Helping the "Housing First" recipients

We're all keeping our fingers crossed that Mayor Fenty's Housing First project (which aims to move around 800 homeless individuals off the streets of DC and into their own residences) will continue to move forward even in the face of a burgeoning budget crisis. See this column by Marc Fisher about the unfortunate prospect that a truly positive program like Housing First would have to be slashed.

Already we can see its positive effects as the first batches of new residents have been moved off the streets and into subsidized housing. Understandably, many of these newly-stabilized individuals still need assistance making ends meet. We've seen our first influx of Housing First recipients at our pantry.

People like Ronald Stanley, Sr, who came to Bread for the City for the first time earlier this week.


Ronald grew up in DC, got married and moved to Pittsburgh. A couple of years ago he got divorced and moved back to DC - only to end up without a home. He often slept at Adam's Place Shelter and took job training programs during the day.

Now he is one of the first participants in the Housing First initiative. Ronald has been placed in an apartment in Southeast; the apartment came furnished, and his rent is equivalent to 30% of his income. Ronald is currently temping, doing inventory and stocking; he's looking for better work as a cook.

In the meantime, Bread for the City's food pantry will help carry him through. We wanted to help Ronald enjoy a special holiday celebration in his new place with his granddaughter, so we allowed him to receive a special Holiday Helpings turkey meal (which normally is reserved for our repeat clients). He was thrilled.

It's going to be a great holiday. I'll have this turkey with my granddaughter -- she's staying with me for thirty days while her mom is in jail. And it'll last us at least four days, so I'll make us some turkey salad, some turkey noodle soup, turkey souffle. What you all are doing is very gracious.

Ronald, obviously, is a big supporter of Mayor Fenty's Housing First initiative. He believes that if it's given the chance to succeed, it can bring do a lot to make the streets more secure. "When people get to have a place to go," Ronald says, "when they got food to eat, they won't be out there getting into trouble, into crime."

Good luck to Ronald--we're truly happy to be able to lend him a helping hand.

Holiday Helpings: Outdoing ourselves

I've about to head off for some holiday helpings of my own, but just wanted to drop in with this update: as of yesterday, we've distributed 10,230 turkeys in the first 19 days of our Holiday Helpings campaign.

To put this in perspective, our original goal was to give out 10,000 turkeys by Christmas. It's a sign that there's a real vast increase in need for assistance out there this year - but for the moment, we're just reflecting on how proud we are to be able to provide such a large bounty.

Thanks to all of those who've helped make it happen! Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Beyond Bread: Talking Turkey

~Do you want to do something nice on Thanksgiving, but you got busy and waited until the last minute? 14th & You has got your back!

~Holiday Helpings, our annual drive to provide complete holiday meals to over 10,000 low-income residents in DC is getting some press. Our local ANC gave a nice shout-out, as did our local Washington Post. Are you interested in supporting our efforts? It's not too late, and it's extra easy!

~Bread for the City also got some help from WaPo the other day because of the nutrition initiative we launched in September. Pretty cool stuff.

~Many thanks to DCist for linking to our awesome pictures of the Help the Homeless Walk (which, by the way, went really well). Thank you to everyone who came out to support such a good cause! A second thanks to them for their continuing coverage of DC Central Kitchen's cool new partnerships.

~Marc Fisher's got an insightful article on Housing First, and the cuts that are being made because of the deficit this year.

American Economy Cartoon Roundup IV

WMATA: Phasing out paper transfers

We received word recently about WMATA's upcoming phaseout of paper transfers on our public transportation systems. It may seem like a minor change, but for our clientele, changes like this can be really significant.

Take a look at the details as spelled out in the letter:

Dear Social Service Agency:

As you may know, beginning January 4, 2009, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) will no longer issue or accept paper transfers for travel in the Metro system.

As of that date, customers will need a SmarTrip® card to make free bus-to-bus transfers or to transfer from Metrorail to Metrobus or Metrobus to Metrorail for a discounted fare. In addition, the time period during which transfers are valid will increase, from two to three hours.

The Metro Board authorized this change to speed boardings, to cut operating costs, and to help guard against abuse of paper transfers. The decision also reaffirms Metro’s continuing effort to encourage wider use of the SmarTrip® card as the region’s transit fare medium.

To help you and your clients make this transition more smoothly, during the month of December only, Metro will sell your organization SmarTrip® cards pre-loaded with a fare value equal to one bus trip, or $1.25 per card — or 10 cents less than the price of a $1.35 bus token. The card itself will be free. This means you will be purchasing a reusable SmarTrip® card with fare valued at $6.25, with the ability to transfer free, for only $1.25. To arrange a purchase of these special SmarTrip® cards, please contact Brenda McDonald, Supervisor of Fare Distribution and Sales, at 202-962-5702 or bmcdonald2@wmata.com.

