Bread for the City

The agency began as two organizations: Zacchaeus Free Clinic, and Bread for the City, a project by a coalition of downtown DC churches created in 1974 to feed and clothe the poor.

As of 2011[update] Bread for the City offered food, clothing, social services, legal representation and medical care without charge to eligible DC residents.

One was its namesake, Bread for the City, started in 1974 by the Emmaus Fellowship, a coalition of five churches in downtown Washington, DC, in order to feed and clothe the poor.

In 1990, BFC and ZFC were awarded two federal grants to operate outreach activities to help elderly and disabled individuals apply for Food Stamps and Supplemental Security Income.

The Young Lawyers Section of the Bar Association of The District of Columbia approached ZFC with a proposal to supply volunteer attorneys, and the organization leveraged their support to battle these unfounded denials.

Because they were working closely together, sharing many clients, and outgrowing their properties, the two organizations purchased together an abandoned lumber warehouse at 1525 7th Street in the Shaw neighborhood and launched a $1.2 million capital campaign to finance the building’s extensive renovation, which was completed by April 1994.

Bread for the City offers food, clothing, social services, legal representation and medical care for free to eligible residents of Washington, DC.

In 2005 the agency created the Fit for Fun program, offering regular medical visits and check-in calls, one-on-one nutrition and exercise consultations, and monthly classes meant to teach clients how to make nutritious meals from the ingredients typically found in the bags.

Bread for the City offers long-term case management for clients applying for public benefits, seeking housing or employment, or dealing with substance abuse, mental and physical health.