Bread for the City
Encyclopedia
Bread for the City is a comprehensive front line agency serving the poor of Washington, D.C.
, USA. The agency began as two organizations; Zacchaeus Free Clinic, which began in 1974 as a volunteer-run free medical clinic, and Bread for the City, a project by a coalition of downtown DC churches created in 1974 to feed and clothe the poor. Bread for the City offered food, clothing, social services, legal representation and medical care without charge to eligible DC residents.
The Zacchaeus Free Clinic opened under Dr. Jack Bresette in cramped basement quarters with three exam rooms, a small lab and pharmacy, and a US$30,000 budget. Both the clinic and Bread for the City were located on rent-free property owned by Luther Place Memorial Church
, and were run by volunteers. In 1977, Bread for the City hired its first full-time director.
During the 1980s Bread for the City experienced a growth in demand for its services and began to serve around 3,000 clients per month. It opened satellite offices throughout Northwest DC, and in 1991 it opened its first satellite office in Southeast DC. During the early 1990s the two burgeoning organizations developed the Jane Addams Social Services Program to help clients of both organizations apply for public benefits. In 1990 BFC and ZFC were awarded two federal grants to operate outreach activities to help elderly and disabled individuals apply for Food Stamps and Supplemental Security Income
. The launch of this program began the integration of the services offered by the two agencies, a process that ultimately led to their merger.
After one year of running the Jane Addams Social Services Program, it became evident that many eligible clients were being denied public benefits. The Young Lawyers Section of the Bar Association
of The District of Columbia approached ZFC with a proposal to supply volunteer attorneys, and the organization leveraged their support to battle these unfounded denials. The Bread for the City Legal Clinic grew from this initiative, and a full-time legal director was hired in 1993.
Because they were working closely together, sharing many clients, and outgrowing their properties, the two organizations purchased together an abandoned lumber warehouse at 1525 7th Street in the Shaw neighborhood
and launched a $1.2 million capital campaign to finance the building’s extensive renovation, which was completed by April 1994. By 1995 the agencies officially merged, and in 2000 they shortened their name to Bread for the City. In 2001 Bread for the City launched a campaign to extend its services to Southeast DC, and, in October, 2002, began operations in a new Southeast Center.
In response to the need in the District for financial management services for residents living with mental illness
and subsisting on Supplemental Security Disability Income
, BFC started its representative payee
program in 2002 in cooperation with the DC Department of Mental Health in order to prevent vulnerable adults from mishandling their income and becoming homeless.
In 2004, Bread for the City won the Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management, acknowledging the organizations core values of dignity and respect and its success in community organizing.
BFC has recently focused its efforts to provide healthier food options to clients, working with a nutritionist to provide a healthy variety of foods. Bread for the City has eliminated trans fats from the food bags and replaced red meat
with fish
, pork
and poultry
. In 2005 the agency created the Fit for Fun program, offering regular medical visits and check-in calls, one-on-one nutrition and exercise consultations, and monthly classes meant to teach clients how to make nutritious meals from the ingredients typically found in the bags.
Through its Glean
for the City program, started in the summer of 2009, Bread for the City has collected nearly 30,000 of fresh surplus produce from local farms.
, mental and physical health. Clients can walk in and see a case manager.
Through its Representative-Payee Program, BFC assists DC residents with long-term mental disabilities who have been referred by the Department of Mental Health or an affiliated Core Service Agency in managing their Social Security
benefits (retirement or disability), Supplemental Security Income
, or Civil Service Pensions.
Disability Benefits appeals, and family law
cases.
BFC also lends its building space to the Employment Justice Center, which protects and promotes the legal rights of low-wage workers in the DC metro area.
, a nurse practitioner
and clinical nurse, and over 50 volunteer physicians, nurses and medical administrators. Medical services offered to clients include adult general medicine, pediatrics
, OB/GYN
care and job physicals. The clinic provides examinations, medications, lab tests, and referrals at no charge.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, USA. The agency began as two organizations; Zacchaeus Free Clinic, which began in 1974 as a volunteer-run free medical clinic, and Bread for the City, a project by a coalition of downtown DC churches created in 1974 to feed and clothe the poor. Bread for the City offered food, clothing, social services, legal representation and medical care without charge to eligible DC residents.
