The Volunteer Programs department is always looking for new ways to create more opportunities for volunteers and improve the volunteer experience. This is why we created our Weekend Leader program this spring. Weekend Leaders are trained volunteers that come out to the food bank one Saturday each month to help lead volunteer groups.

This program launched in March, and we have brought on five volunteers to serve as Weekend Leaders. The Weekend Leaders role is to serve alongside a staff member to lead orientations, direct volunteers, and help with overall logistics. These individuals get a behind-the-scenes view of our department, and get to help us on our busiest day of the week.

So far, having the Weekend Leaders has allowed us to increase productivity on the weekends and streamline the volunteer process. What’s even more exciting is that our Weekend Leaders have enjoyed their experiences so much, they have all signed up to come out for a 2^nd, 3^rd or even 4^th time! Below is a picture of Chi Pang Cheung, one of our first Weekend Leaders who has been out to help three times over the last two months.

We are currently seeking more Weekend Leaders to help us with our Saturday volunteers. Its very easy to get involved – just visit our Ambassador Volunteer website to read the full job description. The next step is filling out the Ambassador Volunteer application, and then a member of the Volunteer Programs team will call you to set everything up. We hope to see you out in our warehouse soon!

If you were not at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in your denim on March 28th for the 7^th Annual Blue Jeans Ball – you missed a tasty event!  The ball was in a new location this year and I think it worked in our favor!  The guests seemed to enjoy the savory dishes, stand out cake designs and creatively packaged auction items.  The theme that carried through the evening was our 30^th Anniversary.  This was definitely a special night for the food bank! 

Savory smells filled the room from top restaurants like Central Michel Richard, PS 7s, Eatonville and Ris.  The favorites of the night were definitely the lamb chops from Goodstone Inn, burgers from the Marriott Wardman Park and cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake.  A long time supporter and donor of the food bank, The Best Cookie also had great time as guests flocked to her table to sample her delicious cookies!  We had a little something for everyone.  The talk of the night was also the “Parade of Cakes” challenge, which was a museum like display of unique dessert designs from chefs like Michel Richard, Josh Short from Buzz Bakery and Heather Mackey from the Marriott.  All the cakes were great, but there could only be one winner.   Barton Farnsworth from Cake FX, who created a “Most Wanted” cake design which was inspired by the food bank’s Most Wanted Items list, took home the honors.

Other highlights of the evening were the “30 baskets for 30 years” displayed during the Silent Auction, which were created in honor of our 30^th Anniversary.  BJ Jennings, professional auctioneer, also brought a lively touch to the event exciting guests to bid, bid and bid some more!  We raised over $50,000 on the Silent and Live auction!

This year’s Blue Jeans Ball was definitely our most successful event – breaking records with an income of $217,000.  Guests came in their favorite jeans, sampled delicious foods while supporting the Capital Area Food Bank.  It was a memorable night for sure!

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.

1. Our dedicated staff.  A lot of people work for a paycheck.  These people work for a cause, and one they truly believe in.
2. Our board of directors.  I am often amazed at the time, effort and energy these folks spend on assisting with the work of the food bank, and the personal commitment they make to the success of our mission. 
3. Our mission, which is to feed those who suffer from hunger in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area by acquiring food and distributing it through our network of member agencies; and to educate, empower and enlighten the community about the issues of hunger and nutrition.
4. That our cause is hunger, a basic human need, not a want or a luxury.
5. Our regional approach to hunger, addressing not only DC but also MD and VA.
6. We support 700 feeding organizations, many of which couldn’t survive without the food bank.
7. That the food bank brings together fierce grocery competitors like Safeway, Giant, Harris Teeter, Shoppers and Whole Foods.  All these companies support the food bank and all are represented on our board. 
8. The food bank was founded on faith-based principles.  In fact, it’s based on the practice of gleaning, which is a Biblical concept.



