$1 Any Size Coffee or $2 Strawberry Lemonades All Day, Plus Free Samples of Pastries from Sunflower Bakery and Emma’s Torch
On Thursday, March 13, 2025, with support from official partner Monumental Sports & Entertainment, DC Central Kitchen invites the DC community to join them as the iconic nonprofit celebrates the third annual DC Central Kitchen Cafe Day. This city-wide event marks six years of this innovative, job-training cafe model in Washington, DC. During the day, all three DC Central Kitchen Cafe locations will be offering $1 any size drip coffee, $2 strawberry lemonades, as well as free samples from DCCK’s kitchen and several partnering social enterprises from across the region.
“Our nonprofit cafes serve more than just a good cup of coffee or a quick, fresh lunch on the go,” says DC Central Kitchen CEO Mike Curtin, Jr. “They’re training grounds for our Culinary Job Training program students, intentionally welcoming spaces for all members of our community, and engines of full-time, living-wage job opportunities with full benefits. All proceeds from our cafe sales go back into our programming, so when we say that every purchase changes lives, we mean it! This year’s DC Central Kitchen Cafe Day is especially important as we demonstrate our commitment to a thriving retail and hospitality sector in DC, one that can continue creating jobs and expanding economic opportunity in our city.”
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) and MSE Foundation (MSEF) are joining the celebration this year. Founding partners in the launch of the first DC Central Kitchen Cafe at THEARC, reflecting the company and its charitable arm’s deep investment in Ward 8, MSE and MSEF have actively supported Marianne’s by DC Central Kitchen, which is located just steps from Capital One Arena in Penn Quarter, since its opening in 2022. These long-time partners also deploy a crew of volunteers to DC Central Kitchen’s headquarters on the first Thursday of every month to prepare free meals for food insecure neighbors. Since 2018, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, through its foundation, events, ownership contributions, and advocacy to players, fellow philanthropists, Capital One Arena partners, and sports fans, has directed more than $1.3 million in vital contributions toward DC Central Kitchen programs.
“DC Central Kitchen encompasses the giving spirit of this city through their mission of combating hunger and poverty,” said Zach Leonsis, Monumental’s President of Media & New Enterprises and head of Monumental Sports Network, whose staff volunteers at DCCK monthly. “We are humbled to play a part in their work of feeding more than 3 million meals every year and placing hundreds of people in jobs through their culinary training program. Café Day will attract crucially important funds and well-deserved attention to DCCK, and we look forward to continuing to dedicate our resources and time to their life-changing work for years to come.”
This March marks six years of operations for DCCK’s first cafe location at the Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (THEARC) in Southeast DC, the third anniversary of Marianne’s by DC Central Kitchen at the MLK Public Library in Penn Quarter, and the second anniversary of the DC Central Kitchen Cafe in the Klein Center for Jobs & Justice on Buzzard Point in Southwest DC. Cafe sales helped DC Central Kitchen provide free job training to 178 people in 2024 with hands-on learning opportunities at each DC Central Kitchen Cafe site.
Drop by any location on Thursday, March 13th to learn more about volunteer opportunities, enrolling in the Culinary Job Training program, and the nonprofit’s impact on the DC community.
Marianne’s by DC Central Kitchen
901 G St. NW, Ground Floor of the MLK Jr. Memorial Library – Opens at 9:30am
Samples from Emma’s Torch available from 9:30 am – 12 pm
DCCK Cafe at the Klein Center
2121 First St. NW – Opens at 7am
Samples from Sunflower Bakery available from 8:30 am – 11:30 am
DCCK Cafe at THEARC
1901 Mississippi Ave SE, East Building – Opens at 8am
ABOUT DC CENTRAL KITCHEN
DC Central Kitchen (DCCK) is an iconic nonprofit and social enterprise that combats hunger and poverty through job training and job creation. Our approach provides hands-on culinary job training while creating living-wage jobs and bringing nutritious, dignified food where it is most needed in our city. We serve scratch-cooked farm-to-school meals in DC schools; deliver fresh, affordable produce to corner stores in neighborhoods without supermarkets; provide delicious catering; and operate three fast-casual cafes that also provide on-the-job training. To learn more, visit dccentralkitchen.org or follow @dccentralkitchen on Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.
Photos available upon request.