The organizations listed below are part of the 2022 Guide to Giving. Return to the guide’s homepage by clicking here.

AfriThrive (afrithrive.org) is dedicated to alleviating hunger and improving the wellbeing of underserved African immigrants through access to culturally appropriate healthy food, youth skills development and economic opportunity. The organization operates a mobile food pantry, a 2-acre farm and community garden, along with training programs designed to stabilize families.

Headquartered: Silver Spring

Serves: Montgomery County and surrounding counties

What a donation buys:

  • $50 sponsors a community garden plot for one family for one year.
  • $1,000 provides culturally appropriate healthy produce bags for 120 families.

Volunteer Opportunities:

  • One day: Volunteer on Fridays for food repacking and distribution at Aspen Hill.
  • Ongoing: Volunteer at the Poolesville farm by planting, weeding, watering and harvesting.
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  • Internships

American Diversity Group (americandiversitygroup.org) empowers underserved and immigrant communities by improving food security, health and well-being through its Free Clinic @ Calverton program, which provides high-quality free and affordable health and dental screening, treatment, education and case management. They also host free integrated medical fairs where thousands of pounds of fresh local groceries and non-perishable, shelf stable food is distributed each year.

Headquartered: Silver Spring

Serves: Montgomery County

What a donation buys:

  • $100 provides a free medical screening, dental exam, and connection to primary care physician for one person.
  • $1,000 provides 10 families with 350 pounds of food, a dietician consultation, and glucose and blood pressure monitoring devices.

Volunteer Opportunities:

  • One day: Help with a special event.
  • Ongoing: Provide office support.
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  • Internships

BlackRock Center for theArts/Upcounty Consolidation Hub (theupcountyhub.org) was created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. BlackRock Center for the Arts, working with community partners and volunteers, transformed its art gallery into the Upcounty Consolidation Hub. Staff began managing arts programs virtually while working side by side with partners to serve the community. The Hub provides food, infant and adult diapers, toiletries and other essential items to some 750 families weekly. A family coping with COVID-19 receives a kit containing face masks, thermometers, soups, Tylenol, Gatorade and other items. A virtual visual arts class, BlackRock in a Box, is designed for children in grades 3-8. 

Headquartered: Germantown

Serves: Montgomery County

What a donation buys:

  • $100 provides art supplies for one child.
  • $500 provides food, formula and other essentials for four families.

Volunteer Opportunities:

  • Ongoing: Help in the box office or be an usher.

The Charles Koiner Center for Urban Farming (ckcfarming.org) protects urban farms and maximizes the benefits of community-led greenspaces to create a more safe, smart and sustainable local food system. The nonprofit operates multiple urban farms, grows and donates healthy food throughout the community, and provides education to students and visitors.

Headquartered: Silver Spring

Serves: Montgomery County

What a donation buys:

  • $100 will sponsor a week’s worth of produce delivered to the chefs at Shepherd’s Table.
  • $1,000 funds the stipends for four internships.

Volunteer Opportunities:

  • Ongoing: Complete a nine-month volunteership and assist with harvesting and farm upkeep during a weekly two-hour shift.
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  • Internships

Community Health and Empowerment through Education and Research (CHEER) (communitycheer.org) works in the Silver Spring and Takoma Park neighborhoods that are underserved to organize healthy food distribution for the community and food deliveries for people with diabetes. CHEER draws and trains community health workers from these communities to provide direct support and access to resources and services to individuals seeking to improve their health, encourage neighbors to form mutual support networks, and facilitate community actions that make the community thrive.

Headquartered: Silver Spring

Serves: Montgomery County

What a donation buys:

  • $250 provides boxes of fresh food delivery to 15 residents.
  • $10,000 enables 100 families to access programs and resources.

Volunteer Opportunities:

  • Weekly: Assemble food bags and provide transportation.
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  • Internships

Clifton Park Consolidation Hub at Clifton Park Baptist Church (cliftonparkbaptistchurch.org) believes everyone should have the basics in life. Therefore, they have six monthly distributions offering fresh food, nonperishables items, diapers and clothing, with a case manager on-site. They grow produce using aeroponics and promote growing in households experiencing food insecurities.

Headquartered: Silver Spring

Serves: Silver Spring, Takoma Park and surrounding areas

What a donation buys:

  • $500 provides 40 home delivered meals to homebound and COVID-positive households.
  • $1,000 buys a complete aeroponic setup for a household to be able to grow their own food.

