New At Nourishing Bethesda, February 2023
Friends of Nourishing Bethesda,
In this Issue:
Thanks to You, We Met Our Match!
New Holiday Giveaways for December
Appreciation for Our Thanksgiving Special Event
Group Volunteer Opportunities
Nourishing Bethesda's
Community Impact in 2022
As we start a new year, let's take a look back at the difference Nourishing Bethesda has made in the lives of our neighbors over the last year. These numbers represent just some of our many accomplishments.
Each month NB provided an average of 37,000+ lbs of food (produce, shelf-stable and protein) to 5,100+ individuals
One-third of recipients were children 18 and under, and nearly a quarter were seniors
Eighty-eight percent of recipients resided in Bethesda/Chevy Chase, Silver Spring, Wheaton or Rockville
Thank You!
We are starting our first newsletter of the new year with a sincere expression of gratitude to everyone who supported us in 2022, whether through volunteering, partnerships, grants or donations during our Giving Tuesday and End of Year fundraising campaigns.
Your generosity is helping us provide more meals for our neighbors challenged by food insecurity. Your hard work and donations mean:
More families around the table for an evening meal after work or school
More students starting the day with the fuel they need to succeed
More seniors feeling connected and supported by their community
Our 2022 Annual Impact Statement highlights the results we’ve achieved together.
We cannot thank you enough for sharing abundance and kindness with others, and we look forward to the great things we will do together in 2023.
Where We Are at Work: Friday Delivery Team Serves Local Apartments
You are most likely aware of the incredible job Nourishing Bethesda’s army of volunteers does to serve the roughly two hundred client households that pick up food from the Rescue Squad each week. But did you know that an additional eighty-five or so households are served each week by NB’s Friday delivery team?
Each Friday afternoon, a team of three adult drivers plus a handful of high-school student “food runners” serve three Bethesda-area residences: two high-rise apartment buildings for low-income seniors, and one low-rise of permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless individuals.
The residents of these three buildings belong to demographics most at risk of food insecurity, due to their very low-income level and numerous health, transportation, language, and other challenges. But thanks to its delivery arm, Nourishing Bethesda is able to provide assistance to these residents, most of whom would be unable to pick up food for themselves at NB’s Rescue Squad distributions.
We are currently looking to expand our cadre of volunteers for the delivery team. You can help NB serve some of its most vulnerable clients by volunteering as a Driver (for those ages 18+) or Food Runner (for those ages 14+). The gratitude of these clients is unmistakable in their smiles.
Sign up to volunteer for the NB Friday delivery team or other NB shifts.
Nourishing Bethesda + A Wider Circle
In 2023, Nourishing Bethesda is joining forces with Silver Spring non-profit “A Wider Circle” to help expand NB’s reach and client services. NB recently engaged prospective new clients during A Wider Circle’s MLK weekend mattress event, and NB is providing clients gently used infant and toddler clothing supplied by A Wider Circle. That’s just the beginning!
A Wider Circle’s mission is to end poverty. We are excited to be partnering with a like-minded organization and look forward to exploring additional ways we can work together to support our clients.
Image from left to right: Chris Tobias (A Wider Circle), Arlee Wallace (African American Health Program), Cathy Higgins (Nourishing Bethesda), Larry Johnson (Nourishing Bethesda)
The African American Health Program
Thanks to outreach efforts by the African American Health Program (AAHP), Nourishing Bethesda is now offering our clients information on the AAHP's many available services, including those focused on infant and maternal health, mental health, diabetes, hypertension, and HIV testing. This is all part of Nourishing Bethesda's mission to direct clients to wrap around services and to care for the whole person, while we address food insecurity. NB is exploring similar programs that could help support our Asian American and Hispanic-American clients.
Whitman High School Crew Team MVPs
A big shout out to Whitman's Crew Team who conducted a canned food drive to support Nourishing Bethesda in January. The team also created treat bags and encouraging notes for our clients. Thank you! We love involving service-minded students in our mission. If your group is interested, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Cathy Higgins at Cathy@NourishingBethesda.org.
