Nice Words from a Close Friend

This was a great letter of support to receive from one of Bread for the City's good friends. Though it isn't directly talking about food & nutrition, Mr. Egger hits on a couple different topics that we're going to be talking about in much greater detail starting this Thursday. But enough from me--here's the letter:

by Guest Contributor Robert Egger.

As the head of DC Central Kitchen and the Chair of the Mayor's Commission on Nutrition (as well as a real advocate for the work of Bread for the City), I am very happy to be part of this great new blog.

As a city, we've made tremendous inroads in the areas of nutrition over the last few years. Working together, we've removed sodas from schools, and seen an amazing Giant open in Camp Simms. Our Summer Food program for kids is now ranked #1 in the nation, and our new Mayor has made better health for all our citizens a major priority. Farmers Markets now dot the city, and there is now an amazing unity of purpose between advocates, city administrators and front line workers about the journey ahead. Building on that, we on the Commission are now developing a broad "Nutrition Vision" for the city that will include ideas like adding nutrition classes into our schools curriculum, as well as sweeping changes in the way we provide for our elders.

Groups like Bread for the City have served on the front line for years, as well as being part of the broader dialogue for systematic change. This blog will provide yet another avenue to advance the ideas we all hold dear--a nation's Capital City that is free of hunger.

Robert Egger is the founder and President of DC Central Kitchen, a well-known poverty expert, and the author of the book Begging for Change: The Dollars and Sense of Making Nonprofits Responsive, Efficient, and Rewarding for All.

Preparing for Launch

Bread for the City's Southeast Center

Bread for the City is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing food, clothing, legal, medical, and social services to DC's most vulnerable residents. From our two service centers--one in Shaw and another in Anacostia--we hope to provide a holistic approach to combatting poverty while maintaining an atmosphere of dignity and respect.

So what's this? Our new blog! On May 1st, BFC will officially launch this blog to talk about some of the issues that specifically affect the low-income clients we serve. Gathering the insights of both BFC staff members and community leaders across DC, we hope to bridge the gap between the work we do on the front lines, and the policies that keep people in poverty.

The first issue we'll tackle is food & nutrition. Rising food prices, the Farm Bill, and a host of other topics have tangible consequences for our community. If you have something to say, and you would like to be a guest contributor, send me an email. Otherwise, be sure to check back on May 1st!

Food Swings

A couple weeks ago the Washington Post ran a story on food pantry shortages across the country. Kristin Downey writes:

Nationwide, requests for food assistance in the past year are up 30 percent, said Maura Daly, a lobbyist for America's Second Harvest in Chicago, the nation's leading hunger-relief charity.

And here's what Ms. Downey had to say about our close friends at the Capital Area Food Bank:

Officials at the Capital Area Food Bank, which helps supply more than 700 member agencies in the Washington region, have seen the group's annual electricity costs rise 35 percent, to $135,000 from $100,000, in five years.

Being a food pantry, BFC can attest that this year we're seeing far more people than in previous years, and the more food prices spike, the more Ted Pringle, our Food & Clothing Director, has to do fiscal gymnastics.

One of the most significant reasons (if not the most significant reason) we're seeing more people coming through our doors is food prices. The more they go up, the more people who used to be financially secure are forced to divert funds to eat. The New York Times tells us today that food prices are finally looking like they're going to go back down to a reasonable level. Their money math is drawn from the Consumer Price Index, and is about three abstract steps away from us on a ladder. Let's hope they're right.

The Real Cost of Prevention

David Brown, a staff writer with The Washington Post, recently wrote an article defying the common belief that preventing disease is cheaper than dealing with diseases long-term. Part of his thesis:

Preventing those heart attacks is expensive because everyone fitting the risk
profile needs to get the intervention. Why? Because there's no way to know in
advance who the 1-in-4 unlucky men or 1-in-9 unlucky women are.

A worthwhile point, and one not often discussed. The truth is that, if you're playing the numbers, only a fraction of the people being blanket-screened for, say, heart disease (since Mr. Brown uses that as his example) will actually benefit from the screening. That means some amount of dollars will inevitably be spent for nothing.

But the odds are rarely that easy to calculate. The beauty of prevention is that one or two tests can diagnose a myriad of different factors so that the cost of the test is actually spread out over every disease that could possibly be caught with one screening process. The odds, then, are not 1-in-4 or 1-in-9 with heart disease, but those numbers overlapped with the 1-in-4 women with HIV/AIDS, the 1-in-3 suffering from complications of malnutrition, and the many other illnesses and complications that come from living below the poverty line.

