Christmas is just a week away, and here at Bread for the City, we're filled with anticipation for the holiday -- and, suffice it to say, busier than ever!
It's not just that we're still moving into our brand new facility. It's also that Holiday Helpings is still going strong in this final week. Indeed, still more families will come to us in the week to come, seeking help to make a holiday meal possible.
If you haven't yet given to Holiday Helpings, please give today. And if you've already given, please consider making another donation in honor of a friend or loved one as a holiday gift. Just give us your instructions in the comment field of our Holiday Helpings donation page by the close of business today, and Bread for the City will mail a special gift care to the designee of your choice. (Such gifts can be made after today, and we will send an email on Christmas Day.)
I am so proud of our staff for their steadfast commitment and capabilities. And I am so inspired by our generous community of donors, who have given us the support we need to meet this increased need. Thank you for making this Holiday Helpings one to remember.
December 17, 2010
One week till Christmas!
November 29, 2010
Tacos for Turkeys!
Of all the inspiring support that we've received from the community this holiday season, one effort really takes the taco.
Hungry Samaritan Peter Gartrell is about to pull up a chair in the final round of Tonic's Iron Taco Eating Championship (taking place tomorrow, Tuesday, at the Mount Pleasant location, at 8pm) -- and he is dedicating this competitive eating performance in support of our Holiday Helpings campaign!
That's right: For each taco that Peter puts down, his Tacos for Turkeys drive is asking people to pledge to donate a given amount to our pantry. Peter polished off 15 tacos last time (in just 5 minutes) and says that he intends to best this performance by at least a couple more.
So far, Tacos for Turkeys has raised over $87 in pledges-per-taco. If Tacos for Turkeys can break $100 per taco in the next day, this contest may raise enough money to provide more than 60 low-income families with a complete holiday dinner (a turkey and all the trimmings)! So please jump on board this taco train by making a pledge today.
We imagine that an eyebrow or two might raise at the thought of a competitive eating contest benefiting an organization that fights hunger. But we say to you that Peter didn't create the Iron Taco; he has just come to conquer it. We thank him for considering this novel way to spread awareness of our less fortunate neighbors. Good luck to our voracious friend. See you at the Iron Taco.
November 23, 2010
Bodacious Birds
We've distributed nearly 4,000 of these bodacious birds to some of DC's lowest income families. Meanwhile, across town, the Obamas will be having the same birds for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow night. (See this article about how the President donated several Jaindl turkeys last year to Martha's Table.)
They're Jaindl turkeys, and we're told they're the best.
Indeed, when it comes to our clients, only the best will do. We ordered many thousands of these Jaindl turkeys from the Capital Area Food Bank this year, selected for both affordability and healthfulness.
In fact, these turkeys are the only turkeys permitted by the USDA to be labeled "Lite" -- because of a remarkably lean fat content (55% less fat and 25% less calories than your average gobbler).
They've been served at the White House holiday table for three decades. That's some top-notch turkey!
You can make sure more of these fine specimens of holiday delight make it on to holiday tables by making a gift to Holiday Helpings. Thanks for all your help!
November 19, 2010
Drive, drive, drive! Holiday Helpings in high gear.
What a tremendous outpouring of support we've seen from the community this year! More than 50 organizations have committed to organizing a Holiday Helpings drive, and more folks are contacting us daily. That is by far the most that we've ever had!
While we can't thank our supporters enough, we also can't help but wonder: Can we reach 75 partner organizations during Holiday Helpings 2010??
There's less than a week before Thanksgiving, but keep in mind that Holiday Helpings runs all the way through Christmas. We expect almost 5,000 more families to turn to us for support in the coming month -- you can help us help them.
I'm often asked what the best kinds of community drives are. First of all, the best kind of drive is one that everyone can have fun and participate. That said, canned food drives ( a traditional favorite) can sometimes pose more difficulties than organizers would expect. For one, it's hard to transport large amounts of canned goods and other groceries. And organizers also have to keep in mind Bread for the City's new nutrition guidelines, which stipulate what kinds of groceries we are looking to distribute, and which kinds we can't accept for the sake of the health of our clients.
In many ways, a Holiday Helpings cash drive is a more effective option. It's simple, and easy -- people can give by cash and check, or by credit card online. By request, we can even set up an online donation page specifically for your organization's drive - complete with your group's name in the URL. (Check out the page for our corporate partner, Alston+Bird: https://www.breadforthecity.org/alston+bird -- cool, huh?)
Some people assume that a cash gift is somehow a "cop out," not quite the tangible assistance that a can of food represents. But I want to assure you that a cash gift is the most effective way you can help us during this holiday season. Not only will 100% of each dollar go to stocking our food pantry, but (since we're the Capital Area Food Bank's largest client) we can stretch each of those dollars much farther than you can at a traditional grocery store.
