Capital Area Food Bank » Kasandra Gunter Robinson

Summer Healthy Eating for All

Kasandra Gunter Robinson — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:07:04 +0000

For the second year, the garden at Children of Mine in Southeast D.C. is thriving. This collaboration of From the Ground Up in the Community and Children of Mine teaches children in urban areas about the importance of healthy eating, nutrition and growing fresh produce. To kick-off our summer healthy eating series of recipes, below is a favorite of the children in our FGU program. Try it for yourself and let us know how you like it.

Cucumber Salad with Fresh Grated Coconut
Tamales World Tour Show; c. 1997, M.S. Milliken & S. Feniger

Serves 6

Kaila was our resident cucumber expert last year!

4 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
3 tomatoes, cored, seeded and diced
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 serrano chile, finely chopped
2/3 c. fresh grated coconut
1/2 c. finely chopped, lightly toasted peanuts
1/2 – 1 teaspoon sugar
1 – 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Cilantro leaves for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Spoon onto individual plates. Garnish with cilantro and serve. This also tastes good with a dollop of strained yogurt.

The Capital Area Food Bank Needs Food

Kasandra Gunter Robinson — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:46:57 +0000

Food Donations Have Slowed

For the past couple of weeks, the Capital Area Food Bank has seen nonperishable food donations decline. This seems to be a seasonal phenomenon where donations soar from the fall months through the winter, but decline from spring into summer. Hunger takes no vacation, so we need your help.

You can do spring cleaning and donate any unused, nonperishable food from your cabinets. You can rally your friends and neighbors to host a community food drive. You can even ask your employer to host a company-sponsored food drive. Every donation helps our community!

To make this task easy, the food bank has created a Food Drive Top Ten list that details our most wanted items. These items are most helpful and are in high demand by our partner agencies.

Canned Protein (tuna, chicken, salmon, peanut butter)
Canned Fruit In Own Juice or Light Syrup (applesauce, peaches, pears, pineapple)
100% Fruit Juice (all sizes including juice boxes)
Low Sodium/ No Salt Added Canned Vegetables (mixed, green beans, corn)
Soups (beef stew, chili, chicken noodle, turkey rice)
Multigrain Cereal (cheerios, cornflakes, grape nuts, raisin bran)
Easy & Ready Meals (macaroni & cheese, pasta bowls, canned pasta)
Healthy Snacks (raisins, dried fruit, nuts, cereal bars)
Hygiene Products (bar soap, toothpaste, shampoo)
Paper Products (paper towels, toilet paper, diapers, facial tissue, paper plates & cups, plastic forks & spoons)

You may drop off food at our warehouse (645 Taylor Street, NE) between 8 AM and 3 PM, Monday through Friday. We will be closed on Friday, April 16 in observance of Emancipation Day.

For more information or to register your food drive, contact our Food Resources department at mcglinchym@capitalareafoodbank.org or 202.526.5344 ext. 311.

Remember, canned food goods can make a difference!

Shepard Fairey Art Supports Food Banks

Kasandra Gunter Robinson — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:03:20 +0000

Be on the lookout for Hunger Awareness billboards in the D.C. metro area featuring art by Shepard Fairey, the artist who created the red, white and blue print of President Barack Obama while he was running for office.

Fairey, a renowned contemporary artist has created an original piece of art (featuring his daughter) for Feeding America to help raise awareness of the growing issue of hunger in America. A member of Feeding America’s Entertainment Council, Mr. Fairey in partnership with Feeding America and Ad Council is launching this art as an outdoor public service advertisement campaign that publicizes local food banks to be posted throughout the United States.

Blue Jeans Ball – 2 Days Away

Kasandra Gunter Robinson — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 15:14:48 +0000

This year you can follow what’s going on at the Blue Jeans Ball via Twitter by searching for the hashtag #bluejeansball. Our friends at iStrategyLabs will be using 12seconds.tv to grab quick insights from attendees about how an event like the Blue Jeans Ball impacts the issue of hunger. These insights will be automatically tweeted out using the #blujeansball hashtag on the Capital Area Food Banks twitter account @foodbankmetrodc.

Feel free to provide your own insights via twitter, but be sure to add #bluejeansball to your tweet so we can find it. You can also get involved by sharing some twitter love with us by retweeting our videos and letting us know which ones you like the best and why. If we don’t see you at the Blue Jeans Ball, we’ll be looking out for you on twitter!

