Food

Nutrition Guidance

SNAP benefit recipients may need to be taught to make lifestyle and often cultural changes in their eating habits. They should be steered away from highly processed and pre-packaged foods; e.g., boxed sugared cereals, frozen dinners, chips, soda, etc. These foods are highly over-priced and carry little to no nutritional value. Instead, SNAP benefit recipients should be directed towards whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables in bulk. When purchased in bulk, these foods are very inexpensive, more filling, and much healthier.Teaching SNAP benefit recipients how to prepare and cook these types of foods in the proper balance may be a challenge as it may require a significant change in lifestyle.

According to our local Bishop’s Storehouse, the cookbook on the Storehouse order form provides recipes for food items available through the Bishop’s Storehouse. Therefore, it might be helpful to suggest that SNAP benefit recipients who may also receive assistance from the Storehouse on occasion, obtain a cookbook and try to identify recipes for nutritional food items that can be purchased in bulk. This cookbook can only be obtained by a Bishop's completed food order for a particular individual referral.

• Choose My Plate
  This web site provides details for USDA’s newly revised nutritional guidelines to help citizens make healthy food choices.


• Welfare Duties
  LDS.org has expanded their welfare section. To help bishops and Relief Society presidents follow this inspired plan for the " poor and needy," President Hinckley has counseled them to "work closely" and "consult together" in administering Church welfare.

Food Distribution Centers

• Bread for the City
  Bread for the City distributes grocery bags consisting of a five-day supply of food adjusted to household size. Eligible clients are residents of the District of Columbia and have incomes of 200% or less of the federal poverty line. Eligible clients may receive three days worth of food each month, picking up at either center.


• Aging and Disability Resource Centers
  DC Office on Aging provides community dining and home delivered meals to seniors over 60 in the District, as well as dietary and nutrition education guidance. Individuals under age 60 may be eligible if they are the spouse of a homebound older adult or an individual with disabilities that resides with a homebound older adult.


• Meals on Wheels
  Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland is a non-profit organization that helps homebound people to eat well and remain in their own homes.  Staff and volunteers prepare and deliver over 1,000,000 nutritious meals a year.  Other services include grocery shopping, phone pals, and other support services aimed at helping clients maintain independence and peace of mind.


• Food and Friends
  The mission of Food & Friends is to foster a community caring for men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging illnesses by preparing and delivering specialized meals and groceries in conjunction with nutrition counseling.


• Manna Food Center
  Manna provides food to 40,000 individuals each year and helps to distribute rescued food to soup kitchens, food pantries and emergency shelters county-wide. Also operating as a food pantry, Manna directly reaches into the community through a network of distribution sites in every quadrant of the county.


• Gaithersburg Help
  Gaithersburg HELP provides food services (i.e. nutritious meals and household supplies) to Gaithersburg area residents, by appointment-only. Clients generally can pick up food 12 times in a 12-month period with a flexible pickup schedule.

Soup Kitchens

• 2-1-1 Information and Referral Search
  2-1-1 provides free and confidential information and referral. Call 2-1-1 for help with food, housing, employment, health care, counseling and more. Learn more about your local 2-1-1 by looking it up here.


• SOME (So Others Might Eat)
  With the support of volunteers and Provide-A-Meal groups, SOME serves a hot breakfast and lunch to hungry men, women and children in their Main Dining Room and a Dining Room for Women and Children, every day of the year. The priority is to serve everyone with dignity and respect, with no questions asked. SOME also provides hot showers, free clothing, and restroom facilities in Clothing and Shower Rooms.


• Miriam's Kitchen
  Miriam’s Kitchen is open for breakfast and dinner Monday through Friday, all year long, on holidays and during inclement weather. All meals are made with fresh, healthy ingredients. Because of donations from local farmers’ markets, grocery stores, and the White House Garden, each six-item meal costs less than 50 cents.


• Martha's Table
  Martha’s Table runs emergency relief programs that meet the basic, fundamental needs of residents in crisis. Programs include McKenna’s Wagon, a daily mobile food truck; a 7 day a week emergency lobby market; a 4 pm daily meal service; in addition to childhood education and nutrition programs.

Food Assistance

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) - District of Columbia
  The Districts’ SNAP program helps low-income residents and families buy the food they need for good health. One can apply for benefits by completing a State application form. Benefits are provided on an electronic card that is used like an ATM card and accepted at most grocery stores and some farmers' markets.


• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) - Maryland
  The Food Supplement Program (FSP) helps low income residents buy the food they need. Residents may be able to get FSP benefits if they work for low wages, are unemployed or work part time, receive Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) or other public assistance payments, are elderly or disabled and live on a small income, or are homeless.

Emergency Food Programs

• Capital Area Food Bank
  The Capital Area Food Bank provides meals to 12 percent of the Washington metro area population. Direct distribution programs include kids' summer feeding and weekend bags, mobile markets, mobile food program, and family markets.


• InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington
  The Greater Washington, D.C. Emergency Services Directory is an online database of approximately 400 service providers of a variety of resources including financial assistance for food emergencies and meals. To begin your search, go to this link and select the service(s) and region(s) of interest.


• Mid-county United Ministries
  Their pantry supplements clients' food budgets with a selection of nonperishable items such as cereal, rice, beans, pasta, bottled juice, canned meats, canned vegetables and fruits. MUM's office is at 2424 Reedie Dr., Wheaton, MD