Food banks around the nation offer the BackPack Program (or the Weekend Bag Program at the CAFB), sending children home with a bag or backpack of food for weekend meals.  Currently, there is no Federal funding to offset the cost of providing weekend meals, but the Weekends Without Hunger Act offers much-needed funding to support these programs.

From Feeding America
Weekends Without Hunger

Rep. Dina Titus (NV-3) and Senator Arlen Specter (PA) recently introduced the “Weekends Without Hunger Act” (H.R. 5012/S. 3292). This legislation establishes a 5-year pilot program, beginning in FY 2011, that provides commodities to eligible institutions, such as schools and emergency food providers, to carry out projects that would provide nutritious food to at-risk school children on weekends and during extended school holidays during the school year. Eligible institutions must be located in low-income communities, meaning at least 50% of the children are eligible to receive free or reduced-price school meals. Each fiscal year a minimum of $10 million in new funding would be provided for the purchase of commodities. An interim and final evaluation would be completed in 2013 and 2015 respectively.  Click here for more information on the Weekend Without Hunger Act.

The risk of hunger during out of school times was recently reported on CNN, featuring our partner organization Frederick Douglass Community Center, which has both a Kids Cafe and Weekend Bag program in operation year-round.

For more information about the Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill, including the Weekends Without Hunger Act, visit the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC).

By: Bella Herold

At 6:30am on Tuesday June 1^st, I sat in a van with Andrea Northup, Coordinator of the D.C. Farm to School Network, and her colleague Scott Lewis, Director of Food Services for a school food service provider, mesmerized as the D.C. highway slowly transitioned into a beautiful countryside: rolling hills and lots and lots of green.  Within two hours, we saw plots of farmland, barns, cows, horses and rows of crops fill the landscape.  We passed a horse-drawn carriage and Mennonite women in long dresses and bonnets going about their day.

By the time we arrived at the produce auction, the open-air marketplace was already filled with yards of fresh fruit and vegetables, hanging plants, carts of melons, lines of herbs and various plant varieties.  Farmers unloaded and stood by the fruits of their labor, jubilant, smiling and eager to engage in conversation about their crops.  Our mission was to purchase about 200 heads of lettuce for the D.C. Farm to School Network’s upcoming Strawberries and Salad Greens event.  The greens would be served as part of school lunches in cafeterias across the District.

The auctioneer spoke into his microphone, quickly describing each item for sale, how many boxes of it you could buy and starting bids.  Individuals signaled if they were interested in making a purchase, and, just as quickly as each sale began, it ended and the auctioneer moved onto the next item.  A crowd of people gathered around the products and the auctioneer and we followed him from product to product.  Andrea purchased Romaine, curly leaf, and red leaf lettuce, a few boxes of yellow squash, and several green cucumbers for a few schools.  After some fresh pie and ice cream from the small food stand, we left and loaded up with boxes upon boxes of fresh produce in tow.

The next day was the Strawberry and Salad Greens Event.  I volunteered at the E.W. Stokes Public Charter School, one of the schools that received lettuce from the Auction.  I worked with two other volunteers to set up a table in the cafeteria before the first students arrived for lunch.  We displayed a blossoming strawberry plant, a photograph of a strawberry farm and a lettuce farm, lettuce seeds, a small lettuce plant, a large head of lettuce, gardening tools, and a map of the local farms where the strawberries and lettuce from the kids’ lunch had traveled from with respect to the District.  The students were served lettuce we had just bought from the auction and strawberries from a West Virginia farmer.

After eating their meals, students and teachers approached us and were pleasantly surprised by the small green strawberries growing on the strawberry plant.  Some kids told us that their families had just started vegetable gardens at home and others stared in awe at the baby lettuce plant and tiny lettuce seeds.  Enticed by their friends’ excitement and the promise of Strawberry and Salad Greens event stickers, more students approached us as we inquired how their salads tasted and explained where the food came from. Kindergarteners came to play with the gardening gloves and watering can, but stayed to examine lettuce seeds and the petals on the strawberry plant.  One student ate her strawberries while peering at the strawberry plant in front of her.  The students tasted the freshness and crispness that resulted from the hard work, effort and motivation the farmers put into their crops.

