Josh Hahn
Operating Partner
Eat Well DC
Washington, DC
EatWell DC not only thinks of itself as a restaurant group but as a charitable organization as well, so much so, that in the fall of 2010, the company launched GiveWell, their charitable arm.
“Any manager can come to us and suggest an opportunity for engagement. And when we do engage, we focus on making a significant impact by raising a lot of money,” said Josh Hahn, EatWell DC’s Operating Partner. GiveWell holds three or four major fundraising events each year, usually for local charities but always "anything that’s near and dear to our guests and community,” according to Josh. This includes work with City Dogs Rescue, a DC rescue organization, and So Others May Eat, a local organization fighting homelessness and hunger. GiveWell also participates in “Dining Out For Life”, an annual fundraising event for Food & Friends, an organization that supplies meals and services to those with life challenging illnesses.
Like others at EatWell, Josh also finds his own way to give back. Since 2007, he has partnered with Camp Manitou, in Maine, to create and grow “Experience Camps” – a non-profit, week-long camps for boys and girls who have lost a parent or sibling. Josh had attended Camp Manitou as a kid, and returned year after year, until finally becoming a counselor and then administrator before leaving for the restaurant industry. In 2009, they opened the first Experience Camp to 27 campers. Next year, there will be five camps in three different locations across the country - three for boys and two for girls - with nearly 400 campers and 200 volunteers.
Josh tells us: “Experience Camps connect our kids with others who are dealing with a similar loss experience. There’s nothing else like it, and seeing the strides campers make and connections they form makes it’s all worth it. There are so many kids out there dealing with this type of loss and grief. We’re working hard every day to expand our reach. The sky’s the limit for us.”
