Ride for the Feast Events & Opportunities

It’s not too late to get involved as a Rider or Crewmember for Ride for the Feast 2011, taking place on May 14-15th, 2011.

Riders commit to raising $1,300 for Moveable Feast by the day of the Ride. During the two-day bike ride, Riders travel 140 miles, commemorating the distance to our farthest client. Crewmembers assist throughout the Ride by working pit stops, serving as a support & gear (SAG) driver, assisting at overnight stop areas, and sharing their expertise in our bike technician or medical assistance teams.

To learn more about the Ride for the Feast 2011, and to get involved and register, please visit the RFTF website.

Riding through Baltimore on Day 2 of the Ride for the Feast 2010.

We have over a hundred Riders and Crewmembers signed up so far. Support them by attending team fundraisers and events. In March, you can expect to see:

• Wednesday, March 23rd: Team Diet Tribe at a dinnertime fundraiser at Noodles & Company in Owings Mills. 
• Sunday, March 27th: Team Bike Curious and Fierce Chicks Rock at their Third Annual 80s Roller Disco at Dundalk Skateland.
• Monday, March 28th is the last day to enter the raffle to win a brand-new Fuji 3.0 Absolute Hybrid bicycle. Raffle tickets are $10 and benefit Team DragonFLY. For more information, click here.
• Tuesday, March 29th: Team Diet Tribe at a dinnertime fundraiser at Baja Fresh in Fairfax, Virginia.

For more information and to see all upcoming RFTF fundraising events, please click here.

Start with a Starter Plant: Calling All Green Thumb Do-Gooders!

City life doesn’t mean that you can’t spy a bit of green here and there. Amid the concrete, brick, and asphalt, Baltimore City has gardens all around – you just have to know where to look.

And if you’re having trouble, consider growing some green in your own home.

Moveable Feast began its Garden Program last year, with a two-fold purpose: to grow fresh produce for use in our nutritious meals and grocery bags, and to engage people in their local community gardens. With Year 2 of the Garden Program now swinging into full gear, we’ve obtained even more acreage, and it’s an ideal time to get involved.

Duncan Street Miracle Garden, where Moveable Feast has a plot.

An easy way is by growing a starter plant. Choose from our extensive list of produce options, plant some seeds, and tend to the seedling as it grows and matures. If you need help along the way, you can always contact any of our three dietitians for advice. In May, when the last frost has passed, you can transplant your seedling into our gardens. Summer rains and heat will help your plant to grow and yield produce for our clients!

We kick-off the spring planting season at the end of March, after which you can volunteer in our gardens anytime. Right now, we’re looking for volunteers to help set up the garden. In particular, this involves rehabilitating the garden by weeding and adding soil and compost.

Pepper and tomato starter plants - easy to grow at home.

For more information about growing a starter plant and volunteering in our garden, please visit our website.

Debbie's Garden

Moveable Feast receives fresh produce from a Baltimore City community garden tended by longtime volunteers at Moveable Feast. This is the story of the Lake Garden, written by one of our volunteers.

It was a very sad day on our block when it filtered out that our neighbor, Debbie had succumbed to her cancer. Debbie had just had her first child, a beautiful girl named Anjolie, a year earlier.

Months later we watched as Debbie's cherished garden grew wild, choked with weeds and fell apart.

Paul, her husband – an emergency room doctor attempting to raise their child – had no time for such trivial matters.

I approached him and asked if perhaps I could help out and clean the garden. Not being a gardener, I asked another neighbor to assist so that I would not pull out the wrong plants. She suggested that we give the garden purpose and plant some vegetables.

With Paul's permission, we proceeded.

The Lake Garden in 2010.

As we worked, other neighbors gravitated to the garden, making suggestions or digging right in to help. People that had previously done little more than wave in passing…became fast friends.

When our crops began to flourish one of the gardeners suggested donating some of our food to Moveable Feast, and it was well received by your chef.

That was our first year.

This year we are donating the majority of our crop to Moveable Feast . Of course, a few tomatoes or lettuce may end up in a neighbor's salad bowl, but the bulk will go to your worthy cause. Paul was quite gracious about this.

Last year we made a plaque for the garden: "In Memory of Debbie.” We watched proudly from our window as Paul showed off the plaque and garden to his friends.

This year the garden will have a dual purpose. To sustain the memory of a wonderful lady and to support your exceptional cause.

The Lake Garden in its current state, getting ready to be planted in the springtime!

