WASHINGTON — If you think your kitchen is crowded the week of Thanksgiving, imagine
1,300 people gathered around, prepping, cooking and plating a big turkey dinner.
That’s
exactly what’s happening this week at Food &
Friends, a nonprofit that provides
meals year-round to critically ill adults in the D.C. metro area.
While Food & Friends normally provides specialized, fresh and nutritious meals to 3,000
clients throughout the year, the intention behind the Thanksgiving meal is different. The dinners, which are prepared and delivered by staff and volunteers,
include a full turkey and all of the sides — enough to feed four to six people.
“That gives our clients the opportunity to host friends and family, because sometimes
when you’re living with a life-challenging illness, it can be a really isolating thing,
and a time where you feel like you’re depending a lot on others,” says Chris Copley,
communication director at Food & Friends. “What we’re doing on Thursday is, we’re
allowing them to do things for their family and their friends.”
Debra Carr is one of those recipients. Carr has been receiving Thanksgiving dinner from
Food & Friends for three years, and this year is no different. The Northwest D.C.
resident says the meal helps her out “in more ways than you can imagine.”
Carr lives in a room in a group facility, and the only kitchen she has access to is a
shared
community kitchen.
“I don’t have the time or space to get in there and cook a whole turkey,” Carr says. But having a cooked turkey, roasted potatoes, collard greens, corn, green beans,
rolls and pies delivered allows her to enjoy a holiday dinner with her family and
friends. This
year, she’s sharing the meal with her sister, a friend and her mother.
“Seventy percent of our clients told us that they eat meals alone, four or five days
out of the week. And [this time of year], we hear stories from them saying that they
had their cousin come up and their sister over to their house for Thanksgiving,” Copley
says.
“It’s really an opportunity for them to forget about what they’re dealing with on a
daily basis and to enjoy the food and to enjoy the company with their family.”
This week, Food & Friends is roasting about 9,000 pounds of turkey — enough for 900
Thanksgiving meals. On Thanksgiving Day, volunteers will come to pick up the meals and
deliver them in their personal vehicles.
“Being here truly represents what Thanksgiving is about, and that’s coming together
with the people that you love — whether they’re co-workers, family or friends — and
giving thanks for what you have, but also being aware that there are needs in the
community, and what we can do as a community to take care of those people,” Copley
says.
And while Food & Friends is at max capacity for Thanksgiving volunteers, Copley says
the organization is always in need of helping hands — especially as winter inches
closer.
“The snow always makes it a little more challenging for us to do our work. We really
depend on core volunteers who would be willing to drive in the snow or come out here to
Food & Friends during the harsh winter weather,” Copley says.
“At Food & Friends, we don’t shut down. We’ve never missed a meal. No matter what the
weather is outside, we’re making sure that our clients are taken care of.”
Want to volunteer at Food & Friends? Learn how to get involved
on the organization’s website. Follow @WTOP and @WTOPliving on Twitter and on the WTOP Facebook page.
