📋 Gift Card Program · Quarterly Events
Where We Go.
Who We Serve.
How We Help.
Four times a year, our team goes to the places most people walk past: the Chinatown tent communities, the underpasses along I-395, the corners of Northeast DC. We bring $50 gift cards and we stay long enough to actually listen. This page shows where we go and who we meet.
📅 Next Event: Q3 July 2026
🗺️ DC · MD · VA
🛍️ $50 Gift Cards
● Real outreach · Washington DC
THE GIFT CARD PROGRAM
How We Serve Our Community
Simple. Direct. Dignified. Our Gift Card Program puts purchasing power directly in the hands of people who need it most, with no strings attached.
1
🔍
We Go to Them
No office. No appointment. Our team walks directly into encampments and approaches people at the underpasses, street corners, and tent communities where they actually live, across DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
2
🛍️
We Give with Dignity
Each person receives a $50 gift card to Walmart, Safeway, Giant Food, McDonald’s, or a local restaurant, and they choose how to use it. One woman asked for a Whole Foods smoothie. That freedom is the point. No applications, no judgment, no conditions.
3
🤝
We Stay Connected
The gift card starts a conversation. We share housing resources, connect people to support services, and follow up with families who are ready to take the next step. Some people just need a meal. Others need a neighbor willing to walk with them a little further.
Gift cards are purchased from these stores:
Walmart
Safeway
Giant Food
McDonald’s
Local Restaurants
2026 SCHEDULE
Quarterly Gift Card Events
We run four outreach events per year, one per quarter. Each event serves multiple individuals and families at known encampment sites across the DC metropolitan area.
Q1: ● Completed
Q1 · First Quarter
January 2026
📍 Chinatown & Downtown Washington DC
✓ Event Complete · Photos in Gallery Below
Q2: ● Completed
Q2 · Second Quarter
April 2026
📍 Hechinger Mall Area · Northeast DC
✓ Event Complete · Photos in Gallery Below
Q3: ● COMPLETED
Q3 · Third Quarter
July 2026
📍 Martin Luther King Jr. Library -Washington, DC
✓ Event Complete · Photos in Gallery Below
Q4: 📅 Planned
October 2026
📍 Location TBD · Washington DC Area
FIELD STORIES
People We've Served
These are the real encounters that fuel our work, moments of dignity, connection, and hope in the streets of Washington DC.
"
We met Emma and George living on the streets of Chinatown, together for years, doing their best to look after each other. They were grateful, gracious, and deeply human. A $50 gift card meant a hot meal with dignity, not a hand-out. Their smiles stayed with our team for weeks.
Emma & George
📍 Chinatown, Washington DC
"
Under the 395 Bridge, a couple had been living outside for months. When we approached, the woman lit up, “I really want a smoothie from Whole Foods.” That simple wish reminded us why we do this. Everyone deserves small joys, not just survival. Their card covered it and more.
Couple at 395 Bridge
📍Under I-395, Washington DC
"
On the corner of 2nd & D Streets NW, we met a veteran who had fallen through the cracks. He had served his country, and his country had left him behind. We sat with him, listened, and made sure he knew he wasn’t forgotten. His gift card was a small gesture. His dignity is what mattered most.
Veteran
📍 2nd & D Streets NW, Washington DC
JOIN THE WORK
How You Can Help
Whether you give money, time, or your voice, there is a place for you in this mission.
❤️
Donate
Your $50 funds one gift card and puts food in someone’s hands with dignity. Every dollar goes directly to purchasing gift cards and funding outreach events.
🙌
Volunteer
Join our team for an upcoming quarterly event. No experience required, just a heart to serve and a willingness to show up. We’ll take care of the rest.
📢
Spread the Word
Share our mission with your church, workplace, or community group. The more people who know about TAFAB, the more families we can reach with dignity and care.
25
FAMILIES HELPED IN 2025
$50
EACH GIFT CARD, DIGNITY & CHOICE
4x
QUARTERLY OUTREACH EVENTS / YEAR
DC·MD·VA
OUTREACH COVERAGE AREA
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in."
MATTHEW 25:35 (NIV)
Help Fund the Next Event
Our Q3 July 2026 event is coming up, and every donation received before then goes directly toward purchasing gift cards for people we will serve in the field. Your $50 is exactly one card. One person. One meal with dignity.
✅ 501(c)(3) Nonprofit 🔒 Secure Donation 📋 Tax-Deductible 💯 100% to the Mission