Program areas at CAFB
Food for today:in total, cafb distributed or facilitated the distribution of 69.3 million pounds of Food during fiscal year 2023.cafb Food distribution in pounds for fiscal year 2023 was 59.2 million. The per pound value of donated and government Food commodities fluctuates year-over-year and was $1.92 in fiscal year 2023. As such, in-kind distribution amounts within the financial statements may not mirror distribution trends by poundage.in addition to the pounds reported in the financial statements, cafb is responsible for the distribution of partner direct product. Partner direct product represents product received from donors which are retrieved directly by partner agencies eliminating cafb's need to handle the product. Through the partner direct program, cafb facilitated the distribution of 10.1 million pounds. Cafb works to address hunger today for people across the region experiencing Food insecurity. As the anchor in the Area's hunger relief infrastructure, cafb supplies Food to hundreds of local partner organizations and directly distributes Food through a variety of programs. - Food distribution partners: with help from retail grocers, manufacturers, and local growers, along with our generous supporters, the Food Bank distributes the Food for over 50 million nutritious meals each year through a network of nearly 400 regional nonprofit organizations. These partners include a range of organizations, including pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and others. For most of these partners, cafb is the primary or sole source of the Food they distribute.- direct distribution programs: while most of the Food cafb provides reaches our neighbors through our network of partners, sometimes it is necessary for cafb to directly provide Food to kids, seniors, and families directly where they live and learn. These programs reach three major groups:- community at large: cafb operates multiple direct Food distributions that are widely accessible by all members of the community. These include mobile and community markets, which are monthly no-cost pop-up markets that bring Food directly into neighborhoods where it's needed.- children and families: recognizing the particular importance of nutrition for young people, cafb supplies children and their families with the Food they need through multiple programs operated in partnership with schools and childcare locations. These include (1) family markets, which are hosted in schools throughout the region and offer no-cost Food for kids and families in a convenient market-like setting; (2) early childcare family markets, which are focused on families with children enrolled in head start centers and provide produce that is high in essential nutrients needed for young children; (3) school pantry sites, which are located within school buildings and provide a variety of shelf-stable Food items for the school community; (4) joyful Food markets, which are operated in partnership with the organization martha's table and provide Food for families through school- and community-center based markets in dc's wards 7 and 8; (5) after school meal sites, through which kids receive hearty snacks or evening meals at a variety of afterschool programs throughout the Area via the federal child and adult care Food program; and (6) summer meals, which provides the nutritious meals kids need to continue growing and learning when school meals are unavailable through the federal summer Food service program.- older adults: to meet the unique needs of Food insecure seniors, cafb operates multiple programs that include (1) the senior bag program, which provides monthly, senior-specific bags of healthy groceries to people over 55; and (2) grocery plus and my groceries to go sites, through which income-eligible seniors over 60 living in dc, as well as montgomery and prince george's counties in Maryland, receive nutritious groceries each month via the federal community supplemental Food program.
Thought leadership and community engagement:a. Food insecurity research: the cafb regularly partners with research institutions to gather and publish data and information about Food insecurity, inequity, and other issues related to its work. This information is used by the Food Bank to guide its organizational strategy and programmatic services, and by other regional organizations to inform planning and policy.b. Client leadership council: to amplify the voices of the people it serves, cafb convenes a client leadership council (clc) each year. A cohort of individuals who live in the Food Bank's service Area and who are experiencing Food insecurity receive advocacy training through the clc. This 10-month training program supports their growth as advocates for themselves and their communities.c. Policy analysis: the Food Bank's policy team stays apprised of local, state, and national policy issues that have the potential to impact the individuals served by the Food Bank, and makes recommendations on policy positions based on what will ultimately improve the lives of the Food Bank's clients.
Food for brighter futures:food alone won't solve hunger. To address the root causes of Food insecurity and inequity in the region, the Food Bank is piloting innovative approaches for pairing Food with other critical services, such as health care and education. By expanding beyond cafb's traditional Food provider network, the Food Bank can meet people where they are and provide them with Food to help address their most pressing concerns. The Food Bank also operates innovative Food access programs to create more ways in which neighbors with transportation or other constraints can get the Food they need.- Food is medicine (also known as Food plus health): these initiatives integrate Food into health care settings to promote disease prevention and management, resulting in healthier outcomes at every stage of life. Cafb partners with medical institutions across the region to provide patients facing Food insecurity with medically tailored groceries either during their clinic visits or via home delivery. - Food for upward mobility (also known as Food plus education and Food plus workforce): through its programs focused on creating greater economic opportunity for those it serves, cafb bundles Food and other support services for college students to help improve academic outcomes and long-term financial stability. Cafb partners with institutions of higher education throughout the region to provide Food insecure students with nutrition via multiple models, including home delivery, on-campus pantries, and free meal-swipe programs.- Food access initiatives: this Area of cafb's work develops and implements commercial-like Food distribution models to extend the cafb's reach to those experiencing Food insecurity. For example, clients in areas with very few grocery stores also are seeking options for purchasing nutritious Food. To respond to this need, cafb operates curbside groceries. These mobile grocery trucks, operating in dc's ward 8 and Maryland's prince george's county, offer a new kind of neighborhood retail option, where people can buy produce, protein, and other grocery staples at affordable prices.
Nutrition education:in addition to Food distributions, cafb also operates a variety of nutrition education and urban agriculture programs. - cooking and nutrition classes: to support the people it serves with improving or maintaining their health and well-being, the cafb's team of registered dietitians regularly hold nutrition education classes for its partners and community members. Cafb also develops and distributes nutrition resources, including cards, in multiple languages with culturally relevant recipes for healthy, low-cost meals that use ingredients commonly provided by the Food Bank. - urban garden: the Food Bank's half-acre urban demonstration garden offers an outdoor "learning laboratory" where school children and community members can learn how to grow good, nutritious Food with just a small piece of land. Located at the Food Bank's northeast dc facility, the space features raised beds and fruit trees, and is home to an outdoor teaching kitchen where cafb holds classes on nutrition, cooking, and gardening.