So visit our Holiday Helpings page for suggestions, tips, and guidelines (see also our 2010 Holiday Helpings Brochure and Food Drive Kit) or contact me at nlaborie@breadforthecity.org or 202.386.7611 today and help make this our most collaborative Holiday Helpings ever.
If you're interested in organizing a Holiday Helpings drive at your workplace or community center, it's not too late! Contact me at nlaborie@breadforthecity.org or 202.385.7611. You can also visit www.BreadfortheCity.org/HolidayHelpings for more information.
November 12, 2010
People's District: Sherita on Putting the Neighbor Back in the Neighborhood
This week, in promotion of our Holiday Helpings campaign, the People's District published five stories told by people from Bread for the City's community. Today's is a familiar voice to this blog: Bread for the City community resources coordinator and all-around superstar Sherita Evans. Read Sherita's story below:
"I think that we did our children a great disservice when we took the neighbor out of neighborhood. Neighborhood should mean something. To me, it means that we take care of each other. I think that the overwhelming needs in places like SE are why our communities have broken down. We all want to be good people and give back, but what happens when all of your kids and grandkids are in need. Then, your nieces and nephews are in need, too. And, then there is your neighbor in need. All of the need becomes overwhelming and you just focus on yourself.
“Working for Bread, I have come to learn that the same thing that broke down the neighborhood is what can bring us back together. We are all in need, but we can learn to help each other and help ourselves block-by-block. We know that problems in this city are never limited to just one block. One block’s problems can spread to another block and then another, and soon the whole city feels it. People need to recognize that, or at least think about how poverty in my neighborhood in SE impacts those who live uptown.
“I live in this community and see people I went to school with at the supermarket not able to pay for their groceries. I used to work in telecommunications for seven years and had to write-up my employees for work issues that turned out to be the result of lack of affordable child care or health care. Come on, these are basic human rights. No one should be allowed to starve or get in trouble at work because they are too poor to have someone take care of their kids.
“I wanted to work to change these things, so I came to Bread as a volunteer and now work in a dual role as the intake and community resources coordinator. When people come in, I sit with them and tell them about the resources available to them. I help them get social services. I tell them that while Whole Foods or Harris Teeter may not advertise accepting food stamps, you can still go there and shop like everyone else.
“The other part of what I do is going out into the community to let people know about Bread. You would be surprised how many people I meet who think that all we do is literally give bread out to the city. Other people may think that we only do legal work in NW. I tell them that we pride ourselves on being a non-traditional service provider across this city.
“Working here, I see how the lines of poverty have changed. It is no longer only the traditional African-American family coming in for help. Now, I see a real diversity of people coming through our doors. Everyone is in need of help. Everyone has a cousin or aunt or grandma in need. I also deal with a lot of veterans. I am not talking about Vietnam or Korea, but Iraq. If you are an E Class 1, your pay was never meant to support you and a family of four. I work to help those families get services.
“I have had a lot of jobs, but this is the only one that gives me instant gratification. You know that job that everyone seeks out of college, the one where you are going to make a difference and make an imprint in the world, I get to do that every day. A mother will come in and say, ‘I just paid my rent and I can’t feed my children. How am I going to feed my babies?’ If I can help her with food, she will be able to give her children the best part of her. It is a wonderful feeling to be a little part of that.
“So, if we really want to end this, let’s be neighborly again all of the time. Let’s not just wait for the holidays to help. I want someone to be neighborly in March when all of the Holiday Helpings are long gone. If you don’t have money, teach someone a skill or lead by example. Stop reading about the statistics in the Washington Post and hearing what they say in City Council and come and do something about it.”
Many thanks to People's District for this great series!. Celebrate this holiday season with us by making a gift to Holiday Helpings today! Just $29 will provide a healthful, plentiful holiday meal to a family of four.
November 11, 2010
People's District at Bread for the City: Tony's story
This week, in promotion of our Holiday Helpings campaign, the People's District is publishing five stories told by people from Bread for the City's community.
Check out yesterday's feature of our Executive Director, George A. Jones.
“I think a lot about how my life would have been different had I had never come back to Washington. I was born in the area, but am a Naval dependent and traveled all over the states as a child. I did most of my schooling in Massachusetts and Maine, and life was just so peaceful and serene. We lived in a beautiful community with parks and trees and kids playing outside.
“Everyone there supported each other. Didn’t matter what you did, you could get your first babysitting job or win a football game, and the whole community would know and celebrate your accomplishments. It was the only neighborhood that I had ever lived in where you could lose your wallet and someone would return it with every dollar bill in it. It was a great time of life for me.
“When I was ten, my parents divorced and I came with my Mom back to D.C. My family goes back in this city to the 1940’s and we were living over by the Navy Yard. I had spent a lot of time around here growing up, so I knew kids in the community. Still, it was hard for me. First thing I did was to try and lose that New England accent. I tried and tried, but couldn’t seem to get rid of that thing fast enough. I started going to school here, but what people were learning here in the 7th grade, we learned in the 4th. Living in this community, I learned about the difficulties and all of the pain here from things like poverty and violence and drugs. There are a lot of good memories, but I also saw a lot of really bad things.