I will continue to volunteer with the D.C. Farm to School Network regularly in the upcoming months, and look forward to making events like this one successful.  One thing I learned from the whole experience–hard work, effort and motivation tastes pretty good.

Donate it to us!

At the Capital Area Food Bank we can take donations of fresh produce anytime between 8:30am-4:30pm Monday through Friday. Drive up, dash in, drop off, fill out a 2 minute donation form and you are off! There is no schedule or advanced notice required. It’s that easy!

Looking for something more sustained? We have a partnership program called Grow A Row that pairs your beautiful garden with a neighborhood non-profit feeding program. You donate directly to them through the end of the growing season.

Visit our Grow A Row webpage or email us for more information about donating fresh produce.

Happy Growing!

The children have benefitted recently from different types of lettuce, cucumbers, zucchini, squash, and herbs. We are excited to provide more locally grown produce to the children as the growing season continues! This produce reaches over 600 children throughout Arlington and Fairfax Counties and the City of Alexandria over the summer months.

The CAFB purchases some shares at reduced cost and receives additional shares through generous donations from other CSA members and Waterpenny Farm. We are grateful for this support in continuing our goal of sending more fresh produce to children and teens.

Local lettuce and berries for school lunch being prepared at CentroNIA

If you walked into a D.C. school cafeteria on June 3^rd 2010, you may have been surprised at what you saw on students’ trays!  Over 150 schools in DC featured fresh, locally-grown strawberries and salad greens as a part of their school lunches.  This was part of an event called Strawberries & Salad Greens, organized by the D.C. Farm to School Network and in partnership with participating schools and food service providers.  For a medley of pictures from the event in DCist, click here.

Breakfast on the line at Thurgood Marshall Academy – blueberry muffin and local strawberries!

About 40,000 students in all 8 wards of the District gobbled up juicy, red berries and bright green lettuce in their lunches.  Approximately 7,300 pounds of local strawberries and 2,400 pounds of greens were purchased and served for the event, contributing about $20,000 to our local food economy.  The produce was grown on farms in Virgina, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania (visit dcfarmtoschool.org/strawberries for more information about the local growers).

Westmoreland Berry Farm, which supplied berries for DCPS meals on June 3^rd

In addition to helping schools find sources of fresh, local produce, the D.C. Farm to School Network coordinated “Where Food Comes From” tables in 16 school cafeterias.  At these tables, volunteers and parents displayed plants, posters, pictures, and gardening tools.  As students enjoyed their meals, they were able to see, touch, and smell where their food came from!

Carl Rollins with Common Good City Farm shows a strawberry plant to a group of pre-K students at Simon Elementary School

In twelve schools, local chefs performed interactive cooking demonstrations using local strawberries and salad greens.  Kids were able to help professionals prepare recipes, taste samples, discuss the importance of eating fresh, local, healthy foods, and bring home recipes to try with their families.

Chef Oliver Friendly of Eat and Smile Foods makes home-made granola and local strawberry parfaits at Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School

The D.C. Farm to School Network is a program of the Capital Area Food Bank that works to get more healthy, local foods into Washington, DC school meals.  Learn more at www.dcfarmtoschool.org.

Kacie Warner from the Washington Youth Garden prepares a strawberry arugula salad with students at Center City Public Charter School

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.

This past Friday morning nine grant recipient organizations came to Clagett Farm for their introduction to the Fresh Produce Grant program. We could not have asked for a more beautiful day! Staff learned the specifics of the program including, how to weigh produce at the wash station and new vegetable varieties. They also tasted recipes that highlighted “spicy mix” a zesty mixture of garden greens that are unfamiliar to many people.   Jodi Balis, the Director of Nutrition Education made a delicious spicy mix soup, and my favorite—turkey meatballs with spicy mix and quinoa. So tasty!