Volunteer Opportunities:

  • One time: Bag produce and nonperishable items or distribute food at grab-n-go events.
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Crossroads Community Food Network (crossroadscommunityfoodnetwork.org) is building a more resilient and inclusive food system in the Takoma/Langley Crossroads community. Programs include Crossroads Farmers Market, where an innovative SNAP-matching program is reducing food insecurity among 2,000-plus people annually, healthy eating education, bilingual business support for food entrepreneurs and an affordable community kitchen.

Headquartered: Takoma Park

Serves: Takoma and Langley Park

What a donation buys:

  • $1,500 provides a week’s worth of SNAP-matching dollars for 30 individuals, families and seniors at Crossroads Farmers Market.
  • $1,000 offsets the cost of food licenses for six low-income food entrepreneurs.

Volunteer Opportunities:

  • Weekly: Help market shoppers, vendors and staff.
  • Weekly: Support the Piney Branch PTA garden by watering, weeding, planting and harvesting
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East County Consolidation Hub at Kingdom Fellowship AME Church (kingdom.global/kingdom.care) distributes food, diapers and essential health items to adults, children, families and seniors. The hub also collaborates with community stakeholders to host COVID-19 awareness, testing and vaccine events; offers case management, youth and workforce development programs and services; and other health screenings, including diabetes testing, blood pressure screenings, STI testing and education.

Headquartered: Silver Spring

Serves: Montgomery County

What a donation buys:

  • $40 provides one fresh produce box and an assortment of protein for a family of four.
  • $750 provides 50 families with a range of proteins (chicken, fish, beef and turkey).

Volunteer Opportunities:

  • One day: Volunteer at a diaper distribution.
  • Ongoing: Volunteer at weekly food distributions and/or packing events.
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  • Internships

Feed the Fridge (feedthefridge.org) provides over 1 million meals annually. They address hunger by investing in the local economy, purchasing meals from local restaurants, and providing them free of charge to members of the community who are hungry or in crisis. 100% of every dollar given goes to buying and supplying meals.

Headquartered: Bethesda

Serves: Montgomery County and the metro region

What a donation buys:

  • $500 purchases enough meals for a family of four for six weeks.
  • $1,000 ensures that emergency funds are on hand to respond to community crises, such as the fire at the Camp Airy food hall.

Volunteer Opportunities:

  • Ongoing: Help with meal delivery; coordinate grass roots fundraisers; assist packing meals.
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  • Internships

Kings & Priests International Ministries (kpcim.org) serves as a satellite hub in the East County region. City of Light Helping Hands food pantry is one of the leading advocates for culturally appropriate food in the county and, despite being in the East County region, their food distributions cover a wide range of families throughout the county.

Headquartered: Silver Spring

Serves: Montgomery County and surrounding counties

What a donation buys:

  • $75 provides a chunk of smoked fish and palm oil for three to four needy individuals or families.
  • $750 provides 25-30 families with culturally appropriate food boxes including palm oil.

Volunteer Opportunities:

  • One day: Help with food distributions on Sundays or Wednesdays.
  • Ongoing: Provide weekly packing of food items into food boxes for distributions.
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  • Internships

Manna Food Center (mannafood.org) works to end hunger through food distribution, nutrition education and advocacy to reduce poverty across Montgomery County. Last year, Manna distributed 3.6 million pounds of food to individuals, children, seniors and the working poor. Manna values partnerships with community groups, businesses and farms to address immediate needs and create sustainable healthy communities.

Headquartered: Gaithersburg and Silver Spring

Serves: Montgomery County

What a donation buys:

  • $100 supports one Manna truck’s daily food rescue, enabling distribution of quality proteins and fresh vegetables to participants.
  • $500 purchases 417 pounds of fresh produce from local farmers through Manna’s Farm to Food Bank program.

Volunteer Opportunities:

  • One day: Prepare food boxes and sort canned goods.
  • One day: Host a food and funds drive.
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  • Internships

Mid County Consolidation Hub at Hughes United Methodist Church (hughesumc.org/mid-county-hub) is a consolidation hub that helps local residents, particularly low-income families, single mothers, people with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness and seniors. The Hub distributes diapers, formula, nonperishable foods, produce, prepared meals, and rent and bill assistance. Partnerships with the county government and other local nonprofits enable the Hub to efficiently connect clients with other vital resources.

Headquartered: Wheaton

Serves: Mid-Montgomery County

What a donation buys:

  • $500 pays for culturally appropriate summer lunches for 100 kids.
  • $1,000 helps one family per month with rent and utilities.

Volunteer Opportunities:

  • One day: Help pack or distribute food on-site or deliver bags of food to seniors.
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Montgomery County Food Council (mocofoodcouncil.org) leads over 2,000 partners in collective impact education and advocacy initiatives to cultivate a more resilient, sustainable and equitable local food system. They improve access for 100,000-plus people at risk for hunger, support 100-plus MoCo Made farms and food and beverage entrepreneurs, and address food system impacts on natural resources.

