Food & Friends: Supporting People With Life-Challenging Illnesses for 25 Years

Founded in 1988, Food & Friends is the only organization in the Washington, DC area providing meals, groceries, and nutrition counseling to people living with life-challenging illnesses. Launched out of the basement of the Westminster Presbyterian Church, Food & Friends began with 20 volunteers delivering 15 meals per day to 60 clients. Today, the organization operates from a state-of-the art kitchen and pantry facility, employing a staff of professional chefs and community dietitians who design nutritious meals for persons living with HIV/AIDs, cancer, ALS, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, and other illnesses. Food & Friends serves men, women, and children of all ages, as well as their dependents and caregivers. At any given time, the organization serves nearly 3,000 individuals, most of whom consider Food & Friends as their only support.

Food & Friends offers a broad range of nutrition services, including home-delivered meals, home-delivered groceries, and nutrition counseling and education. Six days a week, even on holidays, Food & Friends delivers healthy and delicious meals directly to its clients' homes. Each delivery includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and, if needed, liquid nutritional supplements. For individuals who live outside the meal delivery area, the organization provides groceries to those who are able to prepare their own meals or have a caregiver to do so. Clients review food safety and nutrition with a dietitian and receive a recipe booklet that contains cooking tips and recipes based on the food included in their grocery deliveries. Food & Friends' community dietitians also offer individualized nutrition counseling, cooking classes, workshops, and more.

All services provided by Food & Friends are free of charge. Since its inception, the organization has delivered almost 16 million meals to more than 22,500 clients living throughout the District of Columbia, seven counties of Maryland, and seven counties and six independent cities of Virginia.