, will be rescheduled to a later date, and a select few hosts soldiered on and hosted the festive fine dining occasion at their homes despite the weather. We are incredibly grateful to our partner chefs who spend their own time and money to prepare for this event – and who have gone out of their way to keep their commitment to DCCK and Martha’s Table despite the date change.
Rain, sleet, snow, or shine, DC Central Kitchen never closes. We would not be able to continue our work to nourish our neighbors and provide hope for the hopeless if it weren’t for our dedicated staff, volunteers, and supporters. Thanks to our fellow #hungerfighters who stood by us to get the job done. Hunger doesn’t take a snow day. And, thanks to the support of so many in our community, neither do we.