“As people do in the neighborhood, I started to get into little bits of trouble here-and-there and fell in to peer pressure. I even went through incarceration. I got locked up the first time for being nosy. I saw some of my friends getting arrested, so I went down to see what was happening. Turns out, I was wearing the same outfit as one of the guys who committed the crime and they locked me up for two and a half years. I fought it and had witnesses there supporting me, but it didn’t matter. I went in to the system angry and came out of jail with a vengeance. I hated the government for putting a mark on me for something I had nothing to do with. When I got out, someone tried to rob me and I fought back. Can you believe it, the cops came and arrested me for it. I just lost it. I felt like the world was picking on me and I had the worst luck. After that, I just gave up on myself and turned away from all of the good principles I learned and let the hatred take over. I had no respect for the law and wasn’t myself for a while.
“After some time, I saw that nothing was going to change for me living this way. The epidemics kept rolling through the neighborhood, but they were just getting more dangerous. We started with grass and then they brought in the chemicals like acid and powder cocaine. Guns and violence took over and I saw people kill themselves for nothing. I started thinking about Maine and just wanted to go back to those days. I was on a pre-set path to go to college and be somebody. At the time, I didn’t even have a degree and stopped caring about everything.
“I knew there was a better way to live, so I started to change my ways. I wanted to get out of the cesspool, but I still had issues with the government and knew that they couldn’t help me, so I decided to do it by myself. I started doing handy work for the old people around the neighborhood. When there was a rat infestation in our community, I became the pest control. I would wash cars, mow lawns, fix houses, and do whatever you needed. People used to call me the little entrepreneur. I also started to work as a counselor, to help the teenagers and people struggling with addiction in my community.
“About seven years ago, I was blessed to get a job at Bread for the City. Now, I work as the food program coordinator and distribute food to people in need. Because I spend my days with people who are struggling, like I struggled, I still get to work as a counselor. This place opened me up to realizing my potential. I am still in the process of getting better and wanting to grow, but I now have people who come to me looking for advice and direction. It is elating to see someone make a breakthrough with your help. I thank God that I went through what I went through and found Bread, so that I could free my mind and give back to my community.”
Many thanks to the People's District. Celebrate this holiday season with us by making a gift to Holiday Helpings today! Just $29 will provide a healthful, plentiful holiday meal to a family of four.
November 8, 2010
The People's District at Bread for the City
We're pleased to announce that one of our favorite blogs, the People's District, is hosting a week-long special series in promotion of our Holiday Helpings campaign. People’s District will feature five stories on the people affected by and fighting against hunger and poverty in D.C.
Today’s story comes from Ruby, one of our clients. Thanks for sharing, Ruby!
“My parents were share croppers in South Carolina. They moved us up to D.C. when I was just a child to find a better life. Thing is that when we all got up here, my Momma got a job cleaning houses in New York. My grandmother raised me over by where the Convention Center is now, and my Momma would come home on holidays. It wasn’t easy, but I appreciate the sacrifice that she made for me.
"Back then, life was good and easy, you know what I am saying. Going to the movies wasn’t nothing but nine cents and I would collect soda bottles to have enough money to see the films. I remember when the movies went up to ten cents and I was all mad because it was too darn expensive. That will tell you how old I am, even though you probably think that I am still young and beautiful.
"When I had to start working, I took a job at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and stayed until I retired on September 30, 1993. I did everything there, and I mean everything. I was an information receptionist, so I was the first person you saw in the morning and the last person you saw at night. I moved to medical maintenance, and then left there to work in the red building where they do the experiments with the animals. You know them animal people still get upset when I tell them what I did, but we needed the animals to help cure diseases. I saw a lot of people get help because of those animals.
"After I retired, I was looking forward to sitting back and enjoying life with my babies and grandbabies. But, my aunt got sick, so I left D.C and moved to Massachusetts to take care of her. When I came back in 1995, things were hard on me because I had to take care of all of my grandbabies, too. I had three kids, but one of them passed in 2004. For a lot of reasons, I had to take care of all of their kids. I did it because I had to, but it was supposed to be my retirement. I am now raising my last granbaby, and then I hope I can relax because I am 68 and tired."When I realized that I needed help feeding all of these extra mouths, I first came to Bread for the City in 1995. I needed food and milk for the kids and quilts in the winter time and didn’t know where else to go. On my small pension, I couldn’t afford to buy stuff that could support all of us. Because I was from the neighborhood, I knew about Bread. I wasn’t ashamed or nothing to ask for help because when it is about your babies, ain’t no one who is too proud to beg to put food on the table. When I was working, I never had to go with no food, so it scared me to see myself and my babies not having enough to eat.
