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Posted by Amy Johnson | February 11th, 2010

Amy Johnson is the Emerson Hunger Fellow at Bread for the City.

After the initial fun of our record-breaking storm (call it a snowpocalypse, a snowsplosion, a snowmageddon…) the reality of the aftermath is uncomfortable and even scary. With many streets un-plowed, power outages across the region, and public transportation running minimally, we at Bread for the City haven’t been unable to open for much of this week.

This year, we’ve been closed to client services on Fridays — but with some luck we’ll make an exception tomorrow, and open with as much capacity as we can muster. Many of our clients really need the help.

Consider Michael Mack, a gentleman living in Anacostia. “We’re in a community where the stores aren’t nearby. We have the corner stores to get what you need, but oh you pay for that.” Michael came to us last week to stock up on groceries in advance of the storm — since he figured it would be easier to wait out the weather. But that was before the situation stretched into a week and beyond. I called Michael yesterday, and he expressed frustration: “I’m out of food. I went last Friday to get food, but now there’s none left and there’s now way out. There are buses running, but not near me and where I need to go.”

Posted by Amy Johnson | January 21st, 2010

In celebration of their 30th Anniversary, the Capital Area Food Bank hosted a Hunger Policy Forum last Friday, January 15 at the offices of The Washington Post. Entitled, “Ideas & Inspirations for the Future,” the forum centered on a discussion by local and national experts about hunger in our nation and in the nation’s capital.

A few central themes emerged from the discussion. First and foremost among them was the notion that hunger is a problem that we can solve. Jim Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), noted that “the recession is the worst since the 30’s, but we’re rich enough to end hunger overnight. It’s a political problem.”

In other words, as a society we are capable of ending hunger. But do we have the will? And what roles do food pantries play in the problem?

“The time has come to maximize our impact in the political arena,” added Janet Poppendieck, professor at City University in New York and author of several books on poverty, but this mandate has a double edge: if we fail in that, Poppendieck said, then we “allow the marginally concerned to feel much better about hunger, and we are in danger of functioning as a moral safety valve.”

The other theme I noticed was that this potential political willpower for the pursuit of policy change can only be realized through the development of community. John Cook of the Boston Medical Center noted that we are infringing upon a “great awakening in the United States about our community.” He spoke hopefully about the opportunity that could come with a dawning awareness that “we are not individuals pursuing our own needs, but rather we are all connected.”

Posted by Amy Johnson | November 25th, 2009

Today was the Feast of Sharing at the Washington Convention Center, and what a wild event it was. Thousands of people milled around, ate a delicious (and free) Thanksgiving meal, and visited the various tables that had a wide variety of employers, social service outreach efforts, medical screenings, and other services. It was difficult to navigate the various corridors of the center, and there was some confusion about what was happening, and where. However, amid the music and food and festivities, I saw a wide variety of people finding real assistance and opportunities.

At the DC Hunger Solutions/Bread For the City tables, we had two objectives. We provided information about SNAP (the new acronym for Food Stamps), and asked visitors to sign a postcard that we’ll send to President Obama stating that we support his decision to end childhood hunger by 2015. In return for a free pen, we asked people to provide a few ideas about how we can reach this goal. I was surprised at how many people were excited to sign the cards and provide their thoughts (or at least work a bit to get a free pen) and the responses had an impressively wide range. People’s ideas included increasing industry and jobs, expanding the pool of people eligible for food stamps, stimulating more grocery stores, emphasizing education and self-sufficiency, supporting family planning, reducing military spending, and many other interesting and often very innovative responses. Perhaps what we need is a little of all these ideas.

For especially enthusiastic people, we gave them an “End Hunger 2015” pin while they posed with a stunning life-size cut-out of President Obama. We hope that these personable shots will demonstrate (to the public, and to our leaders) the face of those signing cards in advocacy for change.

