Some of you may have seen the outdoor signs around DC and the Metro but what the buzz is about is that World Water Week is coming to DC March 22nd – 28th.
World Water Week is a week-long charity event launched by the Tap Project, an initiative of UNICEF, to help address the global crises of poor water sanitation in developing nations. The lack of clean drinking water is the second largest killer of children under five worldwide, causing 4,200 deaths from water-related diseases every day.
During World Water Week (March 22-28, 2009) restaurants here in DC and across the United States will encourage patrons to donate $1 or more for the tap water they usually enjoy for free. Every dollar raised provides a child with clean drinking water for 40 days.
Tap DC invites Washington residents and local artists to participate in a large-scale public art project to promote World Water Week in our city. Residents and artists are invited to “turn a glass of water into something beautiful”—creating works of art that demonstrate the transformative potential of a glass of water.
Art may be submitted in the artists’ medium of choice: painting, drawing, poetry, sculpture, video or music. Selected works will be displayed in print, outdoor and television advertising, an art exhibition at the Pepco Edison Gallery, and online at TapDC.org.
What you can do:
Restaurants > Become a Tap Project participating restaurant, we’ll provide support materials to help you engage customers and inform local media about your involvement in this important project.
Volunteers > Register to be a Tap Project Campaign Volunteer and help us recruit and support local restaurants and employers.
Everyone > Create a piece of art to help promote World Water Week. Dine out at a participating restaurant March 22-28. Donate at tapdc.org or text the word “TAP” to 864233 (UNICEF) to make a $5 donation.
For more info visit:
The TAP DC site: http://www.tapdc.org/
Tap DC Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=35356331705
Tap DC Twitter page: http://twitter.com/tapdc
Full Disclosure: I work for the agency promoting World Water Week here in DC. I am also heading up the blog outreach and promotion across the social media sphere.
pecans and sweet gooey filling.
Hunger in Our Nation’s Capital
Published November 26, 2008 Food , Social Commentary 2 CommentsTags: DC, district of columbia, economic recovery, Food, food stamps, FRAC, government, hunger, insecurity, nutrition, poverty, washington dc
Last week, the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) issued its annual State of the States report. The report uses data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide state-by-state profiles of poverty levels, food insecurity and participation in federal nutrition programs for school-age children.
According to FRAC, an average of 32,000 D.C. households had difficulty providing enough food for all their members at some time during each year between 2005 and 2008. In 10,000 of these households, members sometimes went hungry because there wasn’t enough money or other resources for food.
The situation is actually worse because these figures do not include homeless people. Nor do they reflect soaring food costs or the economic downturn in 2008.
FRAC offers a four-point anti-hunger strategy for the Administration, Congress and state and local governments. As an immediate step, it advocates a boost in food stamp benefits as part of the next package of economic recovery legislation.
At this point, the maximum monthly allotment of food stamps for a family of three covers, on average, less than $1.70 per person per meal. This is hardly enough to nourish growing children–or adults.
But, as FRAC points out, eliminating hunger will require a broader strategy aimed at improving the economic situation of low-income famiies and supports to ensure they always have enough nutritious food for an active, healthy life.
– Kathryn