Tokens will still be available after January 4 at their usual $1.35 cost and can be used to board buses. However, to receive free bus-to-bus transfers and discounted Metrobus-to-Metrorail transfers, customers must add the token value to a SmarTrip® card. They can make this fare conversion on any bus at the farebox.

In addition, Metro will host three informative SmarTrip® orientations to give you simple hands-on training on how to add a token’s value to a SmarTrip® card. The training will help you show your clients the functionality and benefits of SmarTrip®. We strongly encourage you to attend one of the following orientations:

· Tuesday, December 9, 2008 from 9 to 11 a.m. or 1 to 3 p.m.
· Tuesday, December 16, 2008 from 9 to 11 a.m.

These sessions will take place at Metro’s Jackson Graham Building, at 600 Fifth Street NW, Washington, DC. Please RSVP to Melissa Buia by Tuesday, December 2, 2008 at mbuia@wmata.com or 202-962-2314.

We are committed to providing you with all the information you need during this transition, and we appreciate your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Sara Procacci Wilson
Assistant General Manager
Corporate Strategy & Communications

All kinds of support for our Holiday Helpings campaign

These past few weeks have been our food pantries' busiest weeks ever, and our Holiday Helpings turkey giveaway is already shooting well over budget. It's unsettling to see the sheer size of the lines at our pantries -- there are so many hungry people this season -- but we're proud of our food program, our volunteers, and the donors who are making it possible for us to meet the demand.

In particular, we want to recognize a few special groups who've joined in. This year, we've received support from everyone from the Mayor, universities, institutions of modern art, elves, and even our trusted public agencies.

Yesterday I went with Bread for the City's Executive Director, George Jones to the Department of Human Services, where Deputy Director Keith Cross presented us with a roomful of boxed food - the result of weeks of a generous food drive.

















And last week, we sponsored a special Thanksgiving meal giveaway for all of Ward One, hosted by Councilmember Jim Graham and the DC Housing Authority. About 400 turkey dinners were passed out in the LeDroit Park and Garfield Terrace Facilities. Mayor Fenty also joined us to greet the crowd.

Michael Kelly (pictured second from the right), executive director of the DC Housing Authority, told us that he was thrilled to be partnering with us on this event.

I had a chance to ask Mr. Kelly a couple of questions about his own agency's struggle to meet the great need in our community, and what kind of difference he thinks events like these can possibly make. His answer was really thoughtful:

Many of our clients really struggle just to get by, and I know how stressful it can be for the children—for the family as a whole. And there’s really nothing like a big turkey dinner to really help bring a family together. Just that one meal can mean so much.

That's very true. And we thank Mr Kelly, Councilmember Graham, the DHS, and the thousands of donors who make this program possible. Have you joined us yet?

Technicolor Food Pantry

Here's a video of Ted and Sharon chatting about some of the changes to our Holiday Helpings menu that Sharon has been blogging about.



It's our second video! Are we going to get viralized?

The good, the bad: the gravy

Thanksgiving is not a holiday known for restraint. But it is a holiday known for gravy. No matter how moist the turkey, we always seem to want to pour a little gravy on it. Or a lot.

But the thing is, a quick look at the ingredients of most canned gravy (sodium, sodium, and more sodium) make it clear that it really isn’t the best part of this wonderful holiday. Health-wise, that is.

And here at Bread for the City, we’re making a great effort to be more health-conscious. That means Thanksgiving, too; it’s not like diabetes and heart disease take the day off to go home, kick back, and watch the game.

So this year, Bread for the City took a remarkable step: we stopped including canned gravy in our 10,000+ Holiday Helpings bags.

But here’s the thing: we were already giving clients the most important ingredient for homemade gravy -- the turkey! And it’s actually possible to achieve an optimal combination of good nutrition and good flavor.

Well, Bread for the City is fortunate to get free copying from a local print shop, and so we included a note in English and Spanish in each food bag with a simple, healthier, and hopefully even more delicious turkey gravy recipe. Here it is:

• Start by putting the drippings from your turkey in a pot.
• Then add some fresh garlic or garlic powder, or other herbs or spices you like.
• Bring it to a boil.
• Stir in a little flour (whole wheat, if you have), slowly adding more until it’s the thickness you want.
• The gravy will thicken more when cooler.

But the simplicity of the homemade gravy isn’t even the best part.

I was surprised to learn that gravy was one of the most expensive items in our food bags last year. By booting gravy from our holiday bags, we’ve helped make room in the budget for our new healthier offerings: low-sodium stuffing mix, no-salt canned vegetables, rice, and even fresh produce. Day in and day out, we’re stuffing the food bags with fresh sweet potatoes, greens, butternut squash, and the like. Pretty cool that getting rid of some unhealthy canned gravy is helping to make that happen.

