Kitchen Provides Homeless With Sense of Home

Just as residents of Washington, D.C., acclimate to smog and heavy traffic, the city also adjusts to its homeless population. This anonymous population of nearly 12,000 can go largely unnoticed by much of the city’s rushed workers plowing on and off of the Metro in hot pursuit of the office. But one unvarying icon of hope makes the capitol city’s homeless population their main priority. Miriam’s Kitchen has become a steady force in the lives of much of Washington’s homeless population.

Miriam’s guests enjoy farm-to-fork meals

Every morning a lengthy line begins to form outside its doors awaiting the upcoming breakfast service. And this is no normal breakfast. Much of it is donated by the farmers' market so it is largely organic and local fresh foods from sustainable farmers in the area. The kitchen treats guests as they would be treated at a pricey restaurant, with foods such as smoked salmon and eggs, fresh fruit smoothies, and local greens.

For many of Miriam’s visitors, it is much more than just a meal. Through a collaboration of The George Washington University Hillel Student Association, Western Presbyterian Church and United Church, there is also a Case Management Program, After-in Breakfast Program and a Transitional Housing Program. In 2010, the organization plans to open an Evening Program. The meal will include hearty and healthful delights like fresh pasta with homemade marinara sauce, roasted vegetables, local fruit and baked-from-scratch rolls. Guests will also be able to meet with case managers to address issues such as addiction, mental illness and medical concerns, as well as to receive assistance with employment, housing and immediate needs.

Service and respect for those in need go far beyond the farm-to-fork meals at Miriam's Kitchen. The highly-trained volunteer network and exceptional staff deal with issues that constantly afflict the kitchen's regular guests including drug addictions, illness and serious mental disorders. They take a keen interest in a part of the population that much of the city has let fall by the waist side. Get involved with Miriamís Kitchen.