Your Annual Report is Available

We are proud to share Food & Friends’ 2012 Annual Report.

Our annual report highlights the work that your support made possible. Thanks to you, our critically ill neighbors received good service, healthy and delicious meals, specialized attention and a compassionate support network – all important ingredients in our Recipe for Hope.

But remember…we’ve been cooking up this same recipe since our founding in 1988.

This recipe has had a profound impact on the lives of our clients. Last year, with your help and the hard work of more than 14,000 volunteers, we delivered nutritious meals to more than 2,900 ailing neighbors, no longer able to shop or cook for themselves. Today, Food & Friends remains the only home-visiting nutrition service in the DC Metropolitan Region that delivers hope by the meal – specialized, fresh and delicious.

This year, we’re celebrating our 25th Anniversary of caring for the community. While we have seen remarkable changes since our founding, the one constant has been our simple goal of providing nutritious meals to our neighbors fighting illness. Thanks to your unwavering support, we have maintained this tradition that began with our founders.

In 25 years, we’ve delivered more than 16.4 million meals to the doorsteps of 23,400 people – quite an accomplishment for an organization that started in the basement of a church by a small group of dedicated volunteers. We may never know the full impact of our work on the lives of these individuals and their families, but we do know that we were there during one of the most challenging times in their lives, thanks to you.

You are the special ingredient in our Recipe for Hope. Please take a moment to read about what you helped accomplish, remember those we have lost, and applaud yourself for extending a healing hand.

Many lives have been changed because of your compassion for others, and we are honored to be serving on your behalf.

Craig Shniderman

Executive Director

Erik Hower

President, Board of Directors

Giving Back this Thanksgiving? Easy as Pie!

It's pie time again at Food & Friends! Each pie purchased through Slice of Life will provide ONE FULL DAY OF MEALS for a child or adult living with a life-challenging illness.

3 WAYS TO GET INVOLVED:

SELL PIES

Selling is fun and easy! Sign up and tell your family, friends and colleagues to buy pies. We'll help you every step of the way.

BUY PIES

Thanks to our local baker, Baguette Republic, we are offering 5 delicious pies destined to make you extra thankful this Thanksgiving. Order online and pick up your pie on November 26th at one of many pick-up sites in DC, MD and VA. Not local? Buy a pie for a Food & Friends client that will be delivered with a full Thanksgiving meal.

SPREAD THE WORD

Tell your friends to buy their Thanksgiving pies from us! Here are a few Tweets that you can use:

• #Thanksgiving is JUST a few weeks away. Do you have your #pie? Order from @foodandfriends www.foodandfriends.org/pie #SliceofLifeDC 
• Which pie could you not live without? Buy a #SliceofLifeDC pie & provide a day of meals for @foodandfriends clients www.foodandfriends.org/pie
• Deliver hope 1 pie at a time! Buy your #SliceofLifeDC T-Day pies from @foodandfriends. Sales end 11/21. www.foodandfriends.org/pie

SALES CLOSE THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21st so ACT NOW!

The Other Face of Hunger: A Closer Look at the Impact Illness has on the District’s Hungry

More often than not, when people think about food insecurity they assume that it is a result of an individual’s financial situation. This September, the USDA reported that an estimated 14.5 percent of American households were food insecure for at least some time during 2012. This means that 17.6 million American households lacked access to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members.

Food & Friends will deliver more than 1 million meals this
year to children and adults living with critical illnesses.

While socio-economic status contributes greatly to the issue of food insecurity, there is another face of hunger contributing to the alarming statistics—individuals who, as result of an existing medical condition, are unable to access the food they need. 

At Food & Friends, we know that food security, including specialized nutrition, is a key component in battling illness and managing the side effects of medications and harsh treatments. As a city that leads the country in AIDS cases per capita and also has one of the highest cancer mortality rates in the country, it is crucial for those living with critical illness to have access to healthy food options. Even more alarming is the American Cancer Society’s assessment that approximately one-third of cancer deaths each year are related to factors such as poor nutrition and physical activity, and are possibly preventable.

To compound the health challenges that many face, full-service grocery stores are spread unevenly across the District and many Washingtonians live in "food deserts" with limited access to fresh produce and other nutritious staples. For those who are critically ill, it can be nearly impossible to obtain these resources making home-delivered service the only option. Food & Friends is the only organization in the region offering this service and is committed to providing hunger relief by eliminating complicated meal planning, exhaustive preparation and expense as a worry for clients.

To illuminate the need we face—over the past ten years, the demand for our services has grown by more than 45%. While 70% of our clients are living below the poverty line, it is important to note that regardless of their financial situation, 100% of our clients are served as a result of their illness and its impact on their health and access to nutritious meals.

