Congressional Hunger Center's
Emerson National Hunger Fellows
16th Class, 2009-2010

Full Alphabetical listing:

Field Placement: Hunger Task Force (Milwaukee, WI)
Tasha developed a bilingual study of the impact of the economic downturn on food pantry and community kitchen clients. She collected data on household demographics, food insecurity, participation in federal nutrition assistance programs, and household eating habits. She also conducted parental outreach in Milwaukee Public Schools to increase school meal participation and increase the number of schools that offer Universal Free Breakfast in the Classroom.

Hunger Free Community Report: In Perspective: An Assessment of Milwaukee County Food Pantry Clients is a comprehensive report describing the impact of the economic downturn on the eating habits of more than 500 Milwaukee County residents and is available at www.hungertaskforce.org.

Policy Placement: USDA Center for Faith Based & Neighborhood Partnerships (Washington, D.C.)
Tasha is developing a plan for how to include traditional foods in the Food Distribution Programs on Indian Reservations. She is also conducting outreach with faith-based organizations on South Dakota Tribal Reservations and in African American communities to increase education about and access to USDA programs.  Tasha’s third project is focused on collaborating with faith-based organizations to advance the goals of the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” initiative on children’s health and fitness.

Education and Experience: Tasha Askew is a 2008 summa cum laude graduate of Delaware State University, where she earned a degree in mass communications with a concentration in public relations and minor in marketing. She served as Miss Delaware State University, implementing a yearlong platform on lasting social change and studied in Namibia and China. After college, Tasha worked as an elementary school teacher for students with special needs and English language learners.

Field Placement: Food Security Partners of Middle Tennessee (Nashville, TN)
Jennifer worked in partnership with religious congregations and community stakeholders to advocate for increasing access to full-service grocery stores in Nashville’s three “food desert” areas. She designed an interfaith toolkit to assist in training young people of faith to be effective food justice organizers. Jennifer also wrote a guide on dismantling structural racism within food security organizations.

Hunger Free Community Report: Breaking Bread: Engaging Religiously Diverse Youth in the Nashville Food Justice Movement is a resource manual that provides food security organizations with tools and strategies to connect with interfaith communities.

Policy Placement: National Conference of State Legislatures (Washington, D.C.)
Jennifer is providing research support and policy analysis for state legislators on federal nutrition programs and immigration policy. She is conducting a survey of state legislators to identify key issues and recommendations for improvements to federal child nutrition programs. Through state level research, Jennifer is highlighting best practices in reducing hunger and improving nutrition for dissemination to state and local policymakers.

Education and Experience: An Illinois native, Jennifer is a 2009 graduate of Tufts University with a degree in political science. At Tufts, she served as a Citizenship and Public Service Scholar, President of the Emerging Black Leaders, Student Representative to the Board of Trustees, and member of the Tufts Third Day Gospel Choir. She has mentored and taught young people in Boston and Peru, interned with the Chicago-based Interfaith Youth Core, and served as a 2008 Harry S. Truman Scholar.

Field Placement: Community Farm Alliance (Louisville, KY)

Danny helped to increase healthy food access for West Louisville residents. He designed a program for a local food distribution center owned by Kentucky family farmers that allowed them to accept SNAP/food stamp benefits. He also provided technical assistance to two Louisville farmers’ markets in their efforts to accept SNAP/food stamps.

Hunger Free Community Report: Making The Leap To West Louisville: EBT At Grasshoppers Distribution is a guide for Community Supported Agriculture programs seeking to accept SNAP/food stamp benefits that explores strategies for building community partnerships and options to make weekly shares affordable for SNAP recipients.

Policy Placement: Food Research and Action Center (Washington, D.C.)

Danny is researching and updating an annual report on SNAP/food stamps access in U.S. urban centers. He is also contributing to a SNAP outreach and access toolkit and preparing a priority policy report on SNAP outreach to homeless persons.

