It鈥檚 the Super Bowl of sorts every Thanksgiving for D.C.鈥檚 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 鈥� 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.
鈥淲e 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,鈥� said Food & Friends executive director Carrie Stoltzfus.
鈥淓verybody’s getting a roast turkey, stuffing, all the good stuff, so that they can gather their loved ones around today.鈥�
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.
鈥淲e couldn’t do this work without our volunteers,鈥� Stoltzfus said. 鈥淭his is an opportunity to come together with your neighbors and take care of your neighbors.鈥�
That鈥檚 exactly why Karyn Christensen, of Ashburn, Virginia, and Erika Guitierez, of Arlington, were among the early arrivals.
鈥淢y mom had cancer when I was a teenager, so obviously that topic is very sensitive to me and my family,鈥� Guitierez said. 鈥淜nowing I鈥檓 helping other cancer patients without necessarily being in the medical field means a lot to me.鈥�
For Christensen, it was her grandmother鈥檚 cancer diagnosis that motivated her to start giving her time here.
鈥淭oday is Thanksgiving, it鈥檚 a day of gratitude, and I think there鈥檚 no better way to show your gratitude than to give back,鈥� she said.
鈥淲e 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,鈥� said Stoltzfus. “And so I think it’s a mission that’s really relatable to everyone.鈥�
And now that they鈥檙e delivering about 5,000 to 6,000 meals on a normal day, she鈥檚 always on the search for more volunteers, too.
鈥淚t鈥檚 one of my favorite things to do,鈥� said Michelle Hurst, of District Heights, Maryland, who has given her time here and there for several years now. 鈥淚t has made a major impact on me.鈥�
And not just because the meals go to those who are sick 鈥� but also because their loved ones benefit.
鈥淭hey also feed other people that live in the home,鈥� Hurst said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just for their client, it鈥檚 for the entire family.鈥�
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