Bread for the City

>Bread for the City client Ca’Vonn Ellis-Smith has lived in Shaw–just down the street from our Northwest center–for more than a decade. This week, however, Ca’Vonn has settled upon a new spot in the neighborhood: in a tent, in the gravelly lot at the corner of 7th and R streets.

Ca’Vonn has struggled with homelessness before; but this is different.

“This is like my Angela Davis moment,” laughs Ca’Vonn. She has taken a leading role in a direct action by ONE DC, a grassroots organizing group that works to build racial and economic equity in our communities. ONE DC successfully won an agreement from Mayor Fenty’s office to subsidize the development of affordable housing on the property — specifically for families making less than $50,000. (Learn more about the history of these negotiations on ONE DC’s Tent City blog.)

In June, ONE DC learned that this commitment has been dropped. In response, they’ve taken direct action. On Saturday, ONE DC initiated a “territorial occupation” of this land, with Ca’Vonn helping to lead the way. They’ve since erected tents, a library and public art installations, developing what they call “an intentional community.” They’re not planning to leave, they say, until Mayor Fenty agrees to meet with them.

The building across the street from Parcel 42, Ca’Vonn points out, is “going coop” (i.e. opting out of a contract that subsidizes Section 8 housing). This means that many of its residents will lose their homes. Currently, Ca’Vonn receives a Section 8 voucher — this is the only way that she and her children can afford to stay in their apartment. But even that doesn’t provide peace of mind. “The building I’m living in now has been considering going coop for years — every year we don’t know if our contract is going to get renewed, we don’t know if we’re going to have to find new housing.”

This experience has prompted Ca’Vonn to learn about housing and, ultimately, engage in direct action with ONE DC — despite the fact that the tent city is technically an illegal activity. “I went back and forth about whether I would participate. I could be arrested and split from my family. Would I be able to afford legal representation?”

But Ca’Vonn decided to participate. “I’m fighting for affordable housing myself every day, within my building every day,” Ca’Vonn explains. “Why not join forces with the people who are fighting for a right to a decent place to live? We need to make a statement together to make the forces of power – developers, government, whoever – recognize that their plans affect everybody, and that this community should offer opportunities for every class of people.”

[Ca'Vonn Ellis-Smith, pictured right. Read more about One DC’s Tent City on Carlos QC’s blog here. Photo by Carlos.]

She adds: “These developers have built buildings that are huge and expensive and empty. Meanwhile families who’ve been here for decades are getting pushed out, becoming homeless.”

ONE DC encourages concerned DC residents to contact Mayor Fenty’s office (try Chief of Staff Carrie Kohns at 202.724.8815, or send a message online) and ask him to support the development of affordable housing, in part by meeting with ONE DC to discuss the plans for Parcel 42.

Residents are also invited to come by Parcel 42 to share food, water, “talent,” and fellowship with the people of Tent City; you are welcome to stay the night, too! “This action isn’t just for poor people or any one kind of person,” explains Ca’Vonn. “It’s for working class, double-income families, single families – it’s for a vision of a community in which everyone can participate.”

Contact Rosemary Ndubuizu (http://www.blogger.com/rndubuizu@onedconline.org or 202.232.2915) for more detail.

>

Common Good City Farm

Over the past year, BFC has worked to expand our gleaning program to provide fresh, local produce to our clients. We are kicking off this season with a Glean for the City event on Saturday, July 17th and we need your help! We will travel to Parker Farms in Colonial Beach, VA. Join us in the fields, and help collect more than a ton of delicious sweet corn for our food pantry. The event will last from 9am to 2pm, including driving time. For more information, please contact Vince Hill.
————————————————————————

After weeks of unforgettable heat, the day dawned fresh and inviting, just the type of weather we needed for our first ever client gleaning project at Common Good City Farm. Sure enough, the day turned out to be educational, delicious, and fun.

