Our devoted staff and volunteers are set to serve more than 25,000 Thanksgiving meals this holiday, up from 14,000 last year. Our kitchen is buzzing as our dedicated team is preparing to send out composed meals to shelters, community centers, and partner organizations later this week. Over the weekend, more than 600 volunteers gathered at the Edlavitch Jewish Community Center for our 27th annual ‘Everything But the Turkey’ collaboration to prepare thousands of servings of the delicious side dishes that will be included in those meals. Last Friday, we distributed more than 1,200 whole frozen turkeys to partners ranging from food pantries to churches to front-line agencies, like Plenty to Eat food panty and Men Giving Back to the Community – both of which are led by graduates of our training program. We also coordinated the large-scale distribution of produce and other grocery items, including a special collaboration with our friends at Food Justice DMV to ensure that hundreds of food-insecure migrant and asylum-seeking households in our region have whole chickens, corn masa and oil to prepare holiday meals that reflect their own traditions.
WUSA9 News beautifully captured how we collaborate with others, like Plenty to Eat, over the holidays to provide healthy food, training opportunities, and hope.
Special thank you goes out to Keany Produce, H&S Bakery, Cuisine Solutions, Butterball and other generous sponsors who help us make this possible. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at DC Central Kitchen!