Capital Area Food Bank

Food bank · North Michigan Park ·

Capital Area Food Bank

Food bank · North Michigan Park ·

Distributes meals, partners with organizations, offers volunteer roles

Information

4900 Puerto Rico Ave NE, Washington, DC 20017 Get directions

@eater

391,688 Postcards · 10,991 Cities

How to Help Fight Food Insecurity in D.C. | Eater DC

"The DMV’s largest hunger-fighting organization, which is urgently requesting volunteers to sort and pack food at its Northeast warehouse and assist with offsite distribution, accepting financial donations and shelf-stable food drop-offs while asking volunteers to bring their own masks." - Tierney Plumb

https://dc.eater.com/2020/8/11/21295541/how-to-help-fight-food-insecurity-in-d-c

Capital Area Food Bank

@eater

391,688 Postcards · 10,991 Cities

Food Banks Need More Government Help to Address Food Insecurity Crisis | Eater

"Leadership says the organization has been overwhelmed by record demand during the coronavirus pandemic, with thousands of cars lining up for food assistance. Operations have been strained by disrupted supply chains and volunteers who may be vulnerable to virus exposure, prompting appeals for urgent federal support. Its CEO warned that charitable capacity alone is insufficient and urged faster, larger government action; lawmakers note that of the roughly $850 million set aside for food banks in pandemic relief, under $300 million had been disbursed at one point, while federal agencies maintain funds have been routed to states and large procurements of food are underway." - Jenny G. Zhang

https://www.eater.com/2020/6/8/21284163/food-banks-unprecedented-demand-need-government-help-snap-hunger-insecurity-pandemic

Capital Area Food Bank

Michael M.

Google

I highly recommend volunteering with this amazing organization! If you are a business, firm, church, community group—this is where you need to come! Once you volunteer with Capitol Area Food Bank whether morning, noon, or evening then you will realize how much impact you can have! And you will also learn how we all have more work to do!

Donnell H.

Google

I had the pleasure of delivering a load of ham donated to the food bank from Giant. There was a lot of room to maneuver a tractor-trailer. The receiver was very friendly and unloaded the trailer very quickly. I used to think food giving to Food banks was about to expire but this load was straight from the warehouse. I'm truly amazed to work with such a compassionate and giving company.

Cabrals V.

Google

What a privilege to help local seniors in need. We packed 520 boxes, such an awesome experience! Love coming to the Capital food bank each year, the team is loving and fun to be around. Thank you Rich for keeping us on track your awesome! Hope you were able to enjoy those donuts and coffee❤️

Adore Corina B.

Google

I’ve been volunteering with Capital Area Food Bank since the beginning of this year and my experience has been nothing short of amazing. The food bank offers different ways to serve, consisting of 2-3 hour shifts to pack senior boxes, senior bags, and hunger relief boxes to help address the ongoing food insecurity in the DMV area. The Saturday community markets have also been a joy to be a part of, helping provide fresh meats and produce to locals. CAFB offers so many opportunities for their volunteers to make a meaningful difference in the community. All the staff, from the front-desk to the volunteer supervisors, are friendly and supportive. Our supervisor, Rich Pearson goes above and beyond. He organizes the shifts efficiently making sure each volunteer has a role and has a safe and enjoyable time serving with CAFB. On one shift, Rich led a team of 20 volunteers to prepare 348 senior boxes and 682 senior bags. He fosters teamwork and never fails to remind volunteers of the meaningful impact they’re making - truly an asset to the CAFB team. Thank you for continuing to organize a wonderful experience. Will continue to come back and serve!

Nica M.

Google

FEMA volunteered yesterday at the Capital Area Food Bank as a part of our Day of Service, honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We built 945 Senior food bags for seniors across D.C., Prince Georges and Montgomery Counties. Rich was our coordinator and leader for our volunteer shift. He was awesome! We look forward to volunteering again!

CQ S

Google

Friendly, fun and easy. Easy online sign up and record keeping of your volunteer hours. TASKS: We sorted canned food, assembled cardboard boxes, and created family food kits. FACILITY: It's clean, lockers are available for coats and things, lots of parking, and a nice break room with vending machines. Clean bathrooms. Consider bringing work gloves. Wear closed-toe shoes and well fitting work clothes for safety. Teens must be accompanied by parent or guardian. Bring your lunch if working for the day because there are no quick food restaurants nearby.