Education and Experience: Hailing from Monee, IL, Danny graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2009 with a double major in Spanish and environmental studies. He studied in Spain, ran cross-country and track and field, and received two fellowships to fund his work in environmental and food justice. He also completed a senior thesis on food justice and interned at the Bloomington Farmers Market to help the market transition to accepting SNAP/food stamps benefits.

Field Placement: Boston Medical Center’s Medical-Legal Partnership for Children (Boston, MA)

Linda provided legal advocacy to low-income and food insecure families to help them access SNAP, food resources, and other income supports. She also interviewed community stakeholders and conducted research on the relationship between financial security and domestic violence.

Hunger Free Community Report: Empowering Families Affected By Domestic Violence: Optimizing Financial Stability Through Medical-Legal Partnerships examines the various regulatory and abuse-related barriers that domestic violence survivors face when trying to access public benefits. It outlines the special legal protections for DV survivors, suggests best practices for advocates, and explores how a medical-legal partnership can best support survivors.

Policy Site: American Public Human Service Association (Washington, D.C.)

Linda is surveying human service agencies to identify the various innovations, practices, options, and/or waivers that states have utilized in order to process the dramatic increase in SNAP caseloads. She is compiling the data and sharing the lessons learned with states seeking to increase their capacity to assist families.

Education and Experience: Originally from Chicago and Las Vegas, Linda is a 2009 graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign with a degree in psychology and a minor in urban and regional planning. Linda was a member of the Minority Association for Future Attorneys, served as a mentor for at risk youth at the Urban League, advocated for low-income families with the Family Advocacy Program, and volunteered with a women’s homeless shelter and for the East St. Louis Action Research Project. Linda also studied the root causes of poverty in Haiti and interned in the Office of Senator Barack Obama.

Field Placement: The Prevention Research Center at Tulane University (New Orleans, LA)

Amara managed a healthy corner store initiative in New Orleans, working with residents to increase access to fruits and vegetables in small convenience stores. She also supported the New Orleans Food Policy Advisory Committee in their efforts to raise the quality and nutrition of school meals in the city’s public and charter schools.

Hunger Free Community Report: Food Access in Three New Orleans Neighborhoods documents the limited food retail options and resulting lack of access to healthy food in 3 low-income communities of color in New Orleans: the Lower 9th Ward, Central City and Hollygrove.

Policy Placement: Center for American Progress (Washington, D.C.)

Amara works with the Poverty and Prosperity team where she is developing articles, issue briefs, and education materials on welfare policy, child nutrition, and food access in low-income communities. She is also writing a column on Let’s Move, the First Lady’s health and fitness initiative.

Education and Experience: Originally from Boston, Amara studied architecture and urban planning at Sarah Lawrence College and wrote her senior thesis on the social implications of architectural form. She has worked in child development, nutrition, and sustainable food systems on campus, at the Food Project in Boston, and at Sustainable South Bronx.

Field Placement: Center for Health Equity (Louisville, KY)
Kate worked with this city government agency to increase healthy food options for Louisville residents. She built a repository for all research and grassroots initiatives addressing food security in the city to inform the work of the city-wide Food in Neighborhoods Committee. She also worked with low-income communities to assess barriers to accessing healthy foods, and supported initiatives that eliminate the barriers, such as the “Healthy in a Hurry” corner store initiative.

Hunger Free Community Report: The State of Food: A Snapshot of Food Access in Louisville is a literature review of food access and food policy in Louisville that examines where disparities in food access persist, analyzes initiatives and research already underway, and provides suggestions for what still needs to be done. It is the first annual report of the citywide Food In Neighborhoods Committee.

Policy Placement: Center for Community Change (Washington, D.C.)
Kate works on the Campaign for Community Values to support initiatives relating to health care, access to jobs, and immigration. She researches and monitors legislation and provides educational updates and summaries to grassroots partner organizations and the CCC policy team.

