Miriam's Kitchen

Thank you to the amazing MK staff and volunteers who helped us put on another wonderful ice cream social! We're always happy when we can have special events for our guests in the dining room 🍦🍨💚

Are you ready to make an impact for your neighbors experiencing homelessness? Volunteer with Miriam's Kitchen! Learn more about the many ways you can get help us end chronic homelessness in DC here:

Volunteer Learn the many ways you can volunteer with Miriam’s Kitchen to help end chronic homelessness in Washington, D.C.

There are a lot of exciting things going on at Miriam's Kitchen, and the best way to keep up is by signing up for our email list! Receive the latest MK news, updates and events straight to your inbox today: https://bit.ly/3bNhs9X

We enjoyed a compelling conversation last night during our panel discussion "Shifting from Criminalization to Compassion." Our amazing panelists brought unique insight from local, national, legal and outreach perspectives on the current state of housing and homelessness. Click here to watch the recording on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhjanDpRWMA

As we bear witness to yet another encampment eviction of our unhoused neighbors, we continue to raise awareness of the impact of evictions and the continued criminalization of homelessness in Washington, D.C.

Encampment evictions do nothing to end homelessness, and we must shift the way our city and government agencies are responding to this crisis: https://bit.ly/4dkbFTp

Congratulations to all the graduates of D.C.’s first peer case management program! More innovation and creativity like this is needed if we truly want to end chronic homelessness in DC.

Once homeless, these D.C. peer educators will go on to help pull others up In a first-of-its-kind program, D.C. DHS’s Peer Case Management Institute is intended to prepare people who were homeless to work as case managers.

We hope you'll join us this coming Tuesday on Facebook and YouTube for "Shifting From Criminalization to Compassion," a live-streamed panel event where we will discuss a path forward for the next phase of our work in housing justice and beyond. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3zKtYTm

Last week, we set a new record in the MK dining room during our dinner shift – 281 meals served! This milestone is a testament to our amazing Meals team, volunteers and supporters.

We've seen a sharp increase in meals in the dining room, and we're asking for your support to provide healthy, high-quality meals to everyone who comes to our dining room. Together, we can continue to make a difference in supporting our neighbors in need: https://bit.ly/MKdonate

Looking for another tasty way to support Miriam's Kitchen? We've got one! When you eat at Call Your Mother Deli this month, you can round up your total as a donation in support of our mission to end chronic homelessness in DC. What are you waiting for? Place that order!

Thank you to The Washington Home for supporting our work and mission to end chronic homelessness in DC!

Transformational Impact: Following its inaugural 2024 open call for grant proposals in March, The Washington Home (TWH) is proud to announce its award of over $4.2M in grants to 31 local non-profit organizations making a transformational difference for DC-area older adults and the critically ill.

TWH provides funding to entities that create and deliver innovative, compassionate, and well-managed programs to improve the quality of life for older and/or terminally ill residents in the Washington, DC area. We invest in local, community efforts that address social isolation, caregiver relief, food insecurity, and specialized health care.

Since becoming a foundation four years ago, TWH has granted a total of $21.3M to support the community.

Meet our newest grantees: https://www.thewashingtonhome.org/2024/07/15/twh-names-its-2024-grant-recipients/

BROOKLAND SENIOR DAY CARE CENTER INC, Iona Senior Services, The Catholic University of America, Georgetown University, Home Care Partners, Christ HOUSE, Sibley Memorial Hospital, Johns Hopkins Medicine, The George Washington University, Unity Health, Bread for the City, Capital Area Food Bank, DC Central Kitchen, Goods For Good, Martha's Table, Miriam's Kitchen, Sasha Bruce Youthwork, Seabury Resources for Aging, Thrive DC, WE ARE FAMILY SENIOR OUTREACH NETWORK INC, East River Family Strengthening Collaborative, Inc., HelpAge USA, HOLISTIC HORSEMANSHIP CENTER, LLC, Howard Universityy, Northwest Neighbors Villages , Plants and Blooms ReImagined, SOME (So Others Might Eat), The Wilderness Technology Alliance, Wendt Center for Loss and Healing, Philanthropy DMV, Food & Friends

Join the MK community on July 30 for "Shifting From Criminalization to Compassion," a live-streamed panel event where we will discuss the recent criminalization of homelessness and its impact on our unhoused neighbors.

During this panel discussion, we will examine the impact of the recent Grants Pass v. Johnson decision, DC's budget season, and how we can move from criminalization to compassion when approaching the topic of homelessness. Sign up to join us at this free event today: https://bit.ly/3zKtYTm

Happy Fourth of July from Miriam's Kitchen! As a reminder, we are OPEN today for meals (breakfast/dinner) and case management services.