"I thank Bread for helping me to improve my situation. They gave me the things that I needed when my kids were cold and hungry. I tell you, it’s a blessing. Because I see how they helped me, I try and help others. I volunteer at the National Capital Area Food Bank, and help at my church. See, I don’t only feed my family, but I try and feed many, many families with the assistance I receive. With my holiday helpings, I am going to make a big meal and share it with the other families in need. You best believe that.”
You can help us be there for thousands of families like Ruby's. Give today to Holiday Helpings. Just $29 provides for a family of four. Make a donation here, and to learn more about operating a food or cash drive in your workplace or community group, contact Nathan LaBorie at nlaborie@breadforthecity.org or 202.386.7611.
Meanwhile, check back with the People's District each day this week!
November 3, 2010
Getting Better All the Time
On September 23rd, Bread for the City started implementing our Client Choice model in our Northwest Food Pantry, based on its great success in our Southeast Center.
I’m pleased to report that Northwest client choice is running smoothly, thanks to the efforts of staff and volunteers and the willingness of clients to try something new. Gone, now, are the days of prepackaged grocery bags, repetitive meals and wasted food! Instead, our pantry has a spiffy, spacious new layout that’s more like a grocery store than a warehouse.
It’s a pretty major change that pivots away from the way our food pantry has worked for decades—and it was undertaken gradually, methodically, and to widespread satisfaction. Feedback tells us that this new system is favored over our old system by clients, volunteers, and staff!
All part of the plan. Specifically, the plan for Quality Improvement. Quality Improvement (QI) is a specific organizational development model that we’ve adopted at Bread for the City in order to assess and improve our own services. The basic idea of QI is that we can improve our services by making slight changes, tracking measurable data that reveals the effect of that small change, and then continuing to tweak and assess accordingly.
For example, in the food pantry, we’ve been tracking “cycle time”, or how long it takes one client to enter the pantry, get processed in our computer system, and go through the pantry to pick out their food. Cycle time before client choice would hover between 4 and 5 minutes.
As you can see in the graph below, our “cycle times” in the the Southeast food pantry shot up when we first implemented Client Choice, but they consistently improved thereafter, to the point where it was just as fast as it was before Client Choice -- even faster!
We had a few hiccups that taught us useful information, like that the cycle time depends heavily on volunteers. Using the QI method, we determined that if we don’t have enough volunteers on any given day, the cycle time shoots up (like it did in early April) -- but as our volunteers learn the new system over time, cycle time gradually decreases.
Once our staff and volunteers knew the best ways to run the system, it was easy for them to help transfer the model to our Northwest center. We’ve been running client choice in NW for almost a month, and cycle time started off at and has hovered around 5 minutes.This is just one of the QI initiatives that Bread for the City has taken on. We’ve also used QI to improve both staff and client use of our phone system, wait-time for our medical clinic patients, and ways that our staff shares information. (Special shout-out here goes to BFC's Special Projects Manager Julia Eddy, our Super QI Enfabulousinator.)
Bread for the City: good work is good, better work is even better!
November 2, 2010
A great start for Holiday Helpings
Yesterday was our Holiday Helpings kickoff! We provided nearly 200 families with complete holiday meals -- a turkey and all the trimmings. And those were just the early birds. We expect more than 8,000 more families will turn to us in the coming months.
See video of a visit from Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton here. And check out this great photo gallery of the morning, shot by Friend of Bread Steve Goldenberg:
With all this talk about Holiday Helpings, you may be asking, "how can I help?" Well, first and foremost, you can give generously! (Just $29 provides Holiday Helpings to a family of four.)
Anyone can help with this effort. Specifically, Bread for the City will need 3-5 volunteers every afternoon from 1:00pm-3:00pm, Monday through Thursday through December 23, in both of our pantries, located at 1525 7th Street NW and 1640 Good Hope Road SE. (Please keep in mind that we are open only during business hours, and operate on the Federal Holiday calendar, so we do not have any volunteer opportunities during the evening, weekends, or holidays, including Thanksgiving and Christmas.)
Thank you for your support!
November 1, 2010
Holiday Helpings Kickoff with Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton
The first Monday of November is always one of Bread for the City's busiest days of the year. Bright and early, people line up down the block to receive the very first of our Holiday Helpings packages, including a turkey and all the trimmings.
This year's Holiday Helpings kickoff was a special treat, however, when we were joined by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. After passing out some turkeys and snapping some pictures with folks, Congresswoman Norton and Bread for the City Executive Director George Jones took a tour of our new Northwest Center.
October 29, 2010
Holiday Helpings Starts Monday - sign up your group today!
*UPDATE: Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton to kick-off Holiday Helpings at the Northwest Center on Monday, November 1st at 9:30am!*
Here it comes! Holiday Helpings starts next week.
