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About us
What we believe, and how it shows up
Caring for Friends is grassroots on purpose. These values decide how we spend a dollar, plan a route, and treat the person who answers the door.
Our values
Six commitments we hold each other to
Nobody is a case number
We call the people we serve client friends because that is what they become. Dignity comes first, every visit.
About our missionGrassroots, on purpose
This started at one woman's kitchen table and it still runs on neighbors cooking for neighbors — not on a distant institution.
About our missionFood and friendship are inseparable
Hunger and isolation travel together. We refuse to treat one and ignore the other.
About our missionStretch every dollar
Bulk purchasing, rescued food, and volunteer labor turn $1 into a meal — and often into more.
About our missionShow up consistently
The same volunteer, the same day, every week. Reliability is the whole point for someone who is alone.
About our missionSay yes to the neighbor in front of us
Seniors, veterans, families, children, people experiencing homelessness — need is need.
About our mission:quality(78))
Why grassroots matters
Big enough to feed the region, small enough to know your name
Most hunger-relief organizations move food at scale. We do that too — 12 million pounds a year. But scale is not the point of Caring for Friends; presence is.
Our meals are cooked by volunteers and home cooks, packed by school groups and corporate teams, and carried to the door by a neighbor who returns the following week. That structure is slower and messier than a warehouse contract, and it is exactly what makes a delivery feel like a visit instead of a drop-off.
It also means the money behaves differently. Volunteer labor, rescued food, and bulk purchasing turn $1 into a meal — and often into more.
Values are what you fund and who shows up.
Be one or both.