Mission & Outreach

Monthly Sandwich Drive for SOME
In 2020, the Outreach Committee organized an in-person “Sandwich-making Sunday” for So Others Might Eat (SOME), making and delivering 1000 sandwiches. Since July 2020, we have organized monthly “distanced sandwich makings” and have collected sandwiches from the parish and the community to donate to SOME. This effort is enthusiastically supported by the neighborhood and sandwich/fruit donations from our neighbors generally exceed those of the parish.

Local families have embraced the opportunity to help feed the hungry from their own kitchens and St. David’s is now known as a local hub and delivery service for outreach to the food insecure. We also have young people in the community volunteering to assist with collection during the monthly drives. In consultation with SOME, we have also begun collecting clothing items. If we exceed the amount of sandwiches SOME can take on one day (1000) we contribute them to Friendship Place or other non-profits.

Click here to find out about upcoming drives.

Our Partner Organizations

Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys
Bishop Walker School is a tuition-free Episcopal school for boys from traditionally underserved communities in the DC area. The School nurtures the spiritual, intellectual, social-emotional, artistic and physical development of its students in a Christian community of learners that welcomes boys of all faiths and beliefs. It currently serves grades JK-6th and will ultimately serve grades JK-8th. For more information on the Bishop Walker School please visit www.bishopwalkerschool.org.

Friendship Place
As the premier housing service provider for people experiencing homelessness in the DC region Friendship Place’s mission is to empower people experiencing or at risk of homelessness to attain stable housing and rebuild their lives. Their goal is to end homelessness in Washington, DC, and to establish a sustainable model which can be replicated across the nation. Friendship Place’s innovative, personalized programs empower participants to rebuild their lives, find homes, get jobs and reconnect with friends, family and the community. In 2020, Friendship Place programs ended or prevented homelessness for 2,664 people through creative, customized housing solutions. Across all programs, Friendship Place served more than 3,432 individuals in 2020. For more information please see friendshipplace.org.

Loaves & Fishes

The mission and goals of Loaves & Fishes are two-fold: to feed people who are hungry in our community and to educate volunteers and community members about hunger and homelessness. They serve a hot, healthy lunch to all who come to us without regard to their age, race, immigration status, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, religious affiliation, or lack of it.

The need for free meals is particularly acute on weekends, when most free meal programs in Washington are closed. For people who are poor and homeless, finding their next meal is a seven-day-a-week challenge. Guest surveys have shown that most guests appreciate not only the food, which is generally rated as high-quality, but also the welcoming, calm surroundings, an opportunity to be off the streets for a while and perhaps have a game of spades or checkers while waiting for the meal.

So Others Might Eat (SOME)
SOME was founded in 1970 with a small act of kindness—providing sandwiches to our hungry neighbors. Ensuring that those experiencing homelessness and poverty can meet their daily needs remains a core service at SOME. Whether the need is a hot meal or shower, a solid pair of shoes or non-perishable items to help feed a family, SOME is here to help. Pre-pandemic, nearly one in five DC residents lives at or below the poverty line, struggling to meet even their basic needs. While the full scope of the economic fallout from coronavirus is still unknown, food insecurity in the District is expected to rise 45-60% and more than 2 million unemployment claims have been filed in DC. For more information on SOME please visit www.some.org/about/mission.

The Honduras Independence Bilingual School (HIBS)
HIBS helps students from poor families in Quimistan, Honduras achieve a life of independence. In addition to elementary education the school provides adult education in the areas of nutrition, sanitation and parenting. Our congregation pays the school tuitions for Kerin, Genesis, Meyssi and Veronica. Crucially, the students learn English, a vital skill for them to support themselves and a subject unavailable in the public school. As a parish we have made a commitment to provide a bilingual education to these children who live in extreme poverty in the second poorest country in the western hemisphere, where life has become even more precarious due to the pandemic and natural disasters such as devastating hurricanes Eta and Iota last November. For more information please see www.artforhumanity.org.

IONA Senior Services
As we pass the 15-month mark of the start of the pandemic, Iona Senior Services’ Food Pantry Plus (FPP) continues to meet the needs of low-income, frail seniors in all eight wards of the city. Since March 2020, Iona and a team of wonderful volunteers have made well over 1,000 deliveries to nearly 300 individuals. Please see www.iona.org.