Urgent plea for help: DC Central Kitchen Suspends Daily Service of 2300 Meals

DAWN has set aside a special paypal account earmarked for funds to help cover costs for this enormous undertaking. Anything you can donate would be of help. Any funds over and above what we might need will go to help our continuing service to the DC residents who happen to be homeless.

After 17 years of helping feed the homeless, the DC Central Kitchen suspended its service to local shelters Monday. On Tuesday, the non-profit did not deliver 2,300 meals to eight city homeless shelters. Program administrators cite “lack of financial support from the community and unresponsive leadership” for their decision (see links to Washington Post articles below).

A visit to the Franklin Shelter yesterday, May 2, confirmed that the shelter was in a desperate situation and had no idea how it would continue to provide daily meals for its 240-275 residents. We can only speculate about the politics behind this crisis, but we can help see to it that people do not go hungry as a result.

As part of our ongoing weekly service to the city’s homeless population, the DC Anti-War Network (DAWN) has committed to help the Franklin Shelter every Thursday, beginning this Thursday at 6 pm, until the crisis has been resolved. We urge others to help by donating food or money.

Just to give you an idea, $30.00 buys rice, beans, and tortillas for 100 people. Any amount you can donate would be appreciated. Funds over and above what we need for this specific effort will be applied to the costs of our ongoing service to DC residents who are homeless, for food, beverages, paper goods, toiletries, and metro cards.

You can also get in touch with DC's shelters directly and find out how you can help (see the listing below). Please, let us come together as a community and do what we can to fight the effects of this assault on human health and dignity.

Our needs:

- Existing groups (clubs, faith-based organizations, neighborhood associations, groups of friends) to organize help at one of the various shelters or by contacting them as to their needs (remember, we are only able to cover one meal on one day of the week at Franklin Shelter, and that in and of itself is a daunting task)
- Significant kitchen space (huge need) with capacity to prepare large amounts of food
- Big pots and pans
- In our particular case, donations of volunteer time are always appreciated;
- and/or money
- of course, food donations (though, if you have particular food donations we should strategize about the critical problem of distribution)
- demands upon the city government that they get this crisis with DC Central Kitchen Resolved (more on that to come).

If you can help or need help coordinating ways you can help, please call Becky Sambol at 703-463-0558 or by email at catsambol@aol.com.

DC Central Kitchen Suspending Service
http://wusa9.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=48907

D.C. Group Stops Meals At Homeless Shelters
Nonprofit Says It Needs More City Funding
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/01/AR2006050101932.html

Men’s Shelters
Community for Creative Non-Violence
425 2nd St. NW
202.393.1909

Emery Shelter
1725 Lincoln Rd. NE
202.655.1041

Franklin Shelter
13th & K Streets, NW
202.638.7424

La Casa
1436 Irving St. NW
202.842.1731

New York Avenue Shelter
1355-57 New York Avenue, NE
202.832.2359

St. Elizabeth’s Hospital
2700 A. St. SE
202.889.7634

Women’s Shelters

John L. Young Shelter
119 D Street NW
202.772.4313

Open Door Shelter
2nd & D Streets, NW
202.639.8093