Over 200 DC schools will feature fresh strawberries and salad greens in their school lunches on May 23rd – all from local farms!  The D.C. Farm to School Network is also helping 50 schools set up hands-on educational tables in their cafeterias to remind students where food comes from and to get students excited about eating healthy, local food.

Are you interested in fixing DC’s broken food system? Do you have a passion for fighting for food justice? Then come network with others who share your passion at the New Member Orientation and Community Brainstorm Training. This conversation is for anyone who’s interested in working toward food justice in their communities, or who wants to better facilitate conversations about the food system with their neighbors, co-workers, or faith community.

New Member Orientation & Community Brainstorm Training
March 26, 2012 6:00-8:30pm
Center for Green Urbanism, 3938 Benning Road NE
RSVP to Angie Stackhouse, astackhouse(at)breadforthecity.org or 202-480-8916

The DC Food Systems Organizing Workgroup is a group of advocates, activists, and service providers who are working on laying the foundation for the creation of a food policy council in DC. See our previous blog post about the work that we’ve done over the past year. Right now we are reaching out to individuals and organizations that share the vision of creating a nourishing community in which all Washington, D.C. residents can enjoy a nutritious, safe, and culturally appropriate diet provided by a local sustainable food system that fosters health, equity, interdependence, and self-reliance.

The New Member Orientation and Community Brainstorm Training is part of this outreach effort. The first half of the session will focus on the recent history of organizing around the food system in DC, what actions are planned going forward, and how to get involved. The second half, starting around 7:00pm, will be a training on how to host a Community Brainstorm session, which is a community conversation about the food system that’s used to recruit, gather information, and build relationships. Learn more about what the community brainstorms are here.

Come for the whole evening or just the half that interests you. The event will be held on the evening of Monday, March 26th from 6:00 to 8:30 pm at the Center for Green Urbanism (3938 Benning Road NE). Please RSVP to let us know if you plan to attend. Hope to see you there!

You can find the flyer for this event here: http://goo.gl/LYfNk. Please pass it along to anyone you think might be interested. Let’s get the conversation started and ignite a DC food revolution today!

Directions and note on accessibility: If driving, from Benning Road turn onto 39th Street to come up driveway to the property. There is parking on site. If taking public transportation, Minnesota Avenue (Orange Line) is the closest station. There are steps from the street to the building. Please let us know if you need any accommodations!

With high levels of food insecurity, disparities in access to food across the city, and 13 different city agencies playing a role in shaping our local food system, a group of advocates and service providers has proposed the formation of a food policy council with the intention of improving DC’s fragmented food system. One of the approaches we’ve taken is something we’re calling “Community Brainstorms.”

We came up with the brainstorm sessions idea because those most affected by the failures of our current food system are those that tend to be left out of the decision-making process. Right now our meetings are primarily composed of staff of organizations. Those organizations are diverse — from direct service to urban farms to labor rights coalitions — but we’re still mostly working with staff paid to participate. We want to change that.

At first we considered a city-wide survey, but community brainstorms will better allow us to build relationships with people and organizations who want to take action to build a food system we are proud of. Also, the more open-ended and free-form conversations allow all ideas to come out, where they might have not in a standard form.

The three main goals of holding these two hour community brainstorm sessions are:

1. To introduce a “food systems” perspective on issues like food insecurity, hunger, and obesity, and the idea of a food policy council as a way of tackling them.
2. To solicit input from a wide range of people, in particular those most impacted by the challenges in our current food system, in order to shape the formation of a leadership body.
3. To recruit volunteers and get more people involved.

This spring we are planning to hold two community brainstorms at Bread for the City, as well as several more in partnership with Groundwork Anacostia and other organizations. We are always looking for more partners to host these sessions (and individuals to participate as community members or volunteers).

If you can’t participate in a community brainstorm, you can still share your story of food. In the last year, we’ve published everything from the story of an urban gardener to a former Bread for the City intern. These are important pieces to the puzzle of figuring out what our food system looks like and how it affects peoples’ lives. Share your own traditions, memories, hopes, and dreams related to DC’s food system at Bread for the City’s story bank.

