The Safeway Foundation Expands Investment in Three Core DCCK Programs

Melissa Gold
DCCK Staff with Safeway's Bre Bair at the Klein Center during check presentation.

DC Central Kitchen can’t do what we do in the community without generous partners, like the Albertsons Companies, who recognize the importance of our work and align with our mission to strengthen bodies, empower minds, and build communities. Today, we’re recognizing not one generous donation or even two, but THREE generous investments from Safeway & The Safeway Foundation totaling nearly $115,000.

“Here in Ward 6, we’re proud to call Safeway not just a partner, but a neighbor,” says DC Central Kitchen’s CEO Mike Curtin, Jr. “Together, we’re working to make sure our immediate community, as well as residents across Washington, DC, have the food and opportunities they need to thrive. This money will help us expand access to fresh produce and healthy snacks in areas of our city with limited access to grocery stores as well as feed schoolchildren and veterans in our community who might otherwise go without.”

The $115,000 donation will be divided among three core DCCK initiatives, including:

  1. The O Organics “Fight Hunger, Serve Hope” program gift helped DC Central Kitchen distribute nearly 110,000 meals to 3,000 schoolchildren and their families this summer. Just last week, DC Central Kitchen earned national recognition from the US Department of Agriculture for our outstanding commitment to quality and accessibility in our summer meals for kids.
  2. We are currently home-delivering more than 1,700 free, nutritious meals each month to 58 food insecure, mobility challenged veterans in our community. The Safeway Nourishing Neighbors Feed Our Vets program’s gift will help us add more veterans to this vital program soon.
  3. The investment from Safeway Nourishing Neighbors Summer Fight Hunger program goes to support our Healthy Corners program at a time when consumers are trying to make the most of their dollars. This will go a long way toward ensuring we’re helping SNAP customers extend their purchasing power and stocking the shelves of local corner stores in key areas of our city with value-added products like cut fruit and locally grown veggies.

“It’s partnerships like these that show the power we have when we come together to tackle the really big problems our city faces, like hunger and poverty, for a healthier and more prosperous tomorrow,” says Curtin. On behalf of all of us at DC Central Kitchen, thank you Safeway and The Safeway Foundation for making that brighter tomorrow possible.