Latest news with #CapitalAreaFoodBank
Business Journals
06-06-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
The future of our region's economy depends on the power of our partnerships
As the government jobs and contracts that have long been the center of gravity in our region continue to undergo reductions and elimination, our local economy is facing profound disruption. In the next few years, this presents significant challenges for the well-being of an enormous number of our neighbors. In the longer term, it may ultimately present opportunities for creating a more inclusive economy. In both cases, the extent to which we can mitigate harm today and capitalize on the potential for future transformation depends heavily on our ability as a region to lean deeply into the power of cross-sector partnerships. Addressing the immediate need Though we're still in the early phases of this new economic reality, its effects are already evident. Many of the 400 regional nonprofits through which the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) distributes the food for over 60 million meals each year are seeing more people come to their doors for help. These individuals include former federal employees and contractors, and an even greater proportion of people who are economically 'downstream' — for instance, workers in service industries who have experienced cutbacks to hours or wages because of the job loss (or fear of it) of their clients and customers. As more furloughs turn into unemployment and families' savings run out, we anticipate that these impacts will continue to grow. This is all coming at a time when our region was already experiencing high levels of food insecurity: CAFB's most recent Hunger Report revealed that 37% of our neighbors – 1.5 million people – didn't always know where their next meal would come from at some point in 2023. It is also coinciding with reductions in many federal supports just when they are needed the most. The food bank has already seen nearly $1 million trimmed from some of its federal sources of food, and another $1 million-plus reduction to a program that supported its ability to purchase from local farmers. Meanwhile, looming changes to government nutrition programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) stand to erode assistance further. The result is a widening gap between the need for services and the resources required to supply them that the food bank, and other nonprofit organizations doing critical work, simply cannot fill on our own. expand A staff member at one of CAFB's multiple pop-up food distributions serving federal workers, contractors, and others impacted by layoffs and funding cuts. Courtesy photo More than ever, we need the partnership and investment of the private sector, along with that of governments at the county and state levels, local and national foundations, and the broader philanthropic community. Working together, we can stave off the worst impacts of the current economic turmoil on the hundreds of thousands of people across the area who are the first and hardest hit in a shaky economy (and often, statistically, the last to recover). Supporting our neighbors now pays multiple dividends. In addition to creating positive outcomes at an individual level, it also helps to lay the groundwork for enabling the growth of the workforce our region needs to succeed — today and most certainly as we re-envision our future economy. Building a new, more inclusive economy for the future In the midst of the rapid changes happening around us, and the immediate need to respond to them, it could be easy to miss that this moment also presents an enormous opportunity to re think the longer-term economic picture of our region, and the ways it can be constructed to benefit far more people than it does today. It is an opportunity we must not ignore. In recent months, leaders from across our area have begun to accelerate discussions about what the new economic engines of the DMV might include, and how we can spur them on. Ideas include everything from enhancing infrastructure like public transit and investing in technologies like AI to growing the regional presence of the aerospace and life science industries. The potential is significant. And in every scenario, an essential component of the vision is a labor pool with the skills to do the jobs. Certainly, this new workforce should and will include those who held previous jobs as federal employees or contractors, and there are initiatives underway to stem outward migration by facilitating those kinds of sector transitions. There is also work being done to support the recruitment of talent from across the country. But this moment also provides the chance to enhance or create structures and systems that will allow people who are already living in our region, but currently on the sidelines of our economy, to more fully engage and bring their talents to bear. We know that that the desire for greater employment opportunities is there. In a survey conducted for one of our recent Hunger Reports, we saw that while 76% of those facing food insecurity in our region are working, 70% of those same individuals are looking for a job that pays higher wages, and 59% are interested in acquiring new skills and training to excel in their current job or get into a new field. expand Hunger Report found that many people facing food insecurity also have a strong desire to gain new job skills and enter new fields of employment. Capital Area Food Bank Building the pipelines that will enable this will not just happen — it will require intention, support structures, and partnerships between sectors, often among actors we may not think of as natural collaborators. Fortunately, we have existing models. For instance, we are partnering with multiple regional institutions of higher learning to provide food that enables people to remain in school or training programs. The knowledge and skills they acquire through these programs help to prepare them for the jobs of the future, fueling their own economic advancement while supplying our local talent pipeline. The food bank is also partnering with local hospitals and medical centers like the University of Maryland Medical Center, Unity Health Care, and Children's National (which serves patients up through college age) to help people get the nutrition they need to improve their health and manage diet-related illness, allowing for greater workforce readiness. expand College leaders speaking at the Regional College Hunger Conference, hosted by CAFB and the Consortium of Universities of the Metropolitan Washington Area. The food bank partners with institutions of higher learning across the region. Alyssa Schukar None of this is occurring in a silo: crafting these types of programs has required significant collaboration and support across sectors in our region. And scaling more initiatives like this to build our new regional economy in ways that benefit more people will take even more of us working together. But there has never been a more important time to lean into these kinds of partnerships. In the current environment, transformation is not optional; for our region's survival, it is now required. Fortunately, while this is a time like no other that we've faced, the COVID-pandemic has very recently shown us that we can rise to any occasion if we evolve rapidly by working together. We can make it through this moment — and emerge stronger from it — by partnering to meet the immediate needs of our neighbors and finding new ways to help all people in our region thrive. To learn more about the Capital Area Food Bank and how you can get involved in its work to provide food and opportunity for people across the DMV, visit The Capital Area Food Bank annually provides more than 60 million meals-worth of food to people in need by supplying food to hundreds of regional nonprofits. It also partners with area organizations to address hunger's root causes by pairing food with critical services such as education and health care. Radha Muthiah is the president and CEO of the Capital Area Food Bank, overseeing the organization's work to help people across greater Washington thrive by creating more equitable access to food and opportunity through community partnerships.
