U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen toured Nourishing Bethesda Friday morning, learning about its Choice Market and helping distribute a Thanksgiving dinner to local families.

Nourishing Bethesda was founded in 2020 to fight food insecurity among Bethesda area residents and workers. It serves an average of 5,000 people each month and delivers to 250 area schools, homeless shelters and senior centers, said Tammi Houton, deputy director.

Between 30% to 35% of people who depend on Nourishing Bethesda work in the nearby area, including custodians at Bethesda Marriott Convention Center, according to Chris Rief, director of operations.

On Friday, 370 people had appointments to pick from a variety of foods. A Thanksgiving meal with a turkey, potatoes, gravy and fruit pies also was available. Nourishing Bethesda expects to give out 700 dinners.

Nourishing Bethesda is open three days a week, and people can make an appointment to bring home a filled cart of food every two weeks.

In 2023, the organization and its 600 volunteers provided healthy food to 4,200 people.