Posted by jef | December 4th, 2012

Providing food for DC’s most vulnerable residents is often our first priority when we look for ways to help members of our community. Although avoiding starvation is of primary importance, the sad truth is that food is usually only one of many challenges community members may face. Adequate shelter, medical attention, and basic transportation are all too often included in the list of basic human necessities that are out of reach for many of us.

Our cities are designed with automobiles as the primary mode of transportation in mind, which can make even simple tasks such as getting to work and picking up groceries challenge for some. Transit infrastructure, including the Metro and bus system, can help, but many low-income communities, often located far from dense city centers, are underserved by public transit.

AAA estimates that the average annual cost of car ownership is now close to $9,000, a sometimes inconceivable expense to families and individuals struggling to just to afford food and shelter. Limited access to transportation can make even getting to work a near impossibility, compounding many people’s financial burdens.

There are, however, ways to help reduce the cost of car ownership and increase access to affordable transportation. At Amovens.com, we allow car owners to “sell” seats in their cars to other members of the community in exchange for a small fee to help offset the costs of gas, tolls, parking, insurance and maintenance. Our goal is to help make car ownership more affordable for those who already own a vehicle, while providing affordable access to transportation for those who do not. Many drivers are willing to give others a lift to work for less than the cost of a single ride on the Metro. By making it easier to share limited transportation resources, we hope to make transportation both more accessible and more affordable for those most in need.

Ridesharing is not a complete solution to the transportation needs of vulnerable communities: we still need to provide more access to mass transit and work towards creating sustainable urban centers that do not require ownership of a vehicle to live. These improvements can take time, however, and for many people the need for better transportation options is acute. We hope to able to contribute in a small way to making transportation more accessible.

To find out more about Amovens, visit our website.

Posted by Joni Podschun | November 29th, 2012

Cross posted from HAFADC.com. Yeah, check it out. HAFADC.com.

Here’s a sneak peak at what HAFA has in store for DC Food Future next Saturday, December 8. Expect blog posts all next week describing the sessions and activities in more detail. Register here and donate to keep the event free and accessible for all.

Are you inspired? Want to help us make the day happen? Email hafadc@gmail.com to sign up to volunteer.

Posted by Zachari J. Curtis | November 21st, 2012

Posted by Zachari J. Curtis | November 7th, 2012

Posted by Zachari J. Curtis | October 26th, 2012

Check out this article by Erin O’Donnell about Real Food Real Jobs’ Food Day Event:

Christine Hamlett-Williams, who has worked in food service at American University for over 30 years and is currently an employee of Bon Appetit, delivered the event’s keynote address. Recollecting learning to plant, grow, and harvest food alongside her mother, Hamlett-Williams said, “I was born and raised in North Carolina. I worked as a sharecropper. So, trust me, I know what real food looks like. I’m more than just a cashier.” She said, “life is like a garden” and urged the event’s attendees to “plant seeds of kindness, respect, and peace” in their communities.

Local 23 is a union of food service and hotel workers fighting for better wages, employment protections and the right to cook real food for their customers. Workers at 5 Universities in the District are engaged in contract negotiations now. Read the full article here: Food Day in DC: “I know what real food looks like. I’m more than just a cashier.”.

Posted by Sheika Reed | October 23rd, 2012

“Look at all these Granolas.”

Sheika Reed

“Granolas” is the label that a friend of mine gave to people who are “Green.”  You know those granolas who recycle, wear clothing made from recycled materials, usually vegan or vegetarian. The people who conserve energy at every possible opportunity, maybe bike instead of drive to work, and are offended by the amount of paper wasted on newspapers and in office spaces. Those who can turn eco awareness into rocket science. Those people, or us rather, we are “Granolas”. The specific Granolas she was referring to were the ones in attendance of the the 2012 DC Green Festival.

I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to join the “granolas” from across the US of A, who converged on the Washington Convention Center over the weekend of the September 29th, for the annual DC Green Festival.

DC Green Festival

Vendors selling everything from flavored kale snacks to hybrid cars, even Vitamixers were all present and ready to share their Granola lives with the festivals attendees. Natuarally I loved the entire weekend, as I made my way through the crowds snatching every sample snack or  goody available, I felt overwhelmed by how welcoming everyone was. The festival’s attendees were graced with wise words from a wide array of speakers; Democracy Now’s  Amy Goodman told some intense stories from her adventures as an Independent Newscaster. Giving the audience in-depth details about the way Troy Davis’s supporters gave her support when officers attempted to block her from getting live coverage of the day Troy Davis received his lethal injection for a crime proven he didn’t commit. The rest of her time on the podium was spent plugging for her new book Breaking the Sound Barrier.