Eat well and enjoy!

Holiday Traditions

By Tim Breitbarth

The holidays are a time of ritual and tradition. Each family has a fun and special way to celebrate the season. Some people take pictures of their infant dressed as a reindeer and mail it to friends and relatives. Others wake up at 3:00 a.m. on the day after Thanksgiving for the adrenaline rush of battling fellow shoppers for the last Wii in the store. Still others spend Saturday afternoon stringing thousands of lights on their house and Sunday afternoon searching for the one bad bulb that prevents them from turning on.

One of my family’s holiday traditions is the annual Help the Homeless Walk on the National Mall on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. In fact, the Walk signals the start of the holiday season for me.

Every year, my wife and I wake up early, drink an entire pot of hot coffee, put on about 47 layers of clothing, and immediately need to use the bathroom. Once we finally leave the house, we ride the Metro to the Mall, where we join thousands of people for a frigid walk down the Mall and around the Tidal Basin.

The purpose of the Help the Homeless Walk is to raise public awareness of the issues surrounding homelessness and to support organizations working to prevent and end homelessness in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. I have been honored to join BFC staff and volunteers in walking to help end homelessness in our region for the past three years.

This past Saturday as we walked, I realized that the Walk is a holiday tradition for other people at Bread for the City too. Staff and board members brought their families, volunteers brought friends, and some people even brought their dogs. It is a fun and festive way to kick off the holiday season, and the money raised from the event will help many people in need.

Not only is it fun, but I think the Help the Homeless Walkathon (and Bread for the City's Holiday Helpings Campaign) captures the true spirit of the holidays. On Thursday, as we give thanks and count our blessings, we should remember the many people in our city who are not as fortunate. Giving of ourselves to help others should transcend the holiday season, but it also makes a great family tradition. Next year, I hope to see you there.

Tim Breitbarth is a guest-blogger, Bread for the City volunteer, and the patient husband of Development Associate Valentine Breitbarth. We are grateful for all of his support!

Help the Homeless Walk pics!

A plentiful and healthful Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, our food pantry is serving a record number of clients. And as you may know, food prices have been escalating dramatically. This has also increased the cost of each holiday food bag. Now, the cost increase is less dramatic than the rise in the number of people who are turning to us for help. We’re now paying $28 for a complete holiday meal for a family of four, which is just a two-dollar increase from last year.

But the mere cost of our food bags doesn’t convey something that’s pretty remarkable: we’re also serving much higher quality food.

Gone are the sodium-laden vegetables; gone are the fluorescent orange macaroni and cheese mix; gone are a number of other food items that can contribute to illness and disease. We have found low-sodium stuffing mix, salt-free canned vegetables, enriched white rice, and lots of fresh produce from local farms. This year’s Thanksgiving bags should excite the tastebuds, but won't raise blood pressure or sugar consumption.

To include these more expensive items without breaking the bank, we’ve been working hard to forge partnerships with farmers. We also decided to include a simple gravy recipe in the food bags instead of a pricey can of unhealthy gravy. And we’re certainly buying in bulk. Truckloads of food have been arriving at Bread for the City all month, and our dedicated team of volunteers is helping to pack it all up.

To recap: demand is up, prices are up, and we’re answering the challenge by pushing our quality up. From our new farmer partners to our creative colleagues at the Capital Area Food Bank who are now supplying us with healthier options, to our staff members and volunteers, it is a true community effort. And it’s something we’re very proud of.

Have a wonderful holiday, and thanks for being a part of the Bread for the City community.

Alston + Bird + ...Elf?

I've just returned from another very successful visit to Alston + Bird LLP. Staff, attorneys and the Firm pooled together their resources to donate more than $13,000 in support of Holiday Helpings. This surpasses last year's gift by $2,000. Wow!

To celebrate the occassion, Partner Jon Fee (that's him next to George) donned his usual silly constume at the check presentation. For those of you unfamiliar with this tradition, in past years, Jon has dressed up as everything from a turkey to a nutcracker. The man will do anything to help our community. And for that we are grateful!

Now join with Alston + Bird and make a donation to Holiday Helpings. We have more than a month of turkey-fun to go!

Beyond Bread: Homelessness in the News

Thanksgiving is next week, which means this Saturday will be Bread for the City's biggest day for distribution. From our Northwest Center alone, 4,000 holiday grocery bags, complete with a turkey and all the trimmings, will leave our site. Please consider supporting us--$28 feeds a family of four, and donating online is easy!