There’s another thing that struck me about the event: when the volunteers went upstairs to receive our own Thanksgiving meal, we were directed to a section in back, set far back from the general public. The separation was so clearly delineated (behind giant curtains!) that it struck me as an instance of the very patterns that segregate our community and perpetuate inequality. Our group attempted to break out of this barrier a little by sitting at one of the general tables — but to our demerit, we didn’t talk much with our neighbors. Mainly just gobbled our food and skedaddled. It struck me that the social structures that divide us are so pervasive, even when it simply comes to sharing a communal meal. I think it’s important for us to find ways to breach these barriers, in order to build more inclusive and supportive communities. A bit of food for thought on the eve of this Thanksgiving…

Posted by Amy Johnson | November 23rd, 2009

This Wednesday, DC residents will have an opportunity to get a head-start (and, in many cases, a much-needed lift) into the Thanksgiving holiday.

The annual “Feast of Sharing” will be held at the Convention Center from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm. Sponsored by Safeway and the Salvation Army, the event will include a free Thanksgiving meal, health screenings, flu vaccinations, give-a-ways, a job fair and training opportunities. Transportation is provided from three different locations within the city in order to expand access to as many different sectors of the city as possible. Attendance is estimated at 40,000 people.

As someone consulting with Bread for the City’s food pantry, I’ve learned that food itself can be a key incentive that attracts people to a centralized location at which they can then access a wide range of other critical services. Here, folks will be able to have themselves a hearty holiday meal — and then go directly on to find employment and health resources.

A number of organizations involved in the anti-hunger community plan to set up tables to provide services and information. The Common Good City Farm hopes to be represented and DC Hunger Solutions plans to disseminate information about food stamps and school meals. Their plan is to have a space for a listening session, through which community members can share their ideas on how to improve community food security. We hope they’ll report some of that feedback to the DC Food For All!

Event Info:
Feast of Sharing
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Washington Convention Center, Hall D
801 Mount Vernon Place, NW
9:30 am – 2:30 pm

For more information, please call or email Faith Williams at (202) 422-8968, feastofsharing@hotmail.com. See the flyer here.

Posted by Amy Johnson | November 10th, 2009

A couple of weeks ago, residents of the small town in Lantana, Florida organized in protest of USPS’s plans to close their local post office. Their organizing tactics were pretty unusual: they sent hundreds of protest coconuts by mail – one by one – to the Postmaster General’s office in L’enfant Plaza. Last week, Bread for the City received a call to ask if we would accept the many mail bins full of tropical fruit.

Given our recent Nutrition Initiative to bring more fresh produce into our food pantry, we figured this was an opportunity we could not refuse.

But it turns out that opening a coconut is quite a labor-intensive process, and there are very particular ways in which you can use its innards. I had never actually held a real coconut in my hand, and had no idea where to begin. Needless to say, the same goes for most of our clients.

In order to ensure that our customers weren’t as clueless as I, we handed out a flier with step-by-step directions on how to puncture, drain the juice, and eventually crack and cut up the coconut.

• Place the coconut on a hard surface that won’t damage, such as a cutting board.
• Find the soft “eye” of the coconut.
• Screw the coconut’s eye with a corkscrew, or hammer a nail through the eye.
• Place the coconut over a bowl with the eye face down to let the water drain.
• Keep the juice for use in cooking.
• Put the coconut in a plastic bag and smash it on a concrete floor, or wrap it securely in a towel and hammer it a few times. Take it out of the bag or unwrap the towel. (Cooking the coconut in the oven at 375 for 20-30 minutes after draining may make it easier to crack open.)
• Cut the white meat away from the shell with a knife. Rinse and drain. It should store well in an airtight container for 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.

But once you’ve drained your coconut and opened it, then what? Well, you can use the coconut a number of ways. On the back of the flier, we included a few interesting and (relatively) easy suggestions.

First, the drained coconut juice is the healthiest part of the nut. Add a little milk and honey, and you’ve got yourself a cup of nature’s Gatorade!

Additionally, coconut meat can be used in many different dishes if it’s grated or cut up, added almost like another vegetable in the dish (but remember, it’s a nut). We included an easy recipe for coconut meat curry that can be made with a variety of different proteins and produce.

And, perhaps most delicious of all, you can make your very own coconut milk. (It’s not to be confused with the juice that’s naturally in the nut–coconut milk is made from the meat.) Add a cup or two of simmering water to finely grated/shredded meat, puree the mixture, and then strain the liquid through a strainer or cheesecloth. The refined liquid you get is pure, precious coconut milk that you can use to drink, supplement a smoothie, drizzle on a desert, add to a delightful dish (especially Indian or Thai recipes), and more. We included this recipe on the flier as well, although in practice I think this procedure is a little more challenging than it appears.

