It’s the Super Bowl of sorts every Thanksgiving for D.C.’s nonprofit Food & Friends, though increased demand every year means nearly every day has been getting bigger and bigger than before.
But on Thanksgiving morning, the volunteers turn out — hundreds of them showing up as early as 4:30 a.m. to make sure that 900 Thanksgiving dinners will be arriving at the homes of those battling long-term and chronically debilitating illnesses.
“We are delivering 4,500 meals across the DMV to the homes of people who are living with serious illnesses such as cancer, heart disease and kidney failure,” said Food & Friends executive director Carrie Stoltzfus.
“Everybody’s getting a roast turkey, stuffing, all the good stuff, so that they can gather their loved ones around today.”
In front of her was an assembly line of volunteers working in shifts. At one end of the table people were prepping big, blue bags about to be loaded up with food. First inside was the turkey. Then you had containers of vegetables, stuffing, mashed potatoes and everything else.
“We couldn’t do this work without our volunteers,” Stoltzfus said. “This is an opportunity to come together with your neighbors and take care of your neighbors.”
That’s exactly why Karyn Christensen, of Ashburn, Virginia, and Erika Guitierez, of Arlington, were among the early arrivals.
“My mom had cancer when I was a teenager, so obviously that topic is very sensitive to me and my family,” Guitierez said. “Knowing I’m helping other cancer patients without necessarily being in the medical field means a lot to me.”
For Christensen, it was her grandmother’s cancer diagnosis that motivated her to start giving her time here.
“Today is Thanksgiving, it’s a day of gratitude, and I think there’s no better way to show your gratitude than to give back,” she said.
“We can all relate to that, right? Folks have either been through something on their own or have had a loved one who maybe has battled cancer or something else,” said Stoltzfus. “And so I think it’s a mission that’s really relatable to everyone.”
And now that they’re delivering about 5,000 to 6,000 meals on a normal day, she’s always on the search for more volunteers, too.
“It’s one of my favorite things to do,” said Michelle Hurst, of District Heights, Maryland, who has given her time here and there for several years now. “It has made a major impact on me.”
And not just because the meals go to those who are sick — but also because their loved ones benefit.
“They also feed other people that live in the home,” Hurst said. “It’s not just for their client, it’s for the entire family.”
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