Written by Sue and collaborated by Jeanne, neighbors to Debbie and Paul and current tenders to the Lake Garden in Baltimore City.
 

Moveable Feast Heads to the Big Apple!

Get Ready for the Ride of Your Life! 

 

"PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT: THE MUSICAL is the feel-good theatrical experience of the year! Based on the smash-hit movie, PRISCILLA is the heart-warming, uplifting adventure of three friends who hop aboard a battered old bus searching for love and friendship and end up finding more than they could have ever dreamed of. With a dazzling array of outrageous costumes and a hit parade of dance-floor favorites, this wildly fresh and funny new musical is a journey to the heart of FABULOUS!

Hop aboard the Moveable Feast bus for a trip on November 5th, 2011 to see Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Tickets are $200 if purchased before June 1st and include roundtrip transportation, continental breakfast, mezzanine seats for the musical, and a few other surprises! ;)

To reserve your spot on this "journey to the heart of fabulous," please contact John O'Brien at 410-935-0143
or at jeobrienjr@gmail.com.

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Yes, Real Men Wear Pink.

Moveable Feast partners with the Maryland Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure to feed women and their families living with breast cancer.

But men can get breast cancer too. On Sunday, March 20th, join brothers, fathers, husbands, sons, etc. as they gather at Max's Taphouse for the REAL MEN WEAR PINK fundraiser, complete with drink specials, cool guy raffle prizes, and lots of male bonding.

All funds raised will be donated to Komen Maryland.

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Baltimore's Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich

When March - National Nutrition Month - ends in a few weeks, it will be high time to kick back and enjoy some delicious comfort food.

April is National Grilled Cheese Month - who knew?! - and we're inviting everyone to Mt. Washington Tavern's 1st Annual Grilled Cheese Sandwich Cook-Off!

From 2:00-4:00PM on Sunday, April 10th, see local top chefs and home cooks battle it out for the best grilled cheese sandwich, live at Mt. Washington Tavern. You'll even get to enjoy a tasting of each of the competing sandwiches.

There will be two competitions - one among the top chefs, and one among the layman home cooks. 

Six (6) top chefs have been secured, and include:

• Bill Crouse of Slainte in Fells Point
• Matt Milani of The Rumor Mill in EC
• Chad Gauss of City Cafe in Mount Vernon
• Patrick Crooks of Roy's Restaurant
• Darrick Granai of Baldwin's Station in Sykesville
• Kevin Miller of Widespread Concierge Services (formerly of Ixia)

Home cooks are invited to submit their original recipe for a chance to be one of three (3) to compete in the finals on April 10th.

Judging categories include Best Professional, Best Home Cook, Crowd Pleaser, and Kid's Choice. 

Moveable Feast will receive all proceeds from the $10 entry fee (children ten years and under are free), which includes the cook-off, tasting, and one complimentary signature cocktail designed especially to be paired with grilled cheese. A match made in cheese heaven.

Tickets to this event are sold online (click here) and will likely sell out online. Any remaining tickets will be sold at the door for the same price. Buy yours today to ensure you can get in!

Click here to add yourself to the official Facebook event. 

For more information, visit Grilled Cheese Sandwich Cook-Off Details or contact Mikey Monaghan at mam@mikeymonaghan.com.

Recognizing our Dietitians on Registered Dietitian Day

Wednesday, March 9th, 2011 is Registered Dietitian Day, created by the American Dietetic Association. Today is a day to recognize and celebrate the commitment of RDs across the nation. Their efforts go a long way in improving the health, nutrition, and quality of life for their clients. Here at Moveable Feast, we have a great team of three dietitians. Jinee Burdg, Sara McClean, and Betty Simon-Ogan are committed to helping our clients on an individualized basis.

Sara, Betty, and Jinee

March is also National Nutrition Month, themed this year as “Eat Right With Color.” Our dietitians this month are encouraging and helping clients find colorful fruits and vegetables that are easily integrated into their diets.

Each year, Moveable Feast services more than two thousand Marylanders living with HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, and other conditions. Health complications, poverty, and other circumstances often push proper nutrition out of reach for our clients. Our clients may be too weak to make trips to the supermarket or to even prepare meals at home alone. Clients may manage multiple diseases at once, potentially pose conflicting and stringent dietary requirements. And when money is tight, eating right may simply be too expensive. That’s where Moveable Feast steps in. Our nutritious meals and groceries enable our clients to become healthier and thus better equipped to overcome their illnesses.

