Need Food? Use the DC Food Finder!

Nutrition News for your Friday.

by Casey Davidow and Joni Podschun, SOME Inc. (So Others Might Eat).



The DC Food Finder—a new interactive map of food resources—was unveiled last week and it couldn’t come at a better time for D.C. residents.

Last Wednesday the Post’s Michael Gerson wrote about food inflation and the moral imperative to end hunger. We hear story after story, in the news and in our direct service work, of people squeezed by rising food costs.

But, there’s also good news to share: around the same time that Gerson was drafting his column, advocates, service providers, and local food activists in the coalition Healthy Affordable Food for All (HAFA) unveiled the DC Food Finder, at http://www.dcfoodfinder.org/. The DC Food Finder is an interactive map that locates sources of low-cost groceries, community gardens, free meals, places to apply for food assistance benefits, farmers’ markets, nutrition education programs, and more.

We argue elsewhere on this blog that many low-income D.C. residents lack three essential things: money to consistently purchase a healthy diet; knowledge about nutrition and cooking; and access to healthy, affordable food retailers. These needs have only become more pressing with the increase in food costs by 7.9% in the last two years. The DC Food Finder is an essential tool for connecting D.C. residents with needed resources in their neighborhoods, a starting place in the Washington community’s struggle against hunger, poverty, and the resulting health problems.

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.