Cooking Matters™ is a groundbreaking nutrition education program that teaches low-income families how to prepare healthy, tasty and budget-friendly meals. Local chefs and nutrition experts volunteer their time to lead hands-on courses that teach adults, teens, kids and childcare providers how to get the most nutritional value on a limited budget.

The food bank is currently accepting applications to host Cooking Matters courses from January 1 through March 31, 2013. Priority will be given to sites that have a dedicated on-site coordinator, scheduling flexibility, the ability to recruit participants and volunteers, adequate demonstration space, and related programs and services.

Does this apply to your organization? Check out the details and apply to be a host site by November 30, or email cookingmatters@capitalareafoodbank.org for more information.

The post Cooking Matters™ Comes to You appeared first on Capital Area Food Bank.

Into its 20th year nationally and 2nd at the National Building Museum, Canstruction is an annual design competition in which regional architectural firms square off by building structures out of canned goods. Once the event is over, all food and donations go to the Capital Area Food Bank.

This year multiple awards were handed out to the following firms:

• Jurors’ Favorite: “One Small Step for a Can, One Giant Leap to End Hunger” by Wiencek + Associates, Architects + Planners
• Best Use of Labels: “Grand CANyon” by Barnes Vanze Architects, Inc.
• Structural Ingenuity: “A Colorful Meal of Golden Proportions” by Perkins + Will
• Best Meal: “A Colorful Meal of Golden Proportions” by Perkins + Will
• Honorable Mention: “CAN You Hear Me Now?” by Cannon Design
• Honorable Mention: “Grand CANyon” by Grimm & Parker Architects
• Jurors’ Special Recognition: “All You Need is LOVE” by EYP
• People’s Choice Award: “To CAN-finity and Beyond!” by Leo A Daly

However, all participants are bona fide hunger champions and deserve a shout out for the time, money and labor that went into all their canstructions. Moreover, the teams did an incredible job of raising awareness of the Capital Area Food Bank through their own fundraising pages.

In addition, thanks to all the sponsors for making this event successful with special mention going to Safeway. Not only did Safeway provide a generous discount for the teams’ building materials, but they also assisted teams logistically to ensure that food labels matched the teams’ building specifications. Understand that Safeway’s employees are hardly trained to build multi-colored minarets out of canned goods. Yet, they deftly managed the design challenges with great expedience.

Other great sponsors were:

• Builders’ Ball
• National Building Museum
• TW Perry
• NRI
• B&G
• Erin Kelleher Photography

If you were unable to see Canstruction at the Building Museum, you can see all the monuments here. And though we’re sad to see the monuments go, everyone at the Capital Area Food Bank is very happy to immediately put all the donated food and funds to use. Thanks again to everyone involved in making Canstruction DC a great event. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for next year.

The post DeCANstruction appeared first on Capital Area Food Bank.

Canstruction, an annual design competition among regional architectural firms, has teams “canstruct” structures out of canned goods. Fans then vote for their favorite canstruction by contributing to the team’s Razoo page or by donating non-perishables to the team’s bin located in the Building Museum. The team with the most “votes” wins the People’s Choice Award. After the event, all contributions, as well as canned goods, are given to the Capital Area Food Bank.

Below are this year’s participants. Click on the thumbnails below to see the project in full detail. Afterward, vote for your favorite canstruction(s) by clicking the link below the thumbnail.

Participants

Note, a few teams are still in the process of setting up their pages. We’ll update the vote links as soon as their page is available.

AECOM Give Us Your Hungry Vote	ASD Monumental Voyage Vote	Barnes Vanze Architects Grand Canyon Vote	Cannon Design Can You Hear Me Now Vote
David M. Schwarz Washington Can Tower Over Hunger Vote	EYP All You Need Is Love Vote	Grimm & Parker Architects Grand Canyon Vote	Hartman-Cox Architects Monumental Flight: Discovering An End To Hunger Vote
HOK Abraham Lincoln: Memorial Hero In A Hat Vote	Leo A Daly To CAN-finity AND Beyond! Vote	McKissack & McKissack The Hoover Can Vote	MV+A Architects The Hoover Can Vote
Perkins + Will A Colorful Meal Of Golden Proportions Vote	Rippeteau Architects A Wedding Cake For All Vote	Robert Silman Associates The Space Shuttle Vote	RTKL Nourishing Bright Ideas Vote
SmithGroupJJR Washingcan Monument Vote	Stantec A Monument To An Era Vote	URS Corporation Hunger… We Have A Problem Vote	WDG Architecture To Bean Or Not To Bean Vote
Wiencek + Associates One Small Step For A Can, One Giant Leap To End Hunger Vote

The post Canstruction Polls Are Open appeared first on Capital Area Food Bank.

