Miriam's Kitchen

Miriam's Kitchen serves 3,000 of DC's homeless individuals annually -- providing a hot meal, social services and housing support primarily to chronically homeless men and women -- people living on the streets.

How do you help people in my community?

Miriam’s Kitchen provides essential support to men and women who are sleeping in the doorways and on the benches of our nation’s capital. We are the place that people come to when they have nowhere else to go, and we are often the place they return to when they have moved into housing, but miss community, or when something goes wrong. Because we are serving primarily people who are sleeping outside, we are often serving the people that you see on your way to work, to visit a museum, to dine at a restaurant, or on your way through town. For these men and women, we not only provide a welcoming sense of community and a nutritious meal, but also a range of services to assist them in addressing both the causes and consequences of their homelessness. Helping people who are homeless in the city actually helps all of us, because it makes our community a kinder, more just and more pleasant place to live.

Why do you need my support?

Miriam’s Kitchen’s annual budget is just over $700,000; any contribution can make a huge impact on our work. For example:

• $5.00 per week provides a hot, nutritious meal for one of our over 200 homeless guests
• $25.00 per week allows eight homeless guests to receive case management services, such as access to a psychiatrist, housing referrals, and transportation
• $50.00 per week provides 45 nights of housing in Miriam’s Kitchen’s Arnold’s Place transitional housing program for formerly homeless guests

Miriam’s Board and staff have developed a five-year strategic plan, “MK 2010”, for expanding the services that we provide, while ensuring that we do not duplicate existing community resources. MK 2010 recognizes the increasing number and complex needs of individuals we serve.  The ambitious plan outlines the strategic objectives necessary to meet these growing demands, and identifies future innovative opportunities to serve DC’s chronically homeless population. Implementation of three strategic objectives began this summer, including:

• Adding a weeknight dinner program
• Enhancing mental health and addiction treatment services
• Effectively assessing individual needs and implementing tailored, effective action plans

There are many, many excellent organizations in Washington DC who do vital work to ensure our community is a just, caring and supportive place to live for all its residents. Where you choose to give your resources depends a great deal on the issues you feel passionately about, and the size and type of organization you would like to support. Wherever you choose to make a CFC/United Way contribution, know that you are a vital part of building a support network in the Washington area and that you are an important partner in this work.

How can I be sure that you will use my money wisely and won't waste it?

Miriam’s Kitchen was selected from 45 area organizations as the winner of the 2001 Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management, a project of the Washington Council of Agencies. This award process evaluated area nonprofits on 10 areas of management, including:

• Financial Management
• Information and Communication Systems
• Organizational Development
• People Development
• Planning
• Resource Development
• Risk Management
• Use of Technology

Our selection as the winning organization underscores that we are a well-run, client-focused organization that maximizes the services we provide with each donation.

Can I Volunteer? How?

Absolutely! Miriam’s Kitchen has a very small staff and depends on volunteers for everything from scrambling eggs and flipping pancakes, to designing our newsletter and annual report, helping with special projects, running our arts groups, to sorting food to earn us free food at the Capital Area Community Food Bank. The work that we do with our homeless neighbors simply would not be possible without volunteers. We welcome volunteers as individuals or in groups, both on a one-time and regular basis. If you are interested in volunteering, just contact Steve Badt, our Director of Kitchen Operations and Volunteer Services at 202-452-8926 x. 2 or by email at steve@miriamskitchen.org.