Common Good City Farm, located about a half a mile from BFC’s NW center, is a neighborhood farm dedicated to raising awareness about food and food justice in DC. In addition to selling some of their produce to local restaurants, CGCF runs programs and workshops for low-income volunteers and school-aged children, as well as the curious, casual gardener. Several clients expressed interest in Common Good’s “Green Tomorrows” program, which provides a bag of fresh produce to low-income residents in exchange for two or more hours per week of instructional, hands-on work on the farm.

Spencer Ellsworth and the other staff at Common Good City Farm generously took time to share their knowledge of urban gardening, basic plant care and food preparation.

Spencer Ellsworth, our CGCF guide for the day

They weren’t the only ones ready to teach. Antoinette Jones, a grandmother born and raised in North Carolina, was one of the stars of the day. A long time client, Ms. Jones embodied the excitement and enthusiasm of our volunteers, waxing lyrical about a childhood in the country and the joys of gardening. She helped to make everyone feel at home in the garden, more specifically the cabbage patch. She taught everyone, even Spencer, a thing or two about how to keep your cabbages healthy and how to get the most out of your plants.

“It’s too late in the year for another [cabbage] head to grow, so you pop them out like collard greens…cut ‘em, clean ‘em, throw ‘em in the pot with a piece of meat, whatever you got and it taste just like collard greens!” Even if down home cooking isn’t your thing, Ms. Jones had some money-saving advice we could all use. “How many know how to make spices from the tops of your vegetables?” She asked the group as we rested in the shade. She patiently explained how to dry and prepare the tops of vegetables to make the spices normally sold for $7 or $8 dollars at the supermarket; chive from spring onions and a parsley substitute from carrot tops. “And now, what you’d buy in the store for $8 somethin’ dollars, you made it for free!”

Ms. Jones shows another client how to pull cabbage

But wisdom doesn’t always come from the most experienced among us. One of our clients, India, brought along her son and daughter at their expressed wish. “I told them about the trip and they were so excited…we love fruits and vegetables so anything they can dig up out of the ground, that’s good for them.” Antonio, 10, and Ania, 4, were a testament to their mother’s pride, ducking excitedly from patch to patch, pleading to be allowed to cut, pull, or dig something. “What can I do next?!” was a near constant chorus from the siblings and Ms. Jone’s young granddaughter Kayla.

Ania, 4, was our youngest gleaner of the day

These kids defy stereotypes; not only do they love healthy foods, but Antonio proclaimed his favorite vegetable to be broccoli! Kayla couldn’t contain her enthusiasm. “Whatever is green is good and I am going to eat it!” she declared amidst the still-tender squash beds. Ania’s enchantment was enough to capture the hearts of the entire group, as she pulled out a few my-size-beets and laid them gently in the bins to be brought back to Bread for the City with an ecstatic “Yeah!”.

The joy was palpable as our clients cut kale, pulled carrots and and clipped cucumbers to replace the canned goods that ordinarily adorn our food bags in the NW center.

Many of our clients were especially touched when they brought the gleaned produce back to our NW food pantry and saw how their hard work would translate into better food for them and their fellow clients. “This is so wonderful,” remarked one client. “”I’ve been [wanting] to volunteer for BFC for a long time! It’s great to pick produce for the pantry! We need to do this again!”

We ended the day tasting just-ripe peaches and discussing the meals people would make with the food they had picked with their own hands. BFC’s nutrition consultant Sharon Gruber spoke about the importance of “eating with the seasons,” using all the parts of the fruit and vegetables, and how to maximize your spending potential at farmer’s markets.

Many clients expressed an interest in returning to CGCF. None had heard of the urban farm before this trip, and all were impressed at the scale, scope, and mission of the organization’s work. Despite the convenient location of the community garden, few clients were aware of the possibilities that lay in this once-fallow field. Upon seeing the farm for the first time, one client remarked, “I never knew this garden was here! This is so cool to have right in our backyard!”

As we gathered for a picture to commemorate what we hope will be the first of many opportunities for our clients to be an active part of Bread, Kayla summed up our feelings in a way only a child can. “What a perfect picture for a perfect day!”

Our first ever client gleaners!

