The shelves at the So Others Might Eat food pantry in Northwest D.C. are stacked with canned vegetables and cereal boxes.
But several of aisles have shelves with nothing on them.
The nonprofit’s normal inventory is 80% of shelves fully stocked. But recently, due in part to cuts to federal programs, the stock has been as low as 30% of capacity, and is currently at about 50%, President and CEO Ralph Boyd said.
The organization, which offers food, clothes, housing, health care, job training and drug treatment, has been around for almost six decades. They’ll always figure out a way to make sure people are fed, Boyd said, but now they’re seeking the community’s help.
“If America is really going to be great in the 21st century, it can’t have hungry people among it who it could choose to feed and could feed if it wanted to,” Boyd told WTOP. “(It) can’t be great with hungry people you can help and don’t.”
The 50% pantry capacity, Boyd said, “is not enough to sustain us at the current demand level, but we’ll figure out how to do it.”
Cuts to USAID have hurt the national and international food supplies, Boyd said, and cuts to USDA supplies have also presented challenges. The nonprofit has several sources of supplies, including regional food banks. The supply at those has been cut, Boyd said, so there’s less to distribute.
“I don’t understand why anybody thinks it’s a good idea to cut food supplies to Americans who need it,” Boyd said.
Boyd said he’s expecting a shift in demand, similar to what the nonprofit experienced during the pandemic. People who once donated to the food pantry will likely start using it.
“It isn’t just the losses to the families, themselves, of federal workers who have lost their jobs, a lot of those federal workers are a stable part of our donor base,” Boyd said. “So not only do they have higher need, but their capacity to help others is diminished.”
The food pantry is open twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, and a large pile of new Amazon packages is the result of “people responding to our appeal” over the last week, Boyd said.
But once the school year starts next month, Boyd is expecting more families to seek morning meals at the nonprofit’s dining center before the school day starts. He’s also expecting families to rely on their takeout lunch service so kids have food when they get home.
“When folks are feeling good about cutting federal workers, understand they’re not only hurting those families, but those federal workers are very involved,” Boyd said. “The charitable organizations that they support are all nervous.”
Food donations can be dropped off on site at 71 O Street Northwest. Boyd emphasized the need for non-perishables that can be collected through family, school or community food drives.
“People are stepping up,” Boyd said, explaining others shouldn’t rethink donating because that’s the case. “We can manage shortfalls in the moment, but it’s not sustainable long term.”
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