Business Journals
06-06-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Food From the Bar campaign gives DC's legal community a chance to compete to take on hunger
Lawyers across the District spent the month of May competing against each other to see who could make the biggest impact on hunger. During the annual Food From the Bar campaign, now in its 17th year, DC law firms, law schools, law societies, and legal professionals went toe to toe, working to outdo each other in raising funds that will help families, children, and individuals in need. All told, the remarkable efforts of the 40 participating law firms and legal associations generated over $500,000 to support the Capital Area Food Bank's mission. These funds come at a critical time. Over the summer, children who rely on school meals for much of their nourishment no longer have access to them. And many parents have difficulty covering the increased grocery costs that result from having children home all day. The Capital Area Food Bank is there to help fill the nutritional gap that kids and families face during the summer months, and the DC legal community's support plays an essential role in making that possible. While the Food From the Bar campaign exists to address a serious issue, the lawyers who join in make it a point to have a lot of fun while they're working to achieve their fundraising goals. Participants have come together to raise money via everything from happy hours to trivia events to a pickleball tournament at Congressional Country Club. This enthusiasm and creativity from everyone involved is a significant reason for the campaign's ongoing success, and among the primary factors that have allowed it to generate the funds for nearly 10 million meals since it began. expand Players at a pickleball tournament organized through Food From the Bar, the DC legal community's campaign to raise funds that support neighbors facing food insecurity. Courtesy photo Food From the Bar's history of strong leadership is also a major contributor to its enduring impact. This year was no different, with Andrew Cook of K&L Gates and Kelly Fisher of DC Water and Sewer Authority co-chairing the committee of lawyers and other professionals that partner with the Capital Area Food Bank to organize and execute the campaign. Thanks to these individuals, along with the collective support of long-time partners DLA Piper, K&L Gates, Crowell & Moring, Thompson Coburn, Arnold & Porter, Akin — and many others — DC's legal community is continuing to help our neighbors get the good food they need to thrive — today and well into the future. To learn more about how the Food from the Bar campaign supports the Capital Area Food Bank's mission, and to get involved, please contact Megan Curran at mcurran@ The Capital Area Food Bank annually provides more than 60 million meals-worth of food to people in need by supplying food to hundreds of regional nonprofits. It also partners with area organizations to address hunger's root causes by pairing food with critical services such as education and health care.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
She's sowing the seeds of her father's legacy by teaching her community to farm
BOWIE, Maryland — Growing up in Charles County, Maryland, Mel Thomas' father sparked her interest in agriculture as he grew plants and food for the family. 'My dad and I, we would have a garden every year. I was an outdoor kid. I just wanted to be out there all the time. He taught me about growing,' she said. What began as a childhood passion has blossomed into a way to foster community, encourage connection to the land and educate Maryland families about the importance of growing their own food. Thomas, 38, is the owner and operator of Mel 'n Nem Farms, stretching across half an acre about 20 miles outside of Washington, D.C., she and her team have developed a sustainable learning farm that offers workshops and training so that people of all age groups can be introduced to the basics of farming. Near the entrance of the farm lies a memorial garden honoring Thomas' father. Mel 'n Nem Farms has roots in both Thomas' fond memories of gardening with her father and in the pandemic. When COVID-19 struck in 2020, Thomas recognized a rise in food insecurity for families in Maryland. 'There are so many places in Prince George's County that are already food deserts, and with the food supply shortages and things like that from the pandemic, kids were starving,' Thomas said. According to a 2024 report by the Capital Area Food Bank, 50 percent of Prince George's County residents are experiencing food insecurity, a 5 percent increase from the previous year. Mel 'n Nem Farms works with the Bowie Interfaith Pantry and Emergency Fund to donate excess produce from their programming. Thomas' concern for Maryland families' limited access to food highlighted another issue: Many Black and Brown families in her community didn't have the access to agriculture that she did. 'I noticed that a lot of Black and Brown people didn't have the skills to grow their own foods,' she said. 'That was troubling to me because everything about American agriculture as it's been built comes from Black and indigenous agricultural practices.' The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported 32,700 farms owned by Black farmers in 2022, making up 5.3 million acres across the United States. That's down from nearly a million Black-owned farms in 1920. According to the Black Farmers Index, an organization dedicated to Black agricultural research and food insecurity, just over 400 farms are owned by Black women. Black and Brown representation in farming and access to agricultural learning — particularly for low-income people — played a part in Thomas' desire to create educational spaces. 