>I write to you today with a broken heart. After a hard fought battle with cancer, Clarence “Ted” Pringle, Bread for the City’s Food and Clothing Director, passed away yesterday morning at home, his loving wife Donita by his side.

Ted is a hero to Bread for the City. When he came on board in 1992, our food program was serving less than 3,000 people each month. We now serve 10,000. Ted was a key part of the management team that received the 2004 Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management. Under Ted’s leadership, our food program received the Capital Area Food Bank’s Hunger Lifeline Award in 2005, and Ted himself received the 2009 Linowes Leadership Award by the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region for his visionary career devoted to fighting poverty in Washington, DC.

Yet behind those big numbers and fancy awards was a remarkable personality that transformed so many lives in our community.

Ted was a giant of a man, yet gentle. Ted ran a tight ship, yet was flexible. Ted knew how to find entire trucks of food for outrageously low cost; he also knew how small, generous actions can lighten the burden for a person in great need.

Ted often personally mentored Bread for the City clients, providing guidance and support as they worked to build a better life for themselves and their families.In fact, several such people went on to become Bread for the City staff members, working with Ted to make our food pantry ever more attuned to the needs of the community.

Ted was a man of few words, all of them rapid-fire and on target. As I write this, I’m trying to think of what Ted himself would want to say to everyone. What keeps coming to mind is this: “Get back to work! The job isn’t done.”

So that is what we’ll do.

We all lost a friend this week. And as we face the unimaginable task of moving on in a world without Ted’s strong presence, we will honor him through our work. We will serve. We will strive. We will live our lives with purpose, inspired by the memory of our dear friend, Ted.

(Ted touched the hearts of so many in our community. You can share your remembrances with his family, with our staff, or even on our blog, by emailing us. Thank you for your support.)

> This week, as temperatures once again soar into the triple digits, just try to imagine summertime in D.C. without air-conditioning: the stifling heat, difficulties sleeping, dehydration and other issues that can arise from living without cool air circulation are nothing to laugh at. Thankfully, most of us will never have to experience these problems. However, our clients at Bread for the City are not always so lucky. Air-conditioning is expensive, and for many of our clients it can be unattainable.

Low-income residents of D.C. are disproportionately affected by the heat and the accompanying poor air quality, and have very few options for escaping such harmful environments. As we’ve noted on Beyond Bread before, the health impact of high temperatures can be severe. It is only the beginning of July, and the D.C. Metropolitan area has already recorded more heat-related deaths than took place in all of 2009. In the District, the month of June was the hottest on record, and the forecast for the next few weeks looks just as warm.

Bread for the City has to move fast to respond to these challenges; the weather waits for no one! In order to meet the needs of our clients living without AC, we are holding an electric fan drive at our Northwest center and we urgently need your help. There are so many ways for you to help us get fans out to our clients: organize a drive at your office or church, go through your own closets for fans that you never use, or get some new fans on your next shopping trip. Whichever way works for you, we desperately need your help to collect fans here at Bread for the City so that our clients can get safely and comfortably through the summer.

The next time you feel the relief of stepping into an air-conditioned building, at work or at home, remember those people in your community and city who do not get to experience that feeling. You can make a huge, material difference in the quality of life and the health of our clients this summer by donating an electric fan to Bread for the City.

Fan donations can be dropped off Monday-Friday from 9am-5pm at BFC’s Northwest Center, located at 1525 Seventh Street, NW. Questions? Please contact Kristen Kozlowski at 202-386-7612 or kkozlowski@breadforthecity.org.

> The D.C. bag tax has been in effect for almost 6 months now, and Bread for the City’s reusable bag campaign has been going on for just as long.

Every nickel counts when you are struggling to pay for basic items like food. By providing free, reusable bags at our food pantry, Bread for the City is helping our clients adjust to this tax. What’s more, clients use these bags to improve their own communities. As one client notes, “I want to keep D.C. and the river clean, but canvas bags cost too much. I’m grateful that ya’ll gave me a bag to use.”