Our pantry is packed with special holiday provisions -- stuffing, canned yams, cranberry sauce, and of course: turkeys!
On Monday, we'll see a line out the door as the first rush of people come bright and early to claim their Holiday Helpings package. We're able to be there for these people -- and for the thousands more who will turn to us in the next two months -- because of the incredible generosity of people like you.
In order to meet this year's goal of distributing 8,000 holiday meals in the next 8 weeks, we need your help.
The great thing about Holiday Helpings is the way that everyone chips in together. The bulk of our food and financial contributions come through the efforts of individuals who turn to their own communities -- be they workplaces, schools, civic associations, apartment buildings or private businesses -- to bring friends and colleagues into the act.
It's not too late to sign up your community group to join in Holiday Helpings right along with us!
In just the past week, 5 groups have signed up to run 
Holiday Helpings cash and food drives. If we can sign up 5 more by next week, we'll have 30 groups participating -- our highest number ever!
Some of our groups include:
- Dickstein Shapiro LLP
- American College of Physicians
- Kenyon Square Condominium Board
- WilmerHale LLP
However Holiday Helpings happens, we hear all the time that folks find it to be an easy, fun, and rewarding way to share their holiday spirit with those in need.
So can we count on your support? You can email me or call me at 202.386.7611. I'm happy to answer any questions, brainstorm ideas, or just pass along our very simple set of guidelines.
And, of course, the most immediate way to support Holiday Helpings is to make a donation directly. Just $29 will provide Holiday Helpings to a family of four — and we want to provide for more than 8,000 families, so we've got a lot of work ahead of us! Please give today.
Here come the Holidays. Thank you for making them happen!
October 28, 2010
Holiday Cheer is in the Bag!
In the coming months, our beloved Holiday Helpings program will provide more than 8,000 clients with complete holiday meals -- a turkey and all the trimmings.
That’s a whole lot of turkeys!
In the past, Holiday Helpings has consumed tens of thousands of single-use bags to package them all. (Since each package is heavy, we need to provide one paper bag and two plastic bags each.) So this time around, we intend to be better to our environment, by distributing as many reusable cloth bags as possible.
We've been running a reusable bag drive for much of this year -- ever since the passage of the Bag Tax (which levied a fee of 5 cents per bag). Thanks to our food pantry and dozens of generous donors, thousands of our clients have already received reusable bags for our their grocery shopping and other needs. That helps their wallets, since those nickels can really add up against a limited income.
With our food pantry about to kick into high gear, reusable bag drives are a great way to help Bread for the City this holiday season.
Many of us have extra totes at home, work, or in the car. Please consider donating these idle bags to our clients. You can even pick up a few extras at the grocery store for us.
Even better, set up a Holiday Helpings drive in your community or workplace, and help us bring in many more bags, food, and cash for our holiday season. Bag drives are easy; and the average drive brings in nearly 100 bags! Please contact Nathan LaBorie or 202.386.7611 if you would like to set up a drive.
And in the meantime, of course, please give directly to Holiday Helpings — just $29 will provide our special holiday package to a family of four.
October 27, 2010
Holiday Helpings: Help us be healthy
Most of the food in Bread for the City's pantry is purchased directly by us from the Capital Area Food Bank – putting your donated dollars to great bulk-scale use. (And it's not too early to give to our Holiday Helpings campaign, which starts next week!)
We truly value the generosity of our donors. Yet because we also highly value the health of our clients, we hope to channel the energy and commitment of our donors to ensure that clients receive foods that best support their health.
Research shows that there is a much higher incidence of diabetes and heart disease among populations that include our clients . These diseases are largely preventable through lifestyle changes like diet and exercise. By contributing foods that do not contribute to these diseases, donors can help Bread for the City be a part of the solution to this community health crisis.
With this in mind, we respectfully share our updated nutrition guidelines for donations.
Please keep in mind that we cannot accept the following:
• canned or boxed soups that are not labeled low-fat, low-sodium
• ramen noodles
• pastry items, candy, other sweet snacks (cookies, Jell-o)
• drinks that are highly sweetened or artificially sweetened (sweetened fruit juice, soda, sports drinks, sweet tea)
• cake and brownie mixes
• boxed macaroni and cheese
Instead we encourage:
• canned vegetables and beans that are labeled low-sodium or no salt added
• olive oil
• dry beans
• fruit canned in natural juices
• canned salmon, tuna, sardines, or chicken, especially unsalted and packed in water
• 100% pure juice
• whole grain flour and cereal that is whole grain, not highly sweetened (plain oatmeal, original Cheerios)
And we discourage but will accept:
• canned vegetables and beans that are not labeled low-sodium or unsalted
• fruit canned in light or heavy syrup
• sweetened cereal (Raisin Bran, Honey Nut Cheerios)
Thank you for joining us in this broad effort to improve the health of our community! To sign up to run a Holiday Helpings drive in your workplace or community, please contact Nathan LaBorie at nlaborie@breadforthecity.org or 202.386.7611.
