8 Ways to Give Back in the DC Area This Thanksgiving

If you want to get involved and spread some holiday cheer this Thanksgiving season, we’ve compiled a list of events and volunteer opportunities to help you pay it forward around town.

Everything but the Turkey

November 23-25

Hundreds of volunteers come together annually to assist the Edlavitch DCJCC and DC Central Kitchen with preparing Thanksgiving dishes for community members experiencing food insecurity and homelessness. Volunteers can sign up to cook or bake collard greens, yams, coleslaw, apple crumble, and other side dishes for DC-area neighbors to feast on. If you’d prefer not to cook, you can help sanitize utensils and measure spices (free, but registration required).

Holiday Helpings With Bread for the City

through November 26

Holiday turkeys, chickens, and fresh groceries will be distributed at Bread for the City’s centers in Northwest and Southeast DC through November 26. The Holiday Helpings giveaway supports thousands of families each year. If you’re interested in helping, you can make a financial contribution ($84 will provide a family of four with a holiday meal kit).

Turkey Chase Charity Race

November 25 through December 1

The Turkey Chase Charity Run in Bethesda got its start in the 1980s. Racers can participate in the fundraiser by running—or walking—the 10K trail or 2-mile course; there are virtual options for swimming and bike riding, too. The trot proceeds benefit the YMCA Bethesda-Chevy Chase and the Bethesda Chevy Chase Rotary ($48+).

Safeway’s Feast of Sharing

November 25-27

The Salvation Army is requesting volunteers to help with this month’s Safeway Feast of Sharing. The annual dining event feeds nearly 5,000 residents at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. You can sign up to be a table or buffet server, food preparer, language translator, clothing distribution aide, or post-event cleaner (free, but registration required).

Alexandria Turkey Trot

November 28

Race with your family (and your dog) through the Del Ray neighborhood for a good cause. The 49th Alexandria Turkey Trot welcomes walkers and runners to circle the holiday course beginning at 9am on Thanksgiving morning. Racers are encouraged to bring two nonperishable food items to donate to Alexandria nonprofit ALIVE! ($30 for adults, $25 for ages 13 to 21, $15 for ages 12 and under).

A Seat at the Table

Ongoing

Central Union Mission provides year-round hot meals, medical care, shelter, job training, and other community services to locals in need. For Thanksgiving, the organization is hosting its Seat at the Table program, providing meals for those affected by poverty and struggling with addiction. You can make a financial contribution ($3.21 can provide one meal).

America’s Trot for Hunger

November 28

Before you eat your Thanksgiving fill, join a 5K race to help raise funds for the DC nonprofit SOME (So Others Might Eat). The annual DC Trot for Hunger will kick off on Thanksgiving morning at Freedom Plaza, and continue virtually through November 30. At the end of the course there will be a best-dressed turkey competition, and a family-friendly festival with music and activities. Children under the age of 10 can walk or run in the Little Turkey 1-miler ($45 for virtual, $65 for in-person, $15 for virtual child registration, $35 for in-person child registration).

Arlington Turkey Trot

November 28

If you’re an early riser, Arlington’s 8am Thanksgiving Day trot is a good choice. The starting line begins at Pershing Drive, and the course runs through the streets of Lyon Park and Ashton Heights. Race donations support Christ Church of Arlington’s work to service county residents in need. Registered runners get a turkey trot T-shirt and timing bib ($50 for adults, $25 for ages 6 to 17, free for children 5 and under, registration closes November 24).

Remember to share this post with a friend on social media, and sign up for our newsletter for more things to do.

Briana Thomas

Briana A. Thomas is a local journalist, historian, and tour guide who specializes in the research of D.C. history and culture. She is the author of the Black history book, Black Broadway in Washington, D.C., a story that was first published in Washingtonian in 2016.