Feeding Neighbors: Luther Place, Washington, D.C.

One of the food ministries that Luther Place Memorial Church in Washington, D.C. supports is Ward 2 Mutual Aid. The neighborhood-based volunteer group came to Luther Place in the early months of the 2020 pandemic as a weekly food distribution effort, serving mostly families who were not receiving any type of government support.

Over five years their partnership with Luther Place, Ward 2 Mutual Aid remains a consistent part of the way the church connects with vulnerable families in their community. Ward 2 Mutual Aid has also become one of the main outreach and supply distribution efforts to the unhoused population in downtown D.C.

Because Ward 2 Mutual Aid is located at Luther Place church, several congregants have been part of regular volunteer efforts, including teens who are interested in finding ways to serve in the downtown D.C. neighborhood. Using the funds from the synod’s Feeding Our Neighbors Together grant, Luther Place hosted a meeting with Ward 2 Mutual Aid leaders, congregation members, and community teens at the end of 2025. They also gifted a donation to Ward 2 Mutual Aid leaders, who expressed gratitude and told Luther Place how the money might be used to purchase supplies such as several hundred pounds of beans and rice, or 450 pairs of socks!

Luther Place member Vanessa Garcia and Pastor Karen Brau participated as volunteers one Saturday morning in March, 2026. Preparation of the food and supplies were competed the day before and they served about 65 families that Saturday. It was a good experience all around, and Luther Place is looking forward to joining in more volunteer days this year.