Please contact Angie Stackhouse (astackhouse(at)breadforthecity.org) for more information, to get involved, or to share your story.

This past week Bread for the City was awarded a grant from Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States for the DC Food System Organizing Workgroup. This grant will provide the resources and support needed to build upon the almost a year and a half of work by a group of advocates, activists, and service providers, including several Bread for the City staff. (It also means we’re hiring!) This group convened to investigate ways to address food insecurity and injustice and lay the foundation for a food policy council in DC. We have a vision of a nourishing community in which all Washington, D.C. residents can enjoy a nutritious, safe, and culturally appropriate diet provided by a local sustainable food system that fosters health, equity, interdependence, and self-reliance.

To achieve this vision, the group looked to examples such as Detroit’s Food Policy Council that have worked to engage the community of stakeholders and activists already working to better their food system. We believe that policy-makers, non-profit service providers, and other sectors of the food system must be equal partners with grassroots leaders in the effort to re-imagine a nourished DC. It is only through grassroots organizing paired with our institutional collaboration across the food system that we can break down structural injustices, create healthy and sustainable alternatives, and become partners with city leaders in formulating solutions.

Over the past year or so, over 50 individuals and more than 30 organizations have become part of the core group that has been meeting monthly to work towards this vision. The actions taken have fallen primarily under four categories: research, communications, community participation, and clarifying our mission.

One of the first steps was to do our research — to assess what information is already out there and what work is already being done. The group looked into the District government’s fragmented approach and explored structures of food policy councils. The DC Food Finder was updated and information was compiled about what is happening and what has yet to happen. A project to create introductions to key food policies in DC was started, and should be up online soon.

Our primary method of gathering input and engaging the community has been through “community brainstorms.” The idea was born out of the recognition that we need to be hearing from individuals and communities who are deeply invested in the fixing of our food system, but may not be able to participate due to disparities in resources and time constraints. To date, eight sessions have been held at ROC-DC, Rooting DC, Capital Area Food Bank, Farmers Market Collaborative, ONE DC and the People’s Co-Op.

A lot has been accomplished since we first gathered around the table and began these discussions of a fair and just food system for the nation’s capital. Moving forward in this new year, we will hold more community brainstorms, further strengthen our relationships, and establishing a web presence to connect with more people and increase transparency. (A website housed within dcfoodforall.com will be coming soon.)

As we move forward with our mission to transform the DC food system, we would love your involvement. Be a part of the DC’s food revolution! Contribute by telling your story, volunteering at a community brainstorm session, or sharing information with your neighbors, coworkers, family, and friends. Learn about these and other opportunities to take action for food justice through the DC Food For All Google Group. And please take a moment to fill out this online form to let us know how you would like to be involved: http://goo.gl/AEDkJ.

Contact Angie Stackhouse, Food System Organizer, with any questions or for more information. You can reach her at astackhouse(at)breadforthecity.org or 202-480-8916.

Finally, a big thank-you to everyone else involved in the project thus far — Accokeek Foundation,Capital Area Food Bank, Center for Social Science Research at George Mason University, Common Good City Farm, DC Hunger Solutions, DC Central Kitchen, DC Food Justice Coalition, Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Collaborative, Ecolocity, Groundwork Anacostia, Field to Fork Network, DC Farm to School Network, Healthy Solutions, Metropolitan Washington Public Health Association Health Disparities Committee, Neighborhood Farm Initiative, ONE DC, SHARE Food Network, Summit Health Institute for Research and Education (SHIRE), and Restaurant Opportunities Center DC.

The week Matt wrote to us, the theme was Food and Family. Matt was so inspired by his holiday experience that he sent a poem called, “Thanksgiving Goodness” and a picture of his inspiration, his family’s array of Thanksgiving desserts.

Thanksgiving Goodness

Thanksgiving goodness/
Beckons fondue on apples/
And squash fresh, savory.

-Matt “Mateo” Young, ’11

Matt is a friend of Save Our Safety Net and the Bread for the City family. We’re glad that the Storybank has given us an opportunity to hear from great people interested in sharing stories and making food justice happen. Thanks, Matt!

