Thank you for making this Thanksgiving our most successful yet!
Coming into November, we were unsure if we’d be able to meet the demands of our clients. It’s been a tough year for nonprofits, and So What Else is no exception. With 10,000 families relying on our Montgomery County, DC, and Baltimore teams to provide them with the poultry and produce they needed for Thanksgiving, we had our work cut out for us.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of our staff and volunteers, the many organizations and community members that hosted food drives on our behalf, and the hundreds of supporters that donated over $17,000 to our Thanksgiving Giveback, we were able to meet the challenge head-on and give our clients the Thanksgiving they deserve. Here are some of the highlights:
In Baltimore, we distributed 770 chickens to families in need and supported 16 food distributions across the city with produce and other holiday items, the largest of which fed over 1,000 people! One of our wonderful partners, Rev. Dr. Sheila Davis, shared, “Thank you so much for your generous donation of fruits, vegetables, and bread to our Empowerment Temple AME Church. It was a huge success, and it blessed so many people. God bless So What Else Inc. for the great work you do to help those in need.”
Our Washington, D.C. team was also able to distribute 800 chickens throughout the community! We were also able to distribute 800 chickens across 10 sites in Washington, DC!
The impact didn’t stop there! Across Montgomery County, we gave out nearly 2,000 chickens to families in need. While we weren’t able to purchase poultry for every client, we worked our hardest to ensure everyone could put food on their table for the holiday. When combined with other recovered food and donations, we were able to feed a total of 4,000 families in North Bethesda, Gaithersburg, and neighboring communities.
None of this would have been possible without the support of each and every one of you. From our donors to our partners to our volunteers and our sponsors, our So What Else community is what enables us to move mountains for the families we serve. Thanksgiving may be over, but the winter holidays are right around the corner. We will need your help once again to continue supporting families moving into December. Get involved in our Holiday Hearts of Gratitude movement by going to https://sowhatelse.salsalabs.org/2023holidayheartsofgratitude. Thank you, and happy holidays!
If you are interested in volunteering with us:
All SWE volunteer opportunities are listed here & signing up is easy! Create your profile and browse opportunities that fit your interests and availability. Please be sure to register for each instance of a volunteer opportunity you wish to serve. For example, if you want to help out at the Saturday Outdoor Food Pantry, be sure to sign up each time (instance) you want to serve. Please note that sign-ups will be deactivated 24 hours before the start of an opportunity. For last-minute sign ups, please send an email to volunteer@sowhatelse.org.
If you are interested in Group / Team / Organization volunteering, please contact us at volunteer@sowhatelse.org!
If you’re interested in volunteering at one of our after-school or summer camp programs, please send an email to vfuentes@sowhatelse.org.
We hope to see you soon!