Education and Experience: Originally from Connecticut, Kate graduated in 2007 from New York University with a degree in gender and sexuality studies. She served as a Presidential Scholar and wrote a thesis on homeless services for transgender New Yorkers.  She also volunteered with Queers for Economic Justice and interned with the Brennan Center for Justice where she worked to improve access to public benefits.  After college, she worked as an advocate at the Urban Justice Center’s Homelessness Outreach and Prevention Project, and as a Route Leader on a cross-country bike trip to raise awareness about affordable housing.

Field Placement: Oregon Child Development Coalition (Portland, OR)

Lindsay studied family child care providers’ participation in the Child and Adult Care Food program (CACFP) and highlighted success stories in Oregon, focusing on promoting program enrollment and retention among family child care providers. She also conducted statewide surveys of family child care providers, day care centers, and others working in early childhood education to assess the impact of the recession on the child care industry in Oregon.

Hunger Free Community Report: State of Child Care in Oregon examines the impact of the 2008-2009 economic recession on the child care industry in Oregon, assessing how families with young children and the child care providers have been affected by the recession, high unemployment, and the resulting instability of the child care industry.

Policy Placement: New America Foundation (Washington, D.C.)

Lindsay is working with the Asset Building Program to broaden savings and assets ownership in low-income communities through research, public education and policy development. She is focusing her research and writing on behavioral economics and savings behaviors, and is co-authoring the 2010 Assets Agenda.

Education and Experience: A native of North Carolina, Lindsay graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in psychology and peace, war, and defense. Lindsay researched the effects of poverty on young children’s development, volunteered in the local community, and held leadership positions in UNC’s student center for social justice and activism. Lindsay also studied in Botswana, focusing on evolutionary psychology and indigenous people’s issues in sub-Saharan Africa.

Field Placement: Bread for the City (Washington, D.C.)

Amy worked to improve the experience of clients who visit Bread’s food pantry. After conducting customer surveys and researching best practices at other organizations, she designed a client choice model for the pantry whereby visitors have the opportunity to choose the food they take home. She also worked with the Healthy & Affordable Food for All Coalition and assisted in the launch of the D.C. Food For All blog, which focuses on food security, gardening, and local food policy.

Hunger Free Community Report: Testimonial Truths: Food Insecurity in Washington, D.C. from the Community Perspective is a compilation of interview responses from food insecure D.C. residents about food access during the economic recession. The report identifies the obstacles to healthy food access and provides suggestions for community members, service organizations, and policy makers on ways to overcome them.

Policy Placement: Network (Washington, D.C.)

Amy is conducting a study on the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program that includes surveys and interviews with recipients, eligible individuals, and organizations that administer social services. The report analyzes TANF’s strengths and weaknesses with the goal of educating policymakers in advance of reauthorization.

Education and Experience: A northern California native, Amy graduated from Willamette University in 2008 with a degree in sociology and a minor in Spanish. She has researched the distribution of emergency food in the Willamette Valley and coordinated social justice projects at the Office of Community Service Learning. She also studied abroad in Chile, where she researched the intersection of indigenous and Chilean culture in rural public schools. After college, Amy joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and taught elementary school on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana.

Field Placement: The Food Project (Boston, MA)

Gina conducted a comprehensive program evaluation of a city government-led initiative promoting SNAP benefit redemption at farmers markets, and identified strategies to improve access to healthy food in low- and mixed-income neighborhoods of Boston. She also worked with elementary school youth at The Food Project’s Urban Learning Farm.

Hunger Free Community Report: Boston Bounty Bucks: Increasing Access to and Affordability of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables for SNAP Participants is a program evaluation providing research and analysis on SNAP benefit redemption at 14 Boston farmers’ markets, and recommendations for increasing the capacity of the Bounty Bucks program.

Policy Placement: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service (Alexandria, VA)

Gina is assisting with implementation of the 2010 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Demonstration Projects, which support innovative ways to increase food security among low-income children by improving access to nutrition assistance during the summer months. Gina is also providing technical assistance with child nutrition reauthorization and SFSP program analysis and policy development.