Generally, clients at the Bread for the City Food Program are supportive of the bag tax. One food client, who has been with us for nearly a decade, is grateful for the tax, noting that it will help the environment and our community. “We can’t stand to be polluting. There is no excuse not to have a reusable bag.” To be fair, there are those who oppose the bag tax. Another long time client describes the tax as “unfair to customers” who already pay too much for food and taxes. Despite these differing viewpoints, both clients were ecstatic to receive reusable bags from us.

But Bread for the City itself can’t afford the additional cost of reusable bags – so we need help from the community to make this happen. A couple months ago, we contacted Eco-Bags, a reusable tote company, about a large donation. Ellen Feldman-Ornato (V.P. Strategic Marketing and Fun) informed me that they could not afford a direct donation. Instead, she suggested that their office could collect extra reusable totes. In a few short weeks Eco-bags sent us 175 bags! This simple idea evolved into our bag drive campaign. In the last month, a dozen organizations have signed up, netting us a quick 1,000 reusable bags!

Bag drives are gaining momentum largely because it’s such an easy way to help. All it takes it a few all-staff emails and a collection bin, and your organization could collect hundreds of bags for our struggling clients. And you never know who has a secret stash. Last week, the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance read about our bag drives on our blog. They had 100 bags lying around. Today, those very same bags are helping our clients (and keeping our city clean!).

>Back in February, I told you a bit about Mr. T, an elderly and disabled client whom I work with in case management here at Bread for the City. One of Mr. T’s goals was to secure safe and affordable housing. In order to reach this goal, he and I submitted many applications for site based subsidized housing. He was on a total of 11 waitlists. This left him in a constant state of stress because he didn’t know when stable housing was going to come through.

That’s why I asked all of our readers if anyone had a DVD player, so that Mr. T could watch some movies, especially Westerns, which help him relax. As often happens at Bread for the City, some generous folks stepped up and now Mr. T has a DVD player and a few new Westerns to watch.

Today I’m pleased to bring you an update: in March Mr. T signed a lease for a subsidized apartment! Now he pays 30% of his income towards his rent every month, which is affordable and sustainable. There is a bus stop right out front of his building, which Mr. T likes because it means he can get to Bread for the City and other places fairly easily.

When he moved into his new apartment, he didn’t bring any furniture with him, because the few pieces of furniture he’d had in his old place were infested with bedbugs. So I wrote him a referral to A Wider Circle, an agency in Maryland that provides gently used furniture (and other household items like sheets and dishes) to folks like Mr. T. The day that we picked up his furniture was a great day of cooperation amongst the staff at Bread for the City. One of Bread for the City’s dependable drivers drove Mr. T and me out to A Wider Circle, where Mr. T worked with the volunteers to pick out furniture and dishes for his whole apartment. We loaded them into the truck and drove over to Mr. T’s apartment, where two other Bread for the City staff members met us to help unload all of the furniture into Mr. T’s apartment. We then made sure that we got his bed all set up before we left. I felt so grateful to be working alongside people who are ready to collaborate, even beyond their regular responsibilities, to help the individuals with whom we work.

When I spoke to Mr. T the next day, he told me, “I think I dreamed a hundred dreams last night, because that new bed is so comfortable.” This was a very different story than I heard from Mr. T back in February, when he’d been having lots of trouble sleeping because of stress. Even since moving into his new apartment, he was having trouble sleeping because he was sleeping in a lawn chair. I think he’s excited about all of his furniture, but the new bed is hugely significant to Mr. T. Not only does he sleep better, but I think it’s symbolic of something more. Hearing Mr. T talk about his new bed and all of the dreams he had while sleeping on it was enough to bring tears to my eyes.

The timing of all of this was especially great because Mr. T was able to celebrate at our Client Achievement Ceremony, hosted a few weeks ago. He really dressed up for the occasion. Mr. T feels very proud of all of his work, and told me that he plans to put his Certificate of Achievement up on the wall in his new apartment. Thank you, Mr. T, for allowing me to walk alongside you on this part of your journey.