Food & Friends recently invited our community to step behind the scenes during our Nourish to Flourish Webinar, giving supporters a closer look at how we design our meals, expand our programs, and serve neighbors in need with care and compassion.
The 2025 webinar, held in September, took participants inside our kitchen and nutrition program to see how medically tailored meals come to life. Led by Carrie Stoltzfus, CEO, and Rebecca Kahn, Director of Nutrition Services, viewers learned how our team creates meal plans that meet the unique health needs of every client and how we decide when and how to expand our menus to include new illnesses –- including the development of our newest menu for clients living with sickle cell disease.
One of the most memorable moments came from Kadijah Ash, who shared her powerful story as a former volunteer, a former DC Department of Health employee, and now a Food & Friends client living with cancer. Kadijah spoke about how receiving medically tailored meals has helped her focus on healing and well-being, while also giving her the strength to advocate for others in her community.
“Thank you for funding Food & Friends. It is literally meaning life to me,” Ash says. “They fill a need like no one else.”
Participants also had the chance to submit questions directly to our webinar presenters where they answered questions about menu decisions, dietary accommodations (e.g. allergies, cultural preferences), eligibility requirements, and future directions (e.g., new menus, scaling).
If you missed this inspiring event, you can watch the full 2025 Nourish to Flourish Webinar here: https://youtu.be/TwJQonnu0JA.
Want to explore the meals that make our mission possible? See our client menus here: https://foodandfriends.org/client-corner/client_corners_menus/