Those of you who donated to our annual Bringing in the Birds with Bucks Thanksgiving campaign helped us raise $64,000, exceeding our goal by $10,000 and making this day so special.

Thanks to your donations, we prepared special Thanksgiving food bags for our more than 3,300 regular brown bag recipients. The bags included: a frozen turkey breast, cake mix, corn muffin mix, macaroni and cheese, Stove Top stuffing mix, green beans, whole kernel corn, and tropical fruit in light syrup.

Our seniors were excited about the holiday baskets and we want to say a big thank you to all of you for helping us put smiles on the faces of our seniors at such a wonderful time of the year.
Ms. Blanca Ocasio and Mr. Gaylord Tissueboo express their happiness with their brown bags and the opportunity to meet the President.

Thank you again for your wonderful support of our Bringing in the Birds with Bucks campaign and making Thanksgiving so memorable for our seniors.

Capital Area Food Bank President and CEO Lynn Brantley was honored today at the White House as a Champion of Change. She was among ten local leaders who were highlighted for their efforts in improving the lives of others through charitable work, faith and advocacy. 

The Champions of Change program was created as part of President Obama’s Winning the Future initiative.  Each week, a different issue is highlighted and groups of Champions, ranging from educators to entrepreneurs to community leaders, are recognized for the work they are doing to better their communities. 

Brantley has dedicated much of her life to the issue of hunger and believes that having nutritious food is a basic human right. 

See the event in its entirety below:

It started when two marketing professionals, Eddie Fam and Kelly Jan, were talking about how business networking was starting to feel more like a necessary evil than an invigorating exchange to promote mutual commerce.  Why couldn’t time that was spent pursuing business connections lead to something more deeply rewarding?  Surely others must feel the same way when faced with yet another tired business mixer.

That’s how Networking For Good came about.  Eddie and Kelly decided that if 100 people were going to fill a room to do business, they should help the community in the process.  And, if combined with enthusiasm and focused marketing, these events would gain momentum and become the new paradigm for networking in the Washington metro area – connecting for a cause.

They invited three more marketers they knew – Yianni Papadopoulos, Jennifer Saunders and Jermane Thomas –  and the rest they hope will be history.

Networking For Good is excited to be working with Caribbean Breeze Restaurant of Arlington and the Capital Area Food Bank on our very first fundraising networking event on December 6 from 5pm to 8pm.  There will be complimentary appetizers and $2 drink specials, complimentary desserts from Chica Bom Bom, and door prizes including a gift basket from host sponsor Ah love Oil & Vinegar of Shirlington.

Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door; and 100 percent of the proceeds from the event go directly to the Capital Area Food Bank.  Bring a non-perishable food item and you’ll get an additional chance at winning a door prize.  Click here to register.

As we give thanks for all we have this holiday season, let’s help the people in our own communities who struggle to put food on the table.

Hope to see everyone at Caribbean Breeze this Tuesday!

Join the Capital Area Food Bank for one of our largest food drives of the year – Stuff-A-Truck.  We are teaming up again with Fox 5, Giant and local CBS radio stations to collect non-perishable food at  four Giant store locations across the Washington metro region.  Come out anytime between 6am and 11:30 pm on Friday, December 2nd to show your support and holiday spirit.

Locations:

• Brentwood Giant (1050 Brentwood Rd, NE Washington, DC 20018
• PG Plaza Giant (3521 East West Highway, Hyattsville, MD 20782)
• Montrose Crossing Giant (12051 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852)
• Greenbriar Giant (13043 Lee Jackson Hwy. Fairfax, VA 22033)

Click here to view our most wanted items. 

Thank you to all of our sponsors!

Giant, Fox 5, WPGC-FM, 94.7 Fresh FM, WJFK, El Zol, YRCI, USA Party Rental, A Grand Event and A&A Rental Station.

This has truly been a special day for all of us. Thank you President and Mrs. Obama, Sasha and Malia, and your family and friends for volunteering today and helping us feed those in need. You have made this a memorable Thanksgiving by helping send a message on behalf of those struggling with hunger in these difficult times.

Our special guest volunteers packed food bags for three of our programs:

The bags are packed by our dedicated volunteers — 14,000 annually — at the food bank and delivered by food bank trucks to the partner agencies, or sites designed to serve children.

Today’s food recipients regularly participate in five of over 700 CAFB partner agencies in the Washington metro area:

We are facing a hunger crisis in the region and throughout the nation. One in every two children in the nation’s capital is at risk of hunger – that’s 200,000 children in the region we serve – the District, Northern Virginia and Prince George’s and Montgomery counties in Maryland.

A recent survey of CAFB partner agencies revealed that they are experiencing a 10 to 75 percent increase in those they serve. Calls to the food bank’s Hunger Lifeline have increased 173 percent for July – September of this year from the same period in 2010.

I know how hard it is to enjoy a bountiful Thanksgiving meal when there are those among us who are at risk of hunger throughout the year. Thank you for your support of the Capital Area Food Bank. You have my best wishes during the holidays.

For over 30 years, Brantley’s creative vision has inspired the food bank’s comprehensive approach to feeding those in need through enduring partnerships with hundreds of community service organizations.  Under her leadership, the food bank was named “…the best food bank operating on the East Coast” by Feeding America, the national umbrella organization for more than 200 food banks.

Brantley is an unwavering voice for the powerless, an inspiration to her staff and an advocate for those suffering from hunger. 

ABC-7 and the Washington Area Toyota Dealers’ “Tribute to Working Women” Award is an annual award given to women in the Washington metro region who have made a dramatic difference in their workplace, community or home. 

