Fundraiser Supporting Dreaming Out Loud

Last week was not my week. I was over being home all the time, over worrying about things out of my control, just over it. Maybe you’ve had days or weeks recently where you’ve felt similar. It’s also my birthday next week. So I decided to take a moment to reflect on all that I have to be thankful for. Everyone has their own struggles now (and always), but I’m thankful that I have a healthy, loving family, our housing, jobs and food are secure, and our family is (mostly) enjoying the time together that staying at home has provided us.

So this year for my birthday instead of celebrating in the traditional way, I decided to do a fundraiser supporting Dreaming Out Loud, Inc. (DOL), an organization supporting some of DC's most vulnerable communities. DOL has helped coordinate and distribute nearly 40,000 emergency meals and thousands of pounds of fresh produce for vulnerable communities in response to COVID-19. Supporting DOL will help them continue to support community food needs through this public health crisis.

I've chosen this nonprofit because their mission means a lot to me. I've known the founder Chris Bradshaw for nearly a decade. We did a fellowship together and then worked out of the same co-working space for a few years. He has built an organization from the ground up and pivoted as he further understood the challenges being faced by the community he serves. Their work is inspiring, so even if you're not in a position to donate, I hope you'll take a moment to learn about it.

Here's some more information on the organization:

Dreaming Out Loud, Inc. works to create economic opportunity for marginalized communities through building a healthy, equitable food system in the Washington, DC metropolitan region. We are rebuilding urban, community-based food systems through social enterprise, helping to increase access to healthy food and improve community health, develop low-income entrepreneurs and cooperatives, and train at-risk adults residents for sustainable, family-supporting wages.