October 12, 2022

Slice of Life season is here with a pie sale that will help provide 1.56 million medically tailored meals

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 12, 2022 

CONTACT:
Jay Shepley
jshepley@foodandfriends.org
(202) 269-6875 

PROMOTIONAL PHOTOS 

Slice of Life season is here with a pie sale that will help provide 1.56 million medically tailored meals to adults and children living with serious illnesses in 2022 

Food & Friends’ annual pie sale Slice of Life brings hope for Thanksgiving to D.C. area neighbors with life-challenging illnesses.  

Washington, D.C. (October 12, 2022) - October 3 marked the official launch of the annual community-wide fundraising event Slice of Lifeby Food & Friends. Now in its 16th year, the goal for Slice of Life in 2022 is to sell 9,000 Thanksgiving pies. Each pie sold provides a full day of home delivered, medically tailored meals for an individual with a life-challenging illness.  

Proceeds from this year’s pie sales and corporate support will provide more than 350,000 medically tailored meals for adults and children with serious illnesses, helping Food & Friends reach their goal of home-delivering 1.56 million meals in 2022. Food & Friends is the only community-based organization in the D.C. metropolitan region providing freshly prepared, medically tailored meals and nutrition therapy for neighbors with serious illnesses and their caregivers and dependents. 

Slice of Life is a joyful tradition, and a direct way to make a positive impact. By making this a part of your plan for Thanksgiving, you can support the health and nutrition of adults and children trying to manage life-challenging illnesses. We hope to engage the entire community. You can make a real difference just by buying a delicious pie.” said Carrie Stoltzfus, Executive Director of Food & Friends. 

The official pie partner for Slice of Life is Whisked by Jenna, a popular, local, woman-owned bakery whose delicious treats have become a staple at specialty grocery stores in the region. This year, Slice of Life is offering five delicious flavors: apple, pumpkin, sweet potato, pecan, and a decadent sea salt chocolate chess pie. Pie selling teams and individuals sell pies which will be picked up on November 22nd (the Tuesday before Thanksgiving) at conveniently located pickup sites throughout the region.  

Food & Friends is keeping pace with record demand for medically tailored meals in 2022, while facing the strain of rising food costs. Support for Slice of Life is critical in meeting the needs of vulnerable families facing life-challenging illnesses and economic hardship. Millions of Americans face tough budgeting decisions this year as the holidays approach, making the goals and purpose of Slice of Life especially important this year. 

Food & Friends believes food heals and no one with a serious illness should have to choose between nutritious foods and fundamental human needs, like shelter, clothing, and medicine. While there is no income requirement to receive home-delivered meals, 79% of the families served by Food & Friends have a combined household income of less than $1,500 per month. Adults and children with serious illnesses are referred by their healthcare providers to Food & Friends solely based on medical need. Meals are provided free of charge. 

As the region recovers from the pandemic, demand from the community for medically tailored meals and groceries from Food & Friends has increased by 41% in the last 12 months. The costs of food this year are creating further barriers to access for nutrition. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, in 2022, all food prices are predicted to increase between 9.0 and 10.0 percent. For neighbors simultaneously dealing with a serious illness and nutrition insecurity, this presents a crisis, and the Slice of Life pie sale is an engaging way to make a direct positive impact in local communities across D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.   

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