Bread for the City

>So we’re breaking records, and no one is happy about it. June 23rd marked the 12th day in 2010 the mercury rose into the 90s; to put that in perspective, 2009 featured 12 above-90 days total . Our unseasonably warm spring, with an average temperature of 66.7 degrees, was the warmest in recorded District history, so it comes as no surprise that even with the occasional breeze, the soaring heat index now reaches 100 degrees or more even in the shade.

At BFC, we are blessed with air conditioning and jobs that bring us in from the heat, but now more than ever is a good time to remember our clients and other vulnerable residents of D.C. are not so lucky. Heat vulnerability entails risk of effects that range “from heat rash and sunburn to more complicated illnesses such as heat cramps, fainting and heat exhaustion.” In severe cases, prolonged exposure can result in heat stroke and even death. Thus far, 3 deaths have been reported in the D.C. metro area–all in Maryland.

Recent studies have revealed people in one or more of the following categories are particularly “heat vulnerable”:

• senior citizens
• people of color
• those who live alone
• those below the poverty line
• those do not have a high school diploma
• those who have limited access to green space
• those who suffer from diabetes

While some of the cited risk factors may seem obviously related to heat, factors like ethnicity, income and education highlight the link between economic security and actual physical security. In conditions like these, people are advised to stay in an air conditioned environment and avoiding strenuous labor–but for many of our clients, these are not available options.

So what do our clients do to beat the heat? I asked around and this is the advice these savvy D.C. natives shared:

• Stay at home: Air conditioning or no air conditioning, clients say one of the best ways to stay cool is to stay inside, out of the sun and (if possible) in front of a fan.
  
• Keep travel to a minimum: One client says he travels to school and back and that’s it
  
• Seek shelters: Clients suggested those without air conditioning units should look for relief in senior citizen shelters designated specifically for incidents of heat-related illness and discomfort. The city also offers Cooling Centers for the elderly, and homeless, as well as general facilities open between 12-6pm on weekdays.
  
• Free ride: Well, the bus is not free, but the air conditioning on the bus certainly is an added bonus. Although shopping malls and movie theaters might not be accessible for our clients, public transportation often is. One man said, “I just get on the bus and ride for as long as I can. That’s how you stay cool!”
  
• Freeze-and-go: One mother recommends bottles of ice. Freezing water bottles before leaving the house is a good way to stay hydrated and make it last.
  
• Water, water everywhere: The most popular suggestions always seemed to include some form of H2O. For kids, pools are the most popular. One woman prefers the convenience of her own home, and says an outdoor hose is a great way to cool off in a hurry. At the very least, treat yourselves to some cold showers to lower your body temperature and ward off heat-related illness.

No matter what their strategy is, our clients are doing their best to stay cool but admit that the constraints of labor-intensive jobs or lack of cooling options can be a hindrance.

One way to help is by looking out for those around you. Here are some of the most common heat-related illnesses and symptoms to be on the look out for:

1. Heat Rash: Heat rash can occur at any age but is most common in young children. Heat rash looks like a red cluster of pimples or small blisters.
   
2. Heat cramps: A person who has been exercising or participating in other types of strenuous activity in the heat may develop painful muscle spasms in the arms, legs, or abdomen referred to as heat cramps. The body temperature is usually normal, and the skin will feel moist and cool, but sweaty.
   
3. Heat syncope: Someone who experiences heat syncope (fainting) will experience the sudden onset of dizziness or fainting after exposure to high temperatures, particularly after exercising in the heat. As with heat cramps, the skin is pale and sweaty but remains cool. The pulse may be weakened, and the heart rate is usually rapid. Body temperature is normal.
   
4. Heat exhaustion: Heat exhaustion is a warning that the body is getting too hot. Those most prone to heat exhaustion include elderly people, people with high blood pressure, and people working or exercising in a hot environment. A person with heat exhaustion may be thirsty, giddy, weak, uncoordinated, nauseous, and sweating profusely. As with heat syncope and heat cramps, the body temperature is usually normal in heat exhaustion. The heart rate (pulse rate) is normal or elevated. The skin is usually cold and clammy.
   
5. Heat stroke: Heat stroke is a serious, life-threatening condition that occurs when the body loses its ability to control its temperature. Victims of heat stroke almost always die, so immediate medical attention is essential when problems first begin. In heat stroke, a person develops a fever that rapidly rises to dangerous levels within minutes. Other symptoms and signs of heat stroke may include confusion, combativeness, bizarre behavior, feeling faint, staggering, strong rapid pulse, dry flushed skin, and lack of sweating. Delirium or coma can also result from heat stroke.

