2011
CITY HELPINGS
WINTER NEWSLETTER
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BREAD FOR THE CITY OPENS MAJOR NORTHWEST CENTER EXPANSION Hundreds of neighbors, donors, community leaders and elected officials join Bread for the City for ribbon-cutting ceremony On January 7, 2011, more than three hundred members of Bread for the City’s community -- including donors, volunteers, clients, neighbors, civic leaders and elected officials -- packed into the spacious lobby and grand hallway our new Northwest Center facility. After many cheers, much laughter, and quite a few emotional speeches, we cut the ribbon on this wonderful new space. “I’ve been coming here for 20 years,” said medical clinic patient Dorothy Kemp in her address to the crowd. “I’m a retired social worker, and I didn’t have health benefits when I came here. But the service was as good as, and even better than, what I could find in private health care. And it’s still evolving.”
A MESSAGE FROM GEORGE
In the words of a famous DC poet and busboy: what happens to a dream deferred? Well here at Bread for the City, we’re seeing what happens when a long-deferred dream finally becomes a reality. After more than a decade of planning to expand our Northwest Center, our newly-expanded facility finally opened at the start of this year—igniting an explosion of excitement from clients, community members, and the media. Clients have been stopping me on the street to gush over the new center. Long-departed alumni have made special trips to see this great new chapter in the legacy that they share. And one reporter wrote that the new clinic is “one of the nicest doctor’s offices in town.” Continued on page 2
TO SCHEDULE A
TOUR:
Speakers at the event included Board President Mark Aron, Capital Campaign Committee Chair Paul R. Taskier, Sharon Baskerville of the DC Primary Care Association, DC Councilmember David Catania, ANC Commissioner Alex Padro, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Bread for the City Client Advisory Board member Dorothy Kemp.
With musical entertainment from locally-grown, Grammy-nominated musical phenom Christylez Bacon in the grand hallway, and food from DC Central Kitchen’s Fresh Start Catering in the main lobby, attendees were also treated to specialized tours from Bread for the City staff and board members. The reaction was overwhelmingly positive. “Bread for the City is one of our historic safety net providers,” said Sharon Baskerville of the DC Primary Care Association. “It’s very comprehensive. It’s very compassionate. [Bread for the City] takes care of people regardless.” Continued on page 2
Please contact George Jones at gjones@breadforthecity.org or 202.386.7602
Bread for the City is a community-based nonprofit organization that provides free, comprehensive services to low-income residents of Washington, DC in an atmosphere of dignity and respect. Bread for the City is a 501(c)3 organization and contributions are tax-deductible. Federal ID #26-3407327
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nearly $1.5 million -- will pay for expanded staff and operations, as we grow into this new space together.
What comes
next: • • Dental Clinic • • Vision Care • • Computer Bar • • Rooftop Garden There’s so much growth still to come, and we’re counting on our community to make it possible! You can be part of this exciting future by making a donation to support our expansion.
Go to:
www.breadforthecity.org/ NORTHWEST EXPANSION
Message from page 1 Our Capital Campaign launched right in the face of the Great Recession -and we even managed to surpass our $8.25 million goal (raising $8.53 million total). This is a testament to the commitment and generosity of our community -- including the DC Primary Care Association, the DC Department of Health, DLA Piper US, and donors like you. Indeed, though most of the brick and mortar were funded by public grants and tax credits, our dedicated community of private donors are responsible for making the building come to life. Your contributions -- amounting to
2 EXPANSION
I want to thank our remarkable Board of Directors, who really stepped up to the plate -- personally contributing nearly $500,000 to the capital campaign. Their passion for this project was palpable, and in leading by example, they rallied around them phenomenal support from so many others. This kind of leadership is hard to come by, and Bread for the City is lucky to have it.
As one client put it, “I wanted to be able to come in here and point to my name on the wall and say ‘Look! I’m a part of this. I helped do all of this.’” And then there’s all the support we received from our clients. Donations of all sizes poured in from clients from each of our programs -- not just medical patients. As one client put it, “I wanted to be able to come in here and point to my name on the wall and say ‘Look! I’m a part of this. I helped do all of this.’ The names of all clients and staff who’ve made donations, along with the names of all Capital Campaign donors who’ve made gifts of more than $500, will hang on a special Honor Wall in the main lobby of our new building. It’s not too late to have your name featured as well. You can give online at http://www.breadforthecity. org/NorthwestExpansion. Lastly, I’m always eager to show off our new facility, so if you’re interested in learning more, please contact me to set up a tour. I can be reached at gjones@breadforthecity.org. Thank you for helping us realize a dream so long deferred.
