Uncategorized - So What Else Inc

Our Hunger Relief Story: How We Served 75 million Meals in 4 Years

September 4, 2024/in Blog, Uncategorized

In 2009, our nonprofit began with a simple yet powerful mission: to provide after-school and summer camp programs for underserved communities in the DMV area. For ten years we thrived, creating a safe and enriching environment for countless children. However, when the pandemic hit, everything changed. We found ourselves at a crossroads, asking our youth communities the question: “What else can we do to help?”

With food initially intended for our programs and a pressing need in our community, we decided to pivot to the most basic of needs . What started as a few tents setups for food pickups quickly grew into something much larger. By transforming our resources and operations, we began distributing meals to our children and their families, addressing a profound need that the pandemic had increased. In delivering to those original communities more folks came out and more communities had needs.

Fast forward four years, and we’ve achieved something remarkable: 75,000,000 meals provided to those in need. This monumental effort has become one of our most significant impacts, reflecting our unwavering commitment to our community. Our team works tirelessly, day and night, to rescue good food and ensure it reaches the people who need it most. While our resources are limited, our dedication and compassion know no bounds.

The need for our services continues to grow, and to meet this demand, we rely on the support of our communities and beyond. Your contributions, whether in-kind or monetary, are crucial. They support us to sustain our mission, expand our reach, and provide essential resources to those who need them most.

In these challenging times, our story is a testament to the power of adaptability, community, and compassion. Together, we can continue to make a difference, one meal at a time!

We are asking you to support this transformational food effort and help us sustain the infrastructure and proven programs and partnerships we have stood up.

Ready to make a difference?

Oscar’s Dream of Hope in America

August 7, 2024/in Blog, Uncategorized

When Oscar first arrived in the US from Nicaragua, he struggled to adjust for two main reasons: he had a hard time attaining resources such as food & clothing and he couldn’t speak English. Thankfully a neighbor told him about So What Else’s Saturday distributions and what they had to offer for people in need so he showed up.

So What Else was able to give him resources such as food, clothing, and household goods to get him off his feet. Because he found so much help there he continued coming to receive these resources. Eventually, he and his wife met our So What Else Metrics Director Ricardo Claros. As time went on, they developed a friendship with Ricardo and were able to receive help from him in other ways. When Oscar needed to search for a job, Ricardo gave him tips for doing so. Ricardo also helped him get his driver’s license.

Oscar wanted to help the organization and give back, so he became a volunteer and started to bring his sons to the distributions. Through So What Else, Oscar’s family was able to become self-sufficient and are now able to serve and give back to others in need. Oscar’s story is only one of many. Every person in every car in the pantry line has their own story. So What Else wants to continue impacting its clients positively and helping them to achieve independence and sustainability.

When Oscar first came to the US, he was told that it is everyone for themselves in America and that no one would want to help him. On the contrary, he now feels that thanks to the community that exists at So What Else- his family was able to overcome the many obstacles that came their way.

So What Else couldn’t help its clients thrive without its amazing volunteers, and are always looking for more. To sign up as a volunteer click here.

We are incredibly thankful for all our staff and volunteers to who help us do this incredible work!

Fight Hunger and Host a Food Drive This March!

February 28, 2023/in Blog, Impact, In-Kind Donations, Uncategorized

Join us in fighting hunger for local families during our final month at our Lakeforest Mall food pantry. You can help support our grand finale by hosting a food drive.

Drop off donations @ Lakeforest Mall, 701 Russell Ave, Gaithersburg, MD 20877 (Entrance located by Ruby Tuesdays – Look for the GREEN entrance)

Check out the final closing schedule for open drop-off days. More details are on the flyer below.

*We are also accepting donations of children’s t-shirts, undergarments, and socks.

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!