The value of an emphasis on prevention is also that, hopefully, the cost of screenings will decrease and more people will pay attention to their health even if they don't change their behaviors (although human nature tells us that once informed at least a sizable minority will change once they know measurable steps). I actually agree with Mr. Brown, to a point, that the argument for prevention is not merely an economic one. But considering that most of these initiatives will be government sponsored, something tells me the economic debate isn't going anywhere.

Our Food & Nutrition Contributors

Matt Siemer is Volunteer Coordinator at Bread for the City, and is the editor of this blog.

Stacey Long is Advocacy & Community Lawyering Director at Bread for the City. As a long-time member of BFC's staff, Stacey keeps us up to date on all important news from the many different agencies and coalitions operating in DC. She also works directly with the community to empower District residents to become active and effective in government.

Sharon Gruber is Bread for the City's new Nutrition Consultant. Hired to make sure that the food we distribute is the healthiest it possibly can be, Sharon is talking with our staff and the agencies we work with to make sure we are serving our clients nutritional food. We're all unnaturally excited.

Emily Bell is a Marketing and Communications Assistant at Bread for the City. While most of the work she does is in marketing, she will also be discussing the broader national poverty issues on this blog. She sits about 7 feet from my desk, and researches stuff very quickly.

Dr. Randi Abramson is Bread for the City's Medical Clinic Director, and a primary care physician. Dr. Randi has been with BFC for about 20 years now, and happens to know pretty much everything.

Robert Egger is founder and President of DC Central Kitchen, a DC nonprofit that provides food to the homeless and - ingeniously - teaches them how to cook so they can become employed. He is also a prolific writer and speaker.

Adrienne Ammerman handles all of the communications at Bread for the City. She's a pretty good writer, a staunch supporter of community media, and she works with many of our clients, encouraging them to tell their stories.

Margaret O'Connor is the Legal Clinic Coordinator at Bread for the City's Southeast Center. She also serves on our Advocacy Task Force, and our Workplace Satisfaction Committee. As Vytas (her boss) says: "Margaret fits perfectly. She cares about clients; she’s responsible; she’s smart; she’s adaptable. She’s appropriately outraged with society and the government agencies we work with."

Sara Mazala is Legal/Social Services Case Manager at Bread for the City. Sara works directly with clients everyday to assess their needs and make sure that they are getting all of the help they need. She is also one of the happiest, most excitable people I know.

Jody Tick is Harvest for Health Program Director at the Capital Area Food Bank. The Capital Area Food Bank has a two-part mission: (i) to feed those who suffer from hunger in the Washington metropolitan area by acquiring food and distributing it through our network of member agencies, and (ii) to educate, empower and enlighten the community about the issues of hunger and nutrition. Harvest for Health is a direct service program of the CAFB which seeks to facilitate access to affordable, healthy food; educate about the relationship between the food system, our environment, and social justice; and provide skill building opportunities for people to help themselves.

Joni Podschun is the Advocacy Associate at SOME (So Others Might Eat), and works on issues related to seniors, families, and access to healthy food. You can reach her at 202-797-8806 x. 2112 or jpodschun@some.org. For more information on SOME’s advocacy on food issues, please visit their website.

Ona Balkus is Operation Frontline Assistant Coordinator at the Capital Area Food Bank. Outside of her considerable work trying to educate low-income communities about nutrition, she is also an adept blogger and a master at planning a good surprise party.

Nadja Strucker is Harvest for Health Outreach Associate at the Capital Area Food Bank. Harvest for Health seeks to facilitate access to affordable, healthy food; educate about the relationship between the food system, our environment, and social justice; and provide skill building opportunities for people to help themselves.

Laura Rusu is Senior Press Officer at Oxfam America, a non-profit organization working toward a just world without poverty. Working in 26 countries in 7 regions, Oxfam America addresses aid reform, global trade, worker's rights, access to natural resources (and many more), while also providing emergency assistance in disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the cyclone in Myanmar.

Tim Breitbarth works at a government organization dedicated to ensuring economic growth in developing countries.

More to come as submissions come in! If you know something about Food & Nutrition, and want to write for our blog, send me an email!