In this March 29, 2020, photo, volunteers India Blocker-Ford, center, D.J. Wood, left, and Regina Summers, right, sort donated bags of hot meals while children wait for the food to be distributed in southeast Washington. Neighborhood deliveries are part of a new Martha's Table initiative, along with community partners, to get needed food directly to the neighborhoods they serve. Local volunteers are the tip of the spear for a grassroots community effort to keep Washington's most vulnerable neighborhoods fed during the unprecedented coronavirus crisis which has nearly shut down the American economy. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - A line begins forming as a van pulls into the parking lot of a senior living center in Southeast Washington. By the time the half-dozen masked volunteers set up the folding table and start pulling out plastic bags filled with fruits, vegetables and canned goods, about 15 people stretch down the block.
Organizer Charlie Gussom Jr. advises those waiting to maintain social distancing by standing on every other sidewalk square. those in line quickly take up the same mantra to organize newcomers: 'œOne square apart, everybody. One square apart!'ť
The group moves quickly as each person is handed a bag. When there's no one left in line, the volunteers start going door-to-door inside the senior center, delivering food to elderly shut-ins. Then the whole operation packs up and moves to a street corner about six blocks away where the process is repeated.
'œPeople can't get out to the stores, and kids are hungry,'ť says community organizer India Blocker-Ford. 'œPeople are just low on everything. They don't have anything.'ť
These volunteers are the tip of the spear for a grassroots effort to keep Washington's most vulnerable neighborhoods fed during an unprecedented coronavirus crisis that has nearly shut down the American economy.
In Washington's Ward 8, the need is particularly dire. As the rest of the city has prospered, the term 'œacross the river'ť became a common local racial code. It's shorthand for Wards 7 and 8, the overwhelmingly black southeastern part of the city that is being left behind.
The area was already a notorious food desert, with one full-service grocery store for approximately 70,000 residents. And all manner of health issues strike disproportionately among its residents.
'œFrom asthma to high blood pressure, diabetes, you name it, we have it,'ť said Ward 8 Councilman Trayon White. 'œAnd we have some of the highest food insecurities in this community.'ť
So far, Ward 8's official infection numbers aren't out of line with the rest of Washington. As of Thursday, Washington had reported just over 1,500 positive infection identifications. Fewer than 200 of those, 11.7 percent, have been in Ward 8. But health officials have warned of a looming infection surge coming to the D.C. area, and White and others are bracing for impact.
For the vulnerable and underserved, the impact of the coronavirus lockdown has been immediate and catastrophic. Low-wage hourly workers were some of the earliest victims of the economic shutdowns, and the closure of schools had an indirect effect on the basic nutrition of many students.
'œThere's a lot of kids here that only eat hot meals at school,'ť said Jimmie Jenkins, who runs an organization called ManPower DC. 'œWe were already behind with a need of food and resources. This right here just added another layer of struggle for us.'ť
In March, as the infection numbers grew, Jenkins and Blocker-Ford, who runs an organization called Indy B Mentoring, gathered community organizers to plan a grassroots response. Local charity Martha's Table became the vehicle.
'œThere's been a huge spike in need,'ť said Gussom, a Martha's Table staffer. 'œFood, diapers, toiletries, all types of stuff.'ť
Founded as a food pantry, Martha's Table prioritizes food insecurity and nutrition issues. The group distributes hot meals and groceries and has an in-house vegetable market that allows families in need to choose their own fresh produce. The organization expanded its programming to include after-school educational programs, fitness classes and a range of community activities. But now the vegetable market has closed, and the ancillary programs have ended.
Martha's Table, working with local organizers and community leaders, made it a full-time mission to respond to the skyrocketing need for food.
Johanna Williams, who was in charge of after-school and summer educational programs, assumed what she called the 'œspontaneous position'ť of COVID-19 response coordinator.
The high-ceiling foyer and community kitchen at the Martha's Table headquarters building has been transformed into a warehouse and distribution center, packed with crates of apples and sweet potatoes, giant sacks of onions and bags of broccoli and cauliflower. Teams of volunteers fill hundreds of bags, moving them out to cars and vans in giant rolling hampers for distribution around the ward.
Williams estimates that the distribution program was handing out about 200 to 250 bags per day at the beginning of March. Now that number is closer to 1,400 per day, with volunteers fanning out around the city for pop-up distributions and going door-to-door in places like senior centers. A local restaurant chain, Clyde's Restaurant Group, has pledged to provide around 700 hot meals per day, with Martha's Table handling the distribution.
Andrea Phillips, an unemployed 31-year-old mother, had been a regular visitor to the in-house vegetable market at Martha's Table. Now she tracks where the food distribution tables will be set up around the ward and shows up early to receive her bag.
'œWhen you're on a budget like mine, you can usually find food. But the really hard part is eating healthy. Some other food charities try to give you cookies and soda,'ť she said.
At the food stops, volunteers wearing masks work to keep the mood light while demonstrating social distancing guidelines. Elbow bumps have replaced handshakes, hugs and high-fives. At one stop, a female volunteer has to physically push away a man who is crowding too close to the van.
