The Capital Area Food Bank A Brief Introduction

Mission The mission of the Capital Area Food Bank is to feed those who suffer from hunger in the Washington metro area by acquiring food and distributing it through its network of partner agencies; and educating, empowering and enlightening the community about the issues of hunger and nutrition. CAFB is a member of Feeding America, a national network of 200 food banks. 2

Need About 680,000 residents of the DC Metropolitan Area experience or are at risk of hunger 200,000 are children 1 in 3 senior citizens in the District is at risk of or suffering from hunger 3

Need 4 Many of the food bank’s 700 partner agencies report they are seeing a tremendous increase in those seeking food assistance, from 30 to 100 percent. This increase is due to: job loss, the economy, high cost of housing, lack of health care and other issues.

How We Work Receive Food: Retailers – Manufacturers – Distributors – Grocers Growers - Processors – Food Industry Food Drives – Feeding America Feds Feed Families! 5

How We Work Sorting- Volunteers! Warehousing Distributing 6

Distribution This year we distributed 30 million pounds of food through our network of 700 member agencies: -Emergency Food Pantries, Kitchens and Shelters -Child Care Centers -Churches -Group Homes -Senior Citizen Centers -Youth Programs 7

By The Numbers Distributes 30 million pounds of food annually, half of which is fresh produce; 88,000 pounds of food daily and 500,000 pounds each week. Serves 478,100 people in the region struggling with hunger, an increase of 25% over Serves nearly 2,900 children at 60 Kids Cafe sites across the region. 8

By The Numbers Delivers 70 fresh produce drops each month to 40 sites in low-income neighborhoods. Brown Bag Program provides approximately 2,300 senior citizens at 54 sites with monthly supplemental bags of food to meet their nutritional needs. Spends 92 cents of each dollar raised for food distribution, transportation and programs. Provides nutrition and education training to more than 1,000 adults and children annually through CAFB programs. 9

CAFB Warehouse Current WarehouseNew Home 10

New Home More Space, More Food Green Features Save Money More Room for Volunteers Training and Teaching Space 11

Reach The CAFB and its member agencies reach more than 478,000 people each year. Children Working Poor Seniors Single Parent Families 78 percent of all households served by the CAFB have incomes less than $35,000 per year, and 70 percent of all households served by the CAFB are considered food insecure. 12

CAFB Programs Cooking & Budgeting: Partner Agencies and clients learn fresh ways to prepare nutritious meals on a budget. Education & Training: A wide variety of education and training programs are offered to help partner agencies and clients become self-reliant and better informed about healthy eating. Farms & Gardening: Partnerships with local farms and gardens ensure that all individuals have access to fresh, quality produce; and provide hands-on gardening skills to partner agencies and clients. Food Distribution: Through a network of over 700 partner agencies, the food bank efficiently sources and distributes 30 million pounds of food annually, half of which is fresh produce. 13

Programs Healthy Eating: Nutrition training programs ensure that those facing hunger have both access to healthy food options and skills to take advantage of them. Kids: The food bank offers a variety of programs that provide healthy food and nutrition classes to local children and teens at risk of hunger. Public Policy: The PPCO Department influences local, state and federal officials on hunger issues and provides assistance to those eligible for food assistance programs. Seniors: The food bank provides nutritious supplemental food and other services to seniors who often live on limited incomes. 14

How You Can Help Sign up to volunteer in our warehouse Volunteer with our Nutrition Education Program, at Clagett Farm, with Agency Relations. Donate online Visit our website to learn more Spread the word using social media! Attend an event! 15