Sponsored by the Washington Architectural Foundation and the Society for Design Administration, Canstruction is an annual design competition in which regional architectural firms square off by building structures out of canned goods. Fans then vote for their favorite canstruction by donating to the team’s Razoo page. The team with the most “votes” wins the People’s Choice Award. After the event, all contributions, as well as canned goods, are given to the Capital Area Food Bank.

To say the past couple of weeks haven’t been tense would be an understatement. Firms agonized with their project teams to meet deliverable deadlines. And some even went so far as to jaw with the competition.

One of the more intriguing storylines to follow this year is the rivalry between McKissack & McKissack and MV+A. Both joined the competition this year looking to canstruct the Hoover Dam. It is difficult to suggest which team has the edge. However, rumors are swirling that one of the projects will actually generate electricity. Clearly, teams are taking nothing for granted to earn the People’s Choice Award.

It is worth making the pilgrimage to China Town this weekend to see the all the work in progress. Bring the kids. It’s fun for the whole family. And on your way out, bring a non-perishable or two or eight. Capital Area Food Bank bins will be on hand to collect donations.

The post Can it! appeared first on Capital Area Food Bank.

Canstruction DC is the only competition in which regional architectural firms square off, outside of a contract bid, by creating structures out of canned goods. At the end of the competition, the structures are disassembled and the cans are donated to the Capital Area Food Bank.

While Canstruction DC doesn’t begin until September 1st, teams are working fast and furiously on the preliminary efforts necessary to successfully erect their structures.

As discussed in a previous post, some teams have already uploaded their concepts by posting CADs to their team pages. EYP/Architecture and Engineering hopes to construct a life-size replica of Robert Indiana’s Love sculpture. WDG Architecture and Interiors could be preparing to pay tribute to a fibrous food staple. And MV+A Architects are in the process of routing the Potomac River through the Building Museum just to dam it.

Rest assured, project managers are working round the clock mitigating any risks that may jeopardize their teams’ canstruction. This year’s participants are leaving nothing to chance.

Just this week, teams began surveying their plots on the National Building Museum carpet. Dumpy levels crowded the facility as crews collected measurements and determined proper triangulation. Some teams even sent engineers to calculate the impact of HVAC wind loads on monuments over 12 feet in height.

Expect to see more teams come online and regularly update their progress on their team pages. Continue to check the leaderboard page for a complete listing of teams. And please show your appreciation for their work by making a donation to your favorite team’s page. All contributions support the Capital Area Food Bank’s mission to feed our neighbors in need.

Furthermore, the team that raises the most donations will claim the prestigious People’s Choice Award. As far as architectural rewards go, there may be no greater honor to display in one’s trophy cabinet.

The post Canned Architecture appeared first on Capital Area Food Bank.

Coalition of the Willing, well-known for charity performances, is a supergroup of federal and musical heavyweights. Consisting of Executive Vice President of the Center for Regulatory Effectiveness Dan McDermott, former Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Link Bloomfield, U.S. Department of Energy Undersecretary Dan Poneman and former Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter; Coalition of the Willing is guaranteed to push the gain to “11” and amplify hunger awareness.

Feds Feed Familes, a government-led food drive in its fourth year, collected over 500,000 pounds of needed food last year. Coalition of the Willing, among other federal agencies, hopes through combined efforts to surpass that mark. Attendees are encouraged to bring a bag of non-perishables that will go to feeding people in need in the Washington metro area.

Though András Simonyi, former Coalition of the Willing frontman and popular Colbert Report guest, won’t be on hand, the band retains plenty of talent to rock the night away. Don’t miss this fun opportunity to catch them live and help alleviate hunger.

