Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
FIRST DONOR
D.C. Central Kitchen, a nonprofit started by aspiring nightclub owner Robert Egger,
got its big break in January 1989. On the same day the kitchen was scheduled to
open in the basement of a converted dentist office near Capitol Hill, Egger scored a
big donation: all the leftover food from George H. W. Bush's inaugural parties.
During this volunteer vacation, you'll visit the 10,000-square-foot training kitchen, as
well as work at soup kitchens and homeless shelters. Some of your duties will be preparing
and distributing food, hanging out with kids at the shelter, and performing such maintenance
tasks as painting or hammering. You'll also get to know many of the DCCK clients on a first-
name basis.
Although housing for Amizade projects varies from tents to community buildings, vo-
lunteers for the D.C. program stay at First Trinity Lutheran Church. Bring a sleeping bag.
The seeds for Amizade (it means “friendship” in Portuguese) were planted in 1992 by
Dan Weiss, who on his own volunteer vacation in Brazil couldn't help but notice that volun-
teers were working out of straw huts. Realizing that those fragile huts didn't stand a chance
of surviving the rainy season, he pitched the idea of a permanent volunteer organization to
several large nonprofits. When none stepped up to the plate, he decided to do it on his own.
Weiss started Amizade in 1994 with an orthopedic shoe and prosthetics workshop in Santar-
em, Brazil. To say it has been a success is an understatement. Since its inception, Amizade
has connected thousands of volunteers ages 13 to 79 with dozens of community service pro-
jects.
Amizade's program fees for the weeklong D.C. trip is $610, including all lodging, meals,
recreational activities, cultural activities, and transportation to and from the local airport.
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
Amizade,
P.O.
Box
110107,
Pittsburgh,
PA
15232,
888-973-4443
or
412-441-6655,
www.amizade.org.