Dramatic Increase in Hunger, Study Reveals

Kasandra Gunter Robinson — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:46:00 +0000

Hunger in America 2010, the most comprehensive study examining emergency food assistance was released today by the Capital Area Food Bank and Feeding America. Not surprising, the number of people in the Washington metro area has increased significantly – 25 percent, since 2006.

The CAFB is now serving over 478,000 people through a network of partner agencies annually. About half of these are children. An estimated 88,400 people receive emergency food assistance each week from a food pantry, soup kitchen or other agency served by the CAFB – 19,000 more than four years ago.

It may be surprising to learn that many of the people needing food assistance have jobs, over 50 percent. They are professional people who are underemployed, people working at minimum wage jobs trying to make ends meet, even senior citizens who have had to return to the workforce.

Hunger in America is unacceptable. We can all do something to help – donate funds or hold a fundraiser benefiting the food bank. You can also volunteer in our warehouse. We appreciate the way the community supports our efforts by holding food drives. You can even guest write a blog post for us, retweet our messages on Twitter or follow us on Facebook. If everyone does a little, it will go a long way.

A topline document on Hunger in America 2010 or the entire study is available.

Washington Post Editorial

Kasandra Gunter Robinson — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:19:57 +0000

This editorial ran in the Washington Post on Monday, January 18, 2010

30 cheers for the Food Bank

Monday, January 18, 2010; A16
Washington Post

MIXED EMOTIONS accompany the 30th anniversary of the founding of Washington’s Capital Area Food Bank. There is, of course, gratitude to an organization that has done so much to make this community a better place to live. But also there is sadness that there are still — more than ever — hungry people in need of its services.

The Capital Area Food Bank, the largest nonprofit hunger and nutrition education resource in the region, opened its doors on the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, Jan. 15, in 1980. Brainchild of the Interfaith Conference and the United Planning Organization, it was born of a need to do something for the area’s poor and hungry following massive cuts in the federal food stamp program.

The food bank has grown from a small operation providing 1,539 pounds of food per month to a few thousand people to an organization of some 70 employees that distributes 25 million pounds of food a year to more than 383,000 people with the help of 700 nonprofit partner agencies in the District, Northern Virginia, and Maryland’s Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.

What makes its work all the more remarkable is that it receives no government support for its operating expenses (The Washington Post and The Washington Post Co. have long supported the food bank, including donating more than $250,000 and helping to create the Good Neighbor Corporate Campaign and the ‘Til No One Is Hungry capital campaign.)

Distributing food donated by a network of suppliers is just one part of the food bank’s comprehensive approach to addressing the issues of hunger. Led by Lynn Brantley, its president and chief executive, the group teaches the principles of better nutrition, engages in food stamp outreach, helps its partners become more effective and advocates on a host of issues dealing with hunger. Consider, for example, the group’s unique collaboration with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation on a farm project that provides chemical-free produce to low-income residents who are taught gardening skills and food preparation.

It’s in keeping with the group’s mission of public service that it is using the occasion of its 30th birthday to call attention to the spike in needs caused by the current economic downturn. Calls to the group’s emergency food hotline increased 91 percent in 2008 over the previous year, and partner agencies are reporting a 200 percent increase in demand.

People who never thought of themselves as wanting are now in need; that’s why the work of the food bank is so critical.

Food Glorious Food V – Dramatic Dining

Kasandra Gunter Robinson — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:37:54 +0000

If you’ve not seen a Food Glorious Food calendar created by Zenith Community Arts Foundation, you are missing a delicious treat. In its fifth year, the calendar presents food as art each month of the year and is accompanied by creative recipes provided by local restaurants and chefs. The art depicted represents various artists from the metro area who graciously donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of these works to the Capital Area Food Bank.

The calendar is launched each year with a great culinary and arts soiree. This year, the event will take place on Thursday, December 3 from 6 – 10 PM at Woolly Mammoth Theatre. WUSA 9 News Anchor, Andrea Roane will emcee the event. Tickets area still available and may be purchased for $75 each by calling 202-783-8005; email zenithcommunityarts@zcaf.org; or you may pay at the door. Each guest will receive a complimentary calendar. Calendars make great holiday gifts and will be sold for $20 each at the event. All ticket and calendar sales benefit the food bank. Calendars will be available on the CAFB web site soon, so please check back.

