Hunger, Homelessness, and Poverty

Learn more about National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week at GW!!

 
The D.C. Central Kitchen

The DC Central Kitchen began in 1989 with a vision of combating hunger and creating opportunity for those who are homeless and unemployed.  Open 7 days a week, 365 days a year, the DC Central Kitchen works to recover excess food from restaurants and food service businesses across the city and reprepares this food to be sent out to feed over 3,000 people each day.  In addition, First Helping, the Kitchen?s street outreach program, allows homeless individuals to receive proper meals, as well as information of the different resources that are available to them.

Volunteer Opportunities

Food Preparation: Assist with food preparation, which includes cutting vegetables, preparing various food products to be made into nutritious meals, and washing dishes.

When: 7 days a week from 9:00am to 12:00pm

First Helping volunteer: Assist with food distribution with DCCK’s street outreach program, First Helping.  There is a distribution point at 19^th and E St NW, here on campus.

When: Monday through Friday, 8:00-9:00am

Data Entry: Help with data entry of comment cards, faxing, and filing paperwork.

When: Suggested time is 3 hours in the afternoon once a week; contact Carolyn to set a schedule.

Culinary Job Training Assistant: Intern will coordinate & assist in the design of the Culinary Job Training work book. Intern will also develop/create work sheets that coincide with the module topics, and use Desktop publisher to convert existing culinary Job Training information into cohesive workbook format.

Qualifications:

·        Culinary knowledge preferred
·        Desktop Publishing experience
·        The ability to work independently
·        Writing/editing skills
·        Research experience 

Television Production Intern: Intern will assist with writing, filming and editing our television show that will air as a regular series on DCTV. The intern will help generate ideas for the show, and work directly with pre-production, filming, and post-production.

Qualifications: Candidates should be experienced with cameras and proficient in using Final Cut Pro or other editing software.

Community Outreach Intern: Intern will assist Outreach Specialist in serving meals at three breakfast sites in SE and NE Washington DC in the mornings and perform street outreach in the afternoons. The meal service includes driving the van, loading it with food, stocking serving supplies and tracking the number of clients served. Street outreach includes contacting homeless / low income men, women and families, providing material and emergency assistance, distributing information and referrals, helping individuals obtain benefits and advocate for clients as they access services throughout the day. Other specialized projects may be developed in conjunction with an individual's interests and skills.

Qualifications: Clinical knowledge is helpful, but not required. Driver's license preferred.

Grant Writing Intern: Responsibilities include helping maintain grant calendar (update deadlines, reports, status, amounts, etc), research grant prospects utilizing the Foundation Center and other resources, work with the Development staff to determine needs and seek out funding prospects and the actual act of writing a grant by working with previous templates and your own fresh ideas, the Development staff to write LOIs, Grant Proposals and reports. 

Qualifications: Proficiency in Word and Excel is required. Must possess excellent written and oral communication skills.

Event Management/Development Intern: For more information regarding this internship, please contact Abby at poverty@gwu.edu.

The Dinner Program for Homeless Women - DPHW

The Dinner Program for Homeless Women (DPHW) is a non-profit organization located in downtown DC that serves homeless women and their children by providing a hot nutritious dinner and support services in a stable and safe environment.  DPHW provides emergency supplies onsite as well as access to showers, laundry, telephone, and mail.  DPHW also provides enriching social activities and a positive atmosphere of community and support.  The staff serves as resources for women coming in for dinner, linking them to other agencies with information and referrals.

Volunteer Opportunities

Kitchen Volunteer:  Volunteers are needed to help prepare, serve, and clean up after a meal for 80-100 homeless women and their children.  You may also be asked to work in the pantry or refrigerators doing inventory, cleaning, and stocking as necessary.  The Dinner Program runs Sunday through Thursday from 3:30 or 4:00 to 7:30pm.

Computer Workshop:  Volunteers are needed to be available as a resource to assist women on six computers with internet access.  Basic computer skills are needed.  Responsibilities include helping women check email, look up something online, and respond to job or apartment ads online. The Workshop is on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday from 4-6pm.

