Capital Area Food Bank

The Capital Area Food Bank is the largest public nonprofit hunger and nutrition education resource in the D.C. Metropolitan Area.  Each year the CAFB distributes 20 million pounds of food, including 6 million pounds of fresh produce, to over 700 partner agencies.  The Capital Area Food Bank was founded on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s birthday, January 15, 1980.

In addition to food distribution, the CAFB has several community-building initiatives including Kids Cafe, Food For Kids, Face Hunger, From the Ground Up, Sister Hook-Up, Produce for People,  and the Brown Bag Program.

What do volunteers do?

Last year, over 12,000 volunteers assisted the Capital Area Food Bank sorting and sending food to those in need.  These volunteers assisted in distributing over 20 million pounds of food and fresh produce in the DC Metro Area.

Volunteers work on projects such as the Food For Kid’s Weekend Bag Program.  This program distributes food bags, ensuring that children who rely on free lunch and reduced school breakfasts and lunches eat over the weekend.  Also, volunteers sort donated non-perishable food items that CAFB sends to 750 member agencies for distribution to those in need.  Volunteers could also work on the Senior’s Brown Bag Program.  For this program, volunteers put together bags of food for senior citizens on fixed incomes.

Individuals will most likely help in our warehouse with other groups.  You may work on several projects, depending on the size of your group.  Most activities involve some type of food sorting.  This includes sorting non-perishable food into bins or boxes by our categories, repacking food, or re-labeling boxes.

Timing and Logistics

Volunteer Hours for individuals and groups (by appointment):
Tuesday - Saturday: 9am - 12pm OR 1pm - 4pm

Additional Volunteer Hours for groups 20+ (by appointment):
The 1st Sunday of the month, 9am - 12pm OR 1pm till 4pm
The 4th Wednesday of the month, 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Find out everything you need to know about volunteering in their FAQ.

Contact

To volunteer or for more information, please send an email to volunteer@cfoodbank.org or call either Nicole Durant at 202-526-5344 ext. 235 or Oye Omorogbe at 202-526-5344 ext. 286.

Please allow at least 5 business days for them to receive and reply to a request to schedule a time to volunteer.  Last minute schedule requests are accepted, but they may not be able to accommodate them.

Getting to Location

Visit google transit to find the best public transit (metro, buses) route for the time of your trip.  Once you have returned a public transit result, the site will also allow you to create directions for driving or walking.

Capital Area Food Bank
645 Taylor Street, NE
Washington, DC 20017
(202) 526-5344