Martha’s Table Brings Potluck Fundraiser to You
• October 23, 2014

When it was founded in 1979, Martha’s Table was a safe haven for the District’s most vulnerable — a refuge that provided a sense of security for children and families in an unforgiving world.

35 years later and Martha’s Table continues to act as a beacon of light in the community.

Although Martha’s Table provides potential helpers with a long list of volunteer opportunities, it can be difficult to find time to participate in onsite events. So, this fall, Martha’s Table is making it easier for D.C.’s citizens to support the community from the comfort of their own dinner tables.

On October 26, Martha’s Table invites its supporters to host their very own One Pot Supper Fundraiser. The objective is to hold simultaneous fundraisers all around the city where friends and family can enjoy good food and raise hunger awareness.

“At small tables of six and bigger tables of 60, people will come together to get the discussion going about hunger in the Washington, D.C. area,” said Patty Stonesifer, CEO of Martha’s Table.

Guests attending a dinner will enjoy a delicious meal at no expense to them. Instead, a pot will be passed where guests can make a contribution to raise funds for the organization.

Longtime supporter and past employee of Martha’s Table, Areesah Mobley, intends to host a dinner for 20 but is prepared for more. Although she has some ideas of what she wants to cook she hasn’t quite solidified her plans yet.

First timer, Chad Hoeft, was familiar with Martha’s Table but had yet to work with the organization until Stonesifer reached out to him. “I wanted to get involved to shed light on a situation I think most take for granted. Having access to food is something most of us don’t think twice about,” he said.

The best thing about the fundraiser is that it makes involvement accessible to everyone, Stonesifer says. Unlike Sips & Suppers, a Martha’s Table fundraising event held in January, it allows a younger audience to get involved because hosting doesn’t require a large budget.

Interested in hosting your own One Pot Supper? Information is available in the host toolkit at marthastable.org.

New Barriers on M Street and Key Bridge to Foil Lane Cheaters
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Lane cheaters have been brought to a halt with the addition of barriers at M Street and Key Bridge. In what is an already a heavy traffic spot, blockades have been placed to deter drivers from making last-minute left turns from Key Bridge.

The District Department of Transportation was called upon to address the issue, which in turn resulted in the barriers. DDOT’s traffic engineer James Cheeks told Fox 5 News, “This will last for a little while. People will begin disregarding them and then we’ll have to think of some other measures.”

However, left turns are not the only traffic issue drivers face; at the very same intersection people heading east on M street into Georgetown deal with a similar problem.

“Clearly that’s human behavior, that’s bad driving,” Cheeks said to Fox 5. “And so we’ll try to do something to keep them in their lanes. It’ll be similar to this.”

So, be on the lookout for more partitions in the near future.

Four Seasons Food Truck to Stop at Wisconsin and M
• October 20, 2014

No longer will we be confined to dining rooms and dinner tables when it comes to gourmet eating. The Four Seasons Hotel embarks on its second food truck tour, which will travel the East Coast bringing a twist to local favorites as well as serving exclusive menu options. The nine-city tour began in September and will continue through November with plans to stop in Atlanta, Orlando and Miami.

The Four Seasons Food Truck will make its way through Washington, D.C., stopping at MedStar Washington Hospital Oct. 15, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and then at PNC Bank at Wisconsin Avenue and M Street, Saturday, noon to 2 p.m. While on the truck, the hotel’s executive chef Douglas Anderson will prepare kale Caesar salad, D.C. a half smoke, grilled kimchi, bulgogi short rib sandwich, barbecure-spiced fries and desserts.

Fifty percent of proceeds from the Four Seasons Hotel sales at the MedStar Washington Hospital Center stop on Oct. 15 will be donated to the hospital’s Washington Cancer Institute.

Parking Spaces to Become Parks Friday
• September 29, 2014

Fret not because you forgot to feed the meter, you have a spot at the annual Park(ing) Day, Friday, Sept. 19.

In the last couple of years with the help of the Georgetown Business Improvement Development, Georgetown have taken on the parklet project, allowing residents, designers and businesses alike to construct their very own public space. Also, involved are the Downtown and Golden Triangle BIDs for their neighborhoods.

Park(ing) Day’s inception in San Francisco 2005, originated with Rebar Art Studios desire to inspire people to reimagine the environment and their place in it. Its vision is to temporarily convert meter spaces into public parks generating new forms of communal space. What started as a single locale has launched into a global movement with more than 100 cities on over four continents involved.

“The Georgetown BID is excited to see the neighborhood enthusiasm for parklets – a concept that is outlined as an important tool for improving public space in the BID’s Georgetown 2028 Plan,” said the BID’s William Handsfield.

The Georgetown businesses participating are Luke’s Lobsters at 1211 Potomac St., NW, and Baked and Wired at 1052 Thomas Jefferson St., NW, and Flor at 1037 33rd St., NW, near Cady’s Alley.

Patrons of Luke’s will be able to take advantage of food and drink specials that will debut its beer, wine and cocktails offerings. Baked & Wired chose to take a slightly different approach, making their space more interactive by including buckets filled with chalk. Visitors will be able to draw and write messages in the park, allowing the green space to be a forum to bring the community together.

For more information, visit the Park(ing) Day project at www.parkingday.org.

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Some Hoyas Given Antibiotics After Infected
• September 24, 2014

Health officials have confirmed that a strain of bacterial meningitis was the cause of Georgetown University sophomore Andrea Jaime’s death. Jaime’s close friends were treated with an antibiotic as a precaution; no one else is infected.
As the student body mourns a classmate, the university sent students an email warning against sharing drinks, cigarettes and food with friends to avoid exposure. Also, the university is working closely with the D.C. Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control to prepare itself in case this isolated event evolves into something more severe. The CDC does not recommend that the entire student body be treated because there are no signs of a larger outbreak.