Cooking Matters, a program sponsored by Share our Strength that teaches healthy eating on a budget to families at risk, published It’s Dinnertime: A Report on Low-Income Families’ Efforts to Plan, Shop for, and Cook Healthy Meals which debunks many assumptions about the dining habits of low-income families. The report is encouraging for nutrition educators and SNAP advocates alike as it demonstrates that families on tight budgets want to eat healthily and look for meal preparedness tips.

Well, if low-income folks aren’t regularly using their EBT cards to shovel in Big Bufords at the local Checkers then what are they doing? Of those sampled, “78% of families report eating at home most or every day (i.e., five or more times a week), and 2/3 of families report eating together most of every day.”

The report also goes into detail about perceived barriers to healthy eating. For example, those sticker shocked by the cost of fresh produce tend to underestimate the nutritional benefits in canned or frozen fruit and vegetables which are much more affordable.

The bottom line suggests the demand for healthy eating among low-income families is great and attainable. It comes down to education. By empowering people with nutrition education and tips for meal preparation, families will likely choose options that provide the best nourishment possible.

So, during your next visit to a Safeway in your neighborhood, please take advantage of this unique opportunity to Round Up Hunger and help someone in need. Thank you, Safeway, for making a big difference in the lives of our neighbors facing hunger.

Picture this—you’re lining up at the local food pantry’s weekly grocery distribution expecting to get a bag filled with dried macaroni, peanut butter and canned tuna.  To your excitement, the bag you receive is filled with fresh produce—plump and fragrant tomatoes, bright orange carrots and crisp lettuce.  What’s more, you find out that in addition to being fresh and delicious, these vegetables were grown without the use of pesticides and other harmful chemicals on a farm just beyond the District lines in suburban Maryland.  This kind of experience is part of the magic of the From the Ground Up Fresh Produce Grant which is run by the Capital Area Food Bank’s Healthy Eating Department. 

Here at the food bank, the New Year marks a new season of the fresh produce grant program.  In 2012, many of our partner agencies will apply for one of about ten spots in the program and will allow the organizations to receive produce biweekly from Clagett Farm in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.  Partner agencies will be selected based on a number of criteria, specifically their capacity to pick up, store and distribute the produce granted to them.   The program’s development over the years has allowed the grant’s scope to widen to include distribution of produce sourced from Waterpenny Farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley and from the Parkside Farmers Market right here in Washington, D.C. 

You may be asking yourself, “What good would all of this fantastic produce be without knowledge on how to best use it?”  This is why the Healthy Eating department devotes a lot of time and resources to developing educational programs for clients and capacity building workshops for partners to ensure that the link between fresh produce and health is very clear.  One of our departmental goals is to ensure that hunger is alleviated with healthy food and knowledge on how to use this food to its full potential.

His words continue to call us to do right. 

As the staff gathered in the food bank’s conference room, many shared their experiences working at the food bank.  A new member of the CAFB family, Roxann Seals, offered the following sentiments:

“On December 12, 2011, I became the 100^th member of the CAFB.  In my short time here I have been welcomed and made to feel a part of the CAFB family!

With the expansion of the food bank, I have the opportunity to be a part of history. I have a passion for life and moving forward; I am so very pleased to be part of the team that is moving the food bank forward to its rightful place as the premier food bank in the country!”

So heeding Dr. King’s word, we here at the food bank recognize the overwhelming suffering that people in our community face today and dedicate our energies to ensuring that all may eat and be a part of this grand family called the United States of America. 

Today, the need for the Capital Area Food Bank is greater than ever.  Hunger in the region has increased by over 25 percent and is persistent.  It’s an absolute tragedy that what started as a temporary relief effort has become a community institution.

In 1980, we were determined to strengthen and expand the network of community-based social service agencies that provided food and assistance to the needy.  The answer was a region-wide food bank that would have the ability to collect, store and distribute items. Last year, the CAFB distributed 30 million pounds of food, including 15 million pounds of fresh produce, through over 700 partner agencies located throughout the Washington metro region.

 As we face another dramatic increase in hunger Annie Gowen reminds in a recent Washington Post article, “About two-thirds of the public now believes there are strong conflicts between the rich and poor in America, making class a likelier source of tension than traditional flash points of race or nationality, a study from the Pew Research Center found.”

In response to this critical situation, the Capital Area Food Bank began construction on a new $37 million distribution center in January of 2011 that will enable us to double our current storage and distribution capacity over time. When the new facility is complete this June, the Capital Area Food Bank will relocate to Puerto Rico Ave., NE – a short walk from our current warehouse on Taylor Street, NE.

 A bigger facility means that we can distribute a higher quantity and quality of food.  It also means that our nutrition education and outreach programs, which address the root causes of hunger, can be expanded.  Our new warehouse space will be a large as two football fields, twice the size of our current space.  This means we can eventually accept and distribute twice as much food to our neighbors.

