Blog / Food Program

Behind the Scenes of Holiday Helpings is about giving our supporters an update on the progress we’ve made and what our goals are.

Bread for the City (BFC) is excited to announce its annual Holiday Helpings program, a nearly thirty-year tradition that supports area DC families in need through the holidays. Last year, the program transitioned from its tradition of giving out turkeys and other staple holiday food items to embrace a necessary direction to better support over 16,000 DC households by providing critical monetary resources.  In alignment with last year’s progression, BFC will work this year to increase its support in communities hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Bread for the City has recently created a partnership with +One, a nonprofit organization that redirects perfectly healthy food from being discarded and instead reroutes it to individuals and families who experience hunger. #HelpingPeople

Our Farmers Market is now available to members of the general public while supplies last at 10 am. The second Friday of the month will be held at our Northwest Center and the fourth Friday of the month will be held at our Southeast Center.

Bread for the City, like many community-based organizations across the country, abruptly closed our doors to fight the spread of COVID-19 on March 9, 2020, as life seemingly changed overnight. The difference between the experiences of the communities we serve versus those who were financially secure came into stark contrast almost immediately. Closing Bread for the City, which houses Washington, D.C.’s largest food pantry, could have dire consequences for those who depend on us for not only their groceries but their healthcare and other services in the midst of a global pandemic.

Bread for the City has completed construction on a new, 27,650 square foot comprehensive service center at 1700 Good Hope Road, SE, which began January 2019. Here’s a new video that captures all the special moments during the virtual grand opening.

This year, Bread for the City changed its strategy for Holiday Helpings, a 30+ year tradition for an almost 50-year-old organization. Holiday Helpings in 2020 was about standing on the pillars of equity and inclusion by providing the resources for community members to have autonomy for their holiday plans. Instead of turkeys and hams, we gave families and individuals gift cards; maybe a turkey or ham is not truly what they needed or wanted this holiday season, maybe paying a past due bill, buying groceries, buying winter gear, purchasing diapers, or filling up the car with gas is the priority. 

Clients of Bread for the City highlight the impact we’ve had on them and in DC. Our organization treats community members with dignity and we help improve all areas of their lives.