History
Bread for the City began as two separate organizations. One was its namesake, Bread for the City, started in 1974 by the Emmaus Fellowship, a coalition of five churches in downtown Washington, DC, in order to feed and clothe the poor. Also started in 1974 was the volunteer-run Zacchaeus Free Medical Clinic, an outgrowth of the Community for Creative Non-Violence (CCNV), a group of activist ministries working to ensure that every DC resident had access to food, shelter, clothing and medical care.The Zacchaeus Free Clinic opened under Dr. Jack Bresette in cramped basement quarters with three exam rooms, a small lab and pharmacy, and a US$30,000 budget. Both the clinic and Bread for the City were located on rent-free property owned by Luther Place Memorial Church
Luther Place Memorial Church
Luther Place Memorial Church was built in 1873 as a memorial to peace and reconciliation following the American Civil War. Its original name was Memorial Evangelical Lutheran Church and it was designed by architects Judson York, J.C. Harkness, and Henry Davis. It is located in Thomas Circle in...
, and were run by volunteers. In 1977, Bread for the City hired its first full-time director.
During the 1980s Bread for the City experienced a growth in demand for its services and began to serve around 3,000 clients per month. It opened satellite offices throughout Northwest DC, and in 1991 it opened its first satellite office in Southeast DC. During the early 1990s the two burgeoning organizations developed the Jane Addams Social Services Program to help clients of both organizations apply for public benefits. In 1990 BFC and ZFC were awarded two federal grants to operate outreach activities to help elderly and disabled individuals apply for Food Stamps and Supplemental Security Income
Supplemental Security Income
Supplemental Security Income is a United States government program that provides stipends to low-income people who are either aged , blind, or disabled. Although administered by the Social Security Administration, SSI is funded from the U.S. Treasury general funds, not the Social Security trust fund...
. The launch of this program began the integration of the services offered by the two agencies, a process that ultimately led to their merger.
After one year of running the Jane Addams Social Services Program, it became evident that many eligible clients were being denied public benefits. The Young Lawyers Section of the Bar Association
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
of The District of Columbia approached ZFC with a proposal to supply volunteer attorneys, and the organization leveraged their support to battle these unfounded denials. The Bread for the City Legal Clinic grew from this initiative, and a full-time legal director was hired in 1993.
Because they were working closely together, sharing many clients, and outgrowing their properties, the two organizations purchased together an abandoned lumber warehouse at 1525 7th Street in the Shaw neighborhood
Shaw, Washington, D.C.
Shaw is a neighborhood located in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. It is roughly bounded by M Street, NW or Massachusetts Avenue NW to the south; New Jersey Avenue, NW to the east; Florida Avenue, NW to the north; and 11th Street, NW to the west...
and launched a $1.2 million capital campaign to finance the building’s extensive renovation, which was completed by April 1994. By 1995 the agencies officially merged, and in 2000 they shortened their name to Bread for the City. In 2001 Bread for the City launched a campaign to extend its services to Southeast DC, and, in October, 2002, began operations in a new Southeast Center.
In response to the need in the District for financial management services for residents living with mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
and subsisting on Supplemental Security Disability Income
Supplemental Security Income
Supplemental Security Income is a United States government program that provides stipends to low-income people who are either aged , blind, or disabled. Although administered by the Social Security Administration, SSI is funded from the U.S. Treasury general funds, not the Social Security trust fund...
, BFC started its representative payee
Representative payee
A representative payee, or substitute payee, is a person who acts as the receiver of Social Security Disability or Supplemental Security Income for a person who is not fully capable of managing their own benefits, i.e. cannot be their own payee. The need for the service is generally due to some...
program in 2002 in cooperation with the DC Department of Mental Health in order to prevent vulnerable adults from mishandling their income and becoming homeless.
In 2004, Bread for the City won the Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management, acknowledging the organizations core values of dignity and respect and its success in community organizing.
Programs
Bread for the City offers food, clothing, social services, legal representation and medical care for free to eligible residents of Washington, DC.Food
Bread for the City provides a three-day supply of groceries once a month to clients who fit the following criteria:- Are below 200% of the Federal Poverty level, AND
- Are elderly (over 60), or
- Have children under 18 living with them, or
- Have a disability that prevents them from working.