White, the Ward 8 councilman, arrives wearing a full-body white coverall used by painters. He's fresh from a set of community rounds that included personally dispersing a set of youths hanging out too close together on a street corner.
'œGod told us to feed his sheep," White said. "That's part of what we're doing here today.'ť
In this March 25, 2020, photo, entrepreneur and volunteer JoJo Houston, 26, of Guul Monstru Pathways Inc, helps to pack cauliflower and other fresh produce into bags for grocery distribution at Martha's Table headquarters in southeast Washington. Neighborhood volunteers such as Houston are the tip of the spear for a grassroots community effort to keep Washington's most vulnerable neighborhoods fed during the unprecedented coronavirus crisis which has nearly shut down the American economy. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Associated Press
In this March 25, 2020, photo, volunteer JoJo Houston, 26, center, and Keshawn Jones, 16, right, help others to load a van with 150 bags of donated fresh produce as part of a Martha's Table initiative, along with community partners, to get food directly to the neighborhoods they serve, during a rainstorm in southeast Washington. The volunteers also loaded 50 more bags of groceries in a separate vehicle. These local volunteers are the tip of the spear for a grassroots community effort to keep Washington's most vulnerable neighborhoods fed during the unprecedented coronavirus crisis which has nearly shut down the American economy. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Associated Press
In this March 31, 2020, photo, James Hart, 64, gets a fist bump from entrepreneur Jimmie Jenkins, as Hart receives a bag of donated groceries in his wheelchair in southeast Washington. The neighborhood deliveries are part of a new Martha's Table initiative, along with community partners, to get needed food directly to the neighborhoods they serve. These local volunteers are the tip of the spear for a grassroots community effort to keep Washington's most vulnerable neighborhoods fed during the unprecedented coronavirus crisis which has nearly shut down the American economy. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Associated Press
In this March 31, 2020, photo, ManPower DC founder and CEO Jimmie Jenkins, 30, poses for a photograph with his sons, Jahrei Montgomery, 11, and Ashton Cross, 5, outside their home in Washington. Since mid-March Jenkins has had his children wear protective masks and gloves anytime they leave the house. Jenkins is part of a community food outreach initiative, in partnership with Martha's Table, to get needed food directly to neighborhoods in southeast Washington. Local volunteers are the tip of the spear for a grassroots community effort to keep Washington's most vulnerable neighborhoods fed during the unprecedented coronavirus crisis which has nearly shut down the American economy. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Associated Press
In this March 29, 2020, photo, Regina Summers hands out hot meals donated by Clydes Restaurant Group and distributed by volunteers coordinating with Martha's Table in southeast Washington. Neighborhood deliveries are part of a new Martha's Table initiative, along with community partners, to get needed food directly to the neighborhoods they serve. These volunteers are the tip of the spear for a grassroots community effort to keep Washington's most vulnerable neighborhoods fed during the unprecedented coronavirus crisis which has nearly shut down the American economy. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Associated Press
In this March 29, 2020, photo, people walk by an apartment complex security guard, at left, as entrepreneur and community volunteer India Blocker-Ford, right, stands by bags of donated hot food as she waits for members of the community to line up, in southeast Washington. Neighborhood deliveries are part of a new Martha's Table initiative, along with community partners, to get needed food directly to the neighborhoods they serve. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Associated Press
In this March 25, 2020, photo, Angela Stevenson Holmes, left, hugs volunteer Jimmie Jenkins, 30, as he delivers donated groceries to her neighborhood in southeast Washington. At right is volunteer India Blocker-Ford. Neighborhood deliveries are part of a new Martha's Table initiative, along with community partners, to get needed food directly to the neighbors they serve. Local volunteers are the tip of the spear for a grassroots community effort to keep Washington's most vulnerable neighborhoods fed during the unprecedented coronavirus crisis which has nearly shut down the American economy. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Associated Press
In this March 29, 2020, photo, Kahlil Middleton, 5, center, looks inside a bag containing a hot meal held by his mother, Alexis Whitley, near their apartment in southeast Washington. Whitley worked at Nationals Stadium but was laid off as a result of the coronavirus closures. Neighborhood deliveries are part of a new Martha's Table initiative, along with community partners, to get needed food directly to the neighborhoods that they serve. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Associated Press
In this March 24, 2020, photo, Sharita Creel, of Washington, poses for a portrait holding a donated bag of groceries that she received in her community while wearing a mask and gloves in southeast Washington. Creel received the groceries from a neighborhood food delivery that is part of a new Martha's Table initiative, along with community partners, to get needed food directly to the neighborhoods they serve. Neighborhood volunteers are the tip of the spear for a grassroots community effort to keep Washington's most vulnerable neighborhoods fed during the unprecedented coronavirus crisis which has nearly shut down the American economy. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Associated Press