Armed with documentation of how to use the coconuts, we set up a distribution spot. The scene at the food pantry front desk looked a little comical, with two bins brimming with coconuts decorated with postage and pleas from Lantana residents. Atop the pile of cocunuts we placed a poster of palm trees: the food pantry suddenly looked more like a travel agency.

As the doors opened, customers gathered around the bin, browsing through coconuts of various shapes and sizes, occasionally giving one a good shake to hear the slosh of juice inside. One woman was exuberant: “My son’s going to have a field day with this!” Another customer examined his coconut and declared, “It’s gold. It’s going to be gone fast.”

A few people mentioned that it wasn’t worth the effort, or that they didn’t have a taste for coconuts. But overall, our clients wanted to try this new and unique item. We also shared information about the health benefits of eating coconuts. Coconuts are rich in fiber and calories. And although the fat in coconuts is saturated, it is composed of beneficial medium-chain fatty acids–especially Lauric acid–that boost the immune system.

One man was thrilled to hear this, saying “If it helps the immune system, it’ll work for me. I need that!”

We hope everyone enjoys the experience. Lantana, you timed your protest perfectly. You’re giving our customers not just a tropical taste but also an unusual way to prepare for the flu season!

Posted by Amy Johnson | November 4th, 2009

Posted by Amy Johnson | November 2nd, 2009

Amy Johnson is an Emerson National Hunger Fellow, working with Bread for the City to research issues pertaining to food and community health.

A couple of years ago, after a series of conversations about the need for more healthy food in our client communities, Bread for the City decided that our food pantry should walk the same walk that our medical clinic talks. Thus began a nutrition initiative that ultimately led to an overhaul of our entire pantry menu.

Changes to the menu included fewer processed meats, and less red meat. More whole grains, dry beans, fruits canned without heavy syrup, as well as low sodium canned beans and vegetables. We’ve changed our wish list of donated foods to promote healthy eating by discouraging foods that can contribute to disease and encouraging foods that are consistent with the advice patients get from practitioners in our medical clinic. And of course, one of the most dramatic changes: the inclusion of fresh produce in every bag. (This was largely made possible through our gleaning program, Glean for the City.)

Input from our clients was and is essential in this process. Two surveys were administered to gauge client interests — one in 2008, as the transition began, and one last month. During this second survey process, we’ve found some results that we’d like to share.

One of the most revealing questions was, “What item do you appreciate the most?“

In our recent survey, meat/chicken/fish had the highest frequency, receiving 101 responses, or 26 percent of the selections. That’s to be expected – given the cost and societal value associated with meat in our society. However, this result reflects a decrease of 16 percentage points from our survey last year, when meat/chicken/fish received 42 percent of the responses. Though meat remains at the top of the list of our clients’ preferences, we can our community has begun to take more interest in the variety of our other offerings.

In our 2009 survey, fresh fruit and vegetables came in as a close runner-up to the top choice of meat/chicken/fish with about 20 percent. But when we combine preferences of fresh or canned options, preference for fruit+veg rises to 36 percent — higher than meat! Additionally, this statistic rose by 12 percent throughout the year, potentially because of the increase in fresh fruits and vegetables due to our gleaning program. (We must also note that this question’s format differed slightly from year to year, which likely affected the results to some degree.)

Another question that received interesting responses was, “Would you choose to get less meat/chicken/fish if you instead got a larger amount of food overall?“

Meat is the most expensive kind of item in our pantry, and our hope is that we could reduce the quantity of meat we purchase in order to purchase more of a variety of other items. At 55 percent, a majority of respondents circled “yes”: they would prefer less meat in exchange for more food, whereas 41 percent responded “no,” and 4 percent provided no response. These numbers are slightly different from 2008, in which 49 percent responded “yes,” 37 percent responded “no” (14 percent no response). The gap between “yes” and “no” widened by only 2 percentage points between 2008-2009 – but we are encouraged and will continue to look into the opportunity for more individual choice among the various items on our menu.

As an endnote, it was wonderful to receive many positive comments about the food pantry: “I really appreciate what you are doing for the people, thanks!”