community organizations housed at St. Stephen's

Loaves and Fishes

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This feeding program has been providing prepared meals since the late 1960s on Saturdays, Sundays, federal holidays, Christmas, and Thanksgiving – days when other soup kitchens are closed.

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Loaves and Fishes is not a separate organization but is a ministry of St. Stephen's. (However, some parts of its operations are carried out separately from the regular operations of the parish.)

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Information on volunteering at Loaves and Fishes

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Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador

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The Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES) was formed in 1980 by U.S. activists in order to support the revolution in El Salvador. CISPES channels direct financial support to projects that advance the strategic needs of the revolution and has sent more than 2,000 people on delegations to El Salvador. CISPES has organized many U.S. protests that have been crucial in confronting the U.S.-directed strategy of “low-intensity conflict.”

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Girls Rock! DC

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Girls Rock! DC works at the intersection of art and activism, providing music programs for young people to learn, grow, and use the power of their communities. It fosters a supportive, inclusive, and equitable space that centers girls and non-binary youth, especially Black and Brown youth. Girls Rock! DC bolsters leadership, self-expression, and a passion for social change through creative collaboration and community power-building. Every year, Girls Rock! DC serves more than 100 youths and 20 adults through its programs.

 

HacDC

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HacDC is devoted to collaboration in the creative use of technology. Founded in 2008 by a diverse group of engineers, artists, and hobbyists, HacDC hosts free and open activities to share knowledge, skills, and ideas. A combined meeting space and workshop at St. Stephen’s Church is stocked with specialized tools and supplies useful for the collaborative development of technological and artistic projects. HacDC is part of a global trend in amateur engineering clubs that have come to be known as “hackerspaces.” Centered on physical locations that function as shared workshops, these spaces support “makers” whose work bridges the realms of art and technology and who share a passion for putting old technology to new and creative purposes.

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Homeless Children’s Playtime Project

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The Homeless Children’s Playtime Project nurtures healthy child development and reduces the effects of trauma among children living in emergency family shelters in the District of Columbia. It believes that play is a human right that all children deserve, regardless of housing status, and seeks to help create a city that provides every opportunity for homeless children to succeed by advocating for affordable housing and safe shelters for all families.

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Mount Pleasant Music Education

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Thrive DC

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Thrive DC works to prevent and end homelessness by providing vulnerable individuals with a comprehensive range of services to help stabilize their lives. Thrive DC – originally founded in 1979 as the Dinner Program for Homeless Women – provides the last available safety net for people facing economic crisis and housing instability while also providing the first step toward independence for people experiencing extended periods of homelessness.

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We Are Family

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Grounded in grassroots senior leadership, We Are Family mobilizes a committed corps of volunteers to reach out to isolated inner-city seniors with free services, advocacy, and companionship, building a network of caring eyes and ears that enables at-risk seniors to age in place. More than simply a social service provider, We Are Family is a bold experiment in building caring, just and inclusive community.

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Words, Beats & Life

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Words, Beats & Life is a hip-hop nonprofit that sponsors after-school programs, conferences, and an academic journal, providing a series of youth-focused programs and activities to bridge the gaps between the critical, academic community, the artists, and the youth who consume what the artists create.