Francis on the Hill is dedicated to supporting children and families in Washington, DC with a special focus on the Columbia Heights neighborhood. Its projects help alleviate economic insecurity by providing fresh, wholesome groceries and gifts of new clothing and footwear for neighborhood residents..
Francis on the Hill
Gifts from the Heart
Groceries
Families in Columbia Heights and nearby Washington, DC neighborhoods experience high levels of food insecurity. Latino and African American families are disproportionately impacted, especially those who can’t qualify for government support programs or whose pandemic-related benefits (food stamps, child tax credits) were reduced or ended.
When Covid-19 restrictions began in March 2020, Following Francis founder Dr. Carol Conner saw an opportunity to serve those whose lives had been especially personally touched by the pandemic. She asked volunteers to pursue donations of surplus perishable foods from suppliers, grocery stores, and other food purveyors in order to provide fresh, wholesome groceries quickly and reliably.
Francis on the Hill’s grocery project currently distributes grocery bags filled with fresh, nutritious food items to 400 families every week:
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public distributions at Meridian Hill Park (Tuesdays 2-3 PM)
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deliveries to families and individuals facing food insecurity at:
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Columbia Heights Education Campus (CHEC)
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The Terrell (Short-Term Family Housing site in Ward 1)
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We also deliver produce, household cleaning supplies, adult incontinence products, and other supplies to La Vida Senior Center.
Everything we provide is donated by local groceries, restaurants, and regional food distributors.
Amplifying the beauty of the “living room” of a racially, ethnically, and economically diverse area of DC, helping transform it into a place where life can be enjoyed more fully.
Meridian Hill Park
One of Washington’s most significant public parks, Meridian Hill Park was constructed between 1912 and 1940 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994. In the early 1970s, as areas of Washington experienced economic decline, the park and its neighborhoods suffered.
In the early 1990s, a widely acclaimed partnership between the Friends of Meridian Hill Park organization (now Washington Parks and People) and the National Park Service helped restore the park.
The park remains a gathering place for poor and marginalized people inhabiting increasingly affluent surrounding neighborhoods. Many use it as their front yard or even their living room—families, the ill, the aged, the homeless. The park belongs to everyone.
Our goal is to uplift the park to help make it vivid and colorful and happy: a place where people can come anytime and be refreshed by immaculate pathways and bright, fresh bouquets wherever they look.
Contributors to Francis on the Hill
Contributors
Numerous companies and organizations responded generously to our requests for donations of high quality food, clothing, infant supplies, and other necessities. We gratefully acknowledge each of them.
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Amazon Fresh
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Americana Grocery
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Business Depot
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Capital Area Food Bank
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Cheesecake Factory
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Coastal Sunbelt Produce
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Comfort One Shoes
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The Daily Dish
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DC Public Library and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
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Diaz Foods
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Each Peach
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EMD Sales, Inc.
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Footlocker
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Giant Food
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Good360
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Hillandale Farms
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Hillandale Farms
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Macy's
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Maggiano's
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Nike Community Store
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Pacers Running
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Panera Bread
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Potomac Shoe Train
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Project I Am
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Ramer's Shoes
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Soles4Souls
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Soupergirl
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So What Else
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Springmill Bakery
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Staples
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Trader Joe’s
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Truly Good Foods
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Takoma Park Co-op
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Volunteers of America
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Whole Foods