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Washington, DC—Sept. 20, 2021—For the last two years, Central Union Mission has served a population that was blindsided by the Coronavirus. Month after month, the Mission continued to provide families with food and necessities needed during a time of both uncertainty and looming fear. On average, Central Union Mission feeds more than 4,000 families and children at the Family Ministry Center each month. That number increased by 333 percent during the height of the pandemic when many heads-of- households found themselves out of work and desperately in need of help.
According to Mission President & CEO Joseph Mettimano, “We are seeing families coming to our Family Ministry Center who have never been to a food pantry before. In general, an economic downturn first affects the most vulnerable, but the COVID-19 pandemic has made previously stable groups of people struggle with sudden food insecurity.”
Forbes.com projects that 42 million people in the U.S. will experience food insecurity this year due to the pandemic’s economic impact. Central Union Mission will continue to combat those numbers through various food distribution programs at both the Family Ministry Center and the Men’s shelter. Through partnerships with grocery stores like Safeway, Aldi, Giant, Costco and others, the Family Ministry Center is able to provide fresh produce, eggs and protein, which is vital for good health.
The Mission remains 100 percent privately funded, and you can help provide groceries for families in the DC metropolitan area by making a donation through the Nourishing Neighbors campaign at the following Safeway locations:
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1701 Corcoran St. NW, Washington, DC
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322 40th St. NE, Washington, DC
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415 14th St. SE, Washington, DC
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6500 Piney Branch Rd, NW, Washington, DC
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15411 New Hampshire Ave, Silver Spring, MD
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990 E. Swan Creek Road, Fort Washington, MD
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5000 Bradley Blvd., Bethesda, MD
The campaign will run September 1-30.
Interviews with families and photos are available during our regularly scheduled food distributions, Monday through Thursday between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm. To coordinate socially distanced interviews with families affected by the pandemic or with Mission President & CEO Joseph Mettimano, please contact Deborah Chambers at 202-534-9965 or dchambers@missiondc.org.
About Central Union Mission:
Central Union Mission is a faith-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the oldest private social service agency in Washington, DC. In addition to its emergency shelter, which provides more than 60,000 bed-nights each year, the Mission operates holistic, Christ-centered transformation and workforce development programs for men, provides benefits for veterans, helps people overcome addictions, operates a food and clothing distribution center which provides food for over 4,000 people each month, runs a camp for underprivileged children, and offers a ministry to families and senior citizens. Charity Navigator has rated Central Union Mission a three-star charity, GuideStar awarded Central Union Mission a Gold Seal for our financial transparency and GreatNonProfits has given Central Union Mission a Top-Rated award.
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