~We often talk about the barriers preventing homeless people from transitioning back into a stable life. The Gazette talks with a man who had all of his citizenship documents confiscated and trashed by an environmental group.

~George Washington University held a Hunger Banquet this week to raise awareness of poverty issues. Put together in part by our friend Natalie Kaplan, the event focused on specific neighborhoods in DC.

~Hypothermia season is about to start. During the winter months, homeless residents risk severe illness and death nightly because of exposure to the cold. Local non-profits are preparing again for this dreaded time of year.

~Social Service workers are about to get a little much-needed help! The worst kept secret in non-profit work is that case managers have the most difficult jobs. They're the front line for every person looking for help--often enduring frustration, verbal abuse, unresponsive government agencies, and stories of unimaginable hardship. On top of that, social workers often get paid very close to the poverty line. As a result, social work has very high turnover. A new foundation is looking to pay social workers more for the excellent work they do.

American Economy Cartoon Roundup III

Thursday event: Jim Graham and Bread for the City team up in Ledroit Park

We're excited to announce that tomorrow Bread for the City will be partnering with Councilmember Jim Graham to distribute complete holiday meals to more than 300 families here in Ward One.

Councilmember Graham tells us:

One in four of our residents in Ward One lives below the federal poverty level. We must respond to this great need in our community. We want all of our residents to have a joyful Thanksgiving.

Indeed. It's wonderful to see our Holiday Helpings campaign receive so much support from public officials like Councilmember Graham and Mayor Fenty (who already joined us in our Southeast Center in honor of the Holiday Helpings kickoff, and who may also attend the event at Ledroit Park).

The event is scheduled for 3pm in Ledroit Park. Our executive director George Jones will be joining Councilmember Graham and Michael Kelley, Director of the DC Housing Authority. Stay tuned for an update.

Dickstein Shapiro Award: Paul's Acceptance Speech

So yesterday, Kristin announced the news that our partners and friends, Dickstein Shapiro LLP, won the National Capital Philanthropy Day's Outstanding Corporate Partner award. Great news! We asked Paul Taskier, partner at Dickstein Shapiro and fantastic board member here at Bread for the City, to send us over a text of his acceptance speech. (I found the story he tells toward the end, about a junior member of their administrative staff, to be especially touching.)

Dickstein Shapiro is honored to have been chosen as the Outstanding Corporate Partner for National Capital Philanthropy Day. As a firm, we believe deeply in giving back. The firm in fact began with representing the victims of Senator Joe McCarthy in the loyalty-security cases of the 1950s. We started there and have never looked back.

We didn't seek this honor; we certainly didn't expect it; but we are very grateful for the recognition - not so much for us, as for our pro bono partner, Bread for the City. It has been very easy to be a partner with such an outstanding organization, which we have been privileged to serve and to support.

As you all know, for over 30 years Bread for the City has provided five high-quality programs to the poorest residents of Washington. It has a legal clinic, where our firm first began its volunteer work; it has a medical clinic; it gives out free clothing; it provides social workers to clients who need help navigating our public welfare system; and it has the largest private food pantry in Washington, giving our groceries to more than 10,000 people a month in Shaw and in Anacostia.

Apart from providing pro bono services and general support for Bread, where I think our firm has outdone itself is in supporting Holiday Helpings. Holiday Helpings is Bread's program to provide groceries and turkeys for 10,000 family Thanksgiving dinners, so that the poorest in our city too can have the joy and dignity of a holiday meal in their own homes, and not have to stand in a soup line to get a meal. Last year, the 11th year of contributing, every firm partner and more than half of the associates and staff contributed over $145,000 to this worthy effort. One note last year from a very junior member of our administrative staff hit home for me:

He wrote, "When I was growing up, the only time we ever had a holiday meal with a turkey was when my mom got one from Bread for the City. Without that help, we never would have had a real Thanksgiving. I don't have a lot to spare, but I feel like God has given me the chance to give something back. So please take this contribution so that some other kid can have a real Thanksgiving like I had."

That about says it all for me. And that's why we support Bread for the City. And I urge all of you to do so too. (I'll be outside collecting checks on the way out.) There are few place where the need is so great, and the impact is so enormous.

I also would be remiss if I didn't mention our longstanding partnership with the Duke Ellington School for the Arts. Our senior partner and founder, Sidney Dickstein, who is here with us today - and who handled many of the McCarthy-era cases, championed the partnership with Duke Ellington over a decade ago. As a result, our annual holiday card is designed by a Duke Ellington student - chosen from a half dozen submissions by a vote, where the whole firm comes in and judges the cards and votes. The firm also supports the visual arts program and each summer sponsors selected students to attend an intensive arts course at the Anderson Ranch in Snowmass Village, Colorado. And our lawyers also mentor students through Georgetown University Law Center's Street Law clinic. All of this commitment comes from Mr. Dickstein; our firm's drive to serve the community is part of the DNA that he and David Shapiro gave us.