If you suspect someone suffers from any of the above heat-related illnesses, move that person to a shady area and call 911 immediately. Even minor symptoms could be precursors to a more serious illness. While waiting for emergency relief, use any available form of cold water to cool the victim, including a cold shower, bath or hose.

Stay tuned for more developments on the heat and what you (and BFC) can do to help! For now, stay cool!

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Last year, BFC’s Glean for the City program sought to rescue tons of fresh produce for our food pantry. It all started with countless cold calls to farmers and markets. The end result was 50,000 lbs of free, fresh produce for our clients (not to mention a grant for $20,000). In 2010, Glean for the City is getting bigger and better, with more farms, more volunteers, and new innovations. Over the next harvest season we will expand both the volume and distribution of produce to our clients in both centers. And while we take steps to expand the gleaning project, client involvement remains a constant aspiration.

Common Good City Farm (CGCF), a small urban farm, located less than a mile from Bread for the City’s NW center, is providing our first opportunity to glean WITH clients! This Wednesday, June 30^th, BFC clients will hit the fields of CGCF to collect produce for our pantry. It will be more than just picking veggies for themselves. These clients are taking an opportunity to give back to BFC. After signing up for the glean, one food client remarked, “This sounds wonderful! I’m going to bring my kids. It’s important to give back. BFC has done so much for us, I want to do what I can for them.”

Education will be the driving force of this gleaning event – we want our clients to see a truly local food source and be a part of the discussion about the food landscape in DC. Bread for the City staff will lead a discussion centered around gleaning, food access, community gardening, and healthy nutrition. After this discussion, we will head to CGCF to get a tour, do some work, and continue the conversation. At CGCF, Spencer, the farm manager, will tell us about the history of CGCF, why and how they help DC residents with access to produce and gardening know-how, and how to get involved. We want clients to walk away with the understanding that this farm is their farm, it is part of their community. As such, they can utilize community gardens (or even their own gardens, if possible) to level the food access playing field, while at the same time contributing to their community.

In my time at BFC, I’ve found most every client is eager to give back to Bread for the City. Gleaning is the perfect opportunity. As the program expands this harvest season, clients will be given several chances, the first being at Common Good City Farm on Wednesday. Beyond this, I am recruiting client volunteers to glean farmers markets over the summer. In the future, I envision a rustic drive to an area farm, with a van full of clients eager to glean produce for our food pantry. We help them. They help us. It’s people helping people, helping people.

>The District’s food stamp eligibility rules changed recently, making thousands of households whose income is between 133% and 200% of the Federal Poverty Level newly eligible for benefits.

Bread for the City’s legal clinic interns Zila McDowell, Bryan Evans, and Carrie Johnson recently called through the 151 food pantry clients who reported incomes in this range. The clients’ eligibility for benefits depends on several additional factors: their household size, income source (a job versus disability benefits and other unearned income), and certain household expenses. Based on the information they gave us, some of these clients became eligible for food stamps when the changes went into effect.

The interns helped interested clients complete a food stamp estimator, giving them a sense of the level of benefits for which they’d qualify. Carrie says, “clients I called were excited about the change in the food stamp program. Some only qualified for $16 [the minimum monthly benefit for 1- and 2-person households], but they still said ‘something is better than nothing…. I’ll take what I can get.’”

Even $16 in food stamps will stretch a little farther this summer thanks to Freshfarm farmers’ market’s “Double Dollars” program. We covered this program last summer and are pleased to report that this year it’s expanded from one to three farmers’ markets in the District (plus the Saturday market in Silver Spring):

Food stamp recipients who visit these markets can make up to a $10 charge on their EBT cards, and get twice the value of their charge in tokens to buy food at the market. (Several other markets take EBT cards and the $25 in “Get Fresh” checks provided to WIC and Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program recipients, but are not currently participating in double-dollar promotions. A new market at Howard University Hospital is also taking WIC and senior vouchers.)

According to Carrie, “Mr. P was incredibly excited about the farmers’ market double-dollars program. He was excited about being able to buy fresh produce in an open air market.” We’re glad that DC food stamp recipients can now extend their food budgets and access more nutritious, locally-grown food…and happy to have interns who help us share this good news with our clients!

