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.” 

The Capital Area Food Bank is currently in need of volunteers for this Friday, January 6 from 1 – 4 pm; and Saturday, January 7 from 9 – 12 am.  We are looking for individuals or large groups to help pack bags for our Kids Cafe and Weekend Bag Programs. 

If you are still on vacation or just looking for a way to get involved in the community, please click here for more information.

The food bank always needs volunteers.  So the next time your school, organization, businesss or church is looking for a community service activity, stop by the food bank and donate your time.

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. 

She shared her thoughts on the issue of hunger via a White House blog:

Lynn continued:

To read the entire blog post, click here. 

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.

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:

With any purchase of Unto Others Jewelry, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the CAFB. 

Wharton partnered with the food bank earlier this year to help raise awareness about local hunger and has participated in numerous CAFB initiatives. 

So show off your unique sense of fashion and help the thousands of families, children and seniors in our community struggling to get one of life’s most basic needs – food.

In an effort to prioritize good health, the Capital Area Food Bank works with local farms, farmers markets and local food projects to get more fresh produce into the hands of our low-income neighbors.   Through Share the Harvest Gift Project, every dollar enables more families in this area to receive additional fresh produce and improve their health. 

When you purchase a gift in someone’s name, you’ve made it possible for us to partner with more local farms and purchase extra fresh produce for people in need.  It doesn’t stop there.  The Capital Area Food Bank offers a wide variety of nutrition education classes that help people make the most of the fresh produce they receive.  Additionally, youth are engaged through garden and cooking programs that weave the message of nutrition into tangible activities.   Your contribution helps us train leaders at social service organizations to be nutrition educators in their own communities. 

Please help us work for long-term solutions by sourcing locally grown produce and providing people with not only the healthiest food, but also the educational tools they need to improve their own health now and in the future.

To find out more about Share the Harvest please click here.

Photo Courtesy of Paul Kim

 Two judges from Food Network’s “Chopped” recently visited the P Street Whole Foods Market to  purchase food for the Capital Area Food Bank.  Chefs Marc Murphy and Amanda Freitag, in partnership with Share Our Strength and Whole Foods, shopped and collected food to help raise awareness of childhood hunger in America. 

My colleague, Brian Banks, and I even chipped in and helped load the Food Network truck with the donated products.  Through the initiative, the CAFB received the following items:

- 1,800 bags of rice
- 2,900 cans of tuna
- 8,600 cans of vegetables
- 11,500 cans of beans
- 1,400 jars of peanut butter
- 15,600 diapers
- 2,200 cans of soup

As part of Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, the Food Network is hosting food drives in Washington, D.C., areas of Baltimore and Philadelphia and will deliver 135,000 meals to those areas.  Throughout the holiday season, Food Network trucks will stop at local Whole Foods Markets to collect customer donations.

It is because of community partners like Whole Foods, Food Network and Share Our Strength, that the Capital Area Food Bank is able to feed the thousands of families, children and seniors struggling to get enough food to eat. 

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!