The Food Fighters: A History of DC Central Kitchen Second Edition: Revised and Expanded

Robert Egger did not want to start a charity, or even volunteer at one. But after his wife dragged him out one night to serve meals on the streets of Washington, DC, Egger realized that most of what society called “charity” did more to reward the people giving their time and money than it did to liberate those on the receiving end. He set aside his career running nightclubs and vowed to come up with something better. Egger named his gritty front-line nonprofit DC Central Kitchen. Today, it is one of America’s most beloved and respected solutions to hunger and poverty. From its improbable beginnings 35 years ago, the organization has redefined the issues of food waste, unemployment, mass incarceration, school nutrition, and chronic disease through award-winning programs and a gutsy, risk-taking mindset that allowed it to hurdle one obstacle after another. Written by an organizational insider, this expanded second edition of The Food Fighters shows how DC Central Kitchen’s path-breaking approach to combating the root causes of hunger is more relevant today than ever before. Packed with practical perspectives from award-winning nonprofit professionals, inspiring first-hand accounts from survivors of homelessness and incarceration, and the exclusive insights of high-profile partners like José Andrés, Spike Mendelsohn, Craig Newmark, and Michael R. Klein, The Food Fighters equips readers to take on hunger in their own communities while challenging traditional notions of what it means to do good.