We live in uncertain times. These days, it can be hard to know what information to trust. Even if people can agree on the problems we face, that’s usually followed by more shouting instead of solutions.
But there is something we know to be true. For 35 years, DC Central Kitchen has shown up every single day and delivered for our city. That will be true again tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year, for as long as this community needs our life-changing combination of healthy food, job training, and meaningful careers. That’s true because of your incredible support.
Fully 38% of DC residents are living on the edge of hunger…or have fallen in completely. More than 140,000 Washingtonians rely on public food assistance—assistance that has been cut in half since last year. DC continues to have some of the highest rates of hunger among children and senior citizens in the entire nation. But even in the face of challenges like these, our neighbors facing hunger, poverty, and injustice aren’t giving up…or losing hope. In fact, demand to enroll in our acclaimed Culinary Job Training program is at an all-time high. Our staff is racing to keep pace, training and graduating up to three classes of culinary students at once, all while posting a 91% job placement rate for our graduates.
More culinary students means more people trading public benefits and prison sentences for real careers. It means more staffing and upward mobility at your favorite restaurants. It means a fairer, more prosperous city for us all. And it also means we need more uniforms, workbooks, knives, and computers. It means we have to pay for more certification exams, transportation stipends, and mental health services.
We’re asking you to be part of something positive, something that our city needs right now. Help DC Central Kitchen nourish, train, and employ more of our neighbors than ever before by making a gift today. And, thanks to a generous matching challenge from an anonymous donor from now until November 8, all donations to expand our award-winning programs will be doubled—up to $100,000!
Our innovative solutions are making an impact and our graduates are leading the way in taking on our city’s biggest challenges! Will you lend these amazing hunger fighters a hand with a donation today? Remember, your gift is matched!
Hunger fighters like Terry, who says that DC Central Kitchen made her “a stronger, better person.” She now spends her days preparing meals “for children and other people with kindness. This [is] my kind of place.”
Like Jennifer. “Having been homeless, I know how it feels to receive food.” Today, Jennifer says feeding others “gives me a sense of pride.”
Then there’s Billy, in his ninth year of employment here and more enthusiastic than ever. “I can cook, I can [work with] volunteers, I can do anything. I feel like it’s my purpose…You can lead by being reliable, by being consistent, by coming to work every day.”
That’s why your generosity today is so important. At a time when some people seem to want to fight and argue just for the sake of fighting and arguing, Terry, Jennifer, Billy, and the entire DC Central Kitchen team are taking on real issues and showing us what real leadership looks like every single day. With your support, our city’s best days are ahead of us. Let’s do it together.
For more information about giving to DC Central Kitchen, please visit www.dccentralkitchen.org/donate.