And the efforts of our excellent dietitian team are visible in every aspect of Moveable Feast services. Supervisory dietitian Jinee Burdg and chef Damon Hersh work together to carefully construct menus for different client populations. This can get quite complicated! Some clients have special dietary needs due to their medical history, such as diabetes, renal failure, lactose-intolerance, or insufficient teeth (requiring a soft-foods diet). Clients who have extremely low body weight are put on our high protein diet, which helps them to gain weight quickly. We also serve clients of varying religious or philosophical beliefs, who may choose a vegetarian, non-pork, no-seafood, or all-seafood diet. We even offer a Buena Comida meal plan, designed to be more Latin-friendly.

It’s easy to see that designing the perfect menu takes meticulous and careful effort. Jinee and Damon collaborate closely to come up with the most nutritious menu possible. For instance, Damon composes the general menus for the frozen meals, which are used in our Daily Home Delivered Meals program, Groceries-To-Go/Meals For A Week program, and also “dropped” at community centers in Baltimore. Jinee evaluates the menus, making comments and substitutions for different client populations, using her dietetic expertise.

Part of the evaluation includes a nutrient analysis on the menus. The dietitians look at the amount of calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamin D, potassium, phosphorus, and sodium in the meals, among other nutrients. Sodium, or salt, levels are especially important when evaluating the renal menus. And vitamin D is thought to be important in fighting HIV.

Yet Jinee, Sara, and Betty are never confined to the offices at Moveable Feast. Each week, they make home visits all across Maryland to visit clients one-on-one in a free nutritional counseling appointment. Each client benefits from a home visit one or two times a year, though appointments can be more frequent if more in-depth assessment is vital. Each home visit kicks off with the simple question of “what did you have to eat yesterday?” and then delves into a thoughtful conversation about the client’s eating habits. The dietitian takes the client’s weight, and also performs a quick BIA (bioelectrical impedance analysis), which is used in a useful body fat analysis. Afterwards, the client works with the dietitian to set nutrition goals, and even receives personalized diet advice.

Yet home visits mean so much more to our clients than simply a routine nutritional appointment. Many clients lead isolated lives, and our dietitians may be the only people they interact with that day. By sharing stories and enjoying conversation with our dietitians, our clients are happier people. And by enabling them to take control of their health through their eating habits, our clients feel more empowered to fight their illness. It is truly in these home visits that our dietitians embody the Moveable Feast mission – to feed people, fight disease, and foster hope.

For more information about Moveable Feast meal delivery and nutritional counseling services, please visit our website.

For more information about National Nutrition Month and Registered Dietitian Day, please visit the American Dietetic Association website. 

Moveable Feast and World AIDS Day

December 1st is recognized across the globe as World AIDS Day. Each year, Moveable Feast takes part in the World AIDS Day celebration events occurring in Baltimore. We do this to remember the 47 million people worldwide, including more than 1.7 million here at home in the United States, who have AIDS or who have died from AIDS.

Baltimore is home to 47% of the Maryland AIDS population, which almost tops 30,000 people. Across the country, Baltimore is ranked at #21 for population size, but #5 for HIV incidence.  Moveable Feast and the Partnership for Life are working to increase awareness of this very real problem in Baltimore.

This year, the Baltimore World AIDS Day Celebration occurs on December 1st at the Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, beginning at 6:30PM. The theme this year is “Celebrate, Remember and Educate.” Two hours of remembrance, performances, poetry, dances, and speakers will honor those who have died because of AIDS, or are currently afflicted by the disease.

Moveable Feast will be present at Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church in an educational and support capacity. 

New to the program this year is a reception afterwards at the Walters Art Museum. During this reception, a very special mosaic mural will be unveiled. Members of the Greater Baltimore HIV community have created this mosaic in honor of people affected by HIV/AIDS.

The Baltimore World AIDS Day celebration starts at 6:30PM at the Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, 10 E. Mt Vernon Place, Baltimore MD 21202. Free parking is available at the Peabody Garage, 600-block of St. Paul Street at Centre Street.

Ride for the Feast 2011: Website and Registration now LIVE

The Ride for the Feast is a two-day, 140-mile bicycle ride across the state of Maryland, over the weekend of May 14th-15th, 2011. The Ride for the Feast is now in its ninth year, and is Moveable Feast’s biggest fundraiser. Last year, 150 Riders participated, enabling the Ride to generate over a quarter of a million dollars, all of which went directly to client services.