 Below is a complete list of participating artists and art studios:

• Annapolis Pottery
• Baltimore Clayworks
• Bev’s Ceramics, Inc. 
• Eastern Market Pottery
• Hood College
• Gallery 555dc
• Roland Park Country School
• Potters Guild
• Toby Rivkin
• Capitol Hills Arts Workshop
• Winnie Coggins
• Your World Pottery Studio/Creativity on Fire
• Barbara Sloan, Lee Arts Center
• Clay Maven/Loren Scherbak Pottery & Ceramics
• Rand & Barbara D. Rowe
• Claytime Café

 Below is a complete list of participating restaurants, vendors and partner agencies:

• Morton’s The Steakhouse
• RIS, Food & Friends
• Corner Bakery
• Geppetto Catering
• Windows Catering Company
• Teaism
• 1st & Fresh
• The Melting Pot
• Firehook Bakery
• TheBestCookie.com
• Safeway

Thank you to all the donors and participants of Empty Bowls.

Give to the Max Day is almost upon us. As you consider participating on November 9, know that your donation supports the Capital Area Food Bank’s Fresh Produce Campaign. Your contribution will enable us to continue distributing 15 million pounds of nutritious fruits and vegetables at no cost to our more than 700 partner agencies in the Washington metro area.

We also provide fresh produce to our direct service programs, such as Mobile Pantry, Kids Cafe® and Senior Brown Bag. Your support will help us continue to help feed 480,000 people annually.

Here are just a few testimonials from some of our partner agencies:

“The residents were very pleased with the quality of the produce and the items received. Keep up the good work.” –Green Ridge House, Greenbelt, MD

“Food arrived on time and was in good condition. We had one item that was not identifiable. So we just went to internet and looked it up. We gave clients recipes and tips on how to prepare some of the vegetables that they were not familiar with. They decided to take home some to try on a few rejected it. However, everything we had was distributed. So we are now ready to receive more!! The clients appreciate it and was very grateful. Thank you very much.” –The True Vine Center

“We keep growing. It’s a case of our rejoicing that we are expanding service or crying because the need is so great.” –Marvin Memorial United Methodist Church, Silver Spring, MD

Please make your donations on-line in support of the Capital Area Food Bank’s Fresh Produce Campaign. I thank you profoundly in advance of your Give to the Max Day participation.

2011 CANstuction Awards:

Jurors’ Favorite: Leo A Daly

Structural Ingenuity: HDR

Best Meal: David M Schwarz Architects

Best Use of Labels: AECOM

Honorable Mention: Hartman-Cox Architects

Honorable Mention: Wiencek + Associates, Architects + Planners

People’s Choice: Greenman-Pedersen, Inc.

(To view the winning CANstructions, click here.)

And what a year it was! The 19 participating teams braved Hurricane Irene on August 27th to construct the remarkable and creative structures made entirely from canned goods. This annual design competition gives a new meaning to playing with your food!

For the first time, CANstruction was held at the National Building Museum. The public was invited to watch as the teams worked together to create the structures they had envisioned, can by can.  Did you miss it? Click here to watch the build out in less than three minutes!

Over the course of a week, the public was able to vote for their favorite CAN-structure by placing a nonperishable food donation into one of the 19 Capital Area Food Bank collection boxes, placed in front of each structure. This year, the public was also able to vote online by making a donation to the Capital Area Food Bank.  

After the official judging was complete, the teams dismantled their designs. All canned goods were donated to the Capital Area Food Bank. In total, we received over 47,000 pounds of food and just over $4,000 in online donations. This incredible donation will allow us to provide nearly 49,000 meals to children, seniors and families at risk of hunger in our community.

Thank you to all 19 firms that participated in the much anticipated CANstruction.

URS Corporation

SmithGroupJJR

Robert Silman Associates

EYP Architecture and Engineering

CLARK NEXSEN

HOK

Rippeteau Architects, PC

HARTMAN-COX ARCHITECTS

Wiencek + Associates

RTKL

GENSLER

GPI/ Greenman-Pedersen, Inc.

Cannon Design

AECOM

MV + A Architects

Stantec Architecture Inc.

LEO A DALY

HDR Architecture

David M. Schwarz Architects

We are so thankful for your support!

Read more here!

For many busy nonprofits, getting involved in public policy through advocacy may seem overwhelming.  But it doesn’t have to be.  The 2011 Northern Virginia Hunger Summit is an opportunity for you to see how simple, yet powerful public policy can be.  The one-day summit will be held Friday, September 30, 2011 at the First Baptist Church of Alexandria.  You will learn the tools you need to reach out to decision makers and make a difference in your community. 

While this isn’t our first hunger summit, it is our first time doing an advocacy training at this level and we are very excited.  This year’s summit will not only be a great opportunity to learn about policy, but will also be an opportunity to meet special guests Ken Cuccinelli, Attorney General of Virginia; Frank Wolf, Virginia Congressman;  Gerry Connolly, Virginia Congressman; and a staff member for Mary Cheh, DC Councilmember.  Representatives from the United States Department of Agriculture and Bread for the World will also attend.

At the summit you will learn the importance of establishing relationships with legislators, how to deliver testimony, strategies for developing your policy plans and how to incorporate lobbying into your organizational mission.  Sessions at the summit will include “Planning your Public Policy Campaign,” “Developing a Passion for Public Policy,” “Lobbying is Not a Four-Letter Word” and “Food Co-ops for Sustainable Change.”

While the event is free, you must register to attend.  Please click here to register.   The event will begin at 8:30am.  We hope to see you at this one-of-a-kind event!