Where were you 30 years ago?
At DC Central Kitchen, we were outfitting our very first food delivery van and readying for our opening day of operations – January 20, 1989.
Thanks to you, we’ve come a long way since that day, when our founder drove through DC picking up leftovers from the evening’s presidential inaugural balls to ensure that food went to our neighbors in need instead of dumpsters.
That hectic first attempt turned out to be the start of something special. Because of partners like you, DC Central Kitchen has served 36 million meals, prevented 32 million pounds of food waste, and, most importantly, equipped 1,800 men and women with histories of incarceration, addiction, homelessness, and trauma for culinary careers.
After 30 years of results like these, we’re not stopping. We’re stepping up. We hope you will give generously today so we can keep breaking down barriers and breaking new ground.
Beyond all the meals we’ve served and people we’ve trained, 30 years means:
We’re enormously proud of those numbers – and deeply grateful for your generosity in making them possible. We think the best way to honor your support is to keep pressing forward. This year, we’re boldly taking on the critical challenges facing our community.
With your financial support, we will:
We have the big ideas, the business savvy, and the broad community connections we need to deliver these results in 2019. All we need is your support. Will you please invest in these powerful solutions today?
Why take these steps now? Because DC Central Kitchen believes it is our responsibility to think big, act boldly, and use every resource at our disposal, especially when long-time residents of our city are struggling to access basic necessities like housing, food, and jobs.
We believe it is our responsibility to create living-wage jobs and economic opportunity in our city. And we believe it is our responsibility to work toward the lasting liberation of our neighbors from the unjust conditions of hunger and poverty, and not simply alleviate them temporarily in ways that make volunteers and donors feel good in the short term.
These beliefs aren’t new. They were what inspired that very first pick-up of leftover food, and they have guided every day of dogged, determined effort ever since. These are the beliefs we share, and they are why we are committed to doing more than ever before in the years to come.