The Green (or Granola) Party’s presidential candidate Ralph Nader brought some gusto in his discussion of the lack of access to energy efficient options or “green” options. Nader expressed disappointment in the current US economic system stating “Corporations are not people! They are artificial entities created by our state governments. they were created to be our servants, not our masters.” Greg Palast revealed facts about the detrimental effects of GMO’s on American youth. A passionate NAACP president, Ben Jealous, gave the audience some perspective about ways that the same issues that sparked the civil rights movement are still prevalent within today’s society. A few other volunteers and I discussed the wide array of speakers, and we all settled on assuming that the festival’s organizers were reaching out to a wider range of people to attend the event. There was even a Green hip-hop performance by a rapper named Ietef.

Naturally, the “Good Food Stage” was my favorite. Presentations on making vegan burgers, sushi, and quinoa patties delivered from several top name chefs. Additionally there were some amazing DC based chefs. One goes by the name Alli Sosa. She runs a new DC based non-profit called “Micro-Greens” that centers around cooking classes around meals on a SNAP budget. Alli demonstrated a simple, quick recipe for pressure cooking a beef roast at the lowest expense, for around $3. Although this particular meal was meat centered, she said there are plenty of vegetarian options within her curriculum as well. The guys from Capital Kombucha also stopped by and gave a dynamic presentation on the fermentation process required in making Kombucha. I would only suggest making it to the brave at heart. You can find out more information by Googling “kombucha scoby.”

My favorite would probably have to be Brennan Geral from Diffrent World Deli, whose a fairly well known magician in the vegan kitchen. Following his demonstration, the audience quickly crowded around asking for samples of his vegan sushi. Overall, I loved the experience I had, and can’t wait for the Festival to come around again so I can hang out with these “Granolas” again next year.

Posted by Zachari J. Curtis | October 22nd, 2012

Along with a reminder that Healthy and Affordable Food for All invites you to :

All Hands on Summit Advisory Space Meeting

TONIGHT – October 22, 2012

Center for Green Urbanism

3938 Benning Rd. NE

5pm-8pm

We’d also like to let you know about all the exciting things going on for Food Day [week]:

Harvest of Shame: a Film hosted by DC Fair Food Tuesday, October 23 at 7pm at Bloombars  3222 11th St NW.  Free refreshments will be provided by Zenful Bites. Check out the Facebook event.

Real Food Real Jobs Campaign, Food Day Celebration at American University School of International Service.  October 24th, at 5pm. More info at: aburket @ unitehere.org and on Facebook.

Greenhorns: a Documentary Film and Fundraiser for Neighborhood Farm Initiative. Wednesday, October 24th, at St. Stevens Church  1525 Newton St. NW at 6:30 -9pm. $20 Order tickets online at: http://foodandfilm.eventbrite.com/

Save the Bees Rally at the EPA Headquarters, 340 12th St. NW, 12pm-1pm. For more information, contact Larissa Walker lwalker@icta.org

DC COOP Day at UDC, Food and Ag Track Sponsored by HAFA-DC. October 27th, 9am-4pm. Register at coopdc.org

 Real Food HEALS at ECO City Farms in Edmonston, MD
4913 Crittenden St. October 27, 2012 at 12pm – 3:30pm. More information at www.ecocityfarms.org and on Facebook.

Posted by Zachari J. Curtis | October 22nd, 2012

Members of Coop DC will be talking about their upcoming conference, DC Coop Day, on two radio programs today.

Coop DC members Ajowa Nzinga Ifateyo and Johanna Bockman will be on WPFW this morning around 11am. Councilmember and former mayor Marion Barry is scheduled to call in around 11:30am.  They are hoping to ask him about his Commission on Cooperative Economic Development starting in 1980, his work with Cornbread Givens, and his thoughts on cooperative development today. 

At 9pm EST tonight, Occupy DC’s “Voices of the 99%” radio program will interview Coop DC members Zachari J. Curtis and Ajowa Nzinga Ifateyo, and UDC’s Calvin Lewis about DC Co-op Day, cooperatives and urban food systems, the potential for cooperation in low-income community, the connections between international and local cooperatives, and the business development aspects of cooperatives. “Voices of the 99%” is a call-in program podcast live over the Internet.

We hope you’ll tune in to one or both!