Dupont Park School Serves a Million Meals

Story by Tamaria Kulemeka

When Wayna Gray became principal of Allegheny East Conference's Dupont Park Adventist School (DPAS) in Washington, D.C., she was delighted with the positive qualities she found in the school’s programs, faculty and students. When she noticed students coming to school without lunch, however, she was concerned.

Teachers often gave students their own lunch and bought extra snacks for those who came without anything to eat, Gray recalls. In the past, lunches were provided at a cost to students. Now, due to the pandemic, students had to bring their own lunches, leaving some at a disadvantage.

The staff conducted an intense search for a plant-based caterer. School leaders connected with the National School Lunch Program and generous donors who helped launch a program in the school. Breakfast, lunch and snacks are now served daily.

In addition to feeding DPAS students, the program has expanded to serve nutritious, delicious food at a drive-thru ministry every Sunday at RFK Festival Grounds. Recipients in Washington, D.C., and the surrounding communities receive food for the entire week.

Since October 2021, more than one million meals have been distributed. The DPAS and the Dupont Park church family believes this ministry demonstrates the love of God by caring for the children and feeding them, as Jesus fed the 5,000, says Gray.