BFC has recently focused its efforts to provide healthier food options to clients, working with a nutritionist to provide a healthy variety of foods. Bread for the City has eliminated trans fats from the food bags and replaced red meat
Red meat
Red meat in traditional culinary terminology is meat which is red when raw and not white when cooked. In the nutritional sciences, red meat includes all mammal meat. Red meat includes the meat of most adult mammals and some fowl ....
with fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
and poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
. In 2005 the agency created the Fit for Fun program, offering regular medical visits and check-in calls, one-on-one nutrition and exercise consultations, and monthly classes meant to teach clients how to make nutritious meals from the ingredients typically found in the bags.
Through its Glean
Gleaning
Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers' fields after they have been commercially harvested or on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest...
for the City program, started in the summer of 2009, Bread for the City has collected nearly 30,000 of fresh surplus produce from local farms.
Clothing
Bread for the City operates a clothing room in its Southeast Center that accepts and distributes clothing donations for free.Social services
Bread for the City offers long-term case management for clients applying for public benefits, seeking housing or employment, or dealing with substance abuseSubstance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
, mental and physical health. Clients can walk in and see a case manager.
Through its Representative-Payee Program, BFC assists DC residents with long-term mental disabilities who have been referred by the Department of Mental Health or an affiliated Core Service Agency in managing their Social Security
Social Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
benefits (retirement or disability), Supplemental Security Income
Supplemental Security Income
Supplemental Security Income is a United States government program that provides stipends to low-income people who are either aged , blind, or disabled. Although administered by the Social Security Administration, SSI is funded from the U.S. Treasury general funds, not the Social Security trust fund...
, or Civil Service Pensions.
Legal services
Since 1993 Bread for the City has offered legal advice and representation to its clients. BFC has 8 full-time staff lawyers and over 100 volunteer lawyers and paralegals, who assist and represent clients in landlord-tenant disputes Social SecuritySocial Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
Disability Benefits appeals, and family law
Family law
Family law is an area of the law that deals with family-related issues and domestic relations including:*the nature of marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships;...
cases.
BFC also lends its building space to the Employment Justice Center, which protects and promotes the legal rights of low-wage workers in the DC metro area.
Medical clinic
Formerly Zacchaeus Free Medical Clinic, Bread for the City's medical clinic offers free medical care to low-income and uninsured residents of Washington, DC. The clinic has two full-time staff doctors, a physician assistantPhysician assistant
A physician assistant/associate ' is a healthcare professional trained and licensed to practice medicine with limited supervision by a physician.-General description:...
, a nurse practitioner
Nurse practitioner
A Nurse Practitioner is an Advanced practice registered nurse who has completed graduate-level education . Additional APRN roles include the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist s, CNMs, and CNSs...
and clinical nurse, and over 50 volunteer physicians, nurses and medical administrators. Medical services offered to clients include adult general medicine, pediatrics
Pediatrics
Pediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician...
, OB/GYN
Obstetrics and gynaecology
Obstetrics and gynaecology are the two surgical–medical specialties dealing with the female reproductive organs in their pregnant and non-pregnant state, respectively, and as such are often combined to form a single medical specialty and postgraduate training programme...
care and job physicals. The clinic provides examinations, medications, lab tests, and referrals at no charge.
See also
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance ProgramSupplemental Nutrition Assistance ProgramThe United States Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program , historically and commonly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federal-assistance program that provides assistance to low- and no-income people and families living in the U.S. Though the program is administered by the U.S. Department of...
- Food PantryFood bankA food bank or foodbank is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes mostly donated food to a wide variety of agencies that in turn feed the hungry. The largest sources of food are for-profit growers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers who in the normal course of business have...
- Capital Area Food BankCapital Area Food BankThe Capital Area Food Bank is the largest non-profit food bank in the Washington, D.C. area and a member of America's Second Harvest. In addition to serving the area with food, it also provides nutritional education to the local community. As a result, Washingtonian magazine named it one of the...
- Luther Place Memorial ChurchLuther Place Memorial ChurchLuther Place Memorial Church was built in 1873 as a memorial to peace and reconciliation following the American Civil War. Its original name was Memorial Evangelical Lutheran Church and it was designed by architects Judson York, J.C. Harkness, and Henry Davis. It is located in Thomas Circle in...
External links
- Bread for the City
- BFC's blog
- WAMU interview with Bread for the City and Parker Farms on the gleaning program.
- DC Food for All Initiative
- Article in The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
about Bread for the City's building and expansion. - Article in The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
about Bread for the City's shift to healthful foods - Article in The Washington Post on coconuts donated to BFC
- Bread for the City on Charity Navigator Rating