Food & Friends is registered with the IRS as a tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) organization. Contributions to Food & Friends are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
We’re glad you asked! We are always in need of new volunteer and contributors.
Food & Friends could not carry out its mission without the support of our dedicated volunteers who help prepare, pack and deliver meals six days a week. We also have 66 staff members, including drivers, chefs, fundraisers, and dietitians.
There are agencies similar to Food & Friends in cities throughout the country. We are part of the national Food Is Medicine Coalition. You can learn more about the coalition by visiting http://www.fimcoalition.org/.
Food & Friends operates out of a 25,000 square foot facility in northeast Washington and our delivery area covers 5,300 square miles of Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. This is our only location, but we partner with neighborhood distribution sites that volunteers can use to pick up meal deliveries.
Yes, Food & Friends delivers throughout the metropolitan area, as far north as Hagerstown, Maryland, and as far south as Fredericksburg, Virginia, a total delivery area of nearly 5,300 square miles. About 52% of our clients live in the District of Columbia. A map of our service area can be found here.
Food & Friends is different than Meals on Wheels because it provides medically tailored meals and nutrition counseling specially designed to meet the unique nutritional needs of persons living with cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, and other life-challenging illnesses. There is no age or income requirement to receive our meals, only medical need. We also serve children, caretakers, and other dependents in the home if there is a need. All of our services are provided at no cost to recipients.
The differences between Food & Friends and Meals on Wheels programs vary based on client eligibility requirements, charge for services, number and types of meals available, service to dependents, and other programs available to clients.
Due to the importance of food safety and our specially designed meal plans, the majority of Food & Friends’ food is purchased. Food & Friends is a member of the Capital Area Food Bank, which provides food for purchase at a very reduced rate. However, we do accept food donations of specific non-perishable goods for our Medically Tailored Groceries service.
Thanks to community support, we have never required fees from clients for our services. All meals are free of charge to the client. Food & Friends’ annual budget for 2021 is more than $13.5 million. Half (50%) of our operating budget is funded through philanthropy from individuals, corporations, and foundations; 40% is funded by government (federal, state, and local) grants and contracts; and 10% is funded by partnerships with health care payers/health care plans.
Food & Friends provides meals, groceries, and nutrition counseling to people living with a serious illness such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, poorly controlled diabetes, and heart failure. Eligibility is entirely based on medical needs and clients must be referred by a healthcare provider. Food & Friends has no requirements for income or insurance coverage.
To be eligible for service, a person must have a qualifying primary illness, compromised nutritional status, and a limited ability to prepare meals for themselves due to factors such as disability, illness, or medical treatment. Qualifying illnesses include HIV/AIDS, cancer, poorly controlled diabetes, stage 5 renal disease, congestive heart failure (NYHA class III or IV), chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder “COPD” (stage III or IV), multiple sclerosis (RRPS, SPMS, PPMS), ALS (middle or late stages), Parkinson’s (Stage III, IV or V) and Cystic Fibrosis. Anyone currently in hospice care is qualified to become a client, regardless of their illness.
Click here to learn if you or someone you know qualifies for our service.
Currently, Food & Friends provides meals and groceries to more than 4,000 individuals (adults and children) per year, including caregivers and dependents. Since 1988, we have served more than 25 million meals to more than 41,000 individuals.
Medically tailored meals are home-delivered to individuals living with serious or chronic illnesses through a referral from a medical professional or healthcare plan. Meals are tailored to the medical needs of the recipient by a registered and licensed dietitian and are designed to improve health outcomes. Our clients can also receive one-on-one nutrition counseling as part of our comprehensive medical nutrition therapy. Registered and licensed dietitians have been foundational to our service since the beginning, ensuring the highest nutrition practice standards and adherence to evidence-based nutrition science.
Safety and security are key concerns of Food & Friends. We work with some of the most vulnerable populations in our community and it is critical that we take prudent steps to ensure their safety. The background check requirement extends to adult volunteers (ages 19 and older) who will be performing volunteer work on an independent basis on Food & Friends’ premises or at client homes. This includes administrative, kitchen, expediting, Medically Tailored Groceries (MTG) and delivery volunteers. A past criminal conviction will usually not be a disqualification from volunteer service. Food & Friends will assess conviction information on a case-by-case basis and consider the nature of the conviction, the date of the conviction and the requested volunteer assignment.
Food & Friends uses Validity Screening Solutions, a long-time, and trusted partner, and the background check is of no cost to the volunteer. The security of volunteers’ personal information is a top priority of Food & Friends. Only the Director of Human Resources, the Deputy Executive Director for Finance and Administration, and the Executive Director have access to the reports.
Food & Friends will review information pertaining to criminal convictions and pending charges from a variety of databases, sex offender registries and courthouse records. In the case of volunteers who wish to deliver meals and groceries, we will also review motor vehicle reports. Food & Friends recognizes that many people have made mistakes in life and a past criminal conviction will usually not be a disqualification from volunteer service. Food & Friends will assess conviction information on a case-by-case basis and consider the nature of the conviction, the date of the conviction and the requested volunteer assignment. Given the nature of our services and the populations that we work with, Food & Friends is unable to accept volunteers who have been convicted of predatory or violent sex crimes or of sex offenses involving minors.
The background report will include pending charges, criminal convictions from the past seven years and information about current registered sex offenders regardless of the date of the sex offense. Arrest records that are without pending charges or convictions will not be taken into consideration. Food & Friends’ Director of Human Resources reviews all background reports and may consult with the Executive Director as needed. You will have the opportunity to challenge information in your report that you believe to be incorrect. You will have the ability to log into your account with Validity to review your report.
We are only able to accept adult (ages 19 and older) guests during volunteer shifts unless they have satisfied the background screening requirement. Guests ages 14 to 18 may join you on your volunteer shift with the permission of a member of the Volunteer Services team, excluding deliveries which allow any age to participate.
If you have an adult friend or family member who is interested in volunteering with Food & Friends, please encourage them to attend one of our regularly scheduled volunteer orientation sessions.