Robert Egger Visits GaGLE

Last night our group hosted Robert Egger, the founder and President of DC Central Kitchen. He was an absolute experience. Passionate, intelligent, humorous, and decisive are a few words that come to mind.
He was definitely outside the box. He was very critical of the traditional models of combating hunger and of the entire non-profit sector. While he was a bit all over the place he raised a few specific points that were very memorable in my mind and I hope others will post some of their reactions as well.

He held up the fact that America's non-profit sector, on its own, is the 7th largest economy in the world. With that in mind, he questioned why it wasn't at the table with the major power brokers in America. In the for-profit sector companies with like interests come together and sit down with policy makers to advocate for their perspectives, but where are the councils of NGOs united around ending hunger, poverty, homelessness coming together and building a vision and a future without those problems? And why, he asked, does the non-profit sector, which is pursuing and creating the most wonderful things in America - education, art, social services, and faith - define itself by the one thing it doesn't pursue - profit...

He also strongly challenged the traditional soup kitchen/food pantry model of hunger relief. Explaning that marketers and retailers are working hard, and becoming more effective, at avoiding food waste and soon all those foods found in food pantries will dry up. Not only that, but the hungriest persons in America are single mothers who are scrambling around making sure their kids and their parents have food, and are neglecting themselves - and many of them are working all day and don't have time to make it to a food bank that is only open 9-5.

He boldly stated that DC Central Kitchen is the best show in town - noting its strategic food services. It identifies organizations that are serving the most overlooked segments of our population... Drug addicts, the mental ill, seniors, etc. and provides them with the entirety of their food needs so that they can scratch that huge line item off their budgets and they can focus on what they do best - treating addiction, counseling, and caring for their clients. He also held up the job training program and how it gives convicts, addicts, and the mentally ill an opportunity to accomplish something concrete and positive.

He also took us on a trip around the country and the world - encouraging us to always buy local and to offer up new visions and a new future, what he saw as our responsibility as young people. He was also very affirming of our giving circle, noting that most American's just cut a charity check without really investigating organizations and by engaging conscienciously in the process we have a much better chance of actually supporting an organization that is helping solve problems.

I had also volunteered early last week at the DC Central Kitchen and so it was very interesting to speak with the man who got that started. Volunteering at the Central Kitchen is easy and it is a great atmosphere filled with purpose, learning and enthusiasm - I highly recommend it!

GaGLE Description

Gather and Give is a giving circle composed of young adults in the Washington D.C. area with a common interest in improving their community through collective philanthropy. Following a model developed by other giving circles, members pool their charitable contributions and participate in a collaborative and educational process of selecting a non-profit organization to support with their group donation. By pooling their donations, group members enhance the impact of their individual charitable gifts. The selection process involves learning more about pertinent social issues, narrowing the issue focus of the group and researching local non-profit organizations working to address the selected issues. In addition to researching issues and organizations, Gather and Give members conduct site visits, volunteer and host guest speakers at their meetings. All members commit in advance to making a minimum contribution of $75, attending at least three the meetings, and actively participating in the group’s collaborative selection process. Formed in Fall 2006, Gather and Give’s 14 members are all in their mid-20s and work in fields as diverse as business consulting, non-profit management, policy research, and construction management. For the first giving cycle, which will be completed by the end of May 2007, the group chose to base their donation and selection process around the theme of food, with particular interest in the issues of food security, nutrition and health, and sustainable food production. Gather and Give welcomes matching donations or non-voting contributions from individuals that are unable to actively participate in the group.

Gaggle! Not your mtng minutes

Since I really want to record this process of what we are doing and how we are working, there's no better time to start then the present. Maybe we can have some reflections on lessons learned later, but I'll start with tonight.

It all started with a totally frazzled hostess who claimed she'd lost her touch to hosting (aka me, but I am over it and back on top of my game....up next, three more dinner parties hosted by yours truly this wknd!). People showed up, most of them on time (save Jared, who has developed a reputation for TARDIness). We gathered around the table, well, the two tables because we couldnt all fit at one. We ate our baked ziti and salad and pita/hummus moved on to an amazing array of desserts--fresh fruit, baked pie with fresh berries made by our lovely guest, carmel brownies, and perfect pumpkin bread. Yum!!!

We decided to start a group recipe book of our dinners, since food is a central element of what we do.

We listened for the next hour to Shana, from DC Hunger Solutions, who enlightened us about everything from DC ward situations to the reality of food insecurity in DC. Not to mention, she suggested a number of nonprofits for us to both look at both to consider for funding as well as volunteer opportunities. Notes were taken by Dianna and will be shared at some point.

We discussed volunteer opportunities, which Evan (and Jenny) is coordinating, around Mary's Place and other local places. The movie people are organizing something. The speaker people will be up to something. And the next speaker is the illustrious Robert Egger.

So ... since this is "not your mtng min's" I feel obligated to reflect on tonight. It felt good. REAL good. To spend the night with my Gagglers and being educated. It feels so good to be surrounded by passionated and motivated people, where we can make things happen because we want to and have the energy to. I was wholly nurished by the meal and conversation.

I am looking forward to continuing to be educated about Food issues in DC, and so excited to volunteer, and so excited to make an impact!

I hope this blog can be a place to post to reflect on our direction, our strategies, reflection after films/speakers/volunteering and a real shared place.