Education and Experience: A native of Washington, Gina graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in sociology and political science. She worked as a research assistant for the sociology department and the Border Policy Research Institute, and was active in service projects through Collegiate Kiwanis. Gina has interned at the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, worked on community development projects in Kisumu, Kenya, and volunteered at several organic farms and community gardens. Gina was named a 2007 Public Policy and International Affairs Fellow and a 2009 American Educational Research Association Fellow.

Field Placement: New Mexico Community Foundation (Albuquerque, NM)

Daniel worked to increase Albuquerque Public School (APS) students’ participation in the National School Lunch Program. He analyzed data from the census and geographic information systems to identify who was eligible but not participating in the program. Daniel also provided research and support to the APS Growing Gardens Team in the creation of their “Growing the Outdoor Classroom” report.

Hunger Free Community Report: Hungry Souls, Richly Nourished provides policy and programmatic recommendations to increase student access, enrollment, and participation in the National School Lunch Program in Albuquerque within the confines of school district budgets.

Policy Placement: Feeding America (Washington, D.C.)

Daniel is facilitating Feeding America’s “Champions” Program, an advocacy campaign with the goal of cultivating a nation-wide movement to end hunger. Daniel is also developing a database that will allow Feeding America to document the differences among state implementations of the Summer Food Service Program and the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

Education and Experience: Daniel is from San Diego and graduated in 2007 from the University of California San Diego with a degree in human biology and a minor in music. He earned a Masters in Public Health from Boston University in 2009. He has served as a facilitator and peer educator at the Cross-Cultural Center and managed an HIV/AIDS awareness photography project with Massachusetts Asian & Pacific-Islanders for Health. He also worked for the Food Project mentoring high school students on a local, sustainable farm.

Field Placement: Hunger Task Force (Milwaukee, WI)

Donna evaluated the impact of the School Supper program in the Milwaukee Public School District’s after-school programs. She collected information from staff, children, and parents, examined the structure of the program, and studied “plate waste” issues. She also educated community organizations about the ongoing modernization process of FoodShare (local name for SNAP) in Milwaukee County.

Hunger Free Community Report: An Assessment of the Child & Adult Care Food Program After-School Supper in Milwaukee Public Schools examines the impact of the supper meal on students, families, and staff during after-school hours and describes alternative school supper models used in other cities.

Policy Placement: National Coalition for the Homeless (Washington, D.C.)

Donna is working on the Homeless Civil Rights Organizing Project to document hate crimes committed against homeless individuals and to facilitate speaking engagements designed to break down stereotypes about homeless individuals. In collaboration with the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, Donna is also producing a report on local ordinances governing homeless feeding policies around the country.

Education and Experience: Originally from Poughkeepsie, NY, Donna graduated from Saint Joseph’s University in 2009 with a degree in sociology and a minor in faith-justice studies. She served as a Service Scholar and Poverty Awareness Week committee member, tutored GED classes, and was active in Back on My Feet, a running club promoting the self-sufficiency of those living in homeless shelters. Donna also provided SNAP application assistance for patients at local public health clinics with the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger.

Field Placement: New York City Department of Health (New York City, NY)

Sarah worked with the Healthy Bodegas Initiative to reduce disparities in healthy food access. She created a toolkit for the Adopt-a-Bodega program, which connects community organizations and schools with neighborhood bodegas to make healthy changes in the food environment. In the South Bronx, Central Brooklyn, and East Harlem, Sarah organized cooking demonstrations and conducted store surveys, store owner interviews, and a community food assessment with high school students to increase community involvement in the program.

Hunger Free Community Report: Re-imagining Bodegas: Stories of Community Involvement in the Healthy Bodegas Initiative describes the Adopt-a-Bodega process and offers three case studies illustrating the successes and challenges of the program in the South Bronx, Central Brooklyn, and East Harlem.

Policy Placement: The Justice Policy Institute (Washington, D.C.)

