Awards

Individual Honors

Scott Schenkelberg, President & CEO


2013: Member, Leadership Greater Washington

2012: Finalist, Board Leadership Award, Center for Nonprofit Advancement

Cheryl Bell, Executive Chef 


2020: Induction into Les Dames d’Escoffier 

2019: Recognized as one of ‘Harris’ Heroes’

Lara Pukatch, Director of Advocacy


Co-Chair, The Way Home Campaign 

Chair, ICH Medicaid Work Group 

2018: Avodah Partners in Justice Award

Adam Rocap, Deputy Director


Present – 2016: Appointed Member, D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness

2020: Leadership Greater Washington

More Awards

Awards

Organizational Awards

NOW - 2020

2020: Points of Light recognized our work during the pandemic by including Miriam’s Kitchen in their Inspiration Honor Roll—helping to celebrate our frontline responders and our commitment to creating positive change in our communities.

2019

Miriam’s Kitchen is featured as a case study in Measuring Social Change: Performance & Accountability in a Complex World by Alnoor Ebrahim (Stanford University Press, 2019)

2018

The Center for Nonprofit Advancement Advancement In Management (AIM) Award presented to an area nonprofit organization for outstanding achievement in organizational management.

2017

Bank of America Neighborhood Builders Award, given to high-performing nonprofits

2016

2017-2016: Measure4Change cohort, which provides two years of grant support and one-on-one, intensive coaching and technical assistance for competitively selected local nonprofits.

2016: Washington Business Journal Best Place to Work in Greater Washington

2015

DC Behavioral Health Association Founder’s Award (Adam Rocap)

2014

Slow Food DC Snail of Approval

2013

2013: Washingtonian 50 Great Places to Work 

2013: Mayor’s Art Award Innovation in the Arts- in the Category of Innovation in the Arts

2013: Street Sense Founder’s Award in recognition of Miriam’s Kitchen’s advocacy efforts

Miriam's Kitchen Testimonials

“The world has changed, but Miriam’s Kitchen, founded in 1983 with the mission of eradicating chronic homelessness, ensures that its beneficiaries experience orderliness and respect. Patrons are referred to as “guests,” and a chalkboard menu offers a preview of what they’ll find in the tents: “Banana pancakes” read the top line of a recent morning menu, which went on to flag scrambled eggs, sauteed potatoes and applesauce. 

Thoughtful cooking is a carrot (truly) that leads to other resources at Miriam’s Kitchen, which expanded its mission eight years ago to fight homelessness on multiple fronts. Guests can consult with health care and housing specialists, make phone calls, use a mailbox and take art classes.”

– Tom Sietsema, Food Critic, The Washington Post 

“Historically, most local social service providers that serve the homeless have tended to operate in isolation, each occupying a niche in a fragmented landscape. Over the past decade, Miriam’s Kitchen has transformed its strategy for addressing homelessness. It has moved from being a siloed provider of basic services (such as meals, clothing, counseling, case management), to becoming a strategic system orchestrator. As a system orchestrator, Miriam’s Kitchen plays a critical role convening government agencies, non-profits, businesses, and faith organizations to coordinate efforts and outcomes around the shared city-wide vision of ending chronic homelessness in Washington, D.C. This system-level strategy is paying off. Since 2013, D.C. has reduced veteran and chronic homelessness by 41% and 10%, respectively.”

– Alnoor Ebrahim, Professor at Tufts University and author of “Measuring Social Change: Performance & Accountability in a Complex World” (Stanford University Press, 2019), which includes Miriam’s Kitchen as a case study.

“I have enjoyed working with all of you. You have sincerely touched my heart for the short time with you. I will never stop learning and giving. I didn’t realize how much people cared about people who are living on the street until I walked through Miriam’s Kitchen Doors You have truly been an inspirational and motivated force in my life. Your kindness will never be forgotten. I care about each one of you. I see nothing but good things coming to Miriam’s Kitchen now and in the future. I also enjoyed sharing my strength and hope with you. Thank you for the great opportunity to share with you.”

