DC Central Kitchen - June 23rd, 2010

DC Central Kitchen definitely put us to work. When we got there, we were scooped up and thrown into the kitchen with a ton of enthusiastic volunteers. The people there work SO hard, and they don't mess around! We were all split up - Mike washed dishes, Dabbo snapped green beans, and I learned how to cut cabbage from the head of the kitchen - Dorothy. She was amazing - she had a way she wanted things done and would not settle for anything less. She is certainly the spirit of the kitchen and keeps things in order!

DC Central is an awesome place. They salvage food from local restaurants, farmers, caterers, you name it, and create meals for local shelters. Aside from this, DC Central has a program for people that may have been incarcerated or on the street to learn how to cook. They are trained within the kitchen, and eventually go on to be employed by the kitchen or other local places. It's a completely proactive program, and we were really humbled by it. 

Mill Creek Farm - June 18th, 2010

Mill Creek Farm is a surprising site when you're driving through the rough streets of west Philadelphia. We weren't really sure what to expect, but it's certainly a gem.

In some of the harder areas in Philadelphia, you are hard pressed to find fresh produce. Lots of grocery stores offer few options for fresh vegetables and fruits so most people opt for the processed, boxed foods or fast foods that are largely at fault for the nation's high obesity rate. Mill Creek Farm is on a mission to change this. They are a fully self-sustaining farm - they use solar panels for electricity and have a compost toilet..pretty impressive. No water is used to flush or anything like that!

All kind of fruits and vegetables are grown at the farm - okra, asparagus, lettuce, strawberries, blackberries, different kinds of herbs - it's amazing the kind of variety that they have. Joanna, the woman that we worked with while we there, started the farm with Jade, another owner. 

Not only does the farm distribute local, fresh produce to farm stands around Philadelphia, but they also offer educational programs to teach others about the farm and how it can help. They offer tours and field trips to schools and organizations that are willing to learn.

We had an awesome time volunteering with the Mill Creek Farm crew. They were full of awesome information and we loved getting our hands dirty. I will post a little video below!

Check out Mill Creek Farm by clicking HERE

 

Elise Hayes "Little Steps" Summer Tour - in partnership with WhyHunger

Yorkville Common Pantry - June 17th, 2010

I arrived at Yorkville Common Pantry around 9:30 am on Thursday, June 17th with Hillary Zuckerberg and Lorrie Clevenger from WhyHunger.

I was feeling lots of different things - I was so excited to meet these wonderful people, but I also knew that the experience would be emotional and humbling for me.

We went up to the main office, checked in, and before we knew it, slipped into a crowd of people getting ready to volunteer for the morning. At Yorkville, 60% of the staff everyday is made up of volunteers. The amount of people that reach out is amazing, and it keeps the organization alive. The volunteers were from all over the place, some part of youth groups on mission trips, some visiting from out of town, and others that show up almost everyday.

Every single staff member that we met at Yorkville was AMAZING. These people are full of a positive energy that is completely contagious. The work that they do comes from an honest, genuine, selfless place. Gladys Ortiz, one of the staff members at Yorkville, gave us a tour of the organization and talked to us about the details surrounding the organization. She had the whole place so organized, but everyone was smiling and having a great time - she struck the perfect balance between order and fun. I can't say enough good things about her.

Yorkville is such a proactive place. Not only do they provide groceries and food for the families in the area that need it, but they provide cooking and nutrition classes as well. They are passionate about educating these people on ways to keep their families healthy by using fresh foods. Down in the kitchen, where people also wait for their groceries on Thursday and Friday mornings, there is someone taking people's blood pressures to make sure they are healthy, and there is also a lawyer that is set up to help people who may be qualified for food stamps. It is UNREAL the amount of resources this organization provides to the needy public. It's amazing.

So, if you are in the New York City area, I deeply encourage you to reach out to Yorkville Common Pantry. Find there website here. You will be so humbled, I know I was. To the three staff members I met : Stephen, Gladys, and Abigail - you are doing amazing work. Thank you so much.

Here is a little video about Yorkville:

Okay, Part 1 of tour :)

Hi everyone!

So, I am so happy to finally be giving you some insider action about what went on during the “Little Steps” Tour!

I’m going to take you through the volunteer events and show you what it was like :)

Before we do that, I wanted to write a bit about WhyHunger, the charity that I was blessed to work with throughout the week. WhyHunger is a leading advocate for innovative, community-based solutions to hunger and poverty. WhyHunger challenges society to confront these problems by advancing models that create self-reliance, economic justice, and equal access to nutritious and affordable food.

So, my task throughout the week was to visit some of the local charities that fuel WhyHunger’s mission. Let me tell you, it was one of the greatest experiences. I was so blown away by the people that day in, day out, dedicate hours upon hours of work to HELPING others. All of the people at WhyHunger unselfishly give their time to lifting the smaller, local organizations up for everyone to be seen. It’s truly amazing what these people do.

Me with Hillary Zuckerberg, Director of Artists

Against Hunger & Poverty

With that said, I created a little video that I will post that stars the lovely Brooke Smith (Director of Grassroots Action Network), and Hillary Zuckerberg (Director of Artists Against Hunger & Poverty - the person I worked closest with). It gives them a little chance to explain to you (through their own words) what each of them do for WhyHunger.