But we are obviously not the only law firm in Washington, a pretty lawyer-heavy city, that tries to give back to the community. Our city is a better place for the many law firms and companies that do unheralded philanthropic work every day. Dickstein Shapiro deeply appreciates this award recognizing our small part in the everyday struggle to make this city and the world a better place.

Thank you.

Read more about Dickstein Shapiro's great work in their 2008 Pro Bono Report.

Whoa, Turkeys!

At Bread for the City, we have been some turkey-distributing fools these last few weeks! As of close-of-business Tuesday, we have distributed 5,745 bags with a turkey and all the trimmings to low-income DC residents. It's a great time for all!

There is still time for you to get involved, if you're not already. Hold a Holiday Helpings drive in your office, school, place of worship, or community organization. Make a personal donation to the campaign. Ask friends or family to make a donation in your honor as a holiday gift, or make a donation in honor of some people on your list. (We are happy to provide personal cards acknowledging gifts in time for the holidays, as long as we receive all the information by December 10th.)

It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just next week. Even in this time of economic uncertainty, I know that we all have much to be thankful for. Let's join together and share our many blessings with those who are struggling this holiday season.

Dickstein Shapiro Wins Philanthropy Award

Ira Polon, Paul Taskier, Sidney Dickstein and Larry Garr of Dickstein Shapiro with Executive Director George Jones at the Association of Fundraising Professional's National Capital Philanthropy Day.



Bread for the City had the honor of nominating Dickstein Shapiro, LLP for the National Capital Philanthropy Day's Outstanding Corporate Partner award. They won! Here's why:

Since 1996, Dickstein Shapiro and its employees have donated over $1 million dollars to benefit Bread for the City’s legal and food programs. But that's just the beginning. They are also the largest supporter of Bread for the City's Holiday Helpings program; Partner Larry Garr won a big case for us last year; Partner Paul Taskier serves on our Board of Directors and is Chair of our capital campaign; and maybe most important of all, Dickstein Shapiro attorneys have logged hundreds of hours of pro bono legal services for our clients and for our organization. We even named our Southeast Center's law office the "Dickstein Shapiro Legal Clinic."

Seriously: BFC <3 Dickstein Shapiro.

We're not the only beneficiaries of Dickstein Shapiro's good works. They also partner with the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and WEAVE. You can read all about their philanthropy and volunteer service in their 2008 Pro Bono Report. (Make sure to check out all the great pictures of Bread for the City.)

Congratulations Dickstein Shapiro on this great honor! Bread for the City would be lost without you.

Bread for the City Hearts Anacostia

Learn about Anacostia history on November 20th*

One of my personal favorite staff members, Phylisa Carter, will be hosting a Presentation & Walking Tour on East of the River History. There's a lot to see in Anacostia, and Phylisa will take you through the area's development, cultural treasures, and stories from past and present.

Where: Max Robinson Center-Whitman Walker Clinic
2301 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, SE
(walking distance from the Anacostia Metro Station, Green line;
across from Big K Liquors)

When: Thursday, November 20, 2008

Time: 12 pm –1:30 pm

Oh, and bring a lunch!

*picture courtesy of stgermh.

7th Street Garden fundraiser on Wednesday

The fundraiser on Wednesday for the 7th Street Garden is really looking like a great event. The 7th Street Garden -- which is in the process of becoming a Garden that is no longer on 7th street -- has been busy moving materials, soil, and planty things over to their new location at the Gage-Eckington School. (See some great pictures here.) The event on Wednesday will raise money to cover the costs of relocation. We've heard word that "seasonal pies" will be on hand, plus all the fine folks who are tending to this wonderful community resource, and most important, they'll be screening The Garden, a film that sounds fascinating.

I'd actually heard this story long ago, and am thrilled to see a documentary about it: a 14-acre community garden deep in South Central L.A. -- known as the South Central Farm -- was created out of the ruins of the 1992 riots, organized by a self-governing group of hundreds of local low-income families, and at its peak grew up to 150 plants, only to be demolished in the name of "development," condos or something like that. (More here at the Farm's Wikipedia entry.) Seems like the film has successfully captured the story: The Garden took the top prize in June at the Silverdocs documentary festival in Washington, D.C. (The trailer is available on YouTube.)

You should buy your tickets soon, as we hear they're selling out - and let me know if you're going, we'd love to meet you.

