CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS SPOUSES PARTNER WITH “SO OTHERS MIGHT EAT” IN ANNUAL COMMUNITY BREAKFAST AND HEALTH FAIR

(Washington, DC) – In an effort to make the impact of their annual public service commitment more deeply felt, the Congressional Black Caucus Spouses took their Community Breakfast and Health Fair directly to the beneficiaries this year. It was a partnership that gave the organization access to more than 400 homeless people, and to the staff and facilities of “So Others Might Eat,” (SOME) an organization that serves this population on a daily basis.

“We really wanted to make a lasting impact on the people who attend the breakfast and health fair,” said Leslie Meek, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Spouses. “SOME allowed us to hold our event at their excellent facilities, and to invite others in to expand the health screening services to their clients. Through that partnership, we were able to provide a wide range of services and treatments to those who attended,” she added.

The CBC Spouses worked closely with SOME President Father John Adams, to pull together the elements that made the event so successful. “SOME focuses its efforts on programs that address the root causes of homelessness and poverty. Without the help that the CBC Spouses and others provide, our work of ensuring people’s basic survival and helping them to overcome whatever makes them poor and homelessness, would not be possible,” he added.

The availability of SOME’s Medical Clinic played a key role in the CBC Spouses’ decision to hold its event at the facility. “This was a great opportunity to screen many of the people who are not receiving any sort of healthcare,” remarked Jay DeVore, a nurse in the Clinic. “We hope to see many of the participants who go through screenings during the health fair, come back for follow-up care in our clinic.”

A number of partners joined the effort by providing product donations and on-site support. Sponsors of the Community Breakfast who contributed goods and services included, General Motors, Nike,

Wal-Mart Stores, Johnson and Johnson, General Mills, and Safeway Stores. Others who conducted onsite screenings included Howard University Hospital who brought a corps of young doctors, dentists and Interns to conduct screenings, the District of Columbia Department of Health who brought a multidisciplinary health screening van; DaVita Incorporated who also brought a mobile screening unit; the Whitman Walker Clinic in conjunction with Unity HealthCare; and the Congressional Glaucoma Screening Foundation.

Those who attended the breakfast and health fair were also given a pair of Nike sneakers, t-shirts, socks, underwear, toiletry packets, and breakfast bars from General Mills. Other community organizations came to provide screening and resources for a variety of medical and behavioral health issues. Representatives also came to offer information about addiction recovery services, resources for mental illness, rape crisis support, and other health issues.

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