Addressing the Root Causes of Food Insecurity

Addressing the Root Causes of Food Insecurity

Join us on Sunday, October 22, at 1:00 pm for a stimulating presentation by a panel of community leaders on fighting food insecurity in Montgomery County. The Rev. Anne Derse will moderate a discussion by a panel of distinguished County and non-profit leaders, then open the floor for a broader community discussion.

Panelists:

  • Gabe Albornoz, Montgomery County Councilmember and Chair of the MoCo Health & Human Services Committee
  • Heather Bruskin, Director of Montgomery County’s newly created Office of Food Systems Resilience
  • Jackie DeCarlo, CEO of Manna Food Center
  • John Ross, Executive Director of Nourishing Bethesda
  • Rev. Kendra Smith, community engagement lead at Kingdom Fellowship AME Church and Executive Director of Kingdom Global Community Development Corporation

The forum will be held in St. John’s Parish Hall. Attend in person or via Zoom. (Zoom link: bit.ly/STJN-SpecialEvent)

This is the first of St. John’s Finding Common Ground community town halls, a series focusing on issues important to our community, organized in conjunction with the parish’s year-long 150th Anniversary Celebration.

For more information, visit https://stjohnsnorwood.org/event/food-insecurity/

Samaritan Ministry 2023 Gala — The Arc of Change: Celebrating Next Steps East of the River

Samaritan Ministry 2023 Gala — The Arc of Change: Celebrating Next Steps East of the River

Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington invites you to its 37th annual Gala, The Arc of Change: Celebrating Next Steps East of the River, on Saturday November 4th at the the Town Hall Education Art Recreation Campus (THEARC) West. The Gala takes place from 5:30 to 8:30pm and includes a cocktail reception, sumptuous hors d’oeuvres, silent and live auctions, annual awards, and plenty of onsite parking. Space is limited, so we encourage you to purchase your tickets now — or become a sponsor, which will entitle you to complimentary tickets, among other benefits. And if you can’t attend, we hope you’ll contribute to the Gala’s success by making a donation! Proceeds will fund Samaritan’s NEXT STEP program, a mutual ministry which employs intensive casework, coaching and other support to empower the DC-area’s returning citizens, homeless and unemployed to transform their lives. For more information, go to https://bit.ly/SMGWGala2023.

“Faith and Food: A Christian Ethical Response to Food Injustice”

“Faith and Food: A Christian Ethical Response to Food Injustice”

How can we align the daily act every one of us does – eating food – with our core faith-based values of social justice, animal welfare, environmental protection, and health? Theologians and food activists will explore this challenge in a special Earth Day program at St. Alban’s Church.

Keynote speaker will be Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter, whose book The Spirit of Soul Food: Race, Faith, and Food Justice merges a history of Black American foodways with a Christian ethical response to food injustice.

Other speakers will include:

  • The Rev. Melanie Mullen (Director of Reconciliation, Justice, and Creation Care for The Episcopal Church);
  • Aysha Akhtar, M.D. (neurologist, animal welfare activist, author);
  • St. Alban’s parishioner Mary Beth Albright (journalist, author, food expert);
  • Chef Todd Gray & Ellen Kassoff Gray (co-founders, Equinox Restaurant);
  • Pamela Hess (Executive Dir., Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture);
  • Danielle Nierenberg (President, Food Tank); Sara Polon (co-Founder & CEO, Soupergirl); and
  • The Rev. Derrick Weston (Creation Justice Ministries).

Attendance is free of charge but registration is required in order to receive lunch. Register here

Nursery care and children’s programs will be available. The program will also be live-streamed.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, EMAIL MERY MONTENEGRO, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, ST. ALBAN’S CHURCH OR CALL 202-363-8286.

Diocesan Hunger Fund to Sunset

Diocesan Hunger Fund to Sunset

Since its inception in 1976, the Diocesan Hunger Fund has provided grants to programs that address food insecurity within the geographical area of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. The money for those grants has come from contributions made to the Hunger Fund from congregations and individuals across the diocese. For many years, the Hunger Fund served as one of EDOW’s primary outreach ministries. Yet over time, financial support for the Hunger Fund by churches and community members has dwindled–while the number of church-based food pantries and meal programs has increased, as our congregations strive to be a blessing to their communities. The realization of this fundamental shift in how feeding ministries function within the diocese sparked a period of evaluation for the Hunger Fund Committee. After much discernment, discussion, and consultation with Bishop Mariann, members of committee have come to the hard decision to dissolve this arm of ministry in the diocese.

Although figures from 1976 through 1985 are not available, in the 37 years from 1986 through June of 2022 we are thankful to report that $1,304.848.00 was provided to various programs. During its 46 years of existence, the Hunger Fund Committee of the Diocese worked diligently to help organizations in our diocese that provide direct aid to hungry people, a ministry only possible due to the contributions of churches and individuals of the diocese. Contributions came in many forms, from monetary donations to the gift of people’s time and effort, including the many volunteers who organized hunger walks and other activities at the church, region, and diocesan level; those who served on the committee over the years; and diocesan staff who supported the Committee’s efforts.

As the Hunger Fund winds down operations, we share here a list of some of the programs the Fund has supported over the years. Please consider redirecting your food security support to one of these ministries.

We believe there remains significant need to alleviate hunger in our area. We are grateful that our collective commitment to ending hunger holds strong in these new and continuing expressions of ministry.

Lee Mericle,
Chair, Diocesan Hunger Fund