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 Brigit Adamus
Field Placement: San Francisco Department of Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture (San Francisco, CA)
Brigit worked to increase food stamp participation in the city and county of San Francisco. She evaluated the current food stamp outreach methods, researched alternatives, and developed a pilot program for future outreach in San Francisco.
Hunger Free Community Report: The Outreach Aisle: A Showcase of Cost-Effectiveness in Food Stamp Outreach explores methods of Food Stamp outreach used nationwide. The report measures the cost-effectiveness of each outreach strategy and is designed to assist with the selection of methods for those interested in initiating or improving Food Stamp outreach.
Policy Plement: The Association of Nutrition Services Agencies (ANSA) (Washington, D.C.)
Brigit is researching the relationship between receipt of nutrition assistance and improved health outcomes for the critically ill. Based on this link, she is investigating and quantifying the potential cost-savings of using nutrition services to prevent and postpone disease progression and its financial burden on the U.S. health care system. Brigit is writing a white paper detailing her findings.
Education and Experience: Brigit graduated from Cornell University in 2005 with a degree in Human Biology, Health, and Society. At Cornell she competed for the varsity gymnastics team and served as the president of the Panhellenic Health Advisory Team. She conducted research with Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program and completed a project on the Hispanic Health Paradox in the state of New York. A native of Corvallis, Oregon, Brigit is a certified Wilderness First Responder and is interested in integrating the perspectives of medicine and social justice.
 Madina Agénor
Field Placement: The Grow Clinic of Boston Medical Center (Boston, MA)
While in Boston, Madina worked with the Children’s Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Program (C-SNAP), the research arm of the Grown Clinic. Using C-SNAP’s research findings, she wrote a report on the impact of food insecurity on the development of young, low-income children of color. She also focused on strengthening C-SNAP’s research dissemination and advocacy efforts by initiating lasting relationships with advocacy organizations; writing research briefs to share findings with advocates and policymakers; and seeking out opportunities to inform public policy debates around children’s health and food security issues.
Hunger Free Community Report: The Impact of Food Insecurity on the Development of Young, Low-Income Black and Latino Children presents research findings from C-SNAP, linking food insecurity, child development, and school readiness. It is the first publication of its kind to quantify the developmental effects of food insecurity in vulnerable children of color under the age of three. The report was published and disseminated by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Spring 2006.
Policy Placement: Food Research and Action Center (Washington, D.C.)
Through national surveys, in-depth interviews, and focus groups, Madina is researching access barriers to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). She is also identifying strategies for increasing program participation and conducting outreach to hard-to-reach populations. She will share her findings with advocates, policymakers, and program directors through upcoming publications.
Education and Experience: Madina graduated magna cum laude with honors from Brown University with a degree in Gender Studies and Community Health. While at Brown, she served as the co-director of a student-run dance company, a peer French tutor, an academic advisor to first-year students, and a community health educator. She wrote an honors thesis on HIV infection in Kenyan women, conducted health workshops with women in Costa Rica, and undertook research on the reproductive health of women of color with the National Women’s Alliance. Madina has also worked on cardiovascular disease in Black and Latina women and provided assistance to the Latina Health Initiative, a program of the Boston Women's Health Book Collective. Born in Martinique, Madina has lived in England, Haiti, D.C., and her family now resides in Maryland.
 Kevin Anderson
Field Placement: Alameda County Community Food Bank; Alameda County Social Services Agency; U.S. Department of Agriculture (Oakland, CA)
While in Alameda County, Kevin worked to improve food stamp outreach efforts and increase the number of eligible people enrolled in food stamps. He interviewed county officials, new food stamp applicants and formerly denied applicants, and tracked applications using the county’s eligibility determination system to assess barriers to approval. In addition, Kevin pilot tested a client interview tool designed to examine why some individuals initiate a food stamp application, but fail to complete the application process.
