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Full Alphabetical listing:
Amy Johnson
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.
Meisha McDaniel
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.
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