The pandemic may have come to an end, but individuals and families alike are still struggling to keep afloat.
That’s why Alan Kamara plans to pass out healthy food and winter essentials for the third consecutive time under his nonprofit Raising Awareness 4 Innocent Prisoners (RAIP).
Kamara, a returning citizen, founded the nonprofit in 2021 to advocate for those forgotten about in the prison system.
Other programs conducted by RAIP include community basketball games and fitness sessions. As it relates to food insecurity, Kamara connected that issue to mass incarceration, telling The Informer that children always end up suffering from a lack of stability.
That’s why unhoused families converging on the American Legion Freedom Bell on Thanksgiving will see Kamara, along with his family, friends and other supporters, passing out dozens of halal plates, fruit, and water.
Some of the people receiving the goods will be those that RAIP has built a relationship with over the years. Kamara told The Informer that he anticipates this endeavor greatly benefiting families, but, more importantly, children, who he said carry the weight of decisions made by elected officials and other institutional figures.
“There’s a lot of hungry kids,” Kamara said. “Honestly, at the rate we’re going, there will be more hungry kids. It doesn’t seem like there’s a process to help them. We’re not going to be able to feed them, unless we make food with preservatives and additives. I don’t think the hunger will stop, but you have to feed a couple people to make a difference.”
Advocacy Efforts During The Holidays
The spirit of giving isn’t just in the giveaways, but the consistent advocacy of organizations working to keep families supplied with resources that help sustain their quality of life.
While reports show post-COVID economic gains across the nation, disparities are widening for the job and housing insecure who are suffering under the weight of inflation.
Food insecurity has even affected middle-class families. According to Capital Area Food Bank’s Hunger Report 2023, “one in three residents — accounting for 32 percent of the population – did not know where their next meal was coming from at some point between May 2022 and April 2023.”
Making matters worse, families across the District face the threat of losing their benefits.
On Wednesday, Nov. 15, Congress passed a spending bill that funds government functions, including the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, also known as WIC, through Jan. 19.
In the interim, many House and Senate Democrats are fighting bills before the House and Senate that fund WIC below what’s needed for the projected number of beneficiaries.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the proposed legislation prevents between 650,000 and 700,000 new parents and young children from receiving WIC benefits.
This could prove detrimental to expecting and new mothers living in low-income communities.
LaMonika N. Jones, D.C. Hunger Solutions’ newly installed director, said her organization has increased lobbying efforts to stop the passage of the legislation, keeping council members, fellow advocates, and community partners abreast of what is happening with federal nutrition programs.
“We want to make sure that WIC is fully funded in this [fiscal year 2024] appropriations so that the women and children that do want to participate in this program don’t have an interruption to their benefits and benefits services that they need,” Jones told The Informer.
Bread for the City Offers ‘Holiday Helping’
As part of an effort to give residents respite during the holiday season, various District organizations are providing special food giveaways to fill families’ plates.
D.C. Council members Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4) and Trayon White (D-Ward 8) even have announced turkey giveaways.
Meanwhile, Bread for the City is hosting its 31st “Holiday Helping” from Nov. 1-21. During that time, District residents can pick up turkey or chicken, along with produce, vegetables, and other seasonal trimmings from the nonprofit’s Anacostia and Shaw locations.
Standing as the District’s largest food pantry, the organization has accrued roughly $1.2 million in donatary funds allowing them to support 12,500 families throughout the city. Bread For The City will be celebrating 50 years in service of supporting D.C. residents who are dealing with the burdens of poverty in March of 2024.
Throughout the year, Bread for the City provides food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services for more than 40,000 people.
Ashley Domm, head of Advancement and chief development officer at Bread For The City emphasized to The Informer that the COVID-19 pandemic pushed many families over the line of poverty. The organization saw a significant rise in resident needs — going from serving 250 families a day pre-pandemic, to 1,600 families a day throughout the first year of the pandemic due to scarce resources and economic hardship.
“The pandemic has really rubbed raw people that were living on the edges,” said Domm. “We have a fair amount of people in D.C. living below the poverty line, but just on the line, so they make ends meet. We’ve seen more of those folks coming in and needing our services.”
Very powerful