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.

Join us for our launch on Saturday July 30th from 11am until 5pm at Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church (3000 Penn. Ave. SE).

Aya’s physical farmers’ markets will be a vibrant gathering places and destination points where consumers will come to not only shop for produce, but will be able to access various vendors for goods and services for mental, spiritual and financial health. This holistic approach will attract customers in search of other health experiences such as yoga, exercise classes, or credit counseling which help to improve the community.

Aya Community Markets will offer fresh, local produce, flowers, prepared foods and handcrafted items directly to Ward 7 residents. In addition Aya will host a wide range of family and nutritional programs, including live entertainment, chef demonstrations and youth activities.

Aya will feature:

• Fresh produce and baked goods;
• Handmade arts and crafts;
• Live musical performances;
• Massage therapy, acupuncture and other holistic health services.

Visit http://dreamingoutloud.org/ayamarkets for more!

Explore city spaces and residential gardens that will open their doors and gates for the public to see what growing good food in our own backyards, front yards, rooftops, and empty lots is all about. It’s a chance to ask questions, learn from and hear what inspires some of DC’s gardeners.

The stops on the tour include: Old City Green, several residential and public gardens in Shaw, Bloomingdale and Ledroit Park, Common Good City Farm, and Bread for the City’s rooftop garden.

A map of tour locations will be distributed on the day of the event at Old City Green. The tour is self-guided and will cover just over 4 miles – bike, walk or drive. The evening will end back at Old City Green with a community-potluck (bring a dish to share if you like), seasonal cocktail and viewing of the film A Community of Gardeners.

Tickets: To purchase tickets for this event, visit www.loulies.com. Tickets are $10 each, with a portion of the proceeds to support Eat Local First DC. For more information, visit www.loulies.com or send an email to Bettina@loulies.com.

Set in a city whose mayor owns chickens and dedicates city hall land to the production of food for local homeless shelters, the conference had no shortage of government-driven food-policy role models. We learned about progressive and impressive urban agriculture policies and programs in Baltimore, healthy food systems resolutions in Cleveland, coordination across Michigan’s cities to identify shared infrastructure needs, and Seattle’s efforts to link local legislation to national Farm Bill policies.

It was also more than just wonks. Something that’s been central to conversations in DC , and at Bread for the City, is that it takes a lot more than policymakers, non-profits, and so-called “professionals” to realize true, lasting change. For that reason, I was glad to see participation by everyone from community organizers to health care workers to rural farmers to homeless advocates. I was also glad that the conference featured presentations from several different groups organizing communities not traditionally thought of as “foodies” or even part of the “food movement.” Here are a few examples:

The SW Organizing Project (SWOP), in Albuquerque, NM, is a people-of-color-led group that sees food-related organizing as one of a number of vehicles for empowering disenfranchised members of their community. One project, Feed the Hood, is a “food literacy and community gardening initiative.” It uses community gardens to create “centers of gravity around which people can gather” to build skills, share knowledge, and organize around efforts to ensure healthy food access in their neighborhoods.

POWER San Francisco is

a community-based organization working to ensure that low-income residents of Bayview benefit from the wealth and amenities generated by economic development in the City. They consider themselves “new” to the “food movement,” organizer Jaron Brown explained. A “Right to Thrive” principle that was central to their welfare worker campaign led to organizing and advocating around these workers’ right to fresh, healthy, and affordable food. So far, they have successfully mobilized around a policy mandating better food in schools, while also holding conversations about access to healthy food in the neighborhoods in which they work.

Finally, Saru Jayaraman from the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC-U) reminded us that less than one tenth of one percent of restaurant workers are unionized, and that overwhelmingly, those who serve us our food can’t afford to eat that same food themselves. She said she’s tired of having to explain to people why restaurant workers are central to the food movement. According to her, “when the largest workforce in the country is the poorest workforce in the country, and can’t afford to eat in the same restaurants in which they work – that’s a food security issue!” (Check out ROC’s DC affiliate and a report recently released about restaurant workers in DC)

The message from these and many others present was clear: to effectively craft, pass, and implement policies to genuinely move us toward a healthier and more just food system, the food movement must be built in a way that gives priority to the people most impacted by an unjust food system, who have traditionally been excluded from policy-making decisions.

Our collective efforts to build something like a food policy council in DC can benefit from these insights and experiences in other cities. Here are some tips and ideas that I heard about how building the food movement can be done creatively and mindfully:

• Food policy councils should cultivate a “democratization of expertise.” Coalitions built around specific kinds of professional expertise can reinforce exclusion from policy-making. Instead, groups need to create space for sharing and valuing different kinds of expertise.
• For most communities, “food access” does not equal “food justice.” Healthy food advocates like myself need to take the time to acknowledge and address race and power dynamics embedded in the food system to truly be able to fix it.
• Groups can employ members of an impacted community to themselves conduct outreach or research on the problems and how to fix them – such as Participatory Action Research, or the community health promoters model. (The Market Ambassador program in Massachusetts is one example

Finally, a number of cities emphasized the importance of food pantries, food banks, and community gardens serving as “community food centers” – hubs for organizing, sharing about food issues, and getting people involved for change. I’m excited to see that Bread for the City’s rooftop gardens, free farmers market, community brainstorms, and other food justice gatherings are laying the groundwork for such a vision. I’m also excited to see our clients continuing to drive some of our food justice work.

If you would like to help continue these conversations — at Bread, or around the city — please contact Joni Podschun at jpodschun@breadforthecity.org.

It’s time for summer’s first garden celebration with City Blossoms….

Come join food lovers and community gardeners on Thursday, June 23 for City Blossoms’ 3rd Annual PROPER TOPPER Garden Fiesta. Friends, put on your best hats (homemade or store-bought) and enjoy an enchanting evening in the garden under the stars. The event will take place from 6:30-8:30pm at the garden at 11th & Harvard Streets, NW. Some highlights:

* Scrumptious delights from Chef James Forsythe of b Bistro (one of the Baltimore Sun’s top ten restaurants) & colorful cocktails

* A really juicy raffle (including dinner at top local restaurants, artwork & even personalized poems)

* A Proper Topper contest with best head-art winning a membership to the Marion Street Herb CSA

$15 donation, RSVP to info@cityblossoms.org or via facebook.

All proceeds support City Blossoms summer programming. Interested in offering a matching grant or donation? Contact us at rebecca@cityblossoms.org.

This event is made possible by support from: Beau Thai, Elizabeth Cross – Poet, Dody DiSanto – Massage Therapist, Joan Ganzevoort – Artist, Herban Lifestyles, Long View Gallery, Nora’s, Restaurant Eve, Seasonal Pantry, Skin Rejuvination Clinic, Sweet Green, Trader Joe’s & Whole Foods.