Sarah is writing a policy brief examining how poverty and other socio-economic factors contribute to high rates of incarceration. She is preparing a literature review and analyzing data on substandard housing and homelessness, the school to prison pipeline, wages and unemployment, access to health and mental health care, policing efforts, and community and individual trauma. To contextualize the data she is conducting interviews and focus groups on the issue with members of a low-income community in D.C.

Education and Experience: Born in Singapore and raised in Indonesia, Italy, and Illinois, Sarah graduated summa cum laude from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in anthropology and peace studies and a minor in gender studies. She fought for workers’ rights with the Campus Labor Action Project, helped lead a campus feminist organization, studied in Spain, and served as an assistant teacher for ESL classes. She has also interned as a field organizer for Interfaith Worker Justice in Chicago and the National Organization for Women.

Field Placement: DC Hunger Solutions (Washington, D.C.)

Meisha conducted an analysis of senior hunger in the District of Columbia by assessing the capacity of federal nutrition programs to reach elderly populations at risk of hunger. Based on information and personal accounts compiled from researchers, program administrators, and community members, Meisha made recommendations for senior-serving federal nutrition programs and shared her findings with the Mayor’s Commission on Food and Nutrition.

Hunger Free Community Report: Considering the Costs of Senior Hunger and the Benefits of Federal Nutrition Programs explores factors affecting the food security of older D.C. residents and the impact of hunger on wellness, and assesses the value of federal nutrition programs in relation to public health expenditures associated with treating the outcomes of hunger.

Policy Placement: The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies (Washington, D.C.)

Meisha is working with the Commission to Engage African Americans on Climate Change to research health and economic impacts of climate change on African-Americans and other communities of color. By attending related briefings, public events, and circulating developments from around the country on approaches to addressing climate change, she is informing the Climate Change Initiative's work on evaluating climate equity in adaptation and mitigation strategies. She is also contributing to the green finance assessment report and helping to launch its Targeted Cities initiative.

Education and Experience: Meisha is a 2009 honors graduate of Guilford College with a degree in community and justice studies with a concentration in non-profit management. She served in the Multicultural Leadership Scholars program and Judicial Board, volunteered with various organizations on direct service and capacity building projects, and developed anti-oppression programs. She also studied abroad and worked with rural NGOs in Ghana.

Field Placement: New Mexico Community Foundation (Albuquerque, NM)

Megan worked with middle school students to organize around issues of nutrition, wellness and hunger within their schools. She facilitated a youth photo project that explores how food informs students’ cultural identity and promotes cross-cultural understanding among students, parents, and teachers of different ethnic backgrounds. In collaboration with the Albuquerque Public Schools Health Advisory Council, she also conducted a study of the strategies and challenges facing the member councils across the district as they work to increase student and staff wellness.

Hunger Free Community Report: Harnessing Youth Voice In The Fight Against Hunger: The Role Of Youth In Evaluating Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs Within Albuquerque Public Schools provides an overview of Albuquerque Public School students’ views on school meals and the pervasive problem of hunger in their community. The report also discusses the importance of incorporating youth feedback in the evaluation of school nutrition programs.

Policy Placement: National Family Farm Coalition (Washington, D.C.)

Megan is developing a national farm mentorship toolkit that integrates existing mentorship networks with new alliances to preserve and strengthen the role of family farms in the U.S. food system. She is developing resources for interested farmers, including a compilation of best practices and potential challenges based on interviews with administrators of existing farm mentoring programs, and an annotated list of mentoring programs by state.

Education and Experience: A native Minnesotan, Megan graduated with honors and phi beta kappa from Lewis & Clark College in 2009 with a degree in environmental studies and conservation biology. Megan created and led a youth garden education program at a public housing development, worked as a Global Engagement Coordinator, and co-led new student trips focused on sustainable food systems and service. She has also studied and conducted research in Cuba, Turkey, Greece, and New Zealand, and completed an honors thesis on agricultural adaptation to climate change.

