As schools close for the summer in D.C.’s Wards 7 and 8, thousands of children are losing access to reliable meals — and a local nonprofit organization is stepping up to help fill the gap.
Martha’s Table, in partnership with the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation and D.C. Health, is expanding its “Joyful Food Market” beginning on Wednesday. The eight markets, open Tuesdays through Fridays from 1 to 3 p.m., will provide free fresh fruits, vegetables and shelf-stable foods to families on request with no eligibility requirements.
“When schools close, it creates a situation where families who have been getting nutritional, consistent meals from their cafeteria, they’re no longer able to do that,” Mallory Mpare-Quarles, deputy chief of health and wellness programs at Martha’s Table, told WTOP. “So that’s really where our summer Joyful Meals Program… comes in to close that gap.”
Each market is designed to offer more than food. Mpare-Quarles said the markets include cooking demonstrations featuring recipes with ingredients that are provided on site, as well as music and activities for kids.
“They’re not called ‘joyful’ by mistake,” she said. “It’s really an opportunity for us to bring together the community.”
Martha’s Table’s leadership anticipates significant demand this summer, citing rising grocery prices and federal job losses in the area as contributing factors. Mpare-Quarles said visits to the organization’s markets have doubled over the past year.
“We were seeing about 250 folks (a day) here in the market; now it’s closer to 550, 500 people a day,” she said. “In Ward 8, specifically, there’s just one grocery store where about 70-80,000 people are expected to seek their fresh groceries.”
“We are, in fact, in a food desert,” she added. “Food distribution is just a part of it.”
The organization is relying heavily on volunteers to get involved and support their effort.
Martha’s Table has served D.C. communities since 1980, providing food access, health and wellness programs and educational support.
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