We still want to hear your stories. This week’s theme is Food Justice. Got a story about Food Justice? Click here to contribute to the Holiday Helpings Story Bank! Read more stories of the holidays here.

What: A public oversight roundtable on community gardens and urban agriculture
When: Thurs, Dec 15, 2011 from 1–5pm
Where: 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (Room 412, John A. Wilson Building)

Councilmember Tommy Wells, Chairperson of the Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation, and Planning, will convene a public oversight roundtable to discuss community gardens and urban agriculture in the District, including the Department of Parks and Recreation’s role in the establishment and use of community gardens, as well as the Office of Planning’s work in this subject area.

Submitting testimony in person
The Committee invites the public to testify or to submit written testimony, which will be made a part of the official record. Those who wish to testify should contact Ms. Tawanna Shuford at (202) 727-8204 or tshuford@dccouncil.us before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, December 13, 2011. Individuals will be permitted 3 minutes for oral presentation; individuals representing organizations or groups, 5 minutes.

Submitting testimony in writing
If you are unable to testify at the public oversight roundtable, written statements are encouraged and also will be made part of the official record. Copies of written statements should be submitted to Ms. Tawanna Shuford, Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation, and Planning, Room 117, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20004, or electronically at tshuford@dccouncil.us, by 5 pm on Friday, December 16, 2011.

Of note, one working group is to focus on food issues in DC. Anticipated topics include: local food production; commercial distribution; access to land and the food grown on it; security and links to social services; composting; and community benefits for health, education, and jobs.

Time: Tues, Nov 29, 2011 from 6:00-8:30 pm
Place: Walter E. Washington Convention Center (Room 202B)
RSVP: If you’re interested in attending, please RSVP here.

Harriet Tregoning (Director, DC Office of Planning) and Christophe A.G. Tulou (Director, DC Department of the Environment) invite you to join Mayor Vincent Gray on November 29^th from 6:00 to 8:30 pm at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center as they present the progress from the “Start in September” outreach, and establish working groups to develop recommendations.

In their own words:

“On behalf of the Mayor, we thank everyone who contributed ideas at sustainable.dc.gov, attended one of over 50 public meetings and events, or tweeted during our #SustainableDC Twitter chat.  Now it’s time to take our initial collection of ideas, existing local efforts, and the best national and global examples of sustainable practices to develop our vision, goals, and priorities.  The plan will also evaluate environmental and health benefits, and take steps to strengthen the city’s economic vitality and build community.

On November 29^th, we will begin the meeting together as a group to hear from Mayor Gray, review input to date, and map out the Sustainable DC planning process.  We will then break out into nine topical working groups:  the built environment, climate, energy, food, nature, transportation, waste, water, and the green economy. We invite you to actively participate in one (or more) of these working groups, which will delve into the details of these topics over the course of four to six meetings from December through February.  At the mid-point and again at the end of the working group process, all participants will come together to share ideas and address the critical connections among these working group topics.

While all meetings will be open to the public, we are asking those who wish to officially participate on a working group to commit to some basic roles and responsibilities.”

For questions, please email sustainable.future@dc.gov or call (202) 442-8809. For more information on the plan and to follow plan updates, please visit http://www.sustainable.dc.gov/ or click here.

We look forward to working with you to make the District the greenest, healthiest, most livable city in the nation!”

Although a “food forest” may sound fanciful, its origins and uses are very much down-to-earth. Historically, a number of societies have gathered and cultivated food in wooded areas. Locally, variations on this practice were going on as recently as 50 years ago. In my historic Rockville neighborhood, my neighbor said that as a child, she remembers picking cherries and apples freely off of the trees that everyone had in their yards.

Rather than random planting, modern-day forest gardening purposely mimics natural processes. By strategically gathering together diverse plants, such as fruit and nut trees, medicinal herbs, and mushrooms, forest gardeners develop small functioning ecosystems. With a wealth of hardy perennial plants, forest gardens require little in terms of time or financial resources after they are initially established.