October 25, 2010
15 years of Holiday Helpings
Next week marks the launch of Holiday Helpings! In the coming months, Bread for the City will distribute more than 8,000 special holiday packages, including a whole turkey and all the trimmings, to all of our food pantry's clients. Just $29 will bring Holiday Helpings to a family of four — you can help us start strong by making a donation here. We're also still signing up participants for community and workplace drives -- email us to learn more.
To start this year off, we asked Bread for the City board member (and all-time high-scoring Holiday Helpings all-star) Paul Taskier, of Dickstein Shapiro LLP, to share with us his reflections on fifteen years of this beloved program. Paul's story is below. My name is Paul Taskier. I am a father of three, a citizen of the District for over 30 years, a partner at Dickstein Shapiro LLP, and a volunteer and long-time supporter of Bread for the City.
I have been blessed and lucky. My parents escaped the Nazis, and fled to America – my mother with one suitcase and my father with $12 in his pocket.
The day after he arrived, my father found work in a mailroom; my mother received a college scholarship for war refugees. They found great opportunity in this country, and worked hard all their lives to build a better future for their children.
As I grew up, attended college and then law school, I carried on from my parents a sense of great responsibility to the communities that had given us so much. It was this sense of responsibility that led me, gratefully, to Bread for the City.
Bread for the City helps people who, in many cases, never had the kinds of opportunities that my family found. People who’ve grown up under a broken educational system, a faltering economy, domestic violence, racism and other hardships. People who worked all their lives but now struggle with illness and the rising cost of trying to make ends meet.
I first came to Bread for the City in 1996, when the chief judge of the DC Superior Court asked my law firm, Dickstein Shapiro, to provide pro bono legal services to Bread for the City’s clients. I’d known about Bread for the City’s food pantry (the largest in the city) and its medical clinic (one of only a handful of free clinics in the city) and it was clear that our lawyers could really make a difference here. My colleagues and I signed up.
Years later, with pride and pain, I remember one case vividly: Beth. She’d been a drug abuser and an alcoholic in the past, but had since sobered up and found work as a restaurant dishwasher.
Beth was just one day younger than I—yet she looked as if she was 25 years my senior. By the time she came to Bread for the City, diabetes and years of upright labor had taken a severe toll. Beth was hardly able to walk, let alone stand and work.
Despite this clear disability, however, the Social Security Administration had denied Beth the disability benefits that she needed to survive. We litigated her case through the appeals process, and we were successful. (Bread for the City has a success rate of well over 90% for public benefits appeals.)
But though we won the appeal, we still lost Beth: the circulation in her legs collapsed, and they needed to be amputated. To our despair, Beth died on the operating table.
Right then I could see how, for people in need, so much depends upon receiving the right help at the right time. In Bread for the City, I’d found a place that provides all kinds of help to anyone who needs it.
[Holiday Helpings 2010 promo clip developed by BFC's Nate LaBorie]
My first year as a volunteer also happened to be the very first year of Holiday Helpings. The food pantry decided to try to raise enough money to provide a complete holiday meal – a turkey and all the trimmings – to all of its clients.
When I saw a flyer describing the program, I realized that for these families I'd been helping, a true holiday celebration would otherwise be an unaffordable luxury.
That brought to mind my own family’s holiday meals. For my family, Thanksgiving was often the only time when all of us would come together in one space. With so many of our relatives lost in the Holocaust, these holidays were truly life-affirming. I could see my mother’s great joy at having her children, parents, and cousins all at one table, giving thanks. These were the times that gave us hope, and made us strong. So I immediately felt that this program was important.
I walked the halls of the law firm and went into every partner’s office, telling each of them about this great organization and its holiday drive. In just a few days, I raised $10,000! When I called Bread for the City to let them know, they were shocked. George Jones, Bread’s Executive Director, told me the entire Holiday Helpings budget was just $20,000.
Well, this set a fire under me. The next year the members and staff of my firm gave $20,000, and the following year we helped raise $40,000. The numbers grew each year thereafter. Holiday Helpings kept growing too: last year Bread for the City provided holiday meals to 8,000 families in need – and Dickstein Shapiro’s staff and lawyers contributed more than $145,000.
Last year, even as we broke our own fundraising records, the importance of Bread for the City’s Holiday Helpings was most profoundly brought home to me by a small note accompanying a modest gift. A very junior member of our staff 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.”When I read this note from our employee—once a Bread for the City client, and now a donor—I thought of my parents when they’d just arrived in America. My father working long days in the mailroom, my mother setting the Thanksgiving table for four generations of our family that had escaped a terrible fate.
Even the poorest among us deserve to enjoy a holiday meal in the sanctity of their own home, even when times are tough. Especially then. For these families, a turkey with all the trimmings is more than a meal– it’s a blessing. A chance for togetherness and strength.