>Bread for the City is once again hosting its annual Parking Lot Picnic this summer! We’ll be lightin’ up the grill in the parking lot of our Northwest Center and having a good time with clients, supporters and volunteers. And you’re invited! In fact, some of the Bread for the City staff would like to extend an invitation to you themselves:

Don’t you want to come and celebrate summer with this lovely crowd? In case you missed it, the Picnic will be on Thursday, July 22nd, from 6:00pm-8:00pm. RSVP now–call or email Nathan LaBorie at 202-386-7611 or nlaborie@breadforthecity.org.

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Donna is another shining example of what our clients accomplish every day. Formerly homeless but now living in her own apartment, Donna calls herself “an oldie but a goodie”; she has been a client with BFC since 1993 and credits us with helping her move into her own apartment. (See a great video of Donna here.) Donna is very happy to see that 17 years later, BFC is still growing–literally. “I used to go to the medical clinic and thank God they got a new one coming! It’s crowded in there!”

>Information is power — but with the vast array of services and resources available to people in need in the District of Columbia, it’s a real challenge to be able to figure out what is available and how to access it. Bread for the City staff spend significant time and energy maintaining our internal resource manual, and we aren’t alone—there are many other directories of service resources.

And how accurate is any individual resource? I decided to test this out by looking up Bread for the City itself in various resource directories.

First, I looked up Bread for the City itself in the BRIDGE resource, which we posted about a few months ago. BRIDGE (Bridging Resources In DC to Guide and Educate) is a resource assembled by GW students, and is both slim and chock-full of information. But though a printed page is sometimes easier and more accessible than the internet, it’s also limiting in how the information is presented. For instance, Bread for the City is listed under “Comprehensive Service Provider” — but if someone was trying to find a food pantry and looked under “Food/Grocery Services”, they wouldn’t find us. (A well-indexed online resource wouldn’t face this problem.)

And a print resource also faces the challenge of time — indeed, by the time the BRIDGE resource was published, the information was already more than 6 months old. Much of that information is already changing.

I also tried online resources. DC’s 211 Answers Please can be found online, or people can call (202)463-6211 to get connected with various service agencies. When I looked online under “Clothing Resources”, I found correct information about Bread for the City’s Clothing Room in our SE office. Also, there’s accurate information about our Medical department.

However, Bread for the City’s entry under “Food” is a different story: 211 Answers only mentions our services in our Southeast Center, and not Northwest. It gives the wrong hours. When I look at the legal section, it also gives the wrong hours for the legal walk-ins, and has the wrong name for the director. As for the Social Services, the phone number was wrong, the hours were wrong, and it gave inaccurate details about the services provided.

While we’re working on updating them with our correct information, I should also note that it is also very difficult to find the Social Services resource section itself when looking around on 211′s website. This website (and hotline) is not a reliable point of reference.

By comparison, I was pleasantly surprised when I looked up Bread for the City’s address on the DC Food Finder. The information is accurate, it links to Bread for the City’s website, and mentions the other services that we provide. It makes the requirements for the food program clear. I feel quite comfortable with the thought of consumers finding out about our food program through this website. That said, it is limited only to food-related concerns; typically, if someone is having trouble affording food, they’ll also need other kinds of help.

Although the verifying of information can be an annoyance for service providers, we have the luxury of being able to investigate and gather complete and accurate information. However, for clients, it can be a huge burden to have incorrect information, as they could have to spend precious resources to contact and/or travel to different providers.

It seems to me that the biggest problem with all of these resources is fragmentation. It is extremely difficult for any one person or even group of people to maintain an accurate and up-to-date database. We at Bread for the City spend time as staff, interns, and volunteers trying to update our own resource lists so that it is as current as possible. But still I wonder: could there be a better way? Is it the government’s responsibility? Or can we find ways to try to solve this problem ourselves?

>And on Saturday, June 12, our Bread & Butter was our Volunteers.

Bread & Butter Club volunteers, that is.

We hosted our annual B&B Club volunteer day on Saturday, offering our monthly donors the opportunity to be an active part of their giving. Families, couples, and friends joined us in our Northwest food pantry for a morning of service packing groceries. Thank you to everyone who came out!

Of course, you don’t have to be a monthly donor to support Bread for the City. You don’t even have to come out to one of our centers to volunteer. There are many unique ways to get involved.

Hold a drive at your office or place of worship. And be creative with your drive too! We are starting a new herb garden in our Southeast Center and hope to start client potting classes as it grows: you could organize a Seed Drive and collect seed packets, soil, and pots to help! When holding a food & cash drive, encourage those participating to deliver their donations in reusable shopping bags. Rather than a clothing drive, how about a diaper drive or a Wish List drive?

