slice of life

Introduction / Overview

For many residents in the District of Columbia metro area, the holiday season isn't complete without a perfectly flaky, delicious pie. In Washington, D.C., when you purchase a pie through "Slice of Life," you're not just securing a festive dessert; you're actively participating in one of the region's most meaningful and impactful community traditions. Slice of Life is the signature annual Thanksgiving pie sale and fundraiser hosted by Food & Friends, a leading Washington-based organization dedicated to providing medically tailored meals and nutrition counseling to individuals and families battling serious illnesses like cancer, HIV/AIDS, and diabetes.

This annual event has transcended a simple bake sale, evolving into a significant movement that brings the entire community—from corporate sponsors and individual sellers to local customers—together for a shared, compassionate cause. While the specific fundraising event, Slice of Life, has concluded its 19-year run as an annual fall campaign, the fundamental mission it supported is ongoing, and you can still donate pies and sponsor Thanksgiving meals for clients. The heart of the Slice of Life tradition remains focused on ensuring that every neighbor in need receives the nourishment they require, especially during the holidays. It's a wonderful way to embody the spirit of the D.C. community: enjoying local, high-quality baking while providing essential sustenance and hope to vulnerable residents.

The pies themselves are not only for a noble cause but are also a testament to local culinary excellence. For many years, the official pie partner for the Slice of Life fundraiser has been Whisked by Jenna, an award-winning, local, woman-owned bakery celebrated for being voted Best Pie in Washington by local publications. This partnership ensures that every purchase is both an act of charity and a delightful indulgence. While the annual sale itself is retired, the legacy of providing holiday pies to clients continues through direct donations, maintaining the tradition of providing a complete Thanksgiving dinner and a donated pie to clients on Thanksgiving Day.

For nearly two decades, Slice of Life was a staple of the D.C. area's giving season. By participating, whether through a historical purchase or a modern-day donation, you are supporting Food & Friends' year-round effort to deliver over a million medically tailored meals annually across the District of Columbia, nine counties in Maryland, and seven counties and six independent cities in Virginia. This initiative underscores the vital role of "Food is Medicine" in supporting neighbors who face not only a serious illness but often nutrition insecurity as well.

Location and Accessibility

The organizational headquarters and core operational base for the Slice of Life initiative, managed by Food & Friends, is located in the Northeast quadrant of Washington, D.C. The physical hub for this profound community service and the designated contact location is the William P. Bresler Building.

The exact address is:

219 Riggs Rd NE, Washington, DC 20011, USA

This location serves as the central point for the organization’s massive logistics operation, which includes preparing and home-delivering medically tailored meals to thousands of neighbors throughout the Washington region. While the annual pie sale involved numerous community pick-up sites across the DMV area—offering convenience for customers in various neighborhoods and surrounding counties—the Riggs Road address is the main administrative and culinary center for Food & Friends.

For those familiar with the D.C. area, this address is situated in the Northeast section, easily accessible for organizational matters and centrally located to support the broad service area of Food & Friends. Accessibility for the public to the annual pie sale was primarily handled through over 35 convenient walk-up, curbside, or drive-thru locations spread across the D.C. metro region on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. This decentralized pickup system was a key component of the campaign’s regional success, making it easy for D.C. residents, and those in the surrounding Maryland and Virginia suburbs, to collect their pre-purchased pies.

Though the formal Slice of Life sale campaign is retired, the physical headquarters at 219 Riggs Rd NE continues to be the nerve center for Food & Friends' year-round operations, which include meal preparation, nutrition counseling, and volunteer coordination. All inquiries, coordination for client pie donations, or general information regarding Food & Friends' 'Food is Medicine' services would be directed here.

Services Offered

The Slice of Life initiative, as a fundraising event managed by Food & Friends, focused on the sale of gourmet Thanksgiving pies. While the initiative itself is retired as an annual fall event, the primary transactional services and community engagement opportunities revolved around this effort.

The services offered during the active years of the Slice of Life campaign included:

• Retail Pie Takeout: Customers pre-ordered and purchased nine-inch round Thanksgiving pies, baked by the local partner, Whisked by Jenna.
• Wide Selection of Pie Flavors: The offerings typically included a variety of classic and decadent flavors such as Apple Crumble, Classic Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, Nutty Pecan, and the decadent Sea Salt Chocolate Chess Pie.
• Convenient Takeout/Pickup Service: Pre-purchased pies were distributed through numerous (over 35 in some years) convenient, decentralized pickup sites across the entire D.C. metro region on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, facilitating easy access for the broad community.
• Pie Donation Option: Customers had the critical option to purchase a 'client pie' to be donated directly to a Food & Friends client, ensuring they receive a special dessert alongside a full Thanksgiving dinner delivered by volunteers.
• Fundraising and Corporate Engagement: Opportunities for individuals and corporate teams to sell pies as fundraisers, with a portion or all of the proceeds directly supporting Food & Friends' mission.
• Takeout Service for Bulk Orders: For corporate and bulk orders, drop-off service was available to a location of the purchaser's choice.