'The people who are getting millions of views on YouTube and having these channels don't look like us. The permaculture classes that you can take are thousands of dollars just to teach practices that people have been doing for years,' she said. 'I'm not attached to a product, I'm attached to a solution.' For Thomas, the solution was clear. In order to enhance her community's understanding of farming, she needed to bring it to them directly, ideally on a small, easily digestible scale. Through Mel 'n Nem's farm workshops, participants can register for hands-on growing lessons tailored to their needs. With the Grow Easy Gardening course, individuals get an in-person step-by-step lesson on how to grow fruits and vegetables in their own backyards. If they're interested in learning more about troubleshooting planting problems, clients can register for the Thriving Garden course, where beginners are guided through strategies to improve the health of their at-home farms. There are also lessons on Container Gardening for those who may not have access to backyard gardening. Finding a home in the rural neighborhood of Old Town Bowie, Mel 'n Nem Farms offers a large plot of rich soil and thriving greenery. Next to her father's memorial garden lies a section of raised garden beds where visitors can learn growing basics. During a visit last month, small yellow flowers sprouting out of the beds indicated the beginning of what would be several plants and vegetables. Decorated with rows of soil, Thomas' produce had not yet sprouted but was anticipated to come alive during the warmer months ahead. Thomas' farm cat Buster also kindly greets visitors as they stroll past each row. 'My intention was to make this a place where people can learn how to grow their own food, people can see what small-scale growing is and community farming is in action, and where people can reconnect with nature,' Thomas said. Mel 'n Nem Farms also offers youth programming for educators and guardians who want to incorporate farming into their children's learning. Open to students from pre-K to 12th grade, the programs offer the option of bringing classrooms to the farm or having the Mel 'n Nem team come to them. The value of bringing holistic farming practices to younger audiences is undeniable to Thomas. As a parent to two children, she finds that teaching youth about farming fosters independence and leadership while also educating them on where their food comes from. 'When you give kids autonomy and confidence and strong identity, they can do so many things,' Thomas said. 'Inevitably we are facing some incredible climate challenges, and having them understand the delicate balance of the ecosystem, of nature, of how they influence the ecosystem, and how they can use it for their own benefit, for their own sustenance. That, to me, is revolutionary.' Through exposing her community to the historical contributions of Black and Brown people to agriculture, she aims to create opportunities for individuals who have experienced a disconnect from land. While environmental factors like Black and Brown people's migration to cities has contributed to people's limited access to farming, she describes their painful history with land as relevant to this disconnect as well. 'The trauma associated with the land. Land stolen, land pilfered, forced to work. That's something that I think on my end needs to be reframed. How do you reclaim something that belongs to you but has also caused you so much trauma?' 'To me, it's joy. Let me just get you in the door with something you really love to grow,' Thomas said. In bringing diversity and accessibility to farming, Mel 'n Nem Farms is pushing to make it a local, readily available skill. For Thomas, it is about more than growing foods, it is about reconnecting with land and building greater solutions. 'To me, it's their birthright. That's something that they should have,' Thomas said. The post She's sowing the seeds of her father's legacy by teaching her community to farm appeared first on The 19th. 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Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New food bank pop-ups coming to DMV for federal workers affected by sweeping layoffs
WASHINGTON () — New pop-up food distribution sites are coming to the D.C., Maryland and Virginia region to help current and former workers impacted by the recent reductions in the federal workforce and funding. Starting Saturday, April 5, the Capital Area Food Bank said workers could pick up food boxes with shelf-stable groceries and fresh produce. The distributions will be held twice a week through June, on Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., or while supplies last each day. Takoma Park bookstore hosts 'Fed Fridays' with free coffee, books for fired federal workers The pop-ups will be found in the parking lots at the following retail locations: Washington, D.C. Safeway: 322 40th Street NE Giant: 1535 Alabama Ave SE Maryland Giant: 7546 Annapolis Rd, Lanham Giant: 7074 Allentown Rd, Camp Springs Virginia Giant: 6364a Springfield Plaza, Springfield Safeway: 4215 Cheshire Station Plaza, Dale City The Capital Area Food Bank noted that people in need of more immediate food assistance can find additional food distributions on its . For more information, their Hunger Lifeline is also available at 202-644-9807. For more details on the pop-ups, click . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
