Most fundraisers put on by Food & Friends are about putting calories into your body.
Think Chef’s Best, with its seemingly endless stations of tasty bites from local eateries, or the now-shelved Dining Out for Life, where a night out at a restaurant once generated much-needed revenue for the organization, which provides nutritious meals — and yes, calories — to people living with serious and chronic illnesses such as HIV/AIDS and cancer across the DMV.
But now, Food & Friends is taking a different approach — they want you to burn calories for a cause.
The new event, “Move for Meals,” replaces the longstanding fall fundraiser “A Slice of Life,” in which participants purchased pies for their own Thanksgiving tables — and for the organization’s clients.
“We’ve done Slice of Life for 19 years, but events have a life cycle,” says Food & Friends CEO Carrie Stoltzfus. “It was just time for something new. And, you know, not everyone needs a pie at Thanksgiving. So this is a way for us to get participants from throughout the city — and even beyond — to join in, because Move for Meals is an event you can do from anywhere.”
Anywhere, of course, can be home on a stationary bike, outdoors on a hiking trail, or even at a local gym — and you don’t even have to be within the confines of D.C.
The premise is simple: register for the event on the organization’s website. The $30 entry fee alone helps provide “one day of medically tailored meals for an individual living with a serious illness.” Each participant then commits to raising $200 through one-time or per-day pledges from friends and family. Participants can also share their progress on a leaderboard via the fitness app Strava — adding a healthy dose of competition to the mix.
“Move for Meals is a way for people to come together for a fitness challenge and give back at the same time,” says Stoltzfus. “It’s also unique because participants can do it on their own schedule, at their own pace. It’s like a run-walk-bike event. As you raise money, you’re also being active — and that’s the central goal: to move, stay engaged, and do it in the service of providing meals for people.”
Food & Friends hopes to raise $200,000 from Move for Meals, which Stoltzfus says will fund about 20,000 client meals. For perspective, the organization provided 2.2 million meals to roughly 6,200 people during the last fiscal year, which ended in September.
“This is an event that really has the opportunity to grow without a lot of administrative burden,” says Stoltzfus. “We’re making sure every dollar we raise goes directly toward caring for our clients.”
For Slice of Life diehards, pies from Whisked by Jenna can still be donated and delivered to Food & Friends clients for Thanksgiving.
“Thanksgiving’s a pretty joyful time here,” says Stoltzfus, noting there’s still time to volunteer. “We absolutely need more help during the holiday, and folks who were part of Slice of Life and miss it can still donate pies or sponsor Thanksgiving meals for our clients. Because on Thanksgiving, every client gets a full turkey dinner.”
Move for Meals runs through Nov. 1, 2025, leaving plenty of time to take part. To register, click here.
Whitman-Walker will host its 39th annual Walk & 5K to End HIV at Anacostia Park on Saturday, Sept. 20.
The event, which has served as the health organization's chief fundraiser for nearly four decades, brings together thousands of residents and local businesses -- some as corporate sponsors or fund-matching partners -- to raise money for Whitman-Walker's patient services.
This year marks the fourth time the event has been held east of the Anacostia River, in Southeast D.C., where many of Whitman-Walker's patients live and where HIV rates remain among the highest in the city.
The Capital Pride Alliance and WorldPride DC organizers hosted a "wrap-up party" on September 30 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center to unveil the WorldPride 2025 Impact Report, highlighting the celebration's economic and cultural reach.
The event, featuring food, drinks, and live performances, celebrated WorldPride’s success while giving LGBTQ community members a chance to reflect on the experience and the lessons learned from hosting a large-scale festival in D.C., helping build an infrastructure the city can use for future events.
The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating an assault in Logan Circle in which a man allegedly threatened violence against a passerby in what may have been a hate crime.
The incident happened around 10:30 a.m. on September 15 at 14th and R Streets NW. Police say the suspect, identified as 39-year-old Marshall Baxter, jumped in front of the victim -- a neighborhood resident -- and swung his fists, narrowly missing them.
According to an MPD press release, Baxter, who has no fixed address, allegedly shouted a homophobic slur at the victim.
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