You can help us work together to bring that strength to thousands of our most vulnerable neighbors. The easiest way to help is by donating directly: $29 will bring Holiday Helpings to a family of four.
But you, too, can go above and beyond. I’ve found that community fundraising drives are a fun and very effective way to make a huge difference during Holiday Helpings. You can multiply your impact by bringing your friends and colleagues into the act.
Holiday Helpings starts next week--lines will form at Bread for the City bright and early on Monday, as people come for the very first turkeys. During this holiday season, Bread for the City will open its doors to more people than ever before. Please consider giving today -- and even more importantly, please consider signing up to run a Holiday Helpings Drive in your workplace, house of worship, or civic association. It's not too late to get started. To learn more, please contact Nathan LaBorie at 202.386.7611 or nlaborie@breadforthecity.org.
Happy Holidays,
Paul R. Taskier
Member, Bread for the City’s Board of Directors
Partner, Dickstein Shapiro LLP
January 4, 2010
Holiday Helpings Volunteer Wrap-Up
Whew, we made it! After two months and some 8,000 turkeys, over 300 volunteers came through Bread for the City’s two food pantries and helped to prepare holiday dinners, pack bags of groceries, organize donations, unload trucks, sort clothing, break down boxes, move equipment, bag produce and many other big and little tasks that have helped facilitate a very successful Holiday Helpings campaign this year. (Oops: last year!)
We had volunteers helping out every day we were open in November and December in both 
centers, and every one of them was a blessing. Not only did we have the groups come that we've thanked here before (and here), but we were also helped by individuals and families from our local communities in Shaw and Anacostia, and from all around the DC metropolitan area. I could never be in both centers at once to meet each of these volunteers, but I heard through Bread for the City staff that they were always eager, willing, enthusiastic, and flexible enough to do whatever was needed for us to best serve our clients--the best sorts of volunteers.
We made some lasting friends, as well. Some families and groups that volunteered are going to come back again in 2010, and some individuals who helped out have applied for longer term volunteer positions.
Stephen Fee brought his co-workers from the PBS NewsHour to our pantry — but their desire to help out wasn't satiated by the pile of grocery bags they packed, so they are returning in January for more.
On left: food packages stacked to the roof!
Kris Jones volunteered in our Southeast Center and noticed the need of our clothing room for more shelves, so she and her family have offered to return and re-shelve, re-paint and otherwise overhaul our clothing room.
Many other groups have promised to return. A few of our volunteers who were completing their court-ordered community service hours stuck on beyond their assigned shifts to help during the busy holidays, and plan to come back in the new year. I am thrilled by the dedication of all of these people, and their good wills have assuaged some of my worries of Holiday volunteer retention.
It was certainly inspiring to be in the middle of all of this and to witness people coming from all walks of life and various neighborhoods simply to meet the needs of our client community. I thank all of the volunteers and Bread staff that made Holiday Helpings a success.
December 25, 2009
So many "thank you"s
As we enjoy this holiday with our families, let's also take a moment to highlight some of the remarkable supporters in the Bread for the City community.
For instance, the Washington Post's Steven Pearlstein -- in his annual column about the year's best corporate philanthropy -- gave special recognition to WilmerHale for the law firm's fantastic support of Bread for the City, as well as to DLA Piper!. Thanks to Steven, and a huge thanks to WilmerHale and DLA Piper! (Read more coverage of WilmerHale's work with us here and DLA Piper's work here.)
Also prominent: Cokie Roberts came to visit us during Holiday Helpings, took a tour of our facility and asked some great questions about how it all works, and then wrote a thoughtful column about hunger in America. See pictures of her visit here.
I'd also like to take a moment to acknowledge some remarkable contributions from individuals you haven't heard of before:
Nick L. Bennett, for instance, has made a generous contribution to Bread for the City for the past ten years. It's always a different number, always in uneven amounts. Here's how he calculates his giving: while riding his bike to work each day, he would stop to pick up any coins he saw on the roadway. At the end of the year, he would multiply the sum of those coins by 100, and write a check for that amount to Bread for the City. He said he did this in recognition of what a lucky man he was.
A few years ago Mr. Bennett had a brain aneurysm, and ceased biking. But still today he finds coins while walking, and at the end of the year still makes a check out to Bread for the City for 100 times the amount. Thank you for this remarkable gesture, Mr. Bennett.
[Thanks to Colonel Joel Gardner for this story.]
And finally, Frederick Scott came to Bread for the City while on a field trip to DC with his church group. Fred helped us out in the food pantry for an afternoon, and apparently we impressed him, because he subsequently made a video about us, hosted a bake sale at his school to raise money, and then brought his mother with him for a second volunteer session. Here's the kicker: Rick is from Massachusetts! He and his mom took a special train trip all the way down to DC just to volunteer at Bread for the City, because he was so taken with our work.
