Bread for the City Virtual Grand Opening
Bread for the City Announces September 3rd Virtual Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting of $26 Million Expansion Project on Good Hope Road
New Center in Southeast DC to Expand Essential Services and Open a Medical Clinic in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Read Fact Sheet here.
UPDATE: The virtual grand opening was a resounding success! View the video here:
WASHINGTON, DC — Bread for the City (BFC) has completed construction on a new, 27,650 square foot comprehensive service center at 1700 Good Hope Road, SE, which began January 2019. A virtual grand opening and ribbon cutting is scheduled for September 3 at 5:30 pm, it will feature legendary DJ Donnie Simpson and DC’s own Backyard Band. Interested parties can RSVP for the event at bit.ly/bfcgoodhope.
As an organization, BFC has been on the front lines in the fight to end poverty in the District of Columbia for more than 45 years. This is their most substantial investment to date in the people and communities east of the Anacostia River, where 92% of the population is Black (compared to 46% of the population of the District).
“We can’t wait to show you around our new comprehensive Southeast Center, heralding a new age for Bread for the City,” says George A Jones, CEO of Bread for the City. “We consider this massive undertaking essential to our commitment to supporting Black Washingtonians, and to dismantling systems that keep them as second-class citizens in their own country.”
Once it’s safe to fully open, BFC’s new Southeast Center will serve 20,000 clients through 75,000 visits each year. The new facility will bring BFC’s primary medical, dental, and vision care services east of the Anacostia River for the first time in the organization’s history. The building will include a Jobs Center that will allow for expansion of BFC’s successful Pre-Employment Program, a fitness center, and space to grow all other existing programs: food and clothing distribution, comprehensive social services, legal advice and representation, and community organizing and advocacy.
This opening couldn’t come at a better time. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, BFC served about 32,000 DC residents each year, across all their facilities. Since DC’s safer-at-home orders, BFC has seen a 400% increase in food service numbers alone, and they expect the demand to grow as the pandemic continues. With more space and a brand-new facility, BFC will be able to better offer their substantial wrap-around programs in an atmosphere of dignity and respect.
At a time when Black-owned businesses are suffering disproportionally under COVID-19 restrictions, BFC is proud to have collaborated on this project with several Black-owned companies including architect Michael Marshall of Michael Marshall Design, and project manager Patrick Cooper of Compass Design and Development. Hamel Builders was the construction company for the project.
The budget for this project was $26,031,977. BFC is grateful to the DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), Diane & Norman Bernstein Foundation, A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation, and The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation who were substantial partners in this project. BFC also participated with the New Markets Tax Credit program through City First Bank of DC.
“Our mission is to invest in communities and help develop their economic sustainability. We are excited to see Bread for the City grow along the Good Hope Road corridor,” said DHCD Director Polly Donaldson. “This service center will indeed increase their capacity to help residents advocate for themselves and for resources that can strengthen their community.”
There are still donation and recognition opportunities available at breadforthecity.org/goodhope-recognition-opps. Continued contributions will allow BFC to fully meet the $26M project budget and begin hiring new staff for the expanded center that they look forward to fully opening once it is safe to do so.
To learn more about Bread for the City and the new center on Good Hope Road, go to breadforthecity.org/goodhope.
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The mission of Bread for the City is to help Washington, DC residents living with low income to develop the power to determine the future of their own communities. We provide food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services to reduce the burden of poverty. We seek justice through community organizing and public advocacy. We work to uproot racism, a major cause of poverty. We are committed to treating our clients with the dignity and respect that all people deserve.