Title:Alumnus shares the story of DC Central Kitchen

Alexander Justice Moore (G’09) grew up in Maine, and recalls touring Georgetown’s campus in middle school. He hoped someday life would bring him to Washington, DC, again— and it did.

While attending Ithaca College in New York state, Moore was a grant writing intern at DC Central Kitchen. He found a larger family of people from all walks of life and wanted to do something positive for the city, he says. So he applied to the master’s in security studies program at Georgetown.

“I was wrestling with two areas of interest: one was domestic policy and one was the international realm—how we can make a safer, more secure, prosperous, and peaceful world,” he says. “Georgetown changed my life in a way that I didn’t anticipate. So much of what I learned there about practical applied research, asking questions of smart people if you can get access to them, making connections in your community that lead to better outcomes—all of that was really valuable time and experience, and certainly helped me do what I’ve been able to do since.”

In 2010, Moore began working for DC Central Kitchen full time and is now the chief development officer. Last summer, he published the second edition of The Food Fighters: A History of DC Central Kitchen.

“I wrote the first edition for the 25th anniversary,” says Moore. “There was a lot to celebrate, and it was a time when our founder Robert Egger was leaving. This time around, 10 years have passed and the organization has grown tremendously. It’s physically in a very different place.”

The headquarters recently moved to a 36,000-square-foot space in Southwest DC.

“Having a little bit more time and space in the book, I was able to help illustrate how far people can come, what they can be part of, not simply as recipients of a service, but as leaders of how that service is designed and delivered,” says Moore. “I was able to highlight the leadership journey of several colleagues and share stories of staff members who have passed as a lasting memory of what they accomplished for our city.”

“My greatest challenge and opportunity as a storyteller is that all I’m doing is pulling back the veil,” he continues. “I’m making it possible for people to see what I see because I am DC Central Kitchen’s biggest superfan.”

Learn more about the book on the Alumni Authors site >