Pictured here: the kid's area of our new medical clinic's waiting room.
Grand Opening from page 1 The Northwest Center is now more than twice its original size. It includes, most prominently, a medical clinic with 12 examination rooms, and additional features such as vision services and a family-friendly waiting area. (In coming years, we will be treating twice as many patients in this space, with three times as many patient visits.) Meanwhile, our legal clinic and social services department have moved into their own offices for the first time ever. Our admin, finance and development staff will also be housed within the same building for the first time in many years. And what everyone can’t stop talking about is that our new roof will soon feature a large-scale vegetable garden -- the first of its kind in the DC area! “People are so excited for this! It’s a real positive motivation kind of thing,” says George Robinson, a Bread for the City client and resident of the Shaw community. “This place gives all kinds of respect to everyone; and when you get respect, you give respect back too. We need more of it, and now we’ll have it.” Now the work of transition begins. There’s lots to be done before the Center is fully operational. Fortunately, we have a generous community of supporters whom we can count on to see us through.
WORKING TOWARDS WEIGHT LOSS TOGETHER Bread for the City launches experimental peer-support group for clients who are learning to eat healthfully Bread for the City has recently begun an experimental new program: a peer support group designed specifically for clients who are struggling to lose weight. For several years now, we’ve been providing clients with individualized nutrition counseling -- focusing especially on losing weight and eating heart healthy. Bread for the City’s nutrition consultant, Sharon Gruber, thought that this counseling might be effectively complemented by a support group of peers. By working together, clients might have a far greater impact in terms of turning their good intentions into action. Indeed, though none of the class participants previously knew each other, the pilot support group went very far together in exploring the issues related to eating and weight.
“We ended up delving deep into personal issues,” explains Sharon, “including job loss, emotional avoidance, family matters, and sense of self-worth.” The participants say it’s helping. As a group, the patients are trying to get behind the “why” of their choices. Why is one person cooking healthy meals, only to binge on an entire box of cookies for dessert? Why does another feel unable to pack a small lunch for herself, instead of stopping at a fast food place almost every day? And why does another eat until the feeling that she couldn’t possibly squeeze another bite into her body? They all are different
Bread for the City offers cooking classes to clients who are working to eat healthier; we now also offer a support group to those who are serious about working together to lose weight.
questions, but there is much similarity in these struggles. One of our goals is to move beyond the refrain of “I know what I need to do, but I just can’t seem to do it.” Empathy abounds among the participants, as do good questions and creative solutions to the underlying reasons people are not taking care of themselves. And there is power simply in hearing oneself share a story of difficulty. Patients are using journals to help themselves focused between our weekly meetings as they work out some of the more challenging stuff. The results are apparent. Patients say that they are trying not to call themselves “bad” after not eating in a way that makes them proud. At the same time, others have reported
pausing mid-meal to wonder, “Have I had enough? Am I hungry for more food, or is it something else that I really want?” These are complex questions, and exploring for answers can benefit participants in many ways. “One patient told me that after one bowl of her favorite soup, she paused and thought, ‘If I really love food, why am I rushing through it to get more and more? Why not savor it, truly enjoy the flavor as I was intended to?’” recounts Sharon. “One woman, whose weight was stalled for years, recently told me that she lost ‘a whole chin.’” This is a new endeavor, and we’re excited about the potential. Supportive strangers might be just what the doctor (or, um, nutrition consultant) ordered.
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Holiday
Helpings
Heroes
Dickstein
Shapiro
Holiday Helpings is one of our favorite programs, allowing us to provide a healthful holiday meal— a turkey with all the trimmings—to thousands of families in need. This year, Holiday Helpings was helped by a wide range of community members—including Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, DC Councilmember Michael Brown, and folks from the DC United soccer team. With friends in high places helping to pass out turkeys, and the support of thousands of our generous donors, this Holiday Helpings was a great
success and we surpassed our original goal of 8,000 turkeys and distributed 9,512 turkeys! We were also able to ensure that these meals were nutritious. Thanks to the Capital Area Food Bank, the USDA, and our Glean for the City program, this year’s menu included special lean (though still large) turkeys, low-sodium stuffing, yams without added sugar, and fresh produce in every bag. To the many donors, volunteers, and staff who made this incredible holiday season possible: Thank you!
PICTURED HERE: Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton joined us to help kick off Holiday Helpings, and passed out turkeys to Bread for the City clients!
