1. Building Longer Tables: Holiday Helpings: With the incredible support of our community of donors, local organizations, and corporate partners, Holiday Helpings didn’t just meet its goal — it surpassed it. Together, we raised more than $1.5 million and provided over 17,000 meals to households across the DC area. A true reminder of what’s possible when our community comes together.

2. Bringing the Fun: Harvest Fest is always a staff favorite, and this year was no exception. Friends, community members, and corporate partners rolled up their sleeves to help us prepare for the start of Holiday Helpings. Volunteers packed 3,300 meal kits, sorted 33,000 diapers and pull-ups, and organized 1,000 pieces of clothing donations — all in one joyful, high-energy day.

3. Standing Up for Renters: Bread for the City joined a coalition of 48 organizations in opposing the RENTAL Act through a joint letter to the DC City Council. Our advocacy — alongside domestic violence partners — helped secure critical protections for survivors and other vulnerable groups across the District.

4. There’s Always a First Time: A major milestone for our legal team; we litigated our first asylum case — and won. Curious about immigration rights? Check out our blog feature.

5. Together We Rise – Annual Gala: This year’s annual gala, themed Together We Rise, was a powerful night of connection, celebration, and shared purpose. With our keynote speaker and former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, the evening honored the strength of our community and the collective work it takes to move forward. 

6. Workforce Development Takes Off: We relaunched our premier Workforce Development Program featuring a new Workforce Café. The program offers professional development classes, courses, and training designed to help our clients not just find work, but truly thrive in the workplace.

7. DC Child Tax Credit Reinstated: Members of our Economic Security team testified before the DC Council, advocating to expand and reinstate the DC Child Tax Credit. Their testimony centered on combating poverty, supporting families with lower incomes, and advancing racial equity — and their efforts helped successfully reinstate this critical program.

8. Even in Crisis, We Stand in the Gap: When the federal government shutdown threatened SNAP benefits, Bread for the City rose to the moment. We expanded our pantry and services to include federal workers and contractors across DC, Maryland, and Virginia, helping ensure no one goes hungry.

9. First Stop–Bread for the City for the Holidays: Washington Wizards player Khris Middleton kicked off his “12 Days of Khrismas” community service initiative alongside DoorDash — at our Southeast center!

10. Food Distributions for the Holidays: NBC News 4 and Telemundo 44 viewer donations provided 500 holiday meals through their Food to Feed campaign to our food pantries, spreading warmth and nourishment during the holiday season.

11. Getting Upgraded: Our Northwest center ushered in a fresh look with additional office space and a larger kitchen pantry to support our growing food distribution efforts. 

12.  A Generous Act of Care: The England Family foundation made a remarkable $1 million donation in emergency funds to Bread for the City (and Martha’s Table), supporting DC residents impacted by SNAP benefit cuts and the federal shutdown.

13. Breaking Bread–Intimate Conversations with Power Leaders: The Breaking Bread webinar series created space for candid dialogue with community leaders, exploring issues like food security, guaranteed income programs, and advocacy-driven solutions.

14. Salon Friendsraising Success: Board members hosted a successful salon-style friendsraising event with about 40 attendees, sharing insights of how Bread for the City is actively responding to threats of cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, housing, and medical access for our DC neighbors.

15. Better Care Starts with More Doctors: We welcomed a new family doctor to our Southeast Medical Center, allowing the center to remain open five days a week — expanding access to care where it’s needed most.

16. The Friendship Bench: Our Friendship Bench offers a non-traditional, community-powered approach to mental health. Older adults trained as “grandparents” provide active listening and meaningful conversation—simple, powerful moments of connection.

17. Advocacy Never Grows Old: Our legal team continues to fight for justice. More recently, they won a lawsuit preventing a landlord’s unlawful, retaliatory eviction of a domestic violence survivor—securing a judgment in our client’s favor.

18. Healing Through Poetry: Award-winning artist and poet Gayle Danley led staff through her four-step poetry process, creating space to express grief, heal, and bond. It was a soulful week filled with comfort, love, and her signature inspiring energy.

19. When the People Choose: Bread for the City received a new grant through Maximus Foundation’s cooperative grantmaking process — where employees decide which organizations receive funding. Community-driven support at its best.

20. Language Access for All: We launched a staff-wide language access initiative, including equity and language training with Tilde — helping ensure language access is embedded into our daily work.

21. Juneteenth Celebration: Our Juneteenth for the City event brought together more than 500 community members, 93 volunteers, and six sponsors to honor freedom, history, and culture in a powerful community gathering.

22. A Place for Community: Our Southeast Center continues to serve as a welcoming community space, hosting groups like Black Swan Academy, Kuumba, and the Washington Lawyers Committee for meetings, workshops, and events.

23. Community-Powered Workshops: From art classes to yoga and beyond, our community-empowered workshops continue to create moments of connection, care, and creativity.

24. Compassionate Hands Warm the Heart: BFC donors continue to care for our community each day, like providing hand-knitted hats, gloves, and scarves — small acts of kindness that make a big difference in keeping our neighbors warm this winter.

25.  Our Invaluable Volunteers–Make Our Work Possible: More than 7,800 volunteers shared over 25,000 hours of their time across both centers supporting our work. Their commitment makes a real difference–without them we couldn’t serve the number of neighbors we do each week.

Together, these moments tell a larger story — one of resilience, compassion, and collective action. None of this work happens alone. It happens because neighbors show up for neighbors, because community partners lean in, and because generosity fuels hope. As we step into the year ahead, we carry these moments with us with a deep appreciation for everyone who makes this work possible. Thank you!