Says Rick:
The small gestures and acts of kindness from my school's community back home made this trip possible. They showed me how a "community" can gather and achieve something great. I see it at home, I see at Bread for the City, and someday I imagine seeing it all over the world."Rick made another lovely video after his second trip:
Thank you, Rick and all of our supporters. Your support makes such a difference! Happy holidays to all.
December 24, 2009
Photo Shoot! Staff Struts Stuff
During our holiday photo shoot (see the first two installments here and here) we encouraged staff and volunteers to join in for some peppermint glamour shots. After a long day of work, some staff were more excited than others about posing for the camera - but all the photos came out beautifully! [See more at our Flickr feed here.]
Wendy & Jo work in our Social Services department. Wendy is a Licensed Graduate Social Worker and Jo is a Case Manager for our Representative Payee clients. Jo came to us originally through a year of service with Lutheran Volunteer Corps but has recently accepted a salaried staff position!
Dr. Joan E Myles is one of Bread for the City's two physicians. She is a big fan of family portraits – this is her family’s second year in a row (this time with a guest!). She and her husband, Seiji, made a generous donation that is funding the prints from this photo shoot that we sent to our clients. Thank you, Joan E!
Stacey Smith, seen here with his son Solace, is a Case Manager in our Social Services department and coordinator of our Pre-Employment Program. Read his story here.
Susanne with her partner Monica and son, Danny, manages our Representative Payee Program for both centers. Just days later, Susanne welcomed her newborn, Ben, into the world!
Tony coordinates our Southeast food pantry, where 100+ people come to pick up food every day. Thanks, T!
Mrs. Ford manages our clothing bank in Southeast -- entirely as a volunteer! This year, Mrs. Ford got married and we are thrilled for her.
Again, huge thanks to Steve Goldenberg for the ace photography. (See his full sets here and here.)
And thanks to Julia Eddy for co-authoring this post.
December 23, 2009
Photo Shoot! Holiday Portraits Too
Free printed portraits are currently making their way through the mail to our participating clients - a great way to give these families some special holiday cheer. See the full sets here and here. (Many thanks to our good friend Steve Goldenberg for making it all happen!)
Susan Berger: "I was misdiagnosed so many times before they discovered that I had MS. It was giving me such trouble at work, where I was a technical training manager at Cablevision. So of course I lost job and my insurance -- and came here. That was almost 17 years ago!
Since then, this has been where I go first to get help. I've seen the best and I've seen the worst - and Bread for the City is better than any hospital. Bread for the City helped me even get my Social Security Disability Insurance, after I'd been denied. Could you believe they'd deny someone with MS? Well you helped fix that.
Now I'm a full-time student at the Art Institute in Rosslyn. I look forward to working with you all."
Gloria Berger (Susan's sister): "I received legal assistance from you all during my divorce. I was trying to keep my house and I didn't know what legal rights I had -- I was hearing all kinds of things and didn't know what to do. Bread for the City lawyers helped me figure out what I needed to get started. Recently, I've come back here for information about job training programs."
Gerald Clark uses our resource center to find employment leads, and receives referrals from our medical clinic. In the past, he's worked as a medical correspondent at Walter Reed, a cook, and a laborer with Clark Construction.
We provided Jeremiah Clark with assistance in attaining Medicaid.
December 22, 2009
Photo Shoot! Holiday Hammings Edition
Free printed portraits are currently making their way through the mail to our participating clients - a great way to give these families some special holiday cheer. See the full sets here and here. (Many thanks to our good friend Steve Goldenberg for making it all happen!)
Here some of our favorites below:
Mr. Rivers, pictured here with his wife and two children, was a Metro driver for many years, and now receives disability assistance. Bread for the City helps his family with food and things like utility bills. Natasha (on left) is enrolled in a local technical college.
Monique and her daughters are regulars at our clothing room, and appear here in two sets of wardrobes assembled entirely from the "BFC Boutique," as it's known.
Maya:
Monique received Temporary Assistance for Needy Families for around a year, before moving on to self-sufficiency. About that transition, she says simply: "you must be motivated to make it happen." To that end, she credits Bread for the City for supporting her: "It's my resource base. If I need to get something to happen, I can always start here."
Bread for the City helped her find resources to enroll in school and finance her education. Today, she is studying for her Licensed Practical Nurse degree. (Her school wardrobe has come almost entirely from our clothing room.)
"When I walk out of Bread for the City, I feel like I'm in control."
Hattie says "the economy brought me here." Bread for the City helps supplement her medical expenses.
Thelma, pictured here with Shanise, one of her four grandchildren: "I live just down the street been here forever. I was here when y'all were building this place! It's a great help to the community. I used to donate clothes here. Now I sometimes need to come by for food and clothing myself. Ah, don't worry about Shanise - she makes that face at everyone."
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