Each year, one of Bread for the City’s corporate partners goes above and beyond the call of Holiday Helpings duty: Dickstein Shapiro LLP. This year, the firm really outdid themselves, raising almost $150,000. The firm’s staff also volunteered and spread the word about Bread for the City far and wide. “Even the poorest among us deserve to enjoy a holiday meal in the sanctity of their own home, even when times are tough. Especially then,” wrote partner Paul R. Taskier, who also sits on our Board of Directors. “For these families, a turkey with all the trimmings is more than a meal– it’s a blessing.” Thank you, Dickstein Shapiro, for your many blessings!
George Jones (second from left) with Dickstein Shapiro partners Ira Polon, Paul Taskier (also Bread for the City board member), Sidney Dickstein, and Larry Garr.
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A special thank you to all of our volunteers and Holiday Helpings partners, including these groups (as of printing time): $35,000
$1,000-2,499
Harriet Rosenbloom
Dickstein Shapiro LLP
Jane Brown
Jeffrey Sherwood
$15,000
Deborah Carpentier
Harvey and Susan Sherzer
Mark and Cindy Aron
Frank Cimino
Ruben Steck and Kristin L. Witting
$10,000
Richard F. Davis and Tylynn Gordon
Craig and Belinda Stevens
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP
Merle Delancey
Gigi R. Toth
$2,500 - 5,000
Sidney Dickstein
Michelle Tupper
Alston + Bird LLP
Michael Engleman
David and Adrienne Umansky
S. Decker Anstrom and Sherron Lynn Hiemstra
Jay Fastow
Michael Valmont
Gerald and Marlene Fischer
Harry and Georgia Weiss
Bates White, LLC
John Flaherty
Steven Wellner
Peter and Judith Bor
Kathleen Fones
Jared Zola
Covington & Burling LLP
William J. Gallagher and Anne M. Favret
Jones Day Judith Becelia
Keisha A. Gary and Raymond C. Van Iterson
Ellen Look and Tony Cavalieri
Robert Higgins
Russell Bruemmer
Gary and Ileene Hoffman
R. Bruce and Diana Holcomb
Edward and Eleanor Howard
Chris and Jennifer Leonardo
Carole and James Johnson
McN Build, LLC
Kathryn and Christopher Kent
George Pitts
Joel Kleinman
Thomas Raffa
Cynthia M. Krus and George Corey
Craig and Belinda Stevens
Anna Laitin and Todd Hettenbach
Paul and Claudia Taskier
Aaron Lancaster Yoon Lee Richard and Carrie Leveridge Littler Mendelson Foundation Gregory Lipper Dan Litt Heidi and William Maloni Milton A. Marquis and Pamela E. Whittaker Catharine Maslow Kathleen Milton and Steve Fabry Thomas and Elizabeth Mock Peter Morgan James Murray Bernard Nash Kimberly Parke Perlmutter Family Foundation Woody Peterson Ira and Marilyn Polon Adam Proujansky Robert Bensen Meyer, Jr. Foundation
THANK YOU TO ALL THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT HELD HOLIDAY FOOD AND CASH DRIVES! Dickstein Shapiro LLP Alston + Bird LLP Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP Jones Day Koonz, McKenney, Johnson, DePaolis & Lightfoot, LLP RAFFA, P.C. Howrey, LLP George Mason University Technology Management Program Class of 2011 Baach Robinson & Lewis PLLC Kilpatrick Stockton, LLP Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP Littler Mendelson Foundation Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman ...and many others!
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TICKETS ON SALE NOW: ART WITH A HEART Mark your calendars for the 21st annual Art With A Heart! Enjoy this evening of music, art, friends, food and fun. Silent and live auctions, open bar and lots of Bread for the City’s family on hand to celebrate!
March 10th at 6pm at 300 New Jersey Avenue NW. Tickets cost $200 each. Buy yours today at: HTTPS://WWW.BREADFORTHECITY.ORG/TICKETS
FRIENDS OF BEN’S DC United Head Coach Ben Olsen hosted a second successful art show to benefit Bread for the City. In order to “give back to the community that has given me so much,” Ben corralled a number of local artists -- including the Redskin’s Chris Cooley, Susan Burnstine, Mike Dowley, Rosemary Feit Covey, Ben Ferry, Katri Hunter, Choichun Leung, Peter Loge, and Michael Weber -- to contribute to a great auction in support of our services. Occassions Catering provided free food and Premier Distributors donated drink. Hosted at Morton Fine Art, the evening raised over $8,000. Thanks to everyone who contributed and attended! DC United head coach, Ben Olsen, organized an auction of artwork (including his own) to benefit Bread for the City.
