Capital Area Food Bank

For nearly 40 years, Martha’s table has worked to support strong children, strong families, and strong communities in Washington, D.C.

As the nation’s first and leading community kitchen, DC Central Kitchen develops and operates social ventures that break the cycle of hunger and poverty.

Bread for the City provides food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services to reduce the burden of poverty and help Washington, D.C., residents living with low income develop their power to determine the future of their own communities.

Since 1983, Manna Food Center has worked to eliminate hunger in Montgomery County, Maryland, by offering food distribution, education, and advocacy.

Food for Others is an important part of Northern Virginia’s safety net for those needing food when an emergency strikes and for the growing number of working poor who need to supplement their inadequate food supplies.

Thanks to Family Markets, Justin no longer worries that his children have enough food to grow and thrive.

Justin’s family budget was already stretched as far as it could go, with little left over to invest in additional groceries. One day, his kids’ school notified Justin of a new partnership with the Capital Area Food Bank to offer a monthly Family Market at the school. This partnership would help provide families with fresh fruits, vegetables and non-perishable, healthy groceries each month right at the school. With more healthy food added into the family’s diet, Justin noticed an improvement in the kids’ energy levels. His oldest, an eighth grader, will soon be hard at work on applications to get into the best middle schools. “I’m just so happy she’ll have the food she’ll need to focus on her studies and applications,” Justin grins. And Justin can focus on ensuring his kids have the resources they need for success.

With help from her local pantry, Wanda no longer needs to choose between rent, medicine, and food.

When the retirement benefits she received weren’t enough to cover her essential living costs, Wanda was confronted with the choice between paying bills and buying groceries. On the recommendation her church, Wanda connected with Landover Hills Baptist Church, a partner of the Capital Area Food Bank that operates a weekly food pantry known as Feed My Sheep. She recalls walking in to the space, filled with food and compassion, and feeling overcome. “It felt like divine intervention,” she said, recounting the experience. With help stretching her food budget, the choices between food, rent, and medicine have been alleviated. Wanda no longer worries about whether she’ll have enough food to eat each week and has taken to spending time cooking with her daughter and grandchildren – one of her favorite pastimes.

Free community markets help Deborah fill in budgeting gaps to ensure her three grandchildren get the food they need to grow strong and healthy.

Deborah is a senior who takes care of her three grandchildren, including the youngest—an energetic four-year-old. She wants to make sure that all her grandchildren get the food healthiest food possible, but that can sometimes be hard to do on her limited budget. When she needs to, Deborah visits one of the Capital Area Food Bank’s free community markets in her neighborhood, where she can select fresh fruits and vegetable that help her fill in the gaps. She laughs happily about her grandson’s growing appetite for fresh produce now, saying that he shows no signs of slowing down. “I’m looking for a growth spurt from him soon!” she said. Mothers and grandmothers, often there with young kids, are always among those served at these farmers market-style markets.

The food Jose receives from the CAFB is making a big difference for his family’s ability to eat well, and to stretch dollars further.

Dads across our area dream of the same things for their children: health and bright futures. José, a proud father of four, works as a custodian at a high school in Columbia Heights. As the primary bread winner, he feels the weight of filling the refrigerator with fresh vegetables, fruits, and other healthy groceries for his busy family. He’s committed to making sure his kids have the food they need to stay healthy, learn, and excel, even on a tight budget. “I’ve had a lot of help from the food,” he said of food received from the CAFB. “It’s helped me save some money every month for my family.”