Washington, DC – March 19, 2026 – On Thursday, March 19, 2026, DC Central Kitchen invites the DC community to join them as the iconic nonprofit celebrates the fourth annual DC Central Kitchen Cafe Day. This city-wide event celebrates the growth of this innovative, job-training cafe model to three locations across Washington, DC. During the day, all three DC Central Kitchen Cafe locations will be highlighting job training and other services for area residents while offering $1 any size drip coffee, croissants, and cherry limeade. Free samples from DCCK’s cafe menu and local suppliers will also be featured throughout the day.
“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 every single purchase at DC Central Kitchen Cafe changes lives and helps us provide the food, jobs, and hope our city needs.”
Target is joining the celebration this year as the event’s presenting sponsor. This collaboration marks ten years of partnership between Target and DC Central Kitchen, and Target’s funding has helped launch each of the nonprofit’s three cafe locations in 2019, 2022, and 2023, respectively. Since 2016, Target has invested more than $1.7 million in charitable gifts in DC Central Kitchen, empowering the organization to increase its annual meal deliveries by 1.75 million meals and train 1,000 additional culinary graduates in that span.
“At Target, we believe strengthening communities begins locally through listening, learning, and building alongside the partners who know their communities best. DC Central Kitchen represents local community leadership, on the ground in D.C.,” said Kiera Fernandez, executive vice president and chief community and stakeholder engagement officer. “Together, we’re expanding access to job training, creating pathways to careers and fueling growth and opportunity for all.”
This March marks seven years of operations for DCCK’s first cafe location at the Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (THEARC) in Southeast DC, the fourth anniversary of Marianne’s by DC Central Kitchen at the MLK Public Library in Penn Quarter, and the third 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 133 people in 2025 with hands-on learning opportunities at each DC Central Kitchen Cafe site.
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
DCCK Cafe at the Klein Center
2121 First St. SW – Opens at 7am
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.
Editorial Note: Photos available upon request.