Playing at: Goethe Theater (812 7th Street, NW).
Doors 6pm. Film Starts 6:30pm. Enjoy seasonal foods and drinks.
Tickets $20 each, and are available at the door OR online at America the Beautiful Fund's web site. **If buying online you must write in the Comment box that you are purchasing tickets for The Garden movie.**


In other garden-related news: We are still looking for the tools and human resources that can help us move several trees that are currently on-site. The Garden staff says they need a tree spade and a flat-bed truck that lowers to the ground. Can you help? Let us know at info[at]breadforthecity[dot]org.

Mark your calendars: SOME turkey trot

Even the poor deserve something to be thankful for, so we are always on the look out for opportunities to harness the spirit of Thanksgiving. This Thanksgiving our community partner, SOME (So Others Might Eat), and Honorary Chair Mayor Adrian Fenty are hosting the 7th Annual Thanksgiving Day Trot for Hunger. Held at 8:30 am on Thanksgiving morning in West Potomac Park in Washington, DC, the Trot for Hunger is a 5K fun run and family walk that benefits SOME's programs for the hungry and homeless. This year, SOME says they are offering "official ChronoTrack timing" to all participants - but speaking only for ourselves, it sounds like more fun just to get together for a brisk stroll.

Here are more details:

Where: West Potomac Park in Washington, DC
When: November 27, 2008
How: You can register here. If you would like to volunteer, please contact SOME staff.
Why: SOME is serving 10% more meals than it did last year, and your support will help them to continue to meet the needs of those who are in need of help. Whereas Bread for the City's food pantry hands out provisions for people to make in their own homes, SOME serves a client base that often lacks access to kitchen facilities. The Trot for Hunger benefits SOME’s programs for the homeless and helps SOME to serve more than 800 meals to hungry and homeless children, women and men every day of the year.
Who: You! And your people! Get in there.

"Inside the Activists Workshop" studio

Nicolas Kristof wrote in the NY Times yesterday: “Only one person can be president, but…absolutely anyone can be a changemaker.”

Indeed, these are heady times for hopemongers. So we’re happy to spread the word that this Sunday from 4-8pm, at Sixth and I Synagogue, an event called “Inside the Activists Studio” will highlight the different ways that young people make a difference in the world.

The event will feature workshops and panel discussions among an array of activists who are engaged in effective and progressive strategies to make a difference in their communities.

Says Bread for the City alum Jessie Posilkin:

We’ll begin with workshops by local activists and changemakers, including Adam Tenner of Metro TeenAIDS; Marta Beresin of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless; Rebecca Shaloff of Co-Op America; and others. After a short interlude for food and drink, we’ll move to a panel discussion, moderated by Ronit Avni, founder of Just Vision and director of the award winning film Encounter Point. The panelists are: Sarah Ackerman; Sexual Health Educator; Josh Hart; Advisory Neighborhood Commission Member; Alisa Glasman, Lead Organizer at Action in Montgomery; and Jakir Manela, Kayam Organic Farm Director.

This event is hosted by the AVODAH-AJWS Alumni Partnership, in collaboration with Sixth & I Synagogue, Jews United for Justice, and the Young Leaders of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society.

For more information, please go to www.whoinspiresyou.org or check out the event on Upcoming.

Beyond Bread: News Fit to Link

~Bread for the City was all over the blogs this week. Tons of friendly human beings from American University continued their discussions on poverty issues; a super thrifty shopper (and BFC donor!) told us all how to save money at CVS; DCFab! talked about M. Fenty's visit to our Southeast Center; Washington Grantmakers Daily linked to the story about us in the Washington Times last week.

~Loopholing, a legal blog, wrote a really insightful piece on the National Law Center for Homelessness and Poverty. One of the many interesting things cited in the article is the statistic that, even before the housing meltdown, 5 million Americans were paying more than half their salary just to housing--an indicator of severe economic instability.

~As veterans of both Iraq and Afghanistan are coming home, one of the challenges they are currently facing is a lack of access to health care. Roughly 18% of returning veterans are at risk for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and depression. The Washington Times has the full story.

~Did you know that parks might help reduce the health disparity between rich and poor areas? USA Today can tell you all about it.

~Remember Anacostia? It's a neat place, and not just because we have a building there. The Honfleur gallery is running five different exhibitions in historic Anacostia featuring all sorts of new photographers. You can read the details on their website--it sounds pretty cool!

Volunteer Needed to Help a Senior

This email came to me from Madeline, the Volunteer Coordinator at Emmaus Services for the Aging, a non-profit a block away from us that serves low-income senior citizens in a variety of different ways:

Hello!

We have a senior who would like a female volunteer to come to her apartment on the mornings around 10:30 to help her out around the apartment in doing tasks such as helping to make breakfast, straightening up, and a few other small tasks. She requested only one female volunteer to help her out.

If you know of anyone who might be able to help, please contact Madeline Kaplan at MKaplan [at] emmausservices [dot] org.