Food2Feed 2009 Delivers Big!

Kasandra Gunter Robinson — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:10:57 +0000

Last Thursday, the greater Washington, DC community joined WHUR, Giant, SunTrust, Verizon and McDonald’s for another Food2Feed campaign. It was an all day event at the Old Post Office Pavilion on 12th and Penn that generated $70,000 to feed families at risk of hunger this Thanksgiving! We salute each person and organization that donated food or funds to support the effort. Please know the your kind gesture will bring joy to a family this week.

SunTrust donated $10k and presented it to Lynn Brantley, CAFB president and CEO

American Airlines Flies High to End Hunger

Kasandra Gunter Robinson — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:34:31 +0000

Recently, American Airlines approached the Capital Area Food Bank to let us know that they were blown away by the information they learned as they toured our D.C. facility; and they wanted to do something to help. They had no idea that hunger was so prevalent in our community. We hear that often from first time visitors to the food bank. Because hunger is hidden in our country, people have no idea that over 600,000 people in the metro area are at risk of going without enough nutritious food.

Out of this brief visit, the Flight to End Hunger, a campaign to go to the moon – a distance of 238,000 miles, was born. Together with Marriott International hotels, American Airlines would like to raise $238,000, that’s $1 per mile from earth to the moon to benefit the CAFB.

To make it really interesting, they are offering a smorgasbord of prizes in a sweepstakes for everyone who participates. Simply donate online and your name will be entered to win one of the following prizes:

Grand Prize: A Fantastic GetAAway
GetAAway for (2) on AA to Aruba with a (3) night stay at the luxurious All inclusive Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino for the ultimate Aruba vacation experience.
Second Prize: The Washington Redskins Experience
(2) Tickets to see the Washington Redskins vs. Dallas Cowboys
Sunday, December 27, 2009 @ 8:20P FedExField
Club Level Seating, Including Parking
Third Prize: Washington Wizards Basketball
(2) tickets to see the Washington Wizards vs. San Antonia Spurs
Saturday, January 2, 2010 @ 7:00 p Verizon Center
Club Level Seating, Including Parking
Fourth Prize: Washington Capitals Hockey
(2) tickets to see the Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
(2009 Stanley Cup Champions)
Sunday, February 7, 2010 @ 7:00 p Verizon Center
Club Level Seating, Including Parking

Empty Bowls 2009

Kasandra Gunter Robinson — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:00:24 +0000

Have you ever been too busy to eat? Well for many children, adults and seniors in the Washington metro area, eating is not always optional. It’s very different to skip lunch because you have a work deadline and to skip lunch because there is no food in your refrigerator. I’d like to suggest an easy way for you to make a difference in the lives of those who may not know where their next lunch will come from. Join the Capital Area Food Bank at Empty Bowls 2009, an annual special event fundraiser that shines a light on hunger and raises money for the cause. It’s pretty simple to participate – show up at DLA Piper (500 8^th Street, NW) on Wednesday, October 21 anytime between 11:30 AM and 2:30 PM with $25 in hand. You’ll receive a lunch of soup, bread, cookies and a fabulous handcrafted bowl to take home. The bowl serves as a reminder of the 600,000 empty bowls in the National Capital Region. Just let us know you’re coming – RSVP.

I would like to show some love to our generous sponsors: DLA Piper for hosting the event in their beautiful facility; Jody Walsh and House of Artistry for helping us kick off the event last year and donating so many bowls both last year and this year; Giant Food, Inc. and Safeway Inc., two of the food bank’s largest supporters; Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, Torpedo Factory Art Center, Loren Scherbak and Jodi Walsh and House of Artistry for donating the amazing bowls and vases; and the restaurants and partner agencies who are donating the best soups, breads and cookies ever – Breadline, Café Atlantico (I wish they could bring their famous mojitos too), Capital Area Food Bank, Clyde’s of Gallery Place, Food & Friends, Israel CME Church, PS 7’s, thebestcookie.com, and Thrive DC. I especially want to thank the chefs from our partner agencies and our resident chef, Jodi Balis. The very agencies we are working to help are donating to this event. That’s awesome!

I hope to see you there.