Madam’s Organ: 2461 18th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009

The post We Built This Food Bank on Rock n’ Roll appeared first on Capital Area Food Bank.

That is not the case with Washington design and architectural firms LEO A DALY, Stantec, and HOK, among others. They will all cement their places in the canstruction annals as they take to the National Building Museum September 1st to compete in this year’s Canstruction DC.

Sponsored by the Washington Architectural Foundation and the Society for Design Administration, Canstruction is an annual design competition in which cans of food are used as building blocks, then donated to the Capital Area Food Bank. Canstruction DC uses one can of food as a catalyst for change; one can to represent the building blocks of massive sculptures; one can to prove that every act of kindness makes a difference.

Teams compete for the much vaunted Peoples Choice Award, which is determined by votes, er donations, to their team pages. Note, not all teams participating are currently listed. Many teams need to still set up their pages, and some are just getting started. However, a few are already working hard to promote their projects.

In what appears to be design plans or very elaborate subterfuge, Barnes Vanze and ASD Inc. have posted Cad drawings to their team pages. It is very exciting to see the work in progress.

Over the next few weeks, check the leaderboard page to see team standings. There, you will also have access to specific team pages to see photos and videos of past and present projects. The food bank will also post Canstruction updates to its blog, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. Make sure to follow us.

We wish good luck to all the participants. And may the team with the best CAN-do attitude win!

The post CAN We Build It? Yes We CAN! appeared first on Capital Area Food Bank.

Food bank staff is on hand to answer calls and take hunger lifeline requests. All other inquiries should go to our contact form.

We apologize for any inconvenience. This collection of food will greatly provide many neighbors in need with meals through June and July.

The post Food Bank Closed Tuesday, June 19 appeared first on Capital Area Food Bank.

The food bank recently refreshed its brand and adopted a new logo, which will unify efforts to help those struggling with hunger.

As the food bank prepares to transition into its new home and ultimately feed more residents, it also needs a greater web presence to effectively communicate with people. The new website makes it easier for people to find food bank resources and updates. The navigation is simpler, news is now accessible through multiple pages and program information is better organized.

The new website also seeks to engage in more conversations through social media. Although the food bank’s supply chain has geographical limitations, there are infinite possibilities online to share information with others. Through initiatives like the Healthy Eating Department’s Virtual Kitchen and Public Policy’s community outreach, the food bank will tap the likes of Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other social media outlets to generate discussions on accessing healthy meals.

The CAFB could not do this alone. The refreshed brand and web redesign were a collaborative effort among many community partners that include Pauline Weger of Signature Thinkers, Kristen Hemingway Toton, Ogilvy and Social Driver. A special thanks to them all.

So what do you think? Your feedback means a lot. Please share your thoughts below.

The post Feast Your Eyes on This appeared first on Capital Area Food Bank.

Dr. Elmendorf, co-director of Georgetown’s Biology of Global Health major, teaches students that ‘global’ issues are also ‘local.’ In an introductory course to the major, Dr. Elmendorf chooses a specific health issue affecting Washington metro area residents and has her students use multimedia to inform the public about the problem and solution. This year, they tackled hunger and identified the Capital Area Food Bank as a resource to help curb the problem.

Students are assigned to create public service announcements (PSA) for the food bank highlighting the needs and struggles of hungry people. Why PSAs in a biology class? The class compliments its scientific research by training students to effectively communicate complex issues with the public. In an era where scientists are targeted for being wonks, this is a talent that researchers and scientists must possess as they enter the workforce.

At the PSA premiere, students expressed challenges of distilling the subject and its correlating factors into a one minute video. There were urges to cram more into the allotted timeframe. But, when trying to do so, the message was muddied. In a lot of cases students learned less is sometimes more.

The results of their hard work paid off. In creative work that that rivals the quality of major PR firms, the students succinctly visualized issues of child hunger, food deserts, and malnourishment as well as informed the public about manners to help. Below are their PSAs for your enjoyment.

It is great to know that the scientific community is attentive to the effects of hunger in our community and seeks innovative solutions to communicate the message to the public. Dr. Elmendorf and her students are true hunger champions! We are proud to be the recipient of these videos and look forward to further collaborate with her and her students.

The post Young Scientists Demonstrate Their Creative Talents appeared first on Capital Area Food Bank.