This all sounds pretty cool, right? Want to become a monthly donor? Click here to join our Bread & Butter Club.

Want help in organizing a drive? We’re here to help! Contact either Erin Garnaas-Holmes or Nathan LaBorie and get involved today.

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Earlier this month, Bread for the City hosted a Clothing Giveaway and Census Outreach Extravaganza in our Southeast Center. We had a truckload of clothing donations and set up a grand boutique in our parking lot! A group of trusty volunteers organized the clothes, and a crowd of clients and friends from the neighborhood braved the heat to come and peruse our wide selection of summer styles and professional attire.

We generally receive enough clothing donations to keep our modest-sized Clothing Room full, but lately we had received more than we had the capacity to give away during our normal clothing room hours. We decided we had enough to warrant a special event. The Extravaganza also gave us a great chance to engage a group of people who we normally miss: people who work during normal business hours and can’t access our services, but still need some help.

We also took advantage of the opportunity to remind passers-by about the 2010 Census and the importance of being counted. Bread for the City has been partnering with the Census effort and encouraging our clients to “stand up and be counted.” After all, Wards 7 and 8 have historically suffered from under-counting, and this negatively affects the funding we receive for things like schools and services. We reminded everyone about these benefits, and encouraged them all to comply with the Census workers who come door to door.

Over 100 clients attended over the course of three hours, and left with clothing, Census tote bags, and snacks in hand. By the end of the morning, most of the clothing had been handed out. “This is a great thing that you guys are doing,” said one of the attendees. “We really appreciate it!” We also received a number of handwritten thank-you notes after the event: Ms. R wrote, “I had a ball at the Clothing event on last Saturday. The clothes were lovely and I appreciate them a lot. I found a lot of church clothes, shoes, etc which were very nice. Thank you so very much!”

The event wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the volunteers that came out early on Saturday morning and helped to set everything up. A crowd of alumni from the University of Utah and a few regular BFC volunteers came to help out. Another half-dozen volunteers randomly appeared in the middle of the morning, having heard about Bread’s event while volunteering elsewhere in the neighborhood earlier that morning. It was a lot of work to set up and break down, especially in the heat, so the Bread for the City staff really appreciates all the help that we got!

See more pictures from the event here and here.

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Today, we’re thrilled to host one of the best Bread for the City events of the year: our Client Achievement Ceremony. The Client Achievement Ceremony is an opportunity for us to recognize the great accomplishments and spirit of the people in our community.

West (pictured left) is one of our clients who will be recognized in the ceremony. He has difficulty expressing himself verbally, so in the past West has been frustrated at Client Achievement Ceremonies, at which there is so much he wants to say but can’t. So this year, West and I sat down to transcribe his words onto paper; we will read his words aloud at the Ceremony later today.

With his permission, I’d like to give you a sneak preview:

I have been coming to BFC since 1997 for food and clothing. I have had a case manager here since 2002.

I have cerebral palsy and have difficulty speaking. It is frustrating not to be able to communicate what is on my mind. I have things that I want to say but I can’t. I can come to BFC and they listen to me and try to understand what I am saying. They are patient and let me try to let me express myself. If they don’t understand, I write it down. They help me communicate with other people about my needs so that I can get the stuff I need. When I go other places, they don’t understand me. It’s a nightmare. I go home and think. I have a lot on my mind.

When people were taking advantage of me in my apartment building, my case manager and the legal department helped me get a transfer and move to a safer building. I lived at my old building for 10 years. I have lived in my new building for almost 2 years. I like my new building. I feel safe. They have activities that are fun. Wendy and April at my building work together and now I go to a program during the day where I talk to other people and eat lunch.

I am an addict; I started smoking cocaine in 1979. I was homeless in 1980. I stopped using in 1989. I have been clean 21 years and still go to AA/NA meetings. I am very proud of that.

Bread for the City helps me manage my money. I don’t always like having someone manage my money, but I trust them. I recently started paying my own cable and phone bill on my own. I feel more independent doing that. But it’s good to know that they are making sure my rent and electric bills are paid so that I don’t make mistakes with my rent money. I pay my rent every month.

My mom died on Feb 7, 2006. I am still very sad and miss her a whole lot. BFC helped me get someone to talk to about how sad I was. I still feel sad and BFC listens to me. I thank god that I am alive.

