Capital Area Food Bank

At Rising Hope Mission Church, one of our partners in Alexandria, nutrition is at the heart of their pantry. Operating a choice model, where neighbors select the foods that work best for them, they’ve fully embraced the SWAP (Supporting Wellness at Pantries) system. This stoplight-style tool uses green, yellow, and red labels to help neighbors make informed choices, recommending whether a food is one to choose often (like fruits, veggies, and whole grains), sometimes, or rarely. Rising Hope also shares CAFB recipe cards and “7 Ways” guides to help neighbors turn pantry staples into meals. The staff also cooks with the ingredients in their soup kitchen—showing just how tasty and nourishing a healthy ingredient like brown rice can be. Serving over 300 families each week, the pantry is filled with tools that make every visit a chance to learn and access the nutritious food necessary for good health. We’re proud to partner with Rising Hope to expand access to nutritious, neighbor-centered food across the region!

🚨 Now Hiring: Managing Director of Food is Medicine 🚨 The Capital Area Food Bank is seeking a strategic and dynamic leader to drive our Food is Medicine (FIM) portfolio. In this role, you’ll lead efforts to secure healthcare partnerships, operationalize the FIM program, and advocate for food-based health solutions. 🔑 What You’ll Do: *Build and manage partnerships with healthcare payors, providers, and other organizations *Lead program strategy, growth, and integration with the broader CAFB mission *Champion food as a tool for improving health outcomes 🌟 What We’re Looking For: *12+ years of experience in healthcare, public health, or a related sector, with a strong track record of business development and securing healthcare contracts *Distinctive skills in leading cross-functional teams and large-scale initiatives *Passion for addressing food insecurity and improving community health Ready to make an impact? Apply now.

Help is available for those affected by reductions in federal jobs and funding. Beginning on Saturday, April 5th, the Capital Area Food Bank will be holding new pop-up food distributions for affected workers, where they can pick up food boxes containing shelf-stable groceries and fresh produce. These new food distributions will be held twice a week through June: on Thursdays from 5 – 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 – 11 a.m., or while supplies last each day. Find us in the parking lots of these retail locations: DC: 📍 Safeway – 322 40th St NE, Washington, DC 📍 Giant – 1535 Alabama Ave SE, Washington, DC Maryland: 📍 Giant – 7074 Allentown Rd, Camp Springs, MD 📍 Giant – 7546 Annapolis Rd, Lanham, MD Virginia: 📍 Giant – 6364a Springfield Plaza, Springfield, VA 📍 Safeway – 4215 Cheshire Station Plaza, Dale City, VA For more information about these new distributions or other options for accessing food assistance, visit https://lnkd.in/ewi5wgqd or call our Hunger Lifeline at (202) 644-9807.

#NationalVolunteerMonth is here and there are so many ways to get involved! 🎉From packing boxes in our warehouse to spending time in our urban demonstration garden, every volunteer plays a vital role in getting food to neighbors across the region. Volunteers like Steve, Mary, and Carol dedicate their time each week to ensuring food reaches neighbors across the region. Along the way, they’ve not only made a difference but also built friendships that make their volunteer shifts even more rewarding! Want to join them? Read their stories on our blog and find a volunteer opportunity that’s right for you by visiting https://lnkd.in/gJUGherW

During this #WomensHistoryMonth, we’re spotlighting The Women’s Collective, a partner organization dedicated to meeting the full scope of needs for women living with HIV. What started as a small support network has grown into a vital organization providing screenings, counseling, and advocacy, while also ensuring access to essentials like personal care items and nutritious food from the food bank. Food remains a consistent need for the women they serve, especially easy-to-eat, high-protein options and kid-friendly snacks. We’re proud to partner with organizations like The Women’s Collective that center the needs of their clients and work to remove barriers to health and wellness!

We were thrilled to host the team from Manna Food Center and welcome their new CEO, Craig Rice, as he begins his role leading one of our longstanding partners! Serving over 60,000 people each year, Manna plays a vital role in closing the food security gap in Montgomery County. We’re grateful for our partnership and excited to keep working together to meet the need in the region.

This #NationalAgricultureDay, we’re celebrating the local farmers who help bring fresh, homegrown produce to our neighbors 🥕🥬 We partner with farmers like Tope and Niyi Fajingbesi of Dodo Farms in Montgomery County, MD, who are deeply committed to providing fresh, high-quality food with care and dignity. Through partnerships like this, we help ensure families have access to nutritious, locally grown ingredients. Last year, 3.7 million pounds of the food we distributed came from farms across our region. 👉Check out our blog to read more about this partnership and the ways we work to bring food directly from farm to table https://lnkd.in/evHma4HH

It’s National #CACFPWeek! 🎉 Through the USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program, we provide colorful, nutritious meals to kids at 40 afterschool meal sites across the region. We know that when students have access to healthy food, it fuels their brains and helps them focus, learn, and succeed in school. Programs like CACFP make a big difference in ensuring kids have the nutrition they need to thrive both inside and outside the classroom! 🍎📚

We were honored to join American College of Lifestyle Medicine , American Heart Association, Food is Medicine Coalition, Food is Medicine Institute, Harvard Law School Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation, Instacart, John Hancock, National Produce Prescription Collaborative, and Pennington Biomedical Research Center in organizing the 2nd Annual Food Is Medicine Advocacy Day. Experts from across Food Is Medicine programs, including physicians, food banks, food industry representatives, and patients with lived experience came together to make it clear that food must be a part of healthcare. We took this message to Congress, advocating for policies that integrate food access into medical care to improve health outcomes and reduce the burden of chronic disease. Our Client Leadership Council members shared their personal experiences with food insecurity and health challenges, using their stories to put faces to statistics. As momentum builds for #FoodIsMedicine programs and funding, we’ll keep pushing for solutions that make nutrition a fundamental part of healthcare.

5,760 jars of peanut butter. That’s nuts! 🥜 A huge thank you to the U.S. Peanut Federation for donating this fan-favorite, shelf-stable protein. These jars will help stock pantry shelves and provide a nutritious option for families in our community.