4 years, 8 selections, $4,904 in donations
Since August 2020, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington have been selected to benefit from the Giant Food Community Bag Program eight times at four different Giant Food locations. In total, the organization has received $4,904 in donations to continue ensuring young people have the skills and resources they need to achieve academic success, build good character, and lead healthy lifestyles.
Tell us about the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington.
The sole focus of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington is to ensure young people have a safe place to go where they feel welcome and supported. We want to be a place where kids and teens can develop their dreams and find ways to achieve them.
The experiences, learnings, and youth development programs we provide ensure every young person matriculates to high school, graduates, and has a plan for the future. Maybe they plan to attend college, attend trade school, join the military, or jump into work. No matter the plan, we want to make sure that each young adult has the skills and confidence to go out into the world and advocate for themselves.
We want to be a place where kids and teens can develop their dreams and find ways to achieve them.
What services do you provide to the community?
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington has been in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia communities since 1886. We are a long-standing organization and are proud to be coming up on our 140th year.
We were actually created long before the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The national organization was created when organizations around the country came together and created an overarching look and feel. This way, there is continuity between the Boys & Girls Clubs, whether you are in Greater Washington, Dallas, Chicago, or somewhere else. We are similar organizations, yet not the same.
Many of our programs are similar across different Boys & Girls Clubs. For example, we always have Power Hour, an hour of homework and mentoring after school. We also provide a healthy, nutritious meal for every kid when they come in the afternoon. For some students, this meal may be their last of the day.
We have sports, photography, drones, STEM activities, and many other programs. One of the unique things about our organizations is that we are not narrow in scope. We know that kids are more likely to return if they find things they like to do. By having such a range of activities, we ensure the kids constantly discover new things they like to do. By ensuring each kid can pursue their interests and enjoy their time here, we maximize the number of young people we serve.
By ensuring each kid can pursue their interests and enjoy their time here, we maximize the number of young people we serve.
How have the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington used the donations from the Giant Food Community Bag Program to further its mission?
Giant is one of our long-standing, most valued, and most trusted partners. We have worked with Giant Food for many years. While the Community Bag Program is one way our partnership shines, we work together in many other ways. This support helps us fund a number of programs.
Giant is one of our long-standing, most valued, and most trusted partners.
One of the ways these funds support us right now is through our Center of Transformation program (CoT), which focuses on STEM learning, sustainability, and advocacy. This year, our CoT curriculum focuses on food sustainability. We talk about picking the right foods and minimizing your carbon footprint. Our young people are very interested in it, and this program allows us to share something as simple as how your lunch or dinner affects the food cycle.
Giant has been an excellent partner. It is fitting that through this program, Giant Food supports our work on food sustainability.
Tell us a story about a program, service, or initiative that the Giant Food Community Bag Program has supported.
Each June, we have our CoT summit. Local Boys & Girls Club kids, as well as Boys & Girls Clubs from across the nation, join us for a week-long deep dive into sustainability and STEM topics. Last year, we had kids from Alabama, Puerto Rico, and even Canada! Many of these kids have never been on an airplane or stayed in a hotel.
We see the kids as they come off the planes and then see them when they leave. They’re not the same kids. They’ve had experiences they would never have had before. Even small moments make a large impact. For example, many of the local kids we work with may never have gone to the monuments or corporate headquarters without these programs.
One of our best success stories is about how one of our young people created a resume through our Career Launch program. This year, he used that same resume to find an internship. Something as simple as having a first resume has helped a young person find their first real job.
You don’t always know exactly when the things you pour into kids will come back out, but when it does, you see how very meaningful these programs are. We heard this success story last week, and it made my heart happy to know that our resume workshop has helped someone find a paying job. We strive to minimize the generational wealth gap, and the first step is gainful employment.
Have you noticed any changes in community awareness or support since becoming involved in the Giant Food Community Bag Program?
Anytime we get to partner with an organization like Giant, it brings new people to us and increases brand awareness. With the number of stores, employees, and shoppers, Giant’s footprint is extremely large. We appreciate all the opportunities we have been given to bring new supporters and volunteers to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. Maybe somebody’s child now benefits from our services because their parent saw the bag. We know the influence of this program is broad and wonderful, and we are very appreciative.
What advice would you give other nonprofits participating in the Giant Food Community Bag Program?
One thing we do that works well is share with our board that we are partnering with Giant. We want to make them aware so that they can go into Giant and not only buy Community Bags but also thank the store employees. Giant Food could have picked many other organizations, so we are very grateful they chose ours. This choice shows how our organization and Giant Food have been closely joined in our mutual mission to support young people in our community.
This choice shows how our organization and Giant Food have been closely joined in our mutual mission to support young people in our community.
I would also tell nonprofits to continue strengthening their partnerships and share the great results with their supporters. When more people support Giant, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington is supported; it makes a wonderful ecosystem.
Interview with Gabrielle Webster, President and CEO