Blog / Volunteering

Bread for the City’s NW Volunteer Coordinator reflects on her year of service at BFC through the Lutheran Volunteer Corps.

Dwaynae Jordan grew up in some of the worst parts of New York City and her family struggled with housing instability. Now, she’s with Bread for the City as a Public Ally, using her skill, compassion, and talent to assist those who have been through similar situations as our SE Volunteer & Clothing Room Coordinator.

Originally from South Africa, Lance Simon moved to the DC area in 2012 after living in Atlanta Georgia. Lance has been volunteering at Bread’s Legal Clinic for two and a half years now. He has represented survivors of domestic violence in DC Superior Court, offering civil protection orders to his clients, and even representing a client in a protracted child custody dispute.

Bread for the City’s SOAR Program assists individuals with disabilities in the Social Security application process. We provide support at the initial and reconsideration levels and the use of the SOAR model increases approvals and decreases wait times. Meet Bruce, one of the faces behind the scenes of SOAR.

Originally from South Korea, Allie Yang Green moved to the DC area in 2006 after living and studying in New York, Connecticut, and Virginia. Allie started volunteering at Bread’s Legal Clinic in early 2015, and ever since, she has represented victims of domestic violence in civil protection order cases at DC Superior Court. These are her thoughts on the impact that being a volunteer has had on her.

On November 16th, we had several special visitors stop by! Four players from D.C. United visited our NW Center food pantry to support our Holiday Helpings program. Steve Birnbaum, Kofi Opare, Nick DeLeon, and Chris Durkin packed and distributed dozens of holiday meal kits, all of which include a turkey with all the trimmings, to our clients. The guys worked hard to keep up with the infamously long line in our food pantry during this time of year, but also enjoyed one on one time with clients and staff.

On November 10th, Bread for the City hosted the 2017 Volunteer Appreciation Day, where we recognized those who serve day in and day out on behalf of the common good. From legal advice to sustainable agriculture, our volunteers are an amazing group of helpful people serving their community without expectation of compensation or reward!

Chris McCullough of the Washington Wizards visited Bread for the City’s SE Center last week, where he volunteered at its Food Pantry. After handing out food bags, he had quality time with clients and staff, taking pictures and chatting, proving that he really is such a good sport! We interviewed Chris to hear his thoughts on giving back, volunteering, and what he enjoys most about the holiday season.