Even
before the pandemic, nearly 400,000 people in our area
struggled with food insecurity. Today, that number is
rising rapidly – and behind the scenes, CAFB operations
have raised the bar to an unprecedented level in order to
keep our communities fed. On any given day, emergency
boxes of food and socially-distanced volunteers take up
almost every open space in our 100,000 square foot
warehouse. These volunteers have packed 50,000 emergency
boxes for area families in just over three months. To
keep inventory level with demand, the food bank ordered
160 truckloads of food in May alone – almost five times
what we purchased all of last year. And in a span of just
4 days at the end of last month, our incredible
operations team packed, shipped, and delivered more than
one million pounds of food. Click
here for a snapshot of COVID-19’s local impact, and our
response, in numbers.
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Moving
more food through creative new partnerships
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The
increase in need in our region means we’re distributing
more food than ever. Making the logistics of moving
all the food work has required getting creative with
partnerships. The CAFB has teamed up with Goodwill of
Greater Washington to help move food to partners in
every corner of our service area. From mid-May to early
June, Goodwill of Greater Washington used its fleet to
deliver approximately 200 pallets of food to partners
while its retail stores were closed – getting more than
9,000 life sustaining meals to the tables of those who
need them across the region. UberFreight has also
jumped in to provide no-charge freight services through
the end of June, their pro bono loads bringing to the
food bank 100,000 empty boxes to be used for packing
emergency food boxes for families.
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Keeping
summer hunger free
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During
a typical summer, the meals we provide through the
CAFB’s summer meals program are essential for kids who
typically rely on free or reduced school breakfasts and
lunches. Despite new safety measures required by the
pandemic, the food bank is planning to partner with 50
sites across our service area over the coming months to
ensure children in our communities have access to the
food they need to grow and thrive. Stay tuned for updates
throughout the summer!
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Telling
stories of service
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Thousands
of volunteers have stepped through the doors of the CAFB
warehouse since the pandemic began, providing the
essential first step in getting food flowing to the men,
women, and children we serve. Regular CAFB volunteer Rob
Britton recently spoke with us about what motivates him
to dedicate his time to feeding his neighbors in need. We
caught up with him during his 5th week volunteering in a
row, as the city was still under lockdown during the
COVID-19 pandemic. Meet volunteer Rob Britton.
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Highlighting
the ever-growing importance of SNAP
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More
than 44 million Americans – including 424,000 in our
region as of June 1st – have filed for unemployment
claims and many who are struggling to feed their families
are turning to food banks. CAFB CEO Radha Muthiah
recently spoke with Politico and CNN about
COVID-19’s economic impacts and the unprecedented need
for emergency food – and the important role the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program can play in
alleviating that need.
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