In 2011, the Ride kicks off in a brand new location – Ocean City, Maryland! Yet the distance of the Ride remains at 140 miles – why? Moveable Feast’s furthest client resides at precisely 140 miles from our headquarters. Bicycling this distance commemorates our effort to reach any and all clients, regardless of their location.

The Ride for the Feast 2011 website gets launched today, and its sporting a whole new look. Registration is live, so anyone can register, sign up for a team, and get started on fundraising from family and friends. Each Rider commits to raising $1300 prior to the first day of the Ride.

Click here to register for the Ride for the Feast 2011.

Moveable Feast Delivers Thanksgiving Meals and Turkeys to Clients

This Thanksgiving, we were thankful for the dozens of people that volunteered to deliver holiday meals to our clients. On Saturday, November 20^th, volunteers delivered Thanksgiving turkey dinners to our clients.

And on Thanksgiving Day, November 25^th, volunteers delivered Thanksgiving Day meals to clients in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, and Harford County. In fact, over seventy-five people volunteered as delivery drivers on Thanksgiving Day to make sure that our clients received their holiday meals. 

If you missed out on the Thanksgiving volunteer opportunities, there are more just down the road. Bring a friend – volunteers who are delivering meals should bring a passenger to help with navigation and drop-offs. 

• In recognition of World AIDS Day, on Wednesday, December 1st, assist in the kitchen anytime between 9:30am to 2:30pm. Afterwards, join us for the World AIDS Day service at Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church from 6pm to 8pm.
  
• On Christmas Eve, Friday December 24^th, we will need volunteers to deliver meals and gifts to our clients in Baltimore City and County and Anne Arundel County. Volunteers will arrive at Moveable Feast 9:30am to start delivering.
  
• On December 24^th, 25^th, and 26^th, we will need help in our kitchen, starting at 10am.
  
• For December 27^th through 30^th, we will need volunteers to assist in the kitchen from 9am to 2pm.
  
• Martin Luther King Jr Day is now a day of National Volunteerism! Join us on Monday, January 17^th, 2011 for a few hours in the kitchen, starting at 10am. 

Interested in volunteering? Please call us at 410-327-3420 and ask to speak to Tom Patrick, our Volunteer Coordinator. 

Tom Receives the Excellence in Executive Leadership Award

On November 17^th, the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation presented four Fellow Impact Awards and the Excellence in Executive Leadership Award at their annual conference.

Moveable Feast’s executive director, Thomas Bonderenko, received the Excellence in Executive Leadership Award. Of special mention was Tom’s role in developing the highly successful Partnership for Life with Chase Brexton Health Services and AIDS Interfaith Residential Services (AIRS). The Partnership’s signature effort was the B’more Aware of HIV campaign.

About receiving the award, Tom wrote, “This award goes to everyone at Moveable Feast who work together each day to sustain and foster our mission, to those who care deeply about feeding the body and nurturing the human spirit, and who refuse to tolerate the ignorance of fear and discrimination which still forces those who live with HIV and other life-threatening conditions to live in the shadow of our community.”  

Most recently, the Partnership for Life held the Living Red Ribbon event. This amazing event attracted hundreds of Maryland residents to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. Participants enjoyed a day of HIV awareness activities, entertainment, food, and fun. The focal point of the day was the formation of a huge living red ribbon, breaking a new Baltimore record.  

Moveable Feast's headquarters are located in the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Community Center in east Baltimore.

NEWS BITES - Komen Maryland Race for the Cure 2010

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Maryland was started in 1993 and has developed into the largest footrace in the state. Each year, it raises hundreds of thousands of dollars that are donated as grants to various breast cancer programs in Maryland. Moveable Feast is proud to be one of those programs, delivering food to people living with breast cancer.

This year’s Race for the Cure is on October 3rd, 2010. To learn more and to sign up, please visit http://komenmd.org. Komen Maryland needs YOUR help to continue raising money – there’s only a few weeks left before the Race!

NEWS BITES - Dining Out For Life 2010

Every day, thousands of people all over America eat out at restaurants for lunch and dinner, enjoying delicious food experience that is created for them by a host of chefs, cooks, and waiters. We often think nothing of being able to eat out at a restaurant with our families and friends on a regular basis. Yet there are others for whom eating regularly and receiving proper nutrition is a daily challenge. And once a year, Baltimore’s residents can simultaneously dine out and help people who need our support.

