Volunteer Spotlight: Goods 4 Good

Meal volunteers at Calvary are dedicated to ensuring the women we serve have access to warm and nutritious food on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Our meal volunteers empower women at Calvary’s programs with delicious food so they can focus on regaining their independence and ending their homelessness for good!

We’re proud to highlight one of our amazing volunteer partners, Goods for Good (G4G), a local organization which has volunteered with Calvary since the early days of the pandemic. Goods for Good’s mission is to strengthen the community through collective acts of kindness. Since its founding in 2020, G4G has supported over 40 partner organizations in the DC area, including Calvary Women’s Services. In just a few years, they have helped more than 56,000 people.

In addition to the variety of in-kind donation drives G4G has hosted for women at Calvary’s programs, volunteers from G4G have now prepared delicious meals for women to enjoy every month for four years! Calvary recently had the opportunity to ask Elizabeth Workman (G4G founder and Director) and G4G about their experiences volunteering with Calvary.

Elizabeth shared that she started preparing home cooked dinners during the pandemic to take to housing organizations, where residents were quarantined. “Like so many nonprofits during COVID-19, Calvary was trying to do twice as much with half as much so it was a natural leap to offer G4G support. Now G4G has over 250 volunteers who cook/has cooked for G4G’s partner shelters, including Calvary,” Elizabeth explained.

“G4G volunteers have a range of experiences and culinary interests that they are able to share with Calvary residents”, says Elizabeth.

“Catherine loves cooking things on the grill, while Andy enjoys cooking pasta dishes with his 10-year-old son. Diane and her partner Janice love making their meals seasonal— chilis and stews in the winter and dishes with lots of summer veggies in the warmer months. And Shakira most enjoys cooking meals for Calvary residents that are recipes her Nigerian mother taught her.”

When asked about G4G’s favorite experience volunteering at Calvary, Elizabeth shared, “G4G volunteers make meal after meal, month after month because they love sharing a universal gesture of love and care through food.

One of the most wonderful opportunities for G4G volunteers is to bring the meal and engage with residents while dishing up the food. Volunteers love the chance to learn more about Calvary and meet incredibly strong and resilient women determined to build a better life. And we, at G4G, are proud and honored to mobilize our community to support Calvary and all the women who benefit from Calvary’s services.”

We’re thankful for the incredible volunteers at G4G for empowering women at Calvary since 2020, and we look forward to continuing our partnership for years to come!

Are you interested in making delicious meals for groups to enjoy?

Sign up to become a meal volunteer or visit the volunteer page of our website to find more exciting opportunities to serve the women at Calvary!