A scholarship for a shining star

Each year at our signature fundraising event, Capital Food Fight, we honor a staff member who exemplifies the spirit of empowerment and change that we celebrate at DC Central Kitchen with the Shining Star Award. Recipients of the award are provided a scholarship to further their education in a specific field. Many go on to sharpen their skills and ultimately, bring that information back to DC Central Kitchen to improve our work.

One of this year’s Shining Star Award winners was Kate Saggio, a cook on our Healthy School Food team who works at the Walker-Jones Education Campus. Kate learned about the Culinary Job Training program at N Street Village, a local nonprofit that focuses on empowerment and recovery for homeless and low-income women in Washington, D.C. She hoped that the Culinary Job Training program would help her find her true passion before enrolling in college. After graduating from DCCK in November 2013, Kate joined the Healthy School Food team as a cook preparing locally-sourced, scratch-cooked meals for low-income elementary school students. Now almost three years later, Kate still loves her job working at Walker-Jones.

“I love seeing the kids enjoying the food I prepare,” she says.

In addition to preparing meals for DC schoolchildren, each year Kate helps the DC Central Kitchen team prepare meals for the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge. The Healthy Lunchtime Challenge invites kids, ages 8-12 to create an original lunch recipe that is healthy, affordable, and tasty. Each year our staff is asked to prepare the winning dishes for the judging – over 100 dishes in one day! The winning kid chefs are flown to Washington D.C. with a parent or guardian to attend the Kids’ “State Dinner,” which was hosted by First Lady Obama in Summer 2016.

Kate plans to use her Shining Star scholarship to help pay for her part-time studies at Stratford University where she’ll begin pursuing an Advanced Associate’s Degree in the Culinary Arts this Spring.

Donate By Check

Please mail your check donation to DC Central Kitchen’s deposit box at:

Mail this form with your donation to ensure we have all the information needed to provide a tax receipt for your gift.

Our deposit box is the most direct and safest way to send your donation to DC Central Kitchen. Donations received at this PO box are immediately deposited into our bank account, allowing us to put your donation to work right away.

Donate Food

Thank you for considering DC Central Kitchen for your food donation! We greatly appreciate your generosity. We accept food donations with an emphasis on produce and proteins. These ingredients give our chefs the most flexibility to create healthy, complete meals to prepare for our community partners. Please contact us before dropping off any donation to ensure we can accept and utilize the items. See below for more information on how to donate. 

Please contact foodrecovery@dccentralkitchen.org to schedule a food donation delivery or pick-up. In your email, please include: 

First Name: 

Last Name: 

Company/ Organization (if applicable): 

Email: 

Phone Number: 

Description of food: 

Quantity or pounds of food:  

Pick up or drop off: 

Pick up address: 

Date and time food is available: 

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Please contact us BEFORE dropping off any donation.

Other Ways To Donate

Monthly donations provide a steady stream of support for our year-round programs. Set up a hassle-free, automated monthly or quarterly donation to DC Central Kitchen using our online donation form.

Recurring donations are automatically charged each month on the day you made your first gift (so if you made your first gift on November 12, your next gift will be charged on December 12). We will send you an annual giving statement for your tax purposes in January of each year. Easily change your gift amount, payment date, or frequency via email at giving@dccentralkitchen.org or phone at 202-847-0222.

Please direct your Donor Advised Fund (DAF) grant to be mailed to DC Central Kitchen’s deposit box. Funds sent to this PO box are deposited immediately, so we can put your donation to work right away. DC Central Kitchen’s Tax Identification Number (TIN) is 52-1584936.

DC Central Kitchen
PO Box 417406
Boston, MA 02241-7406

Donors using Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable or BNY Mellon: please use the convenient DAF Direct link to designate a gift to DC Central Kitchen.

DC Central Kitchen accepts gifts of stocks, bonds, or mutual funds. Donating securities is easy and you receive a two-part benefit of receiving an immediate tax deduction and avoiding capital gains tax. The amount of your gift will be determined by the value on the day it is transferred into DC Central Kitchen’s account.

To make a gift of stock, please contact us for the necessary information to arrange for a transfer of securities into DC Central Kitchen’s brokerage account. Please email giving@dccentralkitchen.org or call 202-847-0222.

Make fighting hunger differently part of your lasting legacy by including DC Central Kitchen in your estate plans. There are many ways to include DC Central Kitchen in your estate plans, including through your will, revocable trust, retirement plan, or life insurance policy. Planned gifts can accommodate your lifestyle now while securing a stronger future for DC Central Kitchen. Read more about ways to include DC Central Kitchen in your estate plans.

If you have included DC Central Kitchen in your estate plans, please let us know! We’re eager to recognize your commitment in the Legacy of Change Society. Please email giving@dccentralkitchen.org or call 202-847-0221.

DESIGNATE DC CENTRAL KITCHEN

Support DC Central Kitchen through your workplace giving campaign.
United Way #8233
Combined Federal Campaign #67538

REQUEST A MATCHING GIFT

Many workplaces will match donations made by employees. Contact your HR department to see if your donation to DC Central Kitchen is eligible for a matching grant.

Note: DC Central Kitchen is not able to accept donations through PayPal or the PayPal Giving Fund. Any donations designated to DC Central Kitchen made through PayPal or the PayPal Giving Fund will be redirected to another nonprofit (see the PayPal Giving Fund’s Donation Delivery Policy).

Volunteer Bill of Rights

All volunteers have the right to:

  • Work in a safe environment
  • Be treated with respect by all staff members
  • Be engaged in meaningful work and be actively included regardless of any physical limitations
  • Be told what impact your work made in the community
  • Ask any staff member questions about our work
  • Provide feedback about your experience
  • Receive a copy of our financial information or annual report upon request.

Community Service

DC Central Kitchen provides opportunities for volunteers to complete service hours related to a legal matter during our regularly scheduled volunteer shifts. Candidates participating in this service for DCCK are prohibited from enrolling in our community service program if they have the following charges or convictions: assault, sexual assault, weapons charge, unlawful entry, destruction of property or disorderly conduct.
Community Service volunteers must contact Director of Guest Experience (202) 851-4207 or jmcintyre@dccentralkitchen.org or the Guest Experience Manager ( to confirm your service dates and times. A volunteer account can be created online for community service volunteers, and hours will be reported based on the shifts you are checked in for within the Volunteer Portal.
Community Service volunteers can only work at the Klein Center for Jobs and Justice (2121 First St, SW). We can accept no more than 10 court-ordered volunteers at a time. All community service volunteers are required to inform the Reception desk that you are volunteering for service hours upon check-in and should sign the Community Service Log for each visit.
Once you complete your required hours, you will receive a letter of completion and a confirmation of the number of hours completed. Your service opportunity can be terminated at any time for failure to abide by DC Central Kitchen’s regulations. Grounds for discontinuation of service include but are not limited to displaying a disruptive behavior or attitude; failing to adhere to DCCK’s dress code; or failing to show up for assigned shifts on time.