{"id":12997,"date":"2015-04-18t03:59:52","date_gmt":"2015-04-18t03:59:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dpetrov.2create.studio\/planet\/wordpress\/changing-the-statistics\/"},"modified":"2023-02-28t18:34:21","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28t18:34:21","slug":"changing-the-statistics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/changing-the-statistics\/","title":{"rendered":"changing the statistics"},"content":{"rendered":"

we all know that washington d.c. is known for being home to the white house, the president, and many monuments, memorials, and museums. (oh, my!) but did you know that, in 2013, d.c. was also home to approximately 650 thousand people; 18.6% of them living below the poverty level (with 28.7% of the under 18 population living below poverty level), 13.9% of all families having utilized the snap program in the past 12 months, and 7.4% of the work force unemployed. each of these statistics being higher than the national averages (3).<\/p>\n

being an iowan, these were not statistics i was accustom to hearing about d.c. it wasn\u2019t until a trip to d.c. last summer that i was introduced to such startling facts about our nation\u2019s capital. with all the doom and gloom that comes with such statistics, i was also provided with an experience to see first-hand an organization who seemed to be providing a light at the end of the tunnel for these dreary statistics.<\/p>\n

that organization was d.c. central kitchen<\/a>. d.c. central kitchen was started in 1989 on the foundation of \u201cusing food as a tool to strengthen bodies, empower minds, and build communities.\u201d this is no ordinary kitchen though. they are able to provide 5,000 meals per day to 80 locations, such as homeless shelters and nonprofit organizations, at little or no cost to help nourish those in need (1). so you may be asking yourself, \u201cwhat makes d.c. central kitchen so special?\u201d well, that is exactly the point!<\/p>\n

d.c. central kitchen is so much more than a food shelter. this \u201ckitchen\u201d is a multifaceted organization trying to combat a number of issues such as food waste, poverty, sustainability, etc. they have established numerous programs that help to tackle such issues. one of the main programs is a culinary job training program<\/a> to help teach and provide culinary skills to those who are homeless or unemployed. this program creates food from their food recycling program<\/a>, a program that in one year recovered 791,325 pounds of food and turned it into healthy, nutritious meals. meals created by the culinary job training program are distributed to locations including schools, feeding 6,300 meals to low-income children through the school food program<\/a>. they are also able to prepare quick snacks which can be found at corner stores in d.c.\u2019s food deserts, the main goal of the healthy corners program<\/a> (1).<\/p>\n

at the d.c. central kitchen, they are doing so much more than just putting healthy, nutritious meals on an individual\u2019s plate. they are taking action towards some of today\u2019s biggest issues facing society by working to educate, empower, and support the most sensitive populations. not only that, but their model has created positive impacts on the d.c. region like (1):<\/p>\n