Dining Out For Life is an annual fundraiser held nationwide that raises money for local AIDS organizations. Moveable Feast has been holding Dining Out For Life in Baltimore for 17 years. At participating restaurants, a minimum of 20% of proceeds from breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner are donated to Moveable Feast. Last year, fifty-three restaurants participated and we raised over $70,000! All the money went to help our clients, who are fighting HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, and homelessness.

Restaurants also benefit from this event. Not only do they receive promotions on fliers, posters, radio, and television, but each restaurant is assigned an Ambassador. Ambassadors work very hard to encourage their neighbors, friends, and family to eat at their assigned restaurant on the day of Dining Out For Life. As a result, restaurants often see an increase in their patronage on the day of the event.

This year, we talked to Shana Carmel Challmes, who has been the Ambassador at our longest-participating restaurant, Mt. Vernon Stable & Saloon, for the past seven years. 

What initially drew you to Dining Out For Life and this particular restaurant?
It was a simple decision. This is a wonderful cause. My friends work at Mt. Vernon Stable, and it’s a fun environment with great food. The customers are one-of-a-kind!!

Why do you enjoy volunteering for DOFL each year?
Because I know that this will be one day of the year that I know I can make a difference.  So I work that much harder for those that are in need.

What is your favorite part?
Ooh…picking out my outfit…that first impression is a lasting one.  I have regulars that come every year to see what I am wearing. In fact, now that I am doing this interview, I think I have to step it up a notch!

What is your favorite dish at Mt. Vernon Stables? Why?
The toasted raviolis are by far my favorite.  I can pop one in my mouth in-between table hopping!

What is your funniest experience as an Ambassador?
It has to be from 2 years ago when I knelt down to speak to a table of four.  As they placed what they could afford in the envelope I got so excited that each individual was filling out an envelope that I had not noticed that my shoe was stepping on the hem of my skirt and I jumped up as my skirt was pulled down.  Good times.  I think they gave more.

Dining Out for Life is for a great cause that often can hit close to home. What was your most touching experience?
Now I have heard many stories from people on why they come out for DOFL, but nothing ever prepared me for this. Most Ambassadors know certain tables might just be off limits for you to go up to.  They give you that “look” or they wave you away before you even approach. Last year this woman came in, didn’t make eye contact and was a little taken aback as I sat her down at her table for one. She sighed as she breezed through the menu and didn’t seem too interested in all the festivities around her. I introduced myself and asked if I could sit with her and tell her what I am doing here this evening.

She quietly obliged me and began to explain that she knew what tonight was.  “You see”, she said now finally making eye contact with me, “I lost my best friend to AIDS only but a few months ago and I did not know what to do for him.”  We began talking about Robert and his life and she began to light up as I laughed and choked back a few tears.  I sat with her throughout her meal as she told me how excited she was that she finally had the courage to come out to DOFL - that she had the opportunity to celebrate him as a person but that she was also giving to a great cause.  We made a pact to see each other at DOFL every year. I look forward to seeing her on September 23rd.

Dining Out For Life this year takes place on September 23rd, 2010. For a list of participating restaurants, please visit diningoutforlife.com/Baltimore.

Want to be an Ambassador on September 23rd? Contact Amanda Fisher at afisher@mfeast.org, or call 410-327-3420.

NEWS BITES - B'More Aware of HIV: The Living Red Ribbon

In Baltimore, more than 12,000 people currently live with AIDS. It is expected that at least another 1,200 people will become newly infected or diagnosed by the end of this year.

Moveable Feast has partnered with two other local organizations - ChaseBrexton Health Services and AIDS Interfaith Residential Services – to bring Baltimore a year of HIV/AIDS awareness events and activities.

This educational year kicks off with the B’more Aware of HIV: The Living Red Ribbon event, which takes place on October 9th at Rash Field in the Inner Harbor. The day focuses on the creation of a human red ribbon using artwork created by local art organization Art With A Heart.

We’ll be trying to break the Guinness Book of World Records for a living HIV red ribbon; the current record is held by a group in Frankfurt, Germany. They created a ribbon with 3,640 people on June 29th, 2007.

The day will also feature live entertainment with local bands, the famous HealthyGroove RV by Maryland Physicians Care, sponsor booths with giveaways, and of course HIV resources and testing stations.

On August 17th, members of Moveable Feast, ChaseBrexton, and AIRS teamed up with videographer Brent Bederka to create a promotional video. Check it out below!

For more information and to register for the event, please check out the B'more Aware of HIV homepage.