Headquartered: Bethesda

Serves: Montgomery County

What a donation buys:

  • $50 supports one convening of the Gardening Subcommittee, whose efforts expand community gardening access in the county.
  • $250 funds Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) application help to one Montgomery County household including prescreening eligibility determination and application completion.

Volunteer Opportunities:

  • One day: Participate in a hunger awareness media campaign.
  • Ongoing: Serve as a community food resource navigator.
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  • Internships

Nourish Now (nourishnow.org) specializes in food recovery for the benefit of children, families, the elderly and other organizations working to end hunger. Through its programs, viable food partners are identified, and donations of both prepared meals and shelf-stable food are recovered and redistributed through its network. When COVID-19 struck, Nourish Now developed new programming, providing Family Relief boxes. Currently, they are feeding more than 25,000 area residents a month and have distributed more than 13 million pounds of nutritious food since March 2020.

Headquartered: Rockville

Serves: Montgomery County

What a donation buys:

  • $250 feeds 25 families.
  • $1,000 feeds 100 families.

Volunteer Opportunities:

  • One day: Process fresh produce and meals at the warehouse for Family Relief Boxes distribution. 
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Rainbow Community Development Center (rainbowcdc.org) seeks to build better lives for those in need through safety net services: emergency food pantry, eviction prevention, prevention of utility cutoff and temporary emergency shelter. The food pantry is its largest program.

Headquartered: Silver Spring

Serves: Montgomery County

What a donation buys:

  • $50 provides a two-week supply of groceries for a family of seven. 
  • $500 provides fuel to pick up food donations to supply groceries for 700 families a month.

Volunteer Opportunities:

  • Ongoing: Sort, pack and distribute groceries; plan fundraising events; grant-writing; photography/videography; website updates.
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Shepherd’s Table (shepherdstable.org) serves more than 2,500 individuals experiencing homelessness, food insecurity or poverty in the county every year by providing nutritious meals, clothing, a mailing address, prescription assistance, information and referrals, case management and other social services. Its eye clinic provides vision screenings, prescription eyeglasses and treatment for glaucoma and cataracts for the uninsured.

Headquartered: Silver Spring

Serves: Montgomery County and Prince George’s County

What a donation buys:

  • $250 covers the cost of prescription medication for eight clients. 
  • $1,000 covers the cost of food for 280 meals. 

Volunteer Opportunities:

  • One Day: Make sandwiches, baked goods or casseroles at home or serve meals on-site.
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St. Camillus Food Pantry (stcamillusfoodpantry.org) distributes nutritious food to ensure that low-income families get enough to eat. Through emergency food distribution on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings, the all-volunteer, bilingual food pantry distributed more than 17,000 emergency food packages in 2021.

Headquartered: Silver Spring

Serves: Montgomery County

What a donation buys:

  • $250 provides a week’s worth of emergency food for five families.
  • $1,000 provides four pounds each of rice and beans for 125 families.

Volunteer Opportunities:

  • One day or ongoing: Unload and shelve food deliveries.
  • Ongoing: Bilingual adults can help during the pantry’s distribution hours.
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  • Internships

WUMCO Help (wumcohelp.org) is dedicated to providing quick and friendly emergency assistance to residents of Western Upper Montgomery County. The nonprofit provides food assistance, financial assistance for household (rent, utilities, etc.) and medical expenses, as well as transportation to medical appointments. WUMCO is working to improve health access of area residents. WUMCO Help also provides holiday meals and toys to area families. 

Headquartered: Poolesville

Serves: Boyds, Poolesville, Dickerson, Beallsville, Barnesville

What a donation buys:

  • $50 provides prescription medication.
  • $1,000 provides one month’s rent.

Volunteer Opportunities:

  • One day and ongoing: Transport clients to local doctors; collect, sort, shelve and pack pantry foods; deliver food to clients; assist in the office, assist with holiday giving.
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Yad Yehuda of Greater Washington (yadyehuda.org) serves as a financial and food safety net for the Greater Washington Jewish community, providing for the needs of individuals and families while preserving both their dignity and confidentiality. Its enthusiastic volunteers work to eradicate food and financial insecurity in the kosher-observant community through programs such as Emergency Financial Assistance and the Capital Kosher Pantry, which feeds hundreds of individuals each week.

Headquartered: Silver Spring

Serves: Greater Washington region

What a donation buys:

  • $50 purchases two cartons of fresh produce.
  • $1,000 covers the pantry’s restocking costs for two weeks.

Volunteer Opportunities:

  • One day: Stock food in the pantry.
  • Ongoing: Please inquire.
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