Take, for example, Mary, who suffers from breast cancer and obesity. These illnesses make it very difficult for her to go grocery shopping and prepare her own meals. Because of her medical condition, it was determined that she would benefit from being on a diabetic meal plan. Simply put, the diabetic meal plan works to keep blood sugar levels under control, thus reducing the risk for heart disease and stroke. This meal plan is one of 11 that give clients access to the specialized nutrition needed to manage illness while easing the burden of daily living complicated by serious illness.

Approximately 30% of our clients receive the diabetic or heart-healthy meal plans. These meals, created by our chefs and registered dietitians, seek to provide tasty, healthy food that will improve client health outcomes: 

Diabetic Meal Plan: The diabetic meal plan focuses primarily on whole grains, which are known to help reduce the impact excessive consumption of refined sugars can have on the body. It also focuses on fruits and vegetables that are high in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Clients also receive nutrition education from registered dietitians on how to manage their diabetes, such as healthy snacking and the importance of portion control.

Heart-Healthy Meal Plan: This meal plan limits saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol by eliminating beef, pork, veal and cheeses in all meals. Limited desserts are also a focal point as well as packing in as many fruits and vegetables as possible.

Thanks to a $100,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation, 185,000 of these diabetic and heart-healthy meals are making their way into the homes of over 400 of our clients. While many people know the retail giant for their support of hunger relief, what many people do not know about is their commitment to providing healthier food that can help families live healthier lives. As a result of their support for our nutrition-based meals we have been able to make a significant impact in the community for more than 25 years. And, with continued support from organizations like these, we will able to ensure that healthy, nutritious meals make their way into the homes of all of our neighbors who need them most.

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.











Janell Walker, RD, LDN, Assistant Director of Program Services is a registered dietitian and has been with Food & Friends for more than 4 years. She is a graduate of University of Maryland, College Park and a native of the DC metropolitan area. Janell enjoys cooking, dancing and educating people about the importance of food and nutrition. Learn more about Food & Friends' nutrition services.

Serving with President Obama: AmeriCorps Member Shares His Experience

September 11th, a National Day of Service and Remembrance, was a remarkable moment in our history as President Obama honored the day by volunteering in our kitchen alongside some of our regular volunteers. John Tamariz, AIDS United AmeriCorps member, was one of the lucky few to serve next to the President.

We asked John to share his experience serving in AmeriCorps and volunteering with President Obama.

AmeriCorps member, John Tamariz, volunteering
with President Obama
(Photo Courtesy: Chris Burch Photography)

What drew you to Food & Friends?

What drew me in to Food & Friends was its focus on food and nutrition. Those areas are very important to my lifestyle and I hope to incorporate them into my future career. After reading more about this organization, I felt that it fit best with my views, personality, and interests.

Though you've only been on board for a few months, what do you like so far about serving with AmeriCorps? And with Food & Friends?

Actually, this is my second AmeriCorps program. My first program was FEMA Corps based at the North Central Region. Overall, I am really enjoying my time serving in AmeriCorps. This year, I am joining a program focused on helping the community through health services. From day one, I loved working at Food & Friends: the mission, staff, events, and tasks all fulfill me in ways I have not been previously. They really opened my eyes on how impactful and fulfilling it can be to serve a community.

What was it like serving with the President? Did you tell him any good jokes?

It was surreal to be quite honest. In my head, all I thought was “I am passing a lunch bag to the President of the United States.” He was really into the service we were doing which made the work all the more fun. He was very casual, asking everyone where they were from and making small jokes when everyone got quiet. I asked him random, but more personal questions, such as “Do you ever get used to the spotlight? What do you miss most about living a regular, non-political life? What time do you go to sleep, really?” I asked him those questions rather than political questions because the latter can be found by watching the news. I really wanted to learn something about the man behind the presidency.

Over the course of the day, I kept saying, “You better speed up, Mr. President.” He would say, “Am I slowing everyone down?” At one point I forgot to add in a banana in the lunch bag and he actually said, “Oops, you missed a banana,” and I responded, “Well, you know what, if we’re playing that game, I’m going to start checking your bag for missing apples,” – a response at which he actually chuckled. All I thought was: “I just made the POTUS laugh… I am officially hilarious.” I mean if you could make the President laugh, then you can make anyone laugh, right?

What is John Tamariz doing five years from now?

I will hopefully be returning for graduate or professional school in the next year or two. I hope I will find work in a non-governmental organization, like Food & Friends, or in a health-related international organization. On another note, I have so many interests, including nutrition, physical fitness, medicine, public health – I wish I had the time and money for them all. But for now, this year is my year to focus on the interests I am most passionate about and how I want to apply them to my career. Food & Friends and AmeriCorps are helping with that.

Interview courtesy of the Corporation for National and Community Service blog: http://www.nationalservice.gov/blogs/2013-09-17/q-americorps-member-who-served-president