"Helping People" Profile

I just heard this story yesterday that I have to share -- it's a sad one:

After successfully receiving a green card in 1996, Mr N immigrated to America and worked for many years at a gas station. But two years ago, Mr N suddenly suffered a terrible setback when he was robbed and shot. The bullet hit his spinal cord. To make matters worse, Mr. N’s social security card and green card were stolen in the robbery. Mr. N lost basically everything.

For the last two years, Mr N has been recovering at Christ House -- an organization that does truly great work for people in very vulnerable situations. Christ House took good care of him, but Mr. N lacked all the resources needed to make this transition back to the outside world.

At Bread for the City, our legal-&-social-service case manager Sara Mazala, has been working for about six months with Mr. N. Recently, they've made great progress. Sara helped him re-acquire his green card and other paperwork, and she helped him acquire a motorized wheelchair. Even more important: Sara helped him apply for and receive Social Security Disability Insurance. (Mr. N has a long work history, and his permanent legal resident status entitles him to about $900 a month of benefits - certainly not a lot, but enough for him to get by.) Sara is now working with Mr N to find housing that is both affordable (for 30% of his income) and accommodating for his handicap.

It’s one of the many truly sad stories we hear around here at Bread for the City; fortunately, in this case we were able to help ensure that a difficult situation did not take a turn for the worse. Thank you for your work, Sara!

American Economy Cartoon Roundup II

Veteran In Need--Please Help

Hi Everyone--one of our staff attorneys, Margie, sent me this client request. Please help if you can:

Charles W. is a 54 year-old man and veteran of the Vietnam War era. Since his service in the Marine Corps, Charles worked steady jobs and raised eight children. For the last seven years he held a job as the head of security at a downtown office building.

During the last couple of years, Charles' health began to deteriorate, but he put off seeking medical treatment to avoid taking time off of work. In April 2008, Charles became severely ill, and was hospitalized for a month. He has since been diagnosed with, among other things, pneumonia, end-stage renal disease, HIV. He also suffers from blurred vision, swollen appendages, bone spurs and situational depression associated with serious life-threatening illnesses and the subsequent loss of his full-time employment.

Without a source of income between the time when his employment ended and his social security payments began, Charles fell behind in his rent and now faces imminent risk of eviction from his home. Bread for the City is providing him with legal representation and social services, but what he desperately needs is to pay off his remaining rental arrearages and have a security deposit once we are able to find him affordable housing that can better accommodate his needs.

Having already exhausted his resources, we are turning to the greater Bread for the City community to see if anyone is willing and able to help Charles.

To prevent him from becoming homeless, we need approximately $1700.00. We're also trying to raise money for a security deposit, which we're estimating will be $1500.00. If you can help, please donate today using our online form, and specify that your donation is for Charles W.

Slow City Council's roll on budget cuts - (take action!)

The DC City Council has a ballooning budget shortfall, and we are behind serious measures of some sort being taken -- but the City Council is about to vote today on a new budget plan, without having allowed for public hearings or input of any substantive kind. At stake are millions of dollars of funding for housing initiatives and other critical supports for the city's low income population.

Some of these programs are already underfunded as is. Given the inflation of living costs, and accelerating job loss up and down the lines of industry, this is really not a good time to scale back the support the city gives to the poor.

Our friends and partners in service, SOME, have put up an action page to call for the City Council to basically slow its roll and open up the process a bit. There very well may be a crisis in the City's balance sheets, but there are thousands of crises already on its streets. Let's make sure that the former isn't used as an excuse to shaft the latter. Write City Council today, and ask them to please postpone Monday's vote and schedule a public hearing.!

Hey There, DCist

The industrious and always helpful Aaron Morrissey at DCist wrote a really great post about our Holiday Helpings campaign! Many thanks to them for coming out to see us when M. Fenty was here, and a special thanks to their photographer, Steve, for taking the best pictures.

I was just at the Southeast Center this morning with a group of volunteers, and we need all the financial help we can get. In one day we distributed over 800 holiday grocery bags--by far a Bread for the City record. If you're interested in helping us out (just $28 feeds a family of four), please donate today.

Beyond Bread: The Holiday Helpings Express

~Some of you might have noticed that Bread for the City's Holiday Helpings campaign is featured in a couple different news sources today! Many thanks to Mayor Fenty for dropping by to help us distribute turkeys this first week, and another thanks to the Washington Times for a really nice write-up about our efforts. The Express (impossible to link to) and the CityPaper also gave brief coverage. For more information on our work to distribute over 10,000 complete turkey meals to low-income families, read Valentine's earlier post.