– Sheila White, Miriam’s Kitchen Advocacy Fellow (June 28, 2018)

“Since its initiation in 1995, 100’s of nonprofits have competed for the AIM Award, which validates outstanding achievement in organizational management. We are thrilled to recognize Miriam’s Kitchen as our 2018 AIM Award winner for their exceptional overall management practices and their evolution from direct services for those experiencing homelessness to becoming a leader in ending chronic homelessness in Washington, DC. They join the ranks of our 23 past winners, an impressive group of outstanding nonprofits. Congratulations to Miriam’s Kitchen on their extraordinary work.”

– Taylor Strange, COO, Center for Nonprofit Management

“Having served on the Miriam’s Kitchen Board of Directors I have an in-depth understanding of the organization’s leadership, operations and programs. I remain particularly impressed with how Miriam’s Kitchen increases access to health care for people who are homeless. The health care sector is striving to improve outcomes while at the same time reducing unnecessary costs, and Miriam’s Kitchen is a vital part of that effort. They are such a forward-thinking organization that they even teamed up with a leading healthcare consulting company to identify to true costs of homelessness related to emergency medical care in DC. I am proud to be associated with their work.”

Maureen P. McCausland, DNSc, RN, FAAN, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, MedStar Health

“If it weren’t for Miriam’s Kitchen and their leadership of The Way Home Campaign, there would be no one at the table advocating for funding to end chronic homelessness for individuals. You all are the reason we’ve made the progress we’ve made. We are happy to partner with you in this work and appreciate your leadership.”

– Kate Coventry, Policy Analyst, DC Fiscal Policy Institute

 “Miriam’s Kitchen has been an invaluable contributor to the work of the DC Interagency Council on Homelessness. They have taken leadership roles and dedicated significant staff time to support key ICH projects, such as: creating and maintaining a strong Coordinated Assessment and Housing Placement System, developing a city-wide landlord engagement strategy, and building systems to use mainstream federal funds like Medicaid to supplement local homeless services dollars. As the Director of the Interagency Council on Homelessness, I know that DC wouldn’t be making the progress we are on ending homelessness and building strong systems to accelerate and sustain our progress without the significant, dedicated, and skilled time that Miriam’s Kitchen devotes to this work.”

  • – Kristy M. Greenwalt, Executive Director of the DC Interagency Council on Homelessness (2016)

“As a result of all of the hard work and collaboration happening across the city including with organizations like Miriam’s Kitchen, we’ve seen our lowest count of veterans experiencing homelessness within the last three years: 295 veterans. That’s still far too many, but reflects genuine progress that we should be proud of and deserves continued support,”

– David Tweedie of The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness (The Washington Times, August 2015)

“Miriam’s Kitchen engages in strategic and energetic advocacy that leads to results.  Through direct and regular interaction with policymakers, detailed knowledge of the budget process, and smart collaboration with partners, Miriam’s Kitchen can take credit for budget and policy wins that bring us closer to ending chronic homelessness in the District of Columbia.”

 

– Ed Lazere, Executive Director of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute

“We wouldn’t be anywhere near where we are today with systemic change that better serves our fellow community members experiencing homelessness without the hard work and strategic thinking that Miriam’s Kitchen has consistently brought to the table, week after week.  I’ve been so impressed to engage with everyone on your team.”

– David Tweedie, The Community Partnership

“I’ve been working in homeless services in DC for 7 years and I’ve noticed that the hospitality at Miriam’s Kitchen and their guest-centered focus is the gold standard and is a model for others.”

– Al-Farabi Ishaq, DC Department of Human Services (2015)

“Miriam’s Kitchen is my home. I always make sure I have a dollar in my pocket so I can make it back to Miriam’s.”

– Craig Phillips, Former Guest (Housed in 2015)

“When I got to Miriam’s, I thought the food was the best kept secret in D.C…I had nutrition issues, I had very high blood pressure and cholesterol, and I’d already had a stroke. On top of that, I couldn’t afford my medication. In order to survive, I needed the fresh, nutritious meals that Miriam’s specializes in. Plus, I could get a multivitamin at Miriam’s each day.”

– Marquel Brown, Former Guest (Housed in 2013)

“Latham is proud to be a longstanding supporter of Miriam’s Kitchen, helping them move ever closer to their goal of ending chronic homelessness in D.C. Our staff and attorneys alike greatly enjoy volunteering to help cook and serve meals at Miriam’s in addition to offering pro bono legal support and fundraising. We couldn’t be happier to be a partner of such a worthy organization.”

– Michael Felty, Latham & Watkins Washington, D.C. Administrator

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