I feel good when I come to BFC. People know my name. People say hello and smile. I feel important. I have been working with Wendy for 5 years. We laugh together.

On behalf of everyone at Bread for the City, congratulations to West on all of your hard work. We are so very proud of you.

Stay tuned for more stories and photos of our Client Achievement Ceremony.

>Last month, Gary Imhoff of DC Watch had some salty words to say about health and nutrition. Just as the innovative, promising Healthy Schools Act was making its way to become law, Gary objected to the efforts to reduce the consumption of sugar and salt in our schools. These ingredients, Gary claimed, “pose no real dietary or health dangers to the average person.”

Unfortunately, one third of Americans are far beyond average: they are either overweight or obese. A major factor in this health crisis is overconsumption of sodium, which contributes to heart disease among other illness. The Washington Post recently reported that the Center for Disease Control estimates that an average of 77 percent of our sodium intake actually comes from packaged food — the canned, boxed, and bottled foods we buy at the market. That article also reports that the federal government is taking this health threat seriously with a new effort (not yet officially announced, but planned to span a 10-year period) to curb the amount of sodium in processed food and restaurants.

It’s great news, and I hope the federal government follows through. Indeed, here at Bread for the City we’ve already started down that path. In the past few years, we have greatly reduced much of the sodium in the items in our food pantry.

Yet Gary objects to “food police” who he says wants us to live in “a world without flavor.” The good news for Gary is that ours is a wide world full of flavors, with many ways of preparing food that is both tasty and healthy.

Here at Bread for the City, we’re able to go beyond the pantry to explore this world of healthy food. Each month at both the NW and SE sites, BFC holds nutrition and cooking workshops, geared toward helping clients make tasty, easy-to-prepare, healthful, inexpensive foods at home.

Just a few weeks ago, I gathered with Bread for the City clients from age 3 to about 73, as we spent an hour peeling, chopping, stirring, and laughing. We talk a lot about salt in these classes. With chili pepper flakes, vinegar, garlic, onion, and lemon as the seasonings on these dishes, the flavor was plentiful — all without using any salt. Participants knew that if they chose, they could add salt to the food on their own plates. But, remarkably, every participant declined to add any.

Given that many participants struggle with hypertension and other health conditions, it was a pleasure to hear: “I can do this.” “More please!” “I’m going to make this for a potluck!” and more. Everyone ate, everyone was satisfied, and this was without the pervasive shake, shake of the salt shaker.

So we encourage Gary to venture out into the world of healthful flavors! Try cooking with healthful seasonings like natural herbs and spices, low-sodium vinegars, citrus peel, garlic, hot pepper, and onion. Maybe the recipes from our recent workshops could be some inspiration to him. They’re a big hit over here.

(The budget for this workshop, by the way, was just $30-35 for the recipes below, which fed about 10 people. Minimizing animal products helped make that possible. And they’re all available at Giant or Safeway, where most of our clients shop; most ingredients are also available at the Latin markets.)

Black Bean Salad

• 1 can of low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 package of frozen corn, thawed and drained
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1/3 red onion, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro and/or fresh parsley
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• Splash of olive oil
• Splash of red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons of lime juice, plus the zest of one lime
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• red chili pepper flakes (to taste)
• 1 avocado, sliced or diced (optional)

Mix all ingredients except avocado in large bowl. (Can prepare salad one day in advance and keep covered in refrigerator.)

Add optional avocado to bowl immediately before serving.

Kale Salad

• 2 bunches of kale (about 1 pound), center ribs and stems removed, leaves thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons chopped almonds
• 3 tablespoons raisins
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 7 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Parmesan cheese shavings

Place raisins in small bowl with balsamic vinegar. Let soak for several hours or overnight.

After soaking is complete, remove raisins from bowl with a slotted spoon, keeping remaining vinegar in bowl.

Add apple cider vinegar, honey, olive oil, and optional salt to balsamic vinegar in bowl and wisk together.

Add kale, raisins, and almonds. Toss to coat.

Let marinate at least 20 minutes at room temperature, tossing occasionally. Can marinate for a few hours to soften kale even more.

Sprinkle cheese shavings over salad right before serving.

Toasted Pita Triangles

• Whole-wheat pita
• Olive oil
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Parsley

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine olive oil with herbs.

Cut pita into triangles. Open each triangle so there are now two pieces.

Lightly brush each pita triangle with olive oil mixture.

Place on a baking tray.

Warm pita in oven for a couple of minutes, checking frequently so they do not burn.