December 10, 2021

Coronavirus Update:

Dear Neighbors,

With so many of my recent newsletters focusing on vaccination/coronavirus updates, I want to take a moment to focus on a pervasive, often unseen issue that afflicts every neighborhood and community in the District. That issue is senior hunger.

In its most recent report on the State of Senior Hunger in America, Feeding America found that the rate of food insecurity among seniors in the District is 13.5% —the highest rate of food insecurity among seniors in the country. This means that even before the pandemic, nearly 12,000 local seniors lacked consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. Perhaps the greatest frustration in this circumstance is that there is no shortage of enthusiasm, dedication, or resources when it comes to combating senior food insecurity. There are numerous programs, federal and local agencies, and organizations working to address this problem, with 14 different nutrition programs alone currently in operation in the District. Yet senior hunger persists.

Over the past year, my office held a series of working groups with our anti-hunger advocates, District agencies, and community-based organizations serving seniors. These meetings covered the gamut of topics: the utilization of federal programs; outreach and communications; nutrition and healthcare; transportation; accessibility; and data collection. We gathered our best senior and food policy advocates together, and the conclusion we reached time and time again is that the reason why senior hunger persists is because of a lack of centralized leadership, planning, and District-wide coordination.

The result of these working groups is the "No Senior Hungry Amendment Act of 2021," which I introduced with my colleagues Councilmembers Anita Bonds, Trayon White, Sr., Vincent Gray, Christina Henderson, Brooke Pinto, Janeese Lewis George, and Charles Allen. The legislation establishes a senior food insecurity task force, a senior food plan, a communications/outreach plan, and makes important updates to nutritional programming, SNAP access, and home-delivered meal and grocery services. You can read more about its specific provisions in this piece by The Washington City Paper, but what I would like to focus on here is to say that we all know or are aware of an isolated senior in our community. The neighbor who you only see occasionally, who you may have noticed has lost weight, or who lives alone in that old house that has seen better days. These are our neighbors who are living on fixed incomes, are isolated at home, struggling with food-related chronic illnesses or wasting, and who could desperately benefit from outreach, connection, and support from one of our many wonderful senior nutritionists and senior service providers.

Not only can we better coordinate our anti-hunger outreach and programmatic efforts, but we can also begin to reverse the extreme isolation seniors have endured before and during the pandemic. Better yet, with more strongly linked senior resources, we will be more readily able to connect seniors with other programs, social organizations, and services that they need to safely and happily age in place in the District of Columbia. I hope that you'll join me by supporting this legislation and, if you feel so moved, to extend a kind word to seniors in your neighborhood. Sometimes it is friendship that can make all the difference.

Regards,

Mary

A Safer Path Forward for Connecticut Avenue

Safer Transit in Ward 3 - The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will soon announce a decision on the future lane configuration of Connecticut Ave NW. Two years ago, DDOT launched the Connecticut Avenue NW Reversible Lane Safety to respond to the confusing and often dangerous reversible lane configuration along Connecticut Avenue NW. The aim of the study was to assess how the road could be re-engineered without the reversible lanes and create safer conditions for all road, crosswalk, and sidewalk users.

Four road concepts were developed from the Reversible Lane Study, with DDOT further narrowing down the options to Concept B and Concept C (pictured above).

Councilmember Cheh and the corridor's four adjacent ANCs have all come out in support of Concept C as the best path forward for Connecticut Avenue NW. Concept C maintains four lanes of traffic while also prioritizing public transit infrastructure and incorporating protected bicycle lanes. Option C advances the District's Vision Zero goals and would result in a safer and more accessible Connecticut Avenue corridor.

Candidates Wanted for the Ward 3 ANC Redistricting Task Force

A Citywide Holiday Lights Scavenger Hunt

Talking traffic safety, varients, and vaccines on The Politics Hour

Shop Small, Shop on Main Street

Ditch Disposable Plastics in 2022

Transitioning Away from Single Use Plastics - Takeout and to-go meals are more popular than ever, but their convenience comes at a cost. Waste from disposable and single-use food service items, such as containers, utensils, and condiment packages, continues to grow and most frequently ends up at landfills, incinerators, or waterways. Furthermore, food-serving businesses and organizations have been hit hard by rising prices and supply chain delays, disproportionately affecting small businesses that do not have the purchasing power of restaurant groups and corporate chains to keep up with demand.

As part of Councilmember Cheh's Zero Waste Omnibus Act, effective January 1st, 2022, restaurants and food service providers will be required to stop automatically including these single use plastics with food orders. Instead, they will be provided only upon request by the customer.

The District is also helping restaurants transition away from single use plastic disposable foodware to reusable foodware through a new grant program launching in 2022. These grants can include establishing dish washing capacity and implementing the use of reusable containers, either in-house or through a third-party entity.

• Please help spread this news with your favorite restaurants so they can take advantage of the new grant program next year: Ditch the Disposables.

Join the Final Chevy Chase Walk with the Office of Planning

More Wonderful Community Events to Support this Weekend

Ending this Update on a Happy Note:

Upcoming Invasive Plant Removal with the Rock Creek Conservancy

Our Office is Open!

Connect with our staff - While Councilmember Cheh's physical office is closed during the public health emergency, she and her staff are teleworking and will remain accessible for residents.

You may continue to reach us via email or phone through our main line at (202) 724-8062 with legislative ideas, budget requests, and constituent services requests.

FOLLOW MARY