Jarvis H.

Google

Capital Area Food Bank provides great opportunities for you to volunteer and make a positive impact in the community. I've volunteered multiple times at the DC facility in recent months. First off, their online registration and volunteer sign-up process makes it extremely easy to find an opportunity that fits your availability. When you arrive to volunteer, there's free on-site parking, it's a quick and easy orientation of sorts, then you're soon sorting or boxing food alongside several other volunteers. It feels good to know that the time you put in helps provide food to those in need.

Mira M.

Google

This is one of the coolest places I have ever been to in DC. It's amazing to see where the magic of fighting food insecurities and food inequalities takes place—it's a massive warehouse with an incredibly kind and informed staff. I volunteered here recently to pack boxes for seniors struggling to obtain enough nutrients. The staff were awesome and gave us a tour of the place. Highly recommend volunteering here and getting involved!

Austin G.

Yelp

If you've taken the Metro to Brookland, you'll pass a 123-square-foot distribution center. Along the railroad tracks in Michigan Park, Capital Area Food Bank started in 1980 on MLK's birthday, before MLK Day was a federal holiday, to help feed those who need it most in the D.C. area. Fast forward to today, Capital Area Food Bank feeds 60 million meals a year through direct distribution and non-profit partners. They are like the Costco of food banks where non-profits like Martha's Table get their meals to hand out locally. If you're looking for volunteer opportunities, Capital Area Food Bank hosts two groups a day Tuesday through Saturday to help organize food donated at their distribution center. It's a massive warehouse with heavy equipment so you have to be 12 and older to volunteer. Once inside and trained, you'll notice inspiring murals and art inside walking guests through the work. Outside is a working garden with an outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven to help teach youth about nutrition. Capital Area Food Bank is making an impact on the D.C. area!

Rizma W.

Yelp

This place combines two of my absolute favorite things: organization, and feeding hungry people. I havn't volunteered with CAFB since they moved to the new location on Puerto Rico Avenue, so once I moved back to the city I had to check it out. I'm so pleased with the larger space. It gives CAFB so much more room to do so much more good for so many more people in the community. Mr. Smith and the rest of the team are absolute joy to work with and they make all of the hard work and heavy lifting so worth it. This warehouse is a bit more spacious than the last one, and the cooling and ventilation system is also much better. If you're sweating, it's because you're actually working. In the other place, you could be sweating and standing still. LOL! They've been there for a few years now, but the space still looks new. The foyer is bright and inviting, there's a snack and break area, and they now have a locker room for volunteers to securely store their items. They even provide color coded locks and keys to keep items safe and secure. This is my absolute favorite place to volunteer in the city and I'm so glad to have the chance to work with them again.

Donyiel C.

Yelp

"Together we can solver hunger!" Had a great time volunteering here this past Saturday with a Facebook meetup group called "DMV Does." It was my first time volunteering at CAFB and I can't wait to come back. We were responsible for packaging items such as pasta, rice, baked goods, and candy. Our shift was from 1 to 4, but we got done in much less time! I almost didn't want it to end so quickly. It really was a lot of fun. Mr. Vines was such a pleasure to work with. There is plenty of parking spaces and lockers available with locks to leave your valuables. Definitely contact CAFB if you want to make a difference : )

VyVy V.

Yelp

My coworkers and I had our Team Service Day at the CAFB and had a great time! Despite doing it right in the middle of summer and enduring the heat in the back warehouse, it felt so fulfilling. The staff is so friendly and they encourage you to take water breaks often. They also love to tell their stories and experiences with working at the food bank and how our help had impacted the community. There is plenty of parking at the food bank. If you decide to take the metro, the closest stop is Fort Totten and the food bank has a shuttle to pick you up before your volunteer shift. We decided to do the 10 minute walk and it wasn't too bad but there aren't a lot of sidewalks on the path. Make sure you check out their vegetable garden! They encourage you to take pictures and make sure you wear closed toed shoes!

Chris F.

Yelp

Capital Area Food Bank is a great place to volunteer. No matter if you want to make a difference or if the judge assigns you to make a difference, this is a good spot to do it. The man in charge of running the sorting operation is passionate about his job and about helping others and it shows. I may or may not have been forced to perform charity acts in the past, and a lot of the people involved were cranky. Not here. Well run charity operation. It is actually hard work so come ready to get it done! You can sign up for different charity opportunities on their website.