~A couple days ago, Greg and I had the pleasure of hosting an American University class here at Bread for the City. This was a chance for us to talk about some of the broader issues related to poverty in DC, and answer questions about our work. All in all, it was a great time, and a couple of those students have blogs related to their class.

~The Falls Church News-Press had a really nice story about a group that helps feed the homeless in Virginia. Heartwarming stuff.

Holiday Helpings has BEGUN!

Holiday Helpings is in full swing! It's hard to believe the first week is almost over, but the spirit is in the air. The staff is smiling, the volunteers are pouring in, and our clients are lining up to happily receive their Holiday bags.

Some Helpful Numbers:

11/3-12/24: The start and end dates of BFC’s Holiday Helpings program this year.

62: The number of hands Mayor Fenty shook in our SE Center this morning when he came to help pass out Holiday bags...(Photo courtesy of Steve Goldenberg, who took a bunch of photos you can see here. Thanks, Steve!)

742: The number of turkey bags that we had already distributed to low-income DC families as of COB Wednesday...

10,000: The number of families we plan to feed this holiday season....with your help!

If you have any questions about holding a Holiday Helpings Drive in your office, school, or place of worship, please let me know. Remember, just $28 will ensure a family of 4 can sit down together for a celebratory meal this holiday season.
Please give today!

Medical Cartoon Roundup VI

Help The 7th Street Garden

On Wednesday, November 19th, the 7th Street Garden will be hosting a fundraiser/film screening of The Garden.

The film takes you behind the scenes into one of the most incendiary L.A. situations of recent times; the fierce battle over a 14-acre community garden at 41st and Alameda Streets known as the South Central Farm. The Garden took the top prize in June at the Silverdocs documentary festival in Washington, D.C. (The trailer is available on YouTube.)

Playing at: Goethe Theater (812 7th Street, NW).
Doors 6pm. Film Starts 6:30pm. Enjoy seasonal foods and drinks.

Tickets are $20 each, and are available at the door OR online at America the Beautiful Fund's web site.

The 7th Street Garden has been doing great work in our community for 10 years now, both growing produce for community members, and advocating on behalf of low-income residents for nutritional, secure food sources. Recently, we also worked together to launch the DC Food Finder.

**If buying online you must write in the Comment box that you are purchasing tickets for The Garden movie.**

Beyond Bread: The Late Edition

The exit polls will be released at 5pm.

~Our little blog got a little help from its friends last week as we tried to spread the word on some pretty important news items. The first is the imminent closure of Whitman Walker's food pantry--many thanks to Washington Grantmakers Daily and DC Blogs for picking it up. We don't yet know what the ramifications will be to the remaining pantries (including ourselves), but the news was very troubling. The second was to VOTE! I have a boss named Kristin, and both I and the Washington CityPaper thought she wrote a very good post on the local elections.

~The Washington Post is reporting that The DC government is dedicated to opening over 170 beds for homeless residents during the winter months. Good thing they shut down the Franklin Shelter, which had 300 beds. Is that snarky?

~And yet, I have to give our city's leaders credit for something--we're better than Alabama! DC does not tax its residents who are trying to survive below the poverty line. I wasn't aware that anyplace did, but a study recently released says that 18 states that collect income taxes on residents living below the poverty line, and Alabama has the highest "poor tax." A family making $21,000 a year pays over $400 of that to the state--by percentage, more than the wealthy pay.

~A number of states have had to cut health coverage for the poor because of the economic downturn. Considering how many more people are unemployed, USA Today points out, this could be a very bad thing.

Vote! And then we got some work to do.

Unless you've been living in a cave, you know that tomorrow is election day. We’re happy to say that vans and walking teams will be heading out from Bread for the City's facilities tomorrow, taking people to their polling places. We’re really excited. Regardless of who wins, Obama or McCain, it will be historic.

Our future president has an uphill climb for the next four years. However, what often gets lost amid all the talk about the presidential election is that our DC City Council has its own uphill climb. The DC City Council controls all city legislation. These men and women control the budget, land use, and confirm all Mayor Fenty's major appointments. The Council wields a lot of power, yet it seems like many District residents can't even name their councilmember. (quick, quiz yourself!)

Here are just a few issues that will be debated by the City Council over the coming years-- issues that directly affect Bread for the City's clients:

• The Healthy DC Act has the potential to expand health insurance coverage for DC families.

• The District's Housing Production Trust Fund (PDF) is facing declining funding

• How will the projected $131 million shortfall in Washington, DC affect human services in general?

We wish that these critical issues received more attention in the course of the campaign; but since they rarely were discussed by the candidates, we’ll try to make the discussion happen here on our blog. In the meantime, don't forget to vote tomorrow-- for the next president and your councilmembers - you can find out all the hard info at the Washington Post’s DC Elections Page.