Every day for the past three years, Sarah Lanier has gone to the Deanwood Recreation Center in Northeast D.C. for lunch. The meal serves as her main source of nutritious food, she said, because of the lack of grocery stores in the area.
“We get a full course meal—meat, starch, vegetables, salad and juice—and there is a suggested $1 donation, but they don’t bother you if you don’t have it,” said Ms. Lanier, a 17-year Deanwood resident and active member of the senior citizen community group organized by the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation.
“I don’t cook a lot, and unfortunately there aren’t a lot of grocery stores around here, and the closest farmers market is on Florida Avenue—at least five miles away,” she said.
Like many D.C. residents, Ms. Lanier regularly experiences low food security, defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as “reduced quality, variety or desirability of diet.”
On average, there is one grocery store for every 14,029 D.C. residents, according to a 2010 report by D.C. Hunger Solutions and Social Compact. The distribution of grocery stores varies largely by ward, leaving large populations in Northeast and Southeast D.C. with relatively little access to healthy food.
To combat food insecurity, the George Washington University Urban Food Task Force (UFTF) hosted the Pop-Up Produce Market and Health Screening Fair at the Deanwood Recreation Center on Saturday. Ms. Lanier and more than 80 residents of Ward 7 and surrounding areas received bags of fresh produce, nutrition advice, participated in free health screenings and watched cooking demonstrations by University Chef Rob Donis.
Hosted in partnership with the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, the Rodham Institute, the GW Healing Clinic and D.C. Councilmember Yvette Alexander (D-Ward 7), the fair was the finale of the UFTF’s Food Day activities that began last Tuesday.
“We had a lot more volunteers this year, and it’s evidence of how engaged our student community is around issues of food and food access,” said Dawnita Altieri, UFTF co-chair. “So many people lack access to healthy food, and the fair not only provides produce and healthy eating tips, but it also raises awareness of the issue in D.C.”
GW student volunteers talk with residents of Deanwood at the Pop-Up Produce Market on Saturday.
About 30 GW students and staff volunteered. They distributed more than 80 bags of potatoes, greens, onions, carrots, apples and other fruits and vegetables donated by Whole Foods, the Washington Youth Garden, the GW student-run GroW Garden, Sodexo and other partners.
“With diabetes and high blood pressure afflicting so many of my constituents, the market and healthy cooking demonstrations by Mr. Donis allows citizens to see that wholesome food can taste delicious, too,” Ms. Alexander said. “The added free health screenings also let residents see on the spot where they stand health wise.”
Rodham Institute Executive Director Karen Linscott, who worked with the GW Healing Clinic volunteers, said the event was an opportunity to pursue the center’s core mission to reduce health disparities and bring health screenings to underserved communities.
Erin Yee, a second-year medical student in SMHS, was one of four volunteers from the GW Healing Clinic who tested residents’ blood pressure and height-to-weight ratio and provided counseling on preventative measures to manage health—including healthy eating.
“We outlined what they should be eating and offered examples of ways and places to exercise,” Ms. Yee said. “Since a lot of patients don’t have primary care physicians, we also encourage them to see a doctor regularly, especially if we notice hypertension or any other irregularities.”
School of Medinice and Health Sciences second-year medical student Erin Yee performs a free health screening for a Deanwood resident at the Pop-Up Produce Market held at the Deanwood Recreation Center.
George Washington University Hospital’s Elaine Ferrel, a registered dietician, was also on site to coach residents on proper portion sizes using visual food models.
“You can turn a good food into a bad food by eating it in excess,” Ms. Ferrel said. “For example, even though nuts are ‘good for you’ many people don’t know that one serving is about 20 nuts, which is about 100 calories, so they end up overeating.”
To aid residents in healthy cooking at home, Mr. Donis demonstrated simple meals that could be made with produce from the give-away bags, including a parsnip and apple slaw and turnips with pears and chard greens.
Mary Cypress, a retired chef for Marriott International, Inc. and 50-year Deanwood resident, said she often will stir-fry vegetables together for a quick meal.
“I came to the event last year, and I would come again next year,” Ms. Cypress said. “I enjoy watching the chef, and it’s nice to bring home a bag of fresh produce.”
Volunteers included members of the Urban Food Task Force, GW Healing Clinic and Rodham Institute, George Washington University students and staff and Councilmember Yvette Alexander (D-Ward 7).
Morgan Resnick, a master’s student in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development, said that the event is also rewarding for students. She volunteered at the fair with five other students from the Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service’s Civic House Academic Residential Community, a service learning and living collaborative on the Mount Vernon Campus.
“We understand the importance of service in building community,” Ms. Resnick said. “It’s been a great event to support, and, hopefully, we can participate again next year.”