The current related services offered by Food & Friends, continuing the spirit of Slice of Life, include:

• Client Pie Donation: The ability to directly donate a pie or sponsor Thanksgiving meals for individuals living with serious illnesses.
• General Fundraising Support: Participation in other Food & Friends events, such as the new "Move for Meals," which continues the fundraising efforts previously supported by Slice of Life.

Features / Highlights

Slice of Life's primary distinction is its dual identity: a source for holiday pies and a highly effective charitable fundraiser. This initiative is a shining example of the D.C. community's dedication to social good, blending local business partnership with a critical humanitarian mission.

Key features and highlights of the Slice of Life tradition include:

• Direct Impact on Local Health: Each pie purchased historically provided one full day of medically tailored meals for a Food & Friends client—an adult or child battling a serious or chronic illness, including cancer, HIV/AIDS, or diabetes.
• Partnership with Local DC Bakeries: The fundraiser partnered with a celebrated local pie-maker, Whisked by Jenna, ensuring that the product offered was of the highest quality, award-winning, and locally sourced, strengthening the local economy.
• Support for Medically Tailored Meals: Proceeds from the pie sales funded Food & Friends' specialized 'Food is Medicine' program, which delivers free, home-delivered meals specifically tailored to the complex dietary needs of seriously ill individuals—a service that is unique in the Washington region.
• Community-Wide Tradition: For 19 years, Slice of Life became a cherished annual tradition for thousands of D.C. metro residents, providing a simple, delicious way to give back during the holiday season.
• Wide-Reaching Service Area: The funds raised supported meal delivery across 6,172 square miles, covering the District of Columbia and extensive parts of Maryland and Virginia, reaching vulnerable neighbors throughout the greater D.C. area.
• Thanksgiving Meal Delivery: A special highlight is the ability for purchasers to donate a pie that is then delivered by caring volunteers, along with a complete, traditional turkey dinner, to a client's door on Thanksgiving Day.

While the annual campaign has retired, the legacy is a testament to the community's successful mobilization for a vital cause, a model of effective local fundraising and the power of a collective, sweet effort.

Contact Information

As Slice of Life is the former annual Thanksgiving fundraiser for Food & Friends, the contact details point to their permanent organization headquarters and administrative office, located at the William P. Bresler Building in Northeast D.C. This is the primary point of contact for inquiries related to client services, donations, and the continuing efforts that the Slice of Life campaign once funded.

Address: 219 Riggs Rd NE, Washington, DC 20011, USA

Phone: (202) 269-2277

For additional communication, the mobile phone number is listed as +1 202-269-2277.

For D.C. residents and community members looking to support the mission of medically tailored meal delivery or to inquire about donating a client pie for the upcoming holiday season, the Food & Friends staff at this location can provide the most current information. The organization also maintains a robust online presence where donation and support opportunities are continually updated, ensuring the spirit of giving established by Slice of Life continues year-round.

What is worth choosing

Choosing to support the organization behind the former Slice of Life campaign is about selecting a community resource that offers profound, tangible support to neighbors in the D.C. region when they need it most. It is worth choosing for the following compelling reasons:

First, the direct connection between your purchase and the 'Food is Medicine' movement is unparalleled. Every pie purchased through the former Slice of Life campaign, and every client pie donated today, translates directly into a day of home-delivered, medically tailored meals for a seriously ill Washington-area resident. This is not a generalized charitable contribution; it is a targeted intervention that addresses critical nutrition insecurity and supports the health of neighbors battling life-threatening conditions like cancer and HIV/AIDS.

Second, you are supporting a tradition of local excellence and community partnership. The high quality of the pies, baked by the award-winning local partner, Whisked by Jenna, ensures that you are getting one of the best holiday pies in the District. This unique partnership highlights the strength of the D.C. local business community coming together to champion a vital cause. You are not only contributing to a good cause but also enjoying a premium, locally-made product recognized for its deliciousness.

Third, you contribute to a large-scale, essential service network. Food & Friends is the only community-based organization in the Washington region providing this specific, crucial service—medically tailored meals and nutrition counseling, free of charge, to clients and their dependents. For individuals whose household income is often less than $1,500 per month and who are struggling with a serious illness, this support is life-changing and often life-sustaining. By participating, you become part of the solution to hunger and illness in our metro area.

Fourth, the event has cultivated a strong, unifying tradition for the holidays. For two decades, D.C. residents embraced Slice of Life as a joyous way to kick off the holiday season with an act of generosity. While the original campaign is retired, the opportunity to donate a client pie for Thanksgiving Day, delivered along with a complete holiday dinner, ensures that this heartwarming tradition continues for the most vulnerable members of our community. It’s an easy, yet deeply meaningful, way to share gratitude and warmth during the season.

In short, choosing to support the mission of Food & Friends, the organization behind Slice of Life, is worth it because it delivers on a promise of hope, provides essential nutrition as medicine, supports local DC businesses, and embodies the very best of community spirit in Washington, D.C. It’s the sweetest way for D.C. metro residents to make a direct, positive impact on a neighbor’s life.

slice of life

219 Riggs Rd NE, Washington, DC 20011, USA