Field Placement: New Orleans Food and Farm Network (New Orleans, LA)

Patrice compiled curriculum materials for an urban agricultural entrepreneurship training pilot program. She also conducted interviews with community members and local experts on the extensive history of food in the region to add local perspectives to the pilot program.

Hunger Free Community Report: Rebuilding to Revival: Urban Agriculture in New Orleans is a multimedia presentation of interviews, photos, historical data, and music that introduces the “Food Talk Project” to more area schools in the hopes of increasing partnerships. Food Talk is a collaboration of NOFFN, area high schools, and community members who come together to discuss food as it relates to community building and social change.

Policy Placement: Corporation for Enterprise Development (Washington, D.C.)

Patrice is collecting data about the ability to build wealth in impoverished communities throughout the country and researching existing state policies that assist cities in asset building. Her research is supporting the Assets and Opportunities Scorecard project, which assesses policies that help residents build and protect assets in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Education and Experience: Originally from Charlotte, NC, Patrice graduated from North Carolina Central University in 2008 with a degree in political science. She studied agricultural development and food sovereignty in Chiapas, Mexico as an Institute for International Public Policy fellow and participated in the Global Youth Connect El Salvador Program. She has held internships with the Latin America Working Group and General Electric, and worked as a research assistant for a year after college.

Field Placement: Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara & San Mateo Counties (San Jose, CA)

Etan worked to identify barriers that prevent eligible residents of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties from accessing the Food Stamp Program. He collected information from clients, staff, and partner agencies in each of the food bank’s nine geographic service areas in order to evaluate the success of ongoing food stamp outreach efforts and pinpoint areas where the food bank could expand, improve, or change strategies.

Hunger Free Community Report: Struggling for Sustenance: Barriers to SNAP/Food Stamps in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties details the hardships eligible households face in trying to access food stamps. Based on 400 surveys and 40 interviews with food bank clients and partner agencies, the report provides recommendations for steps that national, state, and county governments, in partnership with local organizations, can take to overcome or eliminate these barriers.

Policy Placement: The Brookings Institution (Washington, D.C.)

Etan is working with the Metropolitan Policy Program to research the causes and implications of suburban poverty in US metropolitan areas. He is drafting a case study narrative of suburban poverty in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area that will serve as a template for further case studies around the country.

Education and Experience: Originally from Minnesota, Etan graduated from Brown University in 2009 with a degree in history. He has worked to connect low-income families to social services, taught about the Holocaust in high schools, interned at the Poverty Institute, and lobbied for the rights of undocumented immigrant students. Etan also studied human and civil rights issues in Israel, Denmark, and South Africa, and conducted research on the teaching of apartheid history in South African high schools.

Field Placement: Partners for a Hunger Free Oregon (Portland, OR)

Amber worked with members of the Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force to develop a statewide strategic plan for ending hunger in Oregon. She supported relationship building efforts with new organizations, particularly those in communities of color, and gathered input from a wide range of voices. She led the planning of a summit of leaders and stakeholders from all over the state to share their ideas and participate actively in the process of setting policy and programming priorities for upcoming anti-hunger work in Oregon.

Hunger Free Community Report: Strength in Numbers documents the lack of sources for data analyzing food insecurity rates among Oregonians of color in a historical, demographic and policy-oriented context, while highlighting opportunities for new data collection efforts.

Policy Placement: Families USA (Washington, D.C.)

Amber is working with the health policy team to develop materials, including policy briefs and fact sheets, for state and local advocates on how the new health care legislation will impact low-income consumers. Her focus is on new policy implementation related to Medicaid, CHIP, and private market insurance.

Education and Experience: A native of Virginia, Amber graduated from The College of William and Mary in 2009 with a degree in history and public policy. She was a Sharpe Community Scholar, resident advisor, assistant in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and president of her sorority. Amber has served as an ESL tutor and youth mentor, participated in community development projects in Kenya, and served as a 2008 Public Policy and International Affairs Fellow.