9. That we do more than just provide food, but as our mission states, we educate, empower and enlighten the community on the issue of hunger.
10. Our volunteers.  Last year we had over 12,000 people volunteer at the food bank.
11. We focus not only on providing food, but nutritious food. 
12. Fresh produce.  Of the 25 million pounds of food we distributed last year, nearly 7 million pounds were fresh produce.
13. Much of the fresh produce is from the Claggett Farm in Maryland, where we work with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to bring sustainably grown fresh produce to underserved communities



14. Broad base of our support.  It comes from companies and individuals, many of whom are sending small amounts to us weekly or monthly.
15. Despite the dire economy, people have recognized the need and our contributions have actually increased as the economy has become worse.  It restores my faith in human generosity.
16. That we were named the best food bank operating on the east coast by Feeding America, the national organization for over 200 food banks.
17. We have a warehouse in Northern Virginia to better meet the needs of our agencies there. 
18. Blue Jeans Ball, our annual fundraising event.
19. The Bountiful Harvest Breakfast.
20. That our mission is to feed people, but our goal is that we will no longer be needed.
21. That three US Presidents visited the food bank – both Presidents Bush and Bill Clinton — AND one of our recent volunteers, Michelle Obama, promised to bring her husband next time she comes.



22. Hunger is a bi-partisan, non-partisan issue.  Republicans, Democrats and Independents agree.  Food banks are an indispensable part of the community and need our support.
23. That our Capital Campaign that has been, although frustrating at times, ultimately uplifting because of the support we’ve received.  Fingers crossed we may be breaking ground again, this time for real, in a couple of months.
24. The support of Don Graham, one of our Capital Campaign co-chairs, and the support of the Graham Foundation, as well as the Washington Post. 
25. The support of Bill Marriott, one of our Capital Campaign co-chairs, and the wonderful support of the Marriott Foundation and Marriott Hotels.
26. The support of Abe Pollin, one of our Capital Campaign co chairs, and a very active supporter of the food bank.  He loved us, and we loved him.  He will be missed.
27. Despite the limitations and challenges of our small, out-dated, one-dock warehouse and cramped office conditions, our staff still gets it done every day!
28. We fill a need in this city and region that could not be replaced if we did not exist.
29. That the food bank has survived for 30 years!
30. Last but not least, I love Lynn Brantley.

Last year, our Mobile Food Pantries distributed 6.8 million pounds of fresh produce to low-income seniors, families, and individuals. Many of these people do not have regular access to fresh produce or grocery stores, which is why the Mobile Food Pantry program is so important. This spring, we are expanding the program to include dry milk, pantry staples, and USDA products in addition to fresh produce. We need your help to make this happen!

Community members at a Mobile Food Pantry:

Mobile Food Pantries occur during the weekday and last two hours at various sites throughout D.C. We are looking for volunteers to commit to at least one distribution per month. Volunteers will register clients to receive non-perishable foods, answer questions, and help distribute food. This is a great way to get out in the community and interact with recipients of our programs.

If you are interested in becoming a Mobile Food Pantry volunteer, you can view the full job description here. Just fill out an Ambassador Volunteer application and submit it to volunteer@capitalareafoodbank.org. Once we receive the application, we’ll contact you to set up your first Mobile Food Pantry. Thank you for helping us expand our program and serve more people!

It seems like agencies that serve underprivileged people are always stretched to their limits.  So our challenge with the FGU program is to help agencies to learn about how to grow, store, and prepare fresh produce in a way that is exciting, but also manageable for busy agency staff members. Ultimately, our goal is to not only provide healthy food to front line organizations, but to help them become their own source of fresh produce through farmers markets, urban gardening, and partnerships with local growers.

Some agencies are a little hesitant at first, but they get the hang of it in no time. After two years of participating in the FGU Fresh Produce Grant, Martha’s Table has started growing their own produce on location! Last summer they built raised, movable garden beds in an underutilized parking lot by their trash bins.  This will be a learning tool for the kids in their daycare program. Bounty from the garden will supplement the produce received from Clagett farm to help feed kids in the daycare, as well as folks from the “McKenna’s Wagon” mobile food pantry. Growing in the beds are wax beans, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, kale, celery, morning glories, and lots of herbs. They even built a trashcan compost which can be easily rolled for aeration.  Check out the Martha’s Table post to see the whole story of their urban garden adventure!

Aromatic herbs help deter the smell from the trash bins behind them.

Can you believe they did all this in a matter of weeks? Go Martha’s Table!

The FGU Fresh Produce Grant is a partnership project of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Clagett Farm and the CAFB with the goal of providing up to 50% of Clagett’s harvest to low-income individuals in the Washington, DC metro area.  We invite you to help us Share the Harvest by contributing to this wonderful collaboration. For more information about the FGU Fresh Produce Grant, or to get an application for your CAFB agency visit our FGU page.

 The Event

Children sat coloring the food pyramid as donors, OSSE representatives, long-time volunteers, and advocacy partners from Feeding America and DC Hunger Solutions were welcomed in to the site. 

We had four speakers at our event.  Lynn spoke to the group about the importance of food and our work in the community.  I spoke to the group about the ongoing goals of Kids Cafe.  Steve Park spoke to the group about the children’s programs at Little Lights Urban Ministries and the impact that Kids Cafe will make at their site.  Daniel Nestel discussed the volunteer projects his family leads at Beth El Temple and why he finds this work so important.

After the speakers, Jeff Poch led the children in a nutrition activity talking about the food groups.  Then he and the children made guacamole and the salsa for tacos.  The children enjoyed a dinner of bean and turkey tacos with lots of veggies on whole-wheat tortillas, a side of fruit salad, triscuits, and milk and juice. 

This year, the Capital Area Food Bank will commemorate 30 years of service to Washington metro area.  As we enter another year and another decade, I say “thank you” to our generous supporters. Whether you volunteered, donated funds, donated food, attended an event or even just wished us well, we appreciate you.

It’s hard to believe that when we started the food bank on January 15, 1980 our services would be in even greater demand 30 years later.  Even before this current economic crisis hit, our partner agencies were seeing increased need.  Now they are reporting increases up to 200 percent!  We were receiving more calls to our Hunger Lifeline, an emergency food referral system, before the economic downturn – and now those calls are up 91 percent.  We are indeed in the midst of difficult times.

But the food bank is committed to serving those in need no matter how long it takes.  Over the years we’ve distributed over $500 million worth of food into the community, but we realize that addressing hunger takes more than simply providing food. The CAFB has grown to offer a wide range of nutrition education courses, Food Stamp (now called SNAP) outreach, cooking classes, gardening skills and so much more.  Yet, it’s not enough.  We need you, our supporters, to continue helping. We invite you get involved and engage your friends and families in the issue of hunger.  How? You can hold a food drive, hold a fundraiser, volunteer in our warehouse, attend our upcoming Hunger Policy Forum on Jan. 15, teach a cooking class, tour our warehouse, write about the food bank in your blog or even tweet about us.  Let everyone know that hunger is unacceptable.

Nourishing the thousands of families, seniors, children and individuals suffering from hunger in our area takes more than the food bank – it takes the entire community.  So as we move into 2010 let us come together to ensure that the most basic human right – food – is guaranteed to all.

P.S. My colleague, Joel Berg, executive director of the New York Coalition Against Hunger, recently wrote an important letter to President Obama.  His ideas are relevant, insightful and offer concrete solutions to addressing hunger. I invite you to read it here and share it with others.

Share the Harvest is an innovative collaboration between the Capital Area Food Bank and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. This collaboration enables the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Clagett Farm to distribute up to 50% of its annual harvest to low-income families and underserved communities in the Washington metro area.

This past harvest season, Capital Area Food Bank partner, SOME (So Others Might Eat), used Clagett Farm produce in meals served to clients at residential addiction treatment programs. SOME received over 2,400 lbs of produce throughout the 26 week harvest season, but numbers can’t measure the entirety of the program’s impact as expressed by Brian Bilenki of SOME:

“Part of our mission is to serve people with respect and dignity. Serving people fresh, chemical-free produce gives our clients worth. It restores dignity to them. Food is ingrained in people; it’s so much of who they are. There’s nothing more nutritious than the food received from Clagett Farm, and we are showing our clients that they deserve to receive it.” -Brian Bilenki, SOME

Share the meaningful gift of local, sustainably grown produce for our neighbors in need! Help us Share the Harvest in 2010 and donate in honor of a friend or family member this holiday season.  Click here for more information or Donate Now!