This season, Bread for the City’s Holiday Helpings campaign accomplished something incredible. Together, we provided holiday meals and shared meaningful moments with thousands of DC residents. This program captures the true spirit of community and generosity. Our work is made possible thanks to each of you–our compassionate and dedicated supporters, partners, and volunteers.
For 32 years, Holiday Helpings has been more than just a meal. It’s a tradition rooted in our shared commitment to lifting each other up and ensuring that all of our neighbors can experience the warmth of the holiday season. This year, because of your donations, time, and unwavering support, we were able to provide holiday meals to 16,204 families across DC, complete with whole turkeys, sides reflecting diverse cultural flavors, and fresh produce from local Black farmers.
A Gift from Amazon: Amazon’s generous donation launched our campaign in a major way.
New Holiday Side Options: For the first time, we offered clients holiday groceries featuring East Asian and Latine ingredients, ensuring every family could celebrate in a way that feels like home.
Bulk Deliveries to Senior Communities: Our food team prepared and delivered 30+ bulk orders—over 3,000—to residential communities, including apartment buildings for seniors across DC.
400+ DoorDash Deliveries: With the help of DoorDash, Bread for the City brought holiday meals directly to 400 clients who could not access their meals in person.
Individual and Team Fundraising Drives: Our incredible supporters who ran fundraisers during Holiday Helpings raised a collective $168,567, putting 8,027 holiday meals on tables across DC.
Volunteers Making It Happen: 538 dedicated volunteers contributed 1,887 hours to distribute thousands of holiday turkeys and groceries every week.
We would like to extend a special thank you to our inspiring staff. Bread for the City’s Food team led the charge, with many other programs pitching in to make this campaign a reality for the 32nd year. We are immensely proud and grateful for their dedication to ensure every client can celebrate the holidays at home with loved ones.
As we look toward a new year of service, we want you to know that every dollar given, every hour volunteered, every fundraising drive ran, and every social media post on our behalf made an impact. Because of you, our community is more supported, connected, and resilient. Your generosity inspires us, and we’re excited to keep building a better, more inclusive Washington, DC, with you by our side.
Here’s to more meals shared, more lives touched, and countless ways we can keep uplifting one another. Thank you for making this year’s Holiday Helpings campaign unforgettable.
With deepest gratitude,
George Jones
Chief Executive Officer
Bread for the City