Field Placement: California Association of Food Banks (Oakland, CA)

Tim researched SNAP/food stamps outreach, application assistance, and online application programs in California to document diverse and innovative strategies for increasing SNAP enrollment through the expansion of “out-of-office” application options. He also created a resource toolkit for new SNAP outreach providers and surveyed community-based organizations about the ways in which California’s finger imaging requirement for SNAP applicants impact outreach efforts.

Hunger Free Community Report: Opening New Doors to Ending Hunger: Out-of-Office Food Stamp Applications in California documents how county agencies and community-based organizations around the state are partnering to increase application options for clients by offering application assistance, posting county workers in community centers, and developing online application systems.

Policy Placement: Migrant Legal Action Program (Washington, D.C.)

Tim is working in coalition with many organizations to monitor how federal nutrition policies and regulations affect program access for migrant, immigrant, and Limited English Proficient populations. He is also conducting a nationwide survey of Migrant Education Program and Community Health Center providers to assess malnutrition levels and health and nutrition program utilization among migrant children.

Education and Experience: Originally from Ashland, OR, Tim graduated from Whitman College in 2009 with a degree in politics. He organized a field study and conference on clean water access in rural India, led a project to strengthen networks among Oaxacan migrant hometown associations in the Pacific Northwest, and conducted quantitative research on Latino voting rights in eastern Washington. Tim also organized a student voter registration campaign and wrote his honors thesis on the emerging role of social entrepreneurship in addressing poverty in developing countries.

Field Placement: Manna Inc. (Nashville, TN)

Sarah worked to build partnerships with organizations serving immigrant and refugee communities to increase participation in the Food Stamp program. She conducted outreach at community events and through live radio shows in English and Spanish, researched best practices for outreach, and developed a Food Stamp Outreach Resource Guide specific to three Tennessee counties. She distributed the guide to service providers with the goal of increasing outreach and building stronger networks among the organizations.

Hunger Free Community Report: The Food Stamp Outreach Resource Guide equips Tennessee service providers with the knowledge and materials to do effective SNAP outreach in their communities and connects local agencies with one another to facilitate continued sharing of updated information and best practices.

Policy Placement: National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty (Washington, D.C.)

Sarah is working to update Food Intolerance, a report on the criminalization of sharing food with people experiencing homelessness. She is also updating the report on federal surplus property acquired to assist homeless persons and compiling success stories and challenges involved in the Title V and Base Closure property application process. Sarah is sharing her research via webinar with partner organizations across the country after the release of the reports.

Education and Experience: Originally from Midland, MI, Sarah attended Calvin College, spending a semester in Honduras before graduating in 2006 with a degree in elementary education and Spanish. Since college, she has taught second grade at San Jeronimo Bilingual School in Honduras and served an AmeriCorps term working for National Student Partnerships in Evanston, IL. In this capacity she worked with the Alliance to End Homelessness, collaborated with Northwestern University students to plan hunger and homelessness events, supervised a volunteer income tax assistance site, and connected low-income individuals to resources leading to economic independence.

Field Placement: City Harvest (New York City, NY)

Girmay worked to document the obstacles to healthy food access in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn through interviews with community members and analysis of existing data on diet related illness. He also worked with corner store owners on Staten Island to increase the availability of healthy foods as part of the Healthy Corner Stores Initiative.

Hunger Free Community Report: Community Food Assessment of Bedford-Stuyvesant documents the severely limited access to healthy foods in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn and the effect this has on community health.

Policy Placement: RESULTS (Washington, D.C.)

Girmay is supporting the 2010 tax policy campaign by researching and compiling information on various tax reform proposals, specifically policy measures to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and asset- building policies. He is also helping to train and support new activists around the country to help build the organization’s grassroots capacity.

Education and Experience: Girmay is a 2009 graduate of Stanford University, where he earned a degree in biological sciences. On campus, he served as the president of the Black Student Union, a member of the Spoken Word Collective, a mentor in the East Palo Alto Boys & Girls Club, and a resident assistant for his dorm. He is originally from Seattle, WA.

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