2025 was DC Central Kitchen’s most monumental year yet.
This year, we stepped up time and again—thanks to you and so many outstanding partners. After January’s tragic plane crash within sight of our headquarters on the Potomac River, we fed the tireless first responders throughout the recovery effort. In the spring, we launched a bold new project bringing home-delivered meals to our city’s food insecure veterans. When schools closed for the summer, we served more than 126,000 free meals to children in need. And as hunger and unemployment spiked in DC through the fall and winter, we were hard at work every single day, providing record quantities of healthy food and training our neighbors for culinary careers.
This year was also a banner one for our long-standing partnership with Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which has been a steadfast ally of DCCK for nearly 20 years.
As the official sponsors of our third annual DC Central Kitchen Cafe Day, Monumental helped us celebrate the job-creating, community-building power of our social enterprise cafes. On that special day in March, we welcomed President of Media & New Enterprises Zach Leonsis, Monumental Sports Network analyst Greivis Vásquez, and the Wizards’ mascot G-Wiz to Marianne’s by DC Central Kitchen, our bustling cafe location just steps from Capital One Arena, the redevelopment of which will be transformative for Marianne’s and the surrounding community we serve.
Monumental Sports & Entertainment doesn’t only show up for special events. In fact, their team is a steadfast monthly volunteer partner, inviting staff, players, and partners to spend a full afternoon chopping away in our kitchen on the first Thursday of every month! As volunteers, they make a difference in DC one meal at a time—only fitting, since “one meal at a time” is the theme of DCCK’s new ad spot now airing on Monumental Sports Network!
One of the most consistent monthly Monumental volunteers is our friend Zach Leonsis, who also made time in his busy schedule to join our Board of Directors this summer!
Monumental also works around athletes’ intense schedules to support their community goals. We were thrilled to welcome Washington Mystics stars Alysha Clark and Jacy Sheldon just last week! (If you think they can slice up a defense on the court, you should see how they cut up a fresh mango for our Healthy Corners program!)
And as hunger spiked in DC this fall, Monumental Sports & Entertainment generously stepped up once again, including us in a special grant initiative that includes our long-time partners at DC Food Project. Starting on December 26, you can join this team effort by making a donation to DC Central Kitchen and have your gift matched dollar for dollar–by–the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation—up to $25,000!
Economic development. Community service. Philanthropy. Bold storytelling. Together with Monumental Sports & Entertainment, DC Central Kitchen did more for our city than ever before in 2025, and we’re poised to do even more in 2026 with your support. Join us!