6 EVENTS
REPRESENTATIVE PAYEE PROGRAM The most important Bread for the City program that you never knew we had. Bread for the City is contracted by the DC Department of Mental Health to provide payee services to 800 of the Department’s consumers -- people who struggle with chronic mental illness, and who need assistance with their financial matters. (See Donna Hendricks on [right].) Through Rep Payee, we receive our clients’ benefit deposits (i.e. their Social Security checks); then we use that money to pay rent and utilities, food and medical costs, and personal expenses. Each client’s spending is guided by an individualized budget plan created in collaboration with the clients’ mental health treatment team and our staff. Each week about 200 clients pick up expense checks at one of Bread’s centers, with many more checks mailed out across the city. Each month approximately $670,000 flows through the Representative Payee Program - more than $8 million a year! (That may sound like a lot, but it works out to be just about $10,000 for each client in a year.) Aside from managing bank accounts, we also work to ensure that our clients can continue to receive these benefits. The population we serve experiences frequent changes in personal circumstances -- including moves and hospitalizations that may affect benefit eligibility. Each such event must be properly documented and reported to comply with complicated rules. Our biweekly trips to the Social Security Administration offices allow us to keep client records up-to-date, thus avoiding unnecessary benefit suspensions or over-payments. This, in turn, ensures a stable environment for our clients. Should they need other kinds of assistance, we can also connect them with Bread for the City services like food, legal and medical care.
Our case managers and accountants ensure that rent is paid on time and phone and electricity services stay up and running.
DONNA HENDRICKS Over the course of more than a decade, Donna Hendricks struggled with homelessness and mental illness. She turned to Bread for the City for help with food and medical care. “Dr. Randi saved my life, and not just once,” says Donna, who has recovered from two heart attacks and a stroke. Eventually our partnership with Donna went even further when we became her Representative Payee. This means that Bread for the City became the recipient of her disability benefits; we paid her rent and bills; and we worked with her to manage a budget.
By working with us to devise a workable budget, our clients can build towards greater degrees of independence. They may even be able to save some money for a special shopping trip for winter clothes, or for birthday presents for family members. Any way you stretch it, a $674 Supplemental Security Income payment is not easy to live off of in a pricey city like Washington, DC, but with the help of the Rep Payee Program, many of our clients can find stability and happiness.
Three years ago, with the help of a Bread for the City case manager, Donna moved into her own apartment for the first time in more than a decade. At the end of 2010, she opened a personal bank account -- and today, Donna is her own payee! “I’m paying my own electric, gas, and phone bills,” she says. “This is what it feels like to be more independent.” Donna is not only a client of Bread for the City, but also a donor and a member of our Client Advisory Board, providing programmatic feedback and helping to set our advocacy agenda. You’ll hear more from her in the future.
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Bread is on the Web
Stay abreast of our updates by following us: www.twitter.com/breadforthecity
www.facebook.com/breadforthecity And receive immediate action alerts by subscribing to our email list. Email bulletin@breadforthecity.org with the subject line “subscribe!� Thank you for your support.
THANK YOU Jessica Del Vecchio for pro bono event photography Steve Goldenberg for pro bono portrait photography Jay Groff of Groff Creative for pro bono design services Maggie McGrath for pro bono design services
NW Center: 1525 7th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 202.265.2400
Henry (Skip) Williams of Capitol Hill Supportive Services Alex Hastings for DJing our Grand Opening Richard Kramer, Ph.D of Innovative Pest Management for assistance with a client case William Liebman for volunteer legal services Eleanor McClain for help with our evening medical clinic Tracy Glasgo, Tymeka Jenkins, and Deborah Watson for help in our food pantries The Board of Directors and Capital Campaign Committee for their dedicated leadership Avalere Health for the extensive support of our Strategic Planning process Kevin Malone, James Merrigan and Muriel Weinstein for their help with Southeast Social Services
WISHLIST Adobe InDesign software Gently used, non-cloth chairs Silverware sets Easy to read books for adult learners Gift cards (to book stores, Target, CVS, etc) SmarTrip cards Cleaning supplies/laundry detergent
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Diapers (infant and adult) Feminine hygiene products Framed art suitable for meeting rooms Plastic storage containers (of all sizes) Plus-sized winter clothes for men and women
SE Center: 1640 Good Hope Road, SE Washington, DC 20020 202.561.8587