Program Volunteer:  Tasks vary.  You can assist staff at the welcome table, hand out hygiene supplies, lead an activity (games, karaoke, etc), design and lead a program (educational or entertaining, such as yoga, health education, knitting, creative writing, painting).  Volunteers that can commit to a regular schedule are greatly appreciated! Programs run Sunday through Thursday from 4-6pm.

 
Resource Book Updating:  A volunteer is needed to update two resource books, one for housing and one for jobs, on Sunday afternoons for 1 to 2 hours.

The Foggy Bottom Food Pantry

The Foggy Bottom Food Pantry was established in 1981 by the United Church in an effort to offer food assistance to those in need in the neighboring community.  The goal of the Pantry is to offer those of low income households enough groceries to last them for two weeks.  This program distributes approximately 700 bags of food, or close to 9,000 lbs, each month and is run solely through the efforts of volunteers.

Volunteer Opportunities

Packaging and Sorting: Volunteers are needed to package and distribute groceries every 2^nd and 4^th Saturday of the month from 9:00am-12:30pm.  Responsibilities include bagging, sorting, and organizing different food products and supplies; handing out groceries; and setting up and taking down tables.

 
Intake: Volunteers are also needed to help individuals fill out the proper forms necessary for them to receive groceries. This includes checking IDs of clients, checking clients off the list, and giving new clients a form to fill out. Intakes are every 2^nd and 4^th Saturday of the month from 9:00am-12:30pm.

Unloading Food Deliveries: Volunteers can help unload food delivery trucks, transport the food to the storage areas, and shelve boxes of food. Food deliveries are 1 or 2 times per week. The major delivery is at the beginning of the month. Times vary, but usually occur between 12:00-3:00pm. Volunteers will be notified 24 hrs in advance, and will receive a phone call when the delivery arrives.

Fall Sale:  Volunteers are needed to assist in the preparation, coordination, and completion of the United Church’s Fall Sale.  This sale will take place in October and volunteers are needed before and during that period. 

Food & Friends

Food & Friends prepares, packages and delivers meals and groceries to more than 1,000 people living with HIV/AIDS and other life-challenging illnesses throughout Washington, DC and 14 counties of Maryland and Virginia. Food & Friends chefs and registered dieticians design meals that meet the special needs of persons living with a broad range of life-challenging illnesses.  Food & Friends also provides nutrition counseling and education.

Volunteer Opportunities

Kitchen/Grocery Pantry: Volunteers are needed to assist with food preparation and portioning and packing meal bags.  Times are Monday through Friday for 2 hour shifts between 6am and 8pm.

Delivery Volunteers: Volunteers are needed to deliver meals and friendship to clients and their families. Volunteers must use their own vehicles. Detailed instructions, maps, and driving directions will be provided. Deliveries must be done Monday through Saturday between 10am and 3pm; a typical route lasts 1 to 1.5 hours.

Knitting: Food & Friends would love to have donations of handmade scarves to deliver to our clients along with their meals.  Contact Liz (poverty@gwu.edu) for more information on this opportunity.

Special Events: Food & Friends hosts several special events during the year to raise money and awareness for their clients and mission.  Volunteers can assist with the logistics of the event and make sure that everything goes smoothly.  Contact Liz (poverty@gwu.edu) for more information on this opportunity.

Miriam’s Kitchen

Since 1983, Miriam’s Kitchen has served homeless individuals in DC by serving breakfast every weekday, including holidays and even in poor weather conditions.  After breakfast, Miriam’s Kitchen runs therapeutic groups including painting, poetry, creative writing, literary discussion groups, psychiatric support groups, and yoga.  Miriam’s Kitchen also provides case management services to its guests and maintains a transitional housing program called Arnold’s Place.

Volunteer Opportunities

Miriam's Cafe Barista: Serve as a barista for our clients at Miriam's Cafe.  This opportunity requires a regular commitment of at least once or twice a month, Monday or Wednesday, 11:30am to 1:30pm.

