8 Years After Hurricane Katrina

Each of us who works in HIV/AIDS services knows that the history of the epidemic is one of cooperation among individuals and organizations committed to this work.

Executive Director Craig Shniderman and a New Orleans
resident who relocated to Washington, DC.

An example is seen in the NO/AIDS Task Force, New Orleans. After their facility, including the kitchen from which meals were prepared for persons living with HIV/AIDS, was destroyed in August 2005 by Hurricane Katrina, NO/AIDS began a long process of restoring operations. Add to this, the storm required many thousands of residents to quickly relocate to other communities, including Washington, DC.

In early September 2005, hundreds of New Orleans evacuees were relocated to the DC Armory on short notice. Food & Friends was among the organizations called on by the city to provide emergency food to those without homes or resources in our area. Temporarily stepping beyond our mission, we were proud to be among Washington organizations that could do the right thing and do so quickly.

NO/AIDS Task Force needed to raise funds for restoration of their facility. At the June 2006 Chef’s Best Dinner & Auction, we raised funds for the NO/AIDS kitchen restoration. That night, thanks to our generous donors, we were proud to present a $20,000 contribution to Noel Twilbeck, NO/AIDS Executive Director. Next month, NO/AIDS will dedicate its new kitchen so as to continue service to residents of their community. It will be a wonderful day! I am looking forward to volunteering in their new kitchen on September 12th and will be posting photos on Facebook and Twitter.

In these and other ways, we joined with sister organizations to assist New Orleans residents and especially those living with HIV/AIDS. No one should ever go at it alone in the face of illness or in the face of catastrophe. Our mission is to serve Greater Washington but our broader commitment is always to the battle against AIDS.


Craig Shniderman has led Food & Friends as the Executive Director since April 1995. He is a native of the Washington area and has lived and worked in Greater Washington for almost his entire career.

It Takes a Village: Strong Partnerships Offer Clients the Best Care

Navigating the healthcare system can be terrifying and stressful if you are seriously ill. Heather Alt, Supervisor of Medical Adherence Nurse Care Managers at Whitman-Walker Health, witnesses this every day. Heather works with patients to determine their barriers to complying with medical orders and then provides them with in-house services or refers them to organizations like Food & Friends.

Whitman-Walker Health is a community partner
that frequently refers clients to Food & Friends
Photo Courtesy: Scott Henrichsen/Whitman-Walker Health

“I’m passionate about making the process easier and making people feel more comfortable when they are already going through a stressful situation,” says Heather. “Our partnership with Food & Friends has been especially strong and truly embodies our goals of helping people feel empowered, supported and advocated for.”

Because our services are based on health-status and nutritional need, clients must be referred to Food & Friends by an area partner. More than 100 medical institutions, social service agencies, hospices, shelters and case managers make up our community of support.

Referring more than 60 patients each year, Whitman-Walker Health is a key partner in our efforts to care for our clients, ease their burden of living with a life-challenging illness and ensure they are receiving well-rounded care. Heather has been proudly referring people to Food & Friends for five years.

“There is so much more to a person than an illness. It does not define them,” says Heather. “Food & Friends treats people for who they are and makes their situation a little bit easier. This is a powerful gift.” 

Our partnership does not end once referral agencies fill out the paper­work. This collaborative network is essential to each client’s overall well-being and expands their circle of support. Through home deliveries, our staff and volunteers are frequent observers into our clients’ lives. We are the eyes and the ears for our partners, keeping them informed of the ongoing status of their client’s health and living situation.

“Many times it is difficult for us to reach a client,” says Heather. “Since Food & Friends has frequent contact with our clients, they are able to keep communication lines open and inform us on the status of the client.”

Together, Food & Friends, Whitman-Walker Health and our other partners provide a strong support network that works to meet the individual needs of each client and their families.

“I am so happy that Whitman-Walker Health and Food & Friends have this formal partnership – our community is better for it."

The Cavemen Trend: 7 Things to Consider Before Going Paleo

“My friend is doing the Paleo diet. You know, the one where you eat a ton of protein and fat. The normal food plate is ½ fat and protein and the other ½ dairy, fruit and vegetables…the Paleo diet just replaces the dairy with more fat and protein.”

Photo Courtesy: http://fcssilverfoxes.blogspot.com

This is just one example of a misinformed conversation I overheard this summer regarding the Paleo diet, also known as the Caveman diet. The premise of the diet is to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, including heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes, and obesity, by eating like hunters and gatherers did 10,000 years ago.

While the Paleo diet has been all the buzz this summer, many followers have not taken the time to educate themselves on the basis or purpose of the diet. For instance, from the example above, fat is not a food group included on MyPlate, which is the current nutrition guide published by the United States Department of Agriculture. Additionally, the increased fat in the Paleo diet should not be mainly from high-fat meats. Rather, the increase in fat should come from monounsaturated fat sources (olive oils, avocados, nuts and seeds) and Omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, mackerel, herring, walnuts).

Since we cannot ignore that the Paleo diet exists and the trend for it continues to grow, the following facts about the diet must be considered:

1. The Paleo diet likely exceeds the Dietary Reference Intake’s (DRI) highest recommended daily caloric fat intake of 35%. The DRI is a system of nutrition recommendations from the Institute of Medicine.
2. Whole grains and legumes, found in many studies to be protective of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 Diabetes due to their high fiber content, are excluded. 
3. Daily calories from carbohydrates in the Paleo diet likely fall below the recommended 45-65% with the exclusion of grains, legumes, potatoes, squash and corn. Did I mention carbohydrates are the body’s main source of fuel?
4. The entire dairy food group is eliminated, which provides a significant source of Vitamin D from milk and calcium. Non-dairy sources of calcium include dark green leafy vegetables, which are allowed in the Paleo Diet. A Calcium and Vitamin D supplement is suggested to meet the Dietary Reference Intakes’ recommendations.
5. It’s impossible to mimic what our ancestors ate as we no longer spend our days hunting wild animals and gathering plant-based food for our meals. Organic produce, wild-caught fish and grass-fed meats best mimic the nutrition quality of foods consumed long ago.
6. The increased cost, limited variety, and structure of the Paleo diet make it less sustainable.
7. If this seems impractical to follow for a lifetime, why follow it in the present?

With any diet, it’s important to conduct research with credible sources and consult a registered dietitian or doctor before making drastic dietary changes instead of following a trend. As a registered dietitian, I believe the key to a healthy lifestyle is a well-balanced diet full of a variety of fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy, lean meat, plant-based protein sources and moderation in whole grain carbohydrates. This sound advice may not be as catchy as eating like a caveman, but research-based decision making is more ancient than the Paleo diet itself.

Brittany Lawrance, RD, CNSC, LDN, Community Dietitian

Brittany is a registered dietitian and has been with Food & Friends since October 2012. Her previous experience was working as a clinical dietitian on the pediatric hematology and oncology unit at Children’s National Medical Center. Brittany completed her dietetic internship in Baltimore, Maryland, through Sodexo-Mid Atlantic and is a graduate of Bluffton University in Ohio. She enjoys traveling, playing tennis and softball, making crafts, and has a new found love for leading cooking class. Learn more about Food & Friends' nutrition services.