Through a pilot at the Emergence Community Arts Collective, one area has already begun its transformation. With support from a Washington Parks and People grant, Ecolocity has prepared sidewalk beds for planting and plans on revitalizing the yard east of the main building. With poor soil, small dimensions, steep slopes, and inconsistent sunlight, these spaces illustrate the challenges of urban agriculture. By establishing the forest here, we hope to illustrate to others how they too can use these techniques in their own yards and community gardens. Once the pilot is complete, we hope to expand the project further to bring these mini-ecosystems into private lots. In particular, Ecolocity is interested in helping lower-income people grow their own food independently, without needing artificial inputs or other significant resources.

In addition to the grant, Ecolocity is working to push this project forward through a partnership with local business Clean Currents. A wind and solar power supplier for D.C. and Maryland, Clean Currents allows businesses and residents to easily purchase renewable electricity. Consumers can choose to support either local wind farms or those further away, as well as pick whether to sign up on a fixed rate for one year or two. As a Clean Currents customer myself, I can testify that my energy bill has gone up a miniscule amount, if at all.

Best of all, for each person who signs up for Clean Currents and mentions Ecolocity D.C. while doing so, Ecolocity receives $25 ($50 in the month of November)! So people can help build both our renewable energy and agricultural resources. For groups who are interested in getting in on this green deal, I welcome you to join us in the Green Neighborhood Challenge. Hope to see you there!

While the debate continues on how to successfully navigate the modern food system and encourage healthier eating habits, one theme is clear: systemic change starts at the individual level, and changing individual behaviors necessitates food education opportunities that are low-cost and accessible to traditionally underserved communities.

That’s why Brainfood will be launching Brainfood Community MVPs, a new youth-led teaching initiative, this fall.  We’ll be heading out of the kitchen and into the community as a fully mobile teaching unit, bringing recipes for healthy alternatives, working with local farms and gardens, and spreading the good news that healthy cooking ain’t all that bad after all.

What is Community MVPs?

The inspiration for Community MVPs came directly from the youth population that Brainfood has served for over 10 years.

In participant focus groups, one clear theme emerged: after building cooking and leadership skills at Brainfood, program graduates want to use their skills to serve the community.  We were inspired, though not surprised, that our youth want to help fill the need for more hands-on, culturally appropriate food education resources in the District.

Community MVPs is a program that gives Brainfood graduates the opportunity to take their cooking and leadership skills out of the kitchen and into the community. This 9-month program teaches returning Brainfood students how to develop and facilitate hands-on workshops on healthy cooking.  During the fall participants will design workshops and refine their teaching techniques.  In the spring, participants will identify community groups who are in need of food education resources and schedule times to deliver their workshops at on and off-site locations.  Participants will also be paid for their work as community teachers.

Why this program?
In focus groups conducted with current and past participants we discovered that program graduates wanted to use their cooking skills to serve the community.  We were inspired, though not surprised, that our youth are ready to help build a support system in DC that empowers residents to make healthier food choices.

Community MVPs is also a continuation of Brainfood’s commitment to meeting people where they are. Building a healthier DC will take more than just having great spaces for urban gardens and farmers markets, or having businesses open retail locations in more neighborhoods. We believe that community based outreach, free or low-cost food education resources, and the creation of safe and welcoming spaces are necessary to change the way that people eat, cook, and buy their food.  We also believe that Community MVPs will exemplify how a diverse group of stakeholders can leverage local food and resources to positively impact the community.

How can Community MVPs help my group or organization?
In Spring 2012, our inaugural class of Community MVPs will be offering hands-on cooking workshops on healthy cooking to community groups.  Have our trained core of student teachers teach a healthy cooking workshop at your organization’s site, or schedule a time to bring a group to our kitchen.  Our student teachers are DC teens who are committed to building skills and empowering the community to make fresher, healthier food.

Wanna support our inaugural class of Brainfood Community MVPs?  We’re currently looking for committed, creative individuals to coach our youth teachers to success.  Check our our website or email Carina Gervacio (carina@brain-food.org) for more info.