In this March 25, 2020, photo, India Blocker-Ford, 35, center, a volunteer and entrepreneur, gestures for everyone to maintain a social distance of 6-feet as volunteers gather for a group photograph after distributing fresh produce and hot meals, in southeast Washington. The neighborhood deliveries are part of a new Martha's Table initiative, along with community partners, to get needed food directly to the neighborhoods they serve. These volunteers are the tip of the spear for a grassroots community effort to keep Washington's most vulnerable neighborhoods fed during the unprecedented coronavirus crisis which has nearly shut down the American economy. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Associated Press
In this March 25, 2020, photo, Tonisha Wallace, left, and Regina Summers, both with the homegrown clothing company Never Black Down, share a joke during a break in food distribution next to India Blocker-Ford, of Indy B Mentoring, in southeast Washington. Neighborhood deliveries are part of a new Martha's Table initiative, along with community partners, to get needed food directly to the neighborhoods they serve. These local volunteers are the tip of the spear for a grassroots community effort to keep Washington's most vulnerable neighborhoods fed during the unprecedented coronavirus crisis which has nearly shut down the American economy. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Associated Press
In this March 29, 2020, photo, volunteers Regina Summers, left, and Tonisha Wallace, use hand sanitizer between donated food deliveries in southeast Washington. Neighborhood deliveries are part of a new Martha's Table initiative, along with community partners, to get needed food directly to the neighborhoods they serve. These local volunteers are the tip of the spear for a grassroots community effort to keep Washington's most vulnerable neighborhoods fed during the unprecedented coronavirus crisis which has nearly shut down the American economy. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Associated Press
In this March 25, 2020, photo, volunteer Kevin Coleman, center, is hugged by a young man who he coached in little league football the previous year, as volunteers wait for people to come and get groceries they were delivering to an apartment complex in southeast Washington. At left is DC Ward 8 Councilman Trayon White. Neighborhood deliveries are part of a new Martha's Table initiative, along with community partners including Councilman White, to get needed food directly to the neighborhoods they serve. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Associated Press
In this March 25, 2020, photo, Cire Wilson, 12, wears a protective suit due to worries from his mother about coronavirus, as he waits for a bag of fresh produce during a delivery of food donations in southeast Washington. Though Wilson said his mother had reserved a bag there were none left for them after dozens of people came out for the food. Local volunteers are the tip of the spear for a grassroots community effort to keep Washington's most vulnerable neighborhoods fed during the unprecedented coronavirus crisis which has nearly shut down the American economy. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Associated Press
In this March 25, 2020, photo, a woman is among dozens crowding in line for a bag of fresh produce despite the efforts of volunteers to space them out, during a delivery of food donations in southeast Washington. Neighborhood deliveries are part of a new Martha's Table initiative, along with community partners, to get needed food directly to the neighborhoods they serve. Local volunteers are the tip of the spear for a grassroots community effort to keep Washington's most vulnerable neighborhoods fed during the unprecedented coronavirus crisis which has nearly shut down the American economy. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Associated Press
In this March 31, 2020, photo, Charlie Gussom, Jr., center, with Martha's Table, encourages a social distance of 6-feet between residents, demonstrating with his arms straight out, as people stand in line to receive donated food in southeast Washington. Neighborhood deliveries are part of a new Martha's Table initiative, along with community partners, to get needed food directly to the neighborhoods they serve. Local volunteers are the tip of the spear for a grassroots community effort to keep Washington's most vulnerable neighborhoods fed during the unprecedented coronavirus crisis which has nearly shut down the American economy. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Associated Press
In this March 31, 2020, photo, volunteers Jimmie Jenkins, left, and D.J. Wood, far right, both with ManPower DC, and DC Ward 8 Councilman Trayon White, center left, wear tyvek painting suits and masks as protection from coronavirus as they deliver bags of donated groceries outside a community for the elderly in southeast Washington. Neighborhood deliveries are part of a new Martha's Table initiative, along with community partners, to get needed food directly to the neighborhoods that they serve. Local volunteers are the tip of the spear for a grassroots community effort to keep Washington's most vulnerable neighborhoods fed during the unprecedented coronavirus crisis which has nearly shut down the American economy. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Associated Press
Inn this March 31, 2020, photo, volunteers India Blocker-Ford, left, with Indy B Mentoring, and Jimmie Jenkins, with ManPower DC, share a double elbow bump at the end of another long day delivering donated food to neighborhoods in southeast Washington. The direct to neighborhood deliveries are part of a new Martha's Table initiative, along with community partners, to get needed food directly to the neighborhoods they serve. Both Blocker-Ford and Jenkins grew up in DC's Ward 8. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Associated Press
In this March 29, 2020, photo, children hold hands as they cross the street, guided by an older child, with bags of donated hot meals to take home in southeast Washington. The direct to neighborhood deliveries are part of a new Martha's Table initiative, along with community partners, to get needed food directly to the neighborhoods they serve. Local volunteers are the tip of the spear for a grassroots community effort to keep Washington's most vulnerable neighborhoods fed during the unprecedented coronavirus crisis which has nearly shut down the American economy. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Associated Press