Bread for the City at Good Hope Road in Southeast D.C.

Tyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU

Bread for the City is pausing all food programs for a month starting Monday to allow for staff “rest, mourning, reflection, and planning.”

The local non-profit that provides a variety of food, medical, legal, and social services announced yesterday that it will be pausing both of its food pantries at its Southwest and Northwest centers from March 20 to April 18.

The reason given is that, after three years of extended services through the pandemic, staff needs time to rest, recharge, and mourn those who have been lost.

“Given the impact on the community, we do not take this break lightly but know it will be best for those who serve once we have the time and space needed to re-open the right way,” the statement reads in part. “In addition, this pause will also allow us time to mourn. To mourn the staff members, family members, and community members we have lost.”

After the pause, Bread for the City plans on a “full reopening to pre-pandemic, on-site services.” This is set to include the debut of its new food pantry within the organization’s Southeast center, which was opened in 2021 and is named after former First Lady Michelle Obama.

The nonprofit notes it will work with the Capital Area Food Bank and other partner pantries to ensure there will be alternatives for those in need during its month off.

With food insecurity continuing to be high in the region, immense demand has been placed on nonprofits and organizations like Bread for the City over the last several years.

In November, Bread for the City had to stop its annual holiday program where it gave out free turkeys and grocery money early due to “unprecedented demand.”

More recently, the emergency increases in SNAP benefits put in place three years ago due to the pandemic ended at the beginning of this month. The organization had a daily grocery pickup for D.C. residents at both its Northwest and Southwest centers Monday through Thursday.

“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, as we know this will have an impact on our clients and community,” continues the statement. “We look forward to relaunching the Bread for the City Food Program, which runs the largest food pantry in Washington, D.C., on April 18th.”

This story has been updated that Bread for the City is pausing its food programs for a month, but not its social services.

Filed Under: bread for the city, food insecurity, non-profit,