Everything for the City
An additional benefit at the Southeast center is its clothing room, and the Northwest location’s special feature is its full medical and dental clinic, open to everyone in the community regardless of income. Neighborhood residents with medical insurance seek treatment side by side with Bread for the City clients in this modern health facility with a full-fledged lab, dispensary, eye clinic and dental treatment. Health and wellness classes such as yoga and maintaining a low-sodium, low-sugar diet help clients sustain a healthy lifestyle.
And did I mention Bread for the City’s 2.75-acre City Orchard in Beltsville, MD, with more than 2,500 trees that will produce more than 45,000 pounds of food for DC residents? Or Glean for the City, their program to rescue thousands of pounds of excess produce from farmers markets around the city that would otherwise go to waste?
Artist Lana Wong of TICAH (Trust for Indigenous Culture and Health), who worked with Bread for the City clients in a partnership with WomenStrong DC Wellness./Photo by Tara Campbell
Just Bread for the City? More like Everything for the City. So how do they do it all?
Committed staff and a sense of community are a huge part of it. As Communications Director Karen Byer said, “I feel like part of a family of one hundred people from varying backgrounds all moving in the same direction.” Clients feel a sense of respect and belonging, and often come back to volunteer at the pantry or orchard. “Clients feel good about being able to give something back,” said Byer. (Next)
Tara Campbell is a DC-based writer of crossover science fiction. When not writing, she likes tending to her own little balcony garden. Not exactly Bread for the City, but maybe Salad for One.