Thanks to all of you who have signed the petition and the compelling column by Petula Dvorak in The Washington Post (https://wapo.st/3P0MglW we have some hopeful news! UDC has agreed to extend our time in our current space through August 2022 and says they will try to help us find alternate space. 

We want to stay in the Van Ness neighborhood because many food-insecure neighbors live there. We still need to let UDC know that the community cares deeply about keeping the pantry open. Otherwise, the university may say: "Sorry, we need the rent money and we don't have any space." There is a whole lot of empty retail and other space controlled by UDC, so there's definitely room for the pantry. 

Another point: Change.org is a wonderful resource, but asks people for money to promote the petition, although the best way is by sharing the petition with friends. If you are able to donate money to help us buy cleaning and personal hygiene supplies, please use this link (https://gofund.me/1c69fe01 or mail a check made out to IWDC, with a note saying “Feed the Family” to: IWDC, PO Box 32243, Washington, DC 20007. Much gratitude to all of you!