 Features and fixtures such as motion sensor lights, low-flow faucets, and solar panels – donated by BP – mean over $70,000 in energy cost savings per year – savings that leave us with more resources to help our neighbors.

 Many of our 700 partner agencies are very small nonprofit groups with few resources available to develop their own capacities to serve clients.  Our new Technology and Resource Center will house stations where agencies can place online food orders and apply for grants via the web.

With room to grow our base of volunteers – currently over 14,000 – we can provide them with special stations for sorting food.  They can place rice, beans and other nutritious bulk items into small containers for easy client access.

 New space will be provided for classrooms, along with commercial and teaching kitchens. The Kids Cafe program can provide a greater variety of after-school meals and snacks.  More seniors will receive much needed food through the Brown Bag Program.

We are grateful for the opportunity of providing an essential community service to the Washington metro area for the past 32 years. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his words have always inspired me.  Now, more than ever, they guide us and our mission, “True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.” 

Two thousand twelve marks the Capital Area Food Bank’s 32nd anniversary.  In our years of service, we have seen the ebb and flow of the economy, changes in government policies, the erosion of jobs and many other forces that have overwhelmed hundreds of thousands of residents here in the Washington metro area.

The food bank is continuously working to ensure that everyone has access to quality, nutritious food.  We could not do our work without the support of the community.  As we embark on a new year, we must continue to work together to ensure that all may eat and that all may be heatlhy.

Remember hunger never takes a vacation. 

While home for winter break from my sophomore year at the University of South Carolina, I decided to forego my usual activities which normally consist of being glued to the TV catching up on my latest shows, devouring home-cooked meals and generally basking in the comforts of home. Instead, I am spending my vacation working as a volunteer at the Capital Area Food Bank.

This week I had the opportunity of experiencing first-hand all of the hard work that goes into volunteering in the food bank’s distribution center. I was immediately greeted by David McCall, the “Salvage Coordinator,” who taught me all about the ins and outs of volunteering in the warehouse. His fast-paced tone and quick-moving demeanor made it obvious that he had a lot of experience in this position and was capable of reciting instructions multiple times an hour.

I, along with 20 to 30 other volunteers, stuffed boxes of food that will be distributed to 700 of the food bank’s partner agencies located throughout the region. As a first-timer, it was stunning to see the immense amount of food that is being distributed. From baking goods to massive boxes of produce, there was enough food to feed a small town. That is basically what the Capital Area Food Bank does, distributes annually 30 million pounds of food to 478,000 hungry people.

I soon realized that taking some time to volunteer goes farther than I ever imagined. Needless to say, contributing to the community is a much more comforting feeling than simply lying around on my living room couch all week. If you’re interested in making a difference, join me and, click here.

The most dramatic change that I’ve experienced is the 173 percent increase in callers this fall over the same period in 2010. There is also a wider range of callers, including active military, veterans, seniors, people experiencing tragedies or job loss, and even those who formerly donated to the food bank, but are now in need of food. These clients all have different requests, and I always do my best to help them, whether it’s directing them to fresh produce, canned or dried goods. And, I always listen.

Sometimes when conducting an initial intake over the phone I can tell the caller really appreciates just having someone to talk to. Don’t get me wrong, these clients need food desperately, but those who are struggling through these situations alone often need to explain their circumstances to someone. One time before I even got a chance to call a client back with information about where she could receive food, she told me how much it helped just to have someone listen.

Sometimes it’s hard for me to look at anything other than the big picture, the volume of calls the Hunger Lifeline is answering, but I have to remind myself that callers are individuals in need and not merely numbers. To their credit our volunteers reinforce this important aspect of our work. If you’re interested in volunteering to answer the Hunger Lifeline, please click here and scroll to the bottom of the page to learn how to sign up. By taking the time to listen to our clients, you will completely turn their days around. And, who knows, it may turn your day around, as well.

The Capital Area Food Bank is participating in these working groups to ensure the “sustainability of our future” and make DC a healthier, more livable city. We work to increase not only the percentage of fresh produce that we distribute to the community but also what we acquire from Mid-Atlantic farmers. An important aspect of our mission is educating young people and adults alike about the importance of healthy eating in long term well-being To emphasize this message, we provide the tools and training to help more people turn health values into chosen lifestyles. We create direct links between area farms and our partner agencies, helping them “share the harvest” of sustainably grown food with their clients.

Our move next year into the CAFB’s new distribution center will give us the opportunity to further support Mayor Gray’s sustainability aspirations. Increased energy efficiency, innovative water and waste management and intentional planning around decreasing our ecological foot print are some of the ways in which the food bank will model sustainability focused change and development. Most importantly, our new distribution center will augment our capacity to provide healthy food to the communities we work with to alleviate hunger and increase our ability to contribute to the creation of a Sustainable DC.

Support the food bank’s sustainability by donating to our Share the Harvest Gift Program this holiday season and consider sharing your voice in the Mayor’s Sustainable DC visioning process. For more information click here.

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: