Archive for May, 2010

Posted by Julia Eddy | May 27th, 2010

June is short, so let’s seize the moment!

DC Food For All Workshop
Thursday June 3rd
6:00 – 8:00pm
Bread for the City
1525 7th St NW

Come be a part of the dialogue around food systems, justice, and access to healthy & affordable food in the DC metro area. Workshop discussion topics range (everything and anything from policy to community potlucks, from urban ag to culture) and are shaped by the participants. Tell us what interests you! Explore the blog for more info.

RSVP or send questions to DCFoodforAll@gmail.com. When you do so, please let us know if you can bring something for potluck dinner and also share a bit about what interests you.

And bring a friend, spread the word to other folks who might dig what we’re doing!
Varying levels of experience always welcome.

Posted by Rhea Kennedy | May 27th, 2010

As a recent American Prospect article made clear, not all farmers markets are geared toward shoppers who need fresh fruits and vegetables the most. Yet two markets in the District have opened or expanded this season to address that critical constituency.

The Howard University Hospital (HUH) began hosting a twice-weekly farmers market Tuesday, May 11, and will continue to feature produce from Pennsylvania and North Carolina farmers each Tuesday from 3 to 7 p.m. and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the hospital courtyard. The hospital is located in Ward 1 at 2041 Georgia Avenue NW, near the Shaw/Howard University Metro and steps off several Metrobus routes. The market accepts WIC and Senior CSFP vouchers.

The purpose of the market, according to a Howard press release, is to help address the scarcity of fresh fruits and vegetables in African American communities. With its location in Ward 1, the campus is a good place to start. The market is a project of the program HUH CARES, and has been commended by Dr. Denia Tapscott, a bariatrician and program director for the Center for Wellness and Weight Loss Surgery, as a service that can address the obesity epidemic among African Americans. The market may get a mention as part of EBONY Magazine’s year-long coverage of the center.

The Ward 8 Farmers’ Market starts its season on Saturday, June 5. The market, which carries a social justice mission, is now entering its 12^th season of bringing fruits, vegetables, herbs, plants, and more from Pennsylvania and Maryland to the heart of Congress Heights.  The market will be held every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot of the old Congress Heights School at 500 Alabama Ave. SE, near the Anacostia and Congress Heights Metro stations on the green line. For years, this area suffered from a dearth of grocery stores but an abundance of small corner stores, where fresh food makes up only one percent of the offerings.

The market will expand this year, creating the only weekday farmers market east of the Anacostia River.  Beginning on June 8, it will operate from the parking lot of the United Medical Center at 1310 Southern Ave. SE near the Southern Avenue Metro station on the green line. The market will run each Tuesday from 3 to 7 p.m. through October. Also new this year is a website for the market: www.ward8farmersmarket.com.

Both Ward 8 Farmers’ Market locations will accept EBT cards issued in D.C., SNAP cards issued in Maryland, the new WIC Cash Value Checks (CVC), and other food assistance coupons such as those offered by the WIC and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program.

The market continues to provide vegetables and fruit to corner stores in Congress Heights, with the help of a grant from the Capital Area Food Bank, in exchange for the promise that they are sold to the public at reasonable prices.

Posted by Ed Bruske | May 27th, 2010

By Ed Bruske Contributing Editor The D.C. Council yesterday agreed to fully fund the recently approved “Healthy Schools” initiative, but not with the “soda tax” proposed by Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3). Rather, the city will begin imposing a more traditional sales tax of six percent on all soft drinks sold in the District. What, [...]

Posted by Ed Bruske | May 26th, 2010

By Ed Bruske Contributing Editor A proposed tax on soft drinks to fund “Healthy Schools” legislation appears to be on shaky ground at best and may be dead on arrival. Meanwhile, social service advocates are engaged in a mad scramble to stave off cuts to services for the poor. While some members of the D.C. [...]

Posted by Caitlin Krieck | May 25th, 2010

There’s been lots of talk here regarding the FY 2011 budget is the proposed D.C. Beverage Tax, a 1-cent-per-ounce tax on sugary-drinks and sodas in District grocery stores. Opponents have gained momentum and as Councilwoman Mary Cheh and her colleagues reconsider their options, I think it is important to look at the potential impacts this tax (and it’s alternatives) could have on Bread for the City clients and other vulnerable families in Washington, D.C.

The 1-cent-per-ounce tax was first proposed by the federal government last year– like the D.C. tax, the legislation would increase the cost of a 12-pack of soda by $1.44 and a 2-liter bottle by $0.68. Since then, 30 states have put a small sugary beverage tax into place, although only 2 (Arkansas and West Virginia) have taxes specifically on sodas. D.C. would be the third local government to impose such a tax on the voting public and despite reassurances from the Council, opposition has loomed large.

Mary Cheh, the councilwoman who first proposed the bill as part of her Healthy Schools Act of 2010, says the tax would generate between $6 million and $9 million, money earmarked for improved physical education programs, school nutrition and building grocery stores and farmers markets in the poorest Wards of the District (5, 6, 7, and 8).

The American Beverage Association (ABA), however, says this is not the way to raise money. “We understand that governments are facing tough budget challenges,” Susan K. Neely, president and CEO of the ABA, said, “but singling out one item for taxation completely misses the mark in having an effect on the national challenge of obesity.” And even the council members admit that the tax would have little if any impact on obesity itself. (In fact, studies show a tax would have to be as high as 18% to make any significant dent in obesity in the District). Additionally, opponents argue, the tax would negatively impact low-income families, who now, more than ever, cannot afford to pay more for their groceries.

And here, we get to the heart of the matter. As an employee of a local grocery store and an intern with Bread for the City, a local non-profit that provides food, medical, legal and social service to low-income D.C. residents, I have found this is an issue to be tackled head on, with facts in hand and an open mind.

Posted by Rebecca Kanter | May 25th, 2010

Similar to DC’s proposed soda tax (written about extensively on this blog, such as here), Baltimore City had proposed a bottle tax.

This seems to be a sales tax, rather than an excise tax, because beverage bottles are not of uniform size and “The [Baltimore City] administration has insisted that the bottle tax — which would exempt milk, juice and two-liter containers, would not unduly burden on residents.”
Revenue from the DC soda tax is righteously targeted to towards helping mitigate the chronic health problems that increased sugar-sweetened beverage intake both causes and magnifies, particularly among its most vulnerable consumers: children living in low-income areas (for example, Wards 7 and 8).
Meanwhile our neighbors, in East Baltimore (socio-economically similar to Wards 7 and 8), express their support for the Baltimore City “bottle tax” as a way to save city services.

Posted by Caryn Ernst | May 21st, 2010

Backyard hen advocates, Ali Savino, Bob Payne, Ed Bruske, Pat Foreman, Dong Kim and Caryn Ernst, met with the Mayor’s Deputy Director for Policy and Legislative Affairs, Jamal Anderson, and his staff Joseph Enten and Ashley Marshall on Wednesday, May 19. The Mayor’s Office was interested in the issue and optimistic about our prospects for [...]

Posted by Jody Tick | May 20th, 2010

What’s the Issue? 43% of students enrolled in city public schools are overweight or obese — one of the highest rates in the nation The District Government spends more than $400 million annually to treat obesity Childhood obesity causes diabetes, hypertension, liver disease, sleep apnea, heart disease and is linked with higher rates of cardiovascular disease [...]