We are disappointed by this ruling, which could give local jurisdictions even more cover to punish people for sleeping outside, even when there is nowhere else to go. Read our full statement at www.miriamskitchen.org

Are you looking for a way to support Miriam's Kitchen? We're always in need of volunteers in the summertime! Send us a message or visit the volunteer page on our website to learn more: https://www.miriamskitchen.org/get-involved/volunteer/

Read our statement on the FY25 budget, see photos from the MK Gala and more in this edition of MK Monthly! Check out the latest Miriam's Kitchen email newsletter here: https://bit.ly/4bjEE8v

Congratulations to Ted's Bulletin on the opening of their new NOMA location today! We were excited to be the beneficiary of their Community Day event earlier this week, where more than $8,600 was raised in support of Miriam's Kitchen. Thank you for your partnership and support, and good luck with the grand opening!

This year's budget season has come to a close and while we are proud of the advocacy we’ve been able to accomplish, the The Council of the District of Columbia's final vote on the FY25 budget falls far short of meeting the life-saving housing and services needs of our unhoused neighbors. You can read our statement in full on the MK blog: https://bit.ly/4ccTVJq

Although we are still a long way from adequate investments in ending homelessness, our work continues. Thank you for your continued support as we strive for a city where everyone has a safe place to call home 💚

We're excited to share that MK's Chief Communications Officer James Durrah is part of this upcoming webinar from the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans! Get more info here: https://bit.ly/NCHV-WEBINAR2-2024

It's not too late to sign up for our webinar tomorrow! Join us on June 26, 2024, at 3 PM ET to learn about organizing candidate forums and advocating for homelessness issues. We are excited to have Courtney Cooperman from National Low Income Housing Coalition and James Durrah II from Miriam's Kitchen as our speakers.

Register today! https://bit.ly/NCHV-WEBINAR2-2024

DC is currently under an Extended Heat Emergency, which can be very dangerous for our neighbors experiencing homelessness. Please check in on your neighbors around you, and help where you are able! You can also visit heat.dc.gov for more information.

Get ready for something tasty — Ted's Bulletin is serving up a delicious opportunity to support Miriam's Kitchen! Join us on Monday at the new Ted's Bulletin location in NoMa, where all proceeds from the day's brunch and dinner service will support MK. Get more info on our events page: https://bit.ly/3OtzXRv

Happy Juneteenth from Miriam's Kitchen! We encourage you to explore the many amazing Juneteenth events, celebrations, and educational opportunities happening across DC today (and as a reminder, we are OPEN for meals and services!).

“Juneteenth means freedom. It means equality, and it means the end of a terrible chapter in our history and the beginning of a new chapter where we work towards a better future for everyone.” - Opal Lee (aka the "grandmother of Juneteenth")

We had a wonderful time over the weekend at our GroW Garden Family Day event! Thank you to everyone who came to volunteer and grow our partnership with the GW Community Garden 💚

Check out this article in The DC Line discussing the harmful nature of encampment evictions featuring MK Chief Advocacy Officer Lara Pukatch; and Campaigns and Communications Director for the National Homelessness Law Center, Jesse Rabinowitz.

Lara Pukatch and Jesse Rabinowitz: Biden and Bowser’s encampment evictions push us farther away from solving homelessness Despite their repeated public commitments to address the housing crisis that has left many without shelter in DC, the Biden administration and Mayor Muriel Bowser have evicted nearly 90 homeless individuals from their communities in Foggy Bottom in r

The 2024 Miriam's Kitchen Gala was an enormous success, in no small part to the wonderful sponsors who support the event and our mission to end chronic homelessness in DC. Thank you to this year's Meal Sponsors for joining us this year - we couldn't have done it without you!

MK CEO Scott Schenkelberg was recently a guest on the "Foodie and the Beast" podcast, where he joined other guests on the show to talk about the MK mission and our work ending chronic homelessness in DC! Listen to the full episode here:

‎Foodie and the Beast: Foodie and the Beast - May 19, 2024 on Apple Podcasts ‎Show Foodie and the Beast, Ep Foodie and the Beast - May 19, 2024 - May 18, 2024

You're invited to join us at the GW Community Garden this Saturday, June 8, for our GroW Garden Family Day event! Join us for a morning of gardening and learning more about Miriam's Kitchen. Get more information here: https://bit.ly/4dWjXSC