After-breakfast Program: Volunteers are needed for guiding/facilitating creative arts projects with clients.  Project ideas include creative writing, poetry, knitting, and yoga.  Volunteers would be responsible for preparing the topics and instructing participants.  Groups of participants would likely be small.  The program is Monday through Friday from 8-9:30am.

Toiletry/Clothing Drives: Volunteers are needed to run regular toiletry and clothing drives.  Each quarter, a group of students would designate a specific item or items from the wish list that they will collect for Miriam’s Kitchen.  Students would organize the drive, collect the items, and deliver them to Miriam’s Kitchen.  Items can be delivered Monday through Friday from 6:00am to 4:00pm

Bread for the City

Bread for the City is a private, non-profit organization that provides vulnerable residents of Washington, DC with comprehensive services including food, clothing, medical care, legal and social services in an atmosphere of dignity and respect.  Through the efforts of over 500 volunteers and the contribution of thousands of community members, the staff at Bread for the City serves over 1,000 people each month.  All services are free.

Volunteer Opportunities

Intake Interviewer:  Conduct interviews for all clients new to the agency, based on a computerized questionnaire.  Identify client needs and provide them information about services that address those needs.  Direct clients on how to obtain various agency services

Monday through Friday 9am-12pm and/or 1pm-4pm

Administrative Assistant: Volunteers would provide administrative support via filing charts, photocopying and making appointment reminder calls. 1-2 hour shifts between 9am-5pm Monday through Friday Bread for the City has been providing primary health care to uninsured and low-income District residents since 1974.  Volunteer health care providers, who are licensed in DC, work with staff to see patients during clinic sessions.  Other volunteers can work as lab technicians, assist patients in applying for public benefits, and help with administrative duties such as filing charts. 

Enrollment Assistant: Assist patients to determine eligibility for free health insurance and complete and submit enrollment applications.  Other responsibilities include: explaining enrollment benefits, photocopying proofs, submitting forms, and updating patient demographics.

Monday through Friday mornings and afternoons

Lab Technician Draw and package blood samples, conduct in-house tests, record test reports in lab logs, pull medical charts.  A minimum of 6 months experience as an administrative assistant is required prior to beginning this job.

Administrative Assistant: Provide administrative support via data entry, logging and recording lab results, and filing medical charts. The more time you commit to this job, the more exciting work you will do!

Administrative Assistant for the Health Care Unit Food Pantry: Pack bags of groceries, distribute bads of groceries, record clients in agency's database as they receive food.  Flexible hours, M-F, 9 am to 4 pm. Last year at Bread for the City staff and volunteers provided groceries to 4,985 households each month, and provided 176,000 articles of clothing to clients.  Volunteers in the food pantry prepare and distribute bags of groceries to clients.  Volunteers in the clothing room sort clothing donations and assist clients with finding clothes. 

Food Pantry Volunteers Pack bags of groceries; distribute bags of groceries, record clients in agency’s database as they receive food

Flexible M-F 9am-4pm

Clothing Program Volunteer Sort clothing donations, assist clients with finding clothing, record items of clothing distributed to clients in agency’s database.  Bread for the Cities legal clinic represents clients in landlord-tenant disputes, represents claimants who have been denied social security disability benefits, advocates in fair hearings for other public benefits and represents clients in child support matters and on a limited basis in other family law areas such as child custody, civil protection orders and divorce.  To provide these services the legal clinic relies on the work of volunteer attorneys, paralegals and law students.  

Volunteer Attorney (Law Student) Conduct legal intake interviews for new clients to the legal clinic.  Assess the client’s needs and determine whether or not they are eligible for Bread for the Cities services.  Monday - Friday, 15-20 hours/week.  Graduate Students only.

Volunteer as a GROUP:   Bread welcomes the participation of student groups and organizations.  Volunteer groups pack bags of groceries in the Food Pantry, assist in the Medical Clinic and participate in special events.  Bread for the city can host groups of up to 12 individuals at one time.  Volunteers can also organize office site food drives.