Once the specifics of the program were out of the way, the group headed outside to tour the farm with Michael Heller, the Director of Clagett Farm. This gave participants a broader view of the importance of local sustainable agriculture.  Michael explained some of the sustainable growing practices used at Clagett Farm and how this type of agriculture effects the soil and water quality of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.    Check out the video below to see what Michael says about soil:

The Fresh Produce Grant program is a partnership between the Capital Area Food Bank and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation owns the farm, and runs various programs—including a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), tree nursery, and educational programs about the Chesapeake Bay and sustainable practices to protect it.

Marian Peele, director of Agency Relations

 I’m growing 15 different types of herbs (all legal), cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini and lots of perennials!  So talk to JuJu or Susan, they’ll give you lots of information and inspiration for you to start your own garden.    

I had the good fortune to run into the Mayor a few weeks ago as he campaigned in my neighborhood.  When I asked Mayor Fenty if he would pass the Healthy Schools Act, he claimed enthusiastically that as a champion for the District’s schoolchildren he “couldn’t wait to sign the Healthy Schools Act.” Let’s hope he keeps his word and moves the legislation forward!

The next step is to be sure that this bill is funded.  The Council is holding a Healthy Schools Act Revenue Hearing on May 12^th – watch for the details here.  We need to be at the Wilson Building in full force testifying about the importance of fully funding this bill.  On May 26^th, the Budget Support Act will be finalized.  The BSA houses the Council’s amendments to the Mayor’s proposed budget, including revenues for legislation like the Healthy Schools Act.

But let’s go back to the long, involved process that led to this piece of legislation.  As an advocate for more healthy, local and sustainable food in D.C. schools, my role was to reach out to the real experts here in the District who know school food.  I talked with food service providers, producers and distributors, parents, teachers, kids, and other stakeholders along the chain from seed to cafeteria tray.  I reached out to school food policy experts in other states, and on the national scale.  I asked them all the same question – how can state-level policy help us get more healthy, local, sustainable foods into Washington, DC schools?

I had conversations, emails, meetings, and conference calls.  And I wasn’t the only one – advocates and activists across the District gathered ideas, comments and concerns from their constituent bases.  Councilmember Cheh’s staff pulled these ideas together in an inclusive, transparent and quite commendable way.

This is an important piece of legislation for many reasons.  Like I said, creating the bill was transparent, open and inclusive. Second, the bill acknowledges that child hunger, obesity and environmental degradation are complex issues, and it tackles those issues from a number of different angles.  And third, Councilmember Cheh is dedicated to funding this bill.  Whether through a “soda tax,” or other means, she assures us that her office will not rest until the bill is fully funded and implemented.

And we as advocates won’t rest until the issues of child hunger, obesity, and environmental degradation are at bay.  We have a long road ahead, but this bill is one small step in a long, slow journey.

Co-taught by JuJu Harris and Susan Topping, the class is part of a three part series covering the basics of site assessment and garden planning and construction.  Information is also dispensed regarding local resources for free and low cost seeds and construction materials, vegetable planting schedules, and contacts for community gardening grants.  Interest and energy were high as folks shared their stories regarding their recently germinated seeds and techniques they’d already applied from what they’d learned in last week’s class.  Several plan to begin a gardening program with children at their sites, while others looked forward to sharing the seedlings and harvest with members of their congregations. 

Those who attended the workshop at a co-worker’s urging, or who seemed initially unsure about their “green thumb” were some of the most effusive by the class’ end.   Carrying pots of newly sown swiss chard, chives, and mesclun mix, the participants left with smiles on their faces, ready to share their nascent enthusiasm for gardening with staff and clients at their sites.