WASHINGTON — Thirty-thousand of our neighbors will have food on the table this holiday thanks to DC Central Kitchen.
The nonprofit distributes food to dozens of local pantries to make sure folks in every pocket of the District has plenty to eat this Thanksgiving.
Plenty to Eat is one of its partners. The small nonprofit runs a pantry Inside the Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School, which serves 800 adults earning their GED.
Connie Williams founded Plenty to Eat in 2017. She went from needing to feed her family at a pantry to now running her own and establishing it on the premise of giving back and filling the gaps she discovered at so many pantries when she was a young mom.
“It was something to eat so I was grateful for that, but I needed more and other times when I would go to food pantry I needed a referral,” Williams recalled. “You also don’t have to be from DC you can be from Virginia or Maryland just come hungry.”
The young mom went from her GED at Academy of Hope to getting cooking skills at DC Central Kitchen to a culinary degree. And now a full circle moment for Williams. She is helping other young mothers in need, thanks to food from DC Central Kitchen.
“She was in tears, and she said I was just getting my children back and I didn’t have any food to feed them,” said Williams, talking about a GED student she recently helped.
Williams picked up 152 frozen turkeys from DC Central Kitchen Friday. On Sunday, the nonprofit teamed up with EDC Jewish Community Center (JCC) to complete Thanksgiving meals.
DC Central Kitchen and JCC have been working together now for 27 years to make Thanksgiving a joyous holiday for everyone in our city,” said DC Central Kitchen CEO Mike Curtin.
In fact, food from DC Central Kitchen is one of the reasons Plenty to Eat can operate. With no funding source, the small nonprofit relies on donations to feed families in need.
“I, and other volunteers, we do this for free because this is my dream,” she said.
Williams is making that dream of giving back happen, even if she must use her own car to pick up food - or come out of her own pocket. So, she's raising money to help continue her work in the community.
You can donate to Plenty to Eat by clicking here.
The pantry is located on 2315 18th Street, NE and opens Tuesdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Wednesdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.