Hunger Free Community Report: Improving Food Stamps in Alameda County and Beyond is based on an in-depth analysis of the Alameda County Social Services Agency’s internal processes and how they can best interface with the external food stamp outreach efforts of local community based organizations. The report presents a series of cost-effective and viable recommendations for improving food stamp application processing in Alameda County and across California.
Policy Placement: Northeast-Midwest Institute (Washington, D.C.)
At the Northeast-Midwest Institute, Kevin serves as a core member of the coordination team for the Farm and Food Policy Project (FFPP), assisting with policy development and the consensus building process for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation funded coalition building effort that crosses a variety of advocate communities including anti-hunger, public health, environment, sustainable agriculture and others. In addition, Kevin is spearheading a series of policy research projects intended to inform members of the Northeast-Midwest Senate and Congressional coalitions about priority issues related to hunger, nutrition assistance, and issues surrounding community food security and local and regional food systems.
Education and Experience: Kevin graduated magna cum laude with honors from Northwestern University in 2005, receiving a BA in political science and legal studies. He wrote honors theses for both majors: the first paper posited a legal and political solution to the Iraqi debt crisis and the second paper examined the evolution of U.S. foreign aid programs. (His thesis on Iraqi debt was published in the June 2005 issue of the Utah Law Review.) Kevin served as Dance Marathon 2005 Outreach Co-Chair, Appalachia Service Project Site Leader, Student Government Representative, Peer Advisor, and Greek Student Counselor at Northwestern. He also interned with the Northwestern Law School and Center on Wrongful Convictions, the Office of Illinois Senator Richard J. Durbin, and the Office of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.
 Larisa Bowman
Field Placement: Utahns Against Hunger (Salt Lake City, UT)
Larisa provided technical support and expertise to Utah's school districts as they developed "local wellness policies" in accordance with a new federal mandate. For the low-income district of Ogden, she devised a comprehensive policy that addressed childhood obesity as well as the area's high incidence of hunger and food insecurity. In addition, Larisa wrote a successful $25,000 grant proposal for the Utah Action for Healthy Kids Team. The funds from National Action for Healthy Kids and W.K. Kellogg Foundation will be used to assist school districts with the implementation of local wellness policies.
Hunger Free Community Report: Making Stone Soup: Community-Driven Efforts to End Hunger in Utah is an educational booklet that highlights community food security models, specifically local wellness policies and assessments, as complements to emergency food and federal food and nutrition programs. This compilation of pictures, articles, and data illustrates creative partnerships and grassroots initiatives that are helping to reduce instances of food insecurity and hunger among low-income Utahns.
Policy Placement: Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) (Washington, D.C.)
Larisa is updating two previously published FRAC reports related to the federal Food Stamp Program. The first analyzes access to food stamps in major U.S. urban areas, focusing on program participation rates of potentially eligible households. The second is an advocate’s guide to the Disaster Food Stamp Program and includes lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina as well as potential responses to an avian or pandemic flu. Larisa is also preparing a new report evaluating the adequacy of food stamp allotments in terms of purchasing power and impact on household food security.
Education and Experience: Larisa graduated magna cum laude with honors in International Relations from Brown University in 2003. She worked at New York City’s FoodChange as a Program Assistant in the Food Access Department, where she contributed to program development, media campaigns, and grant applications, including a USDA award for $125,000. Larisa also has a sustained interest in international development; in college she studied abroad in Buenos Aires and authored a thesis on the social implications of the Argentine economic crisis. A dancer since age three, Larisa continues to pursue her love of classical ballet.
 Cecilia Cárdenas-Navia
Field Placement: Utahns Against Hunger (Salt Lake City, UT)
Cecilia conducted a community food security assessment of Ogden, Utah with the goal of identifying barriers to food access. This multilevel project examined both the resources and limitations of the city while building partnerships with community leaders and residents. She designed a bilingual survey tool to collect quantitative data on food services, transportation, and community health; locally based organizations in Ogden distributed the questionnaire to their clients, generating interest among residents and amassing 116 responses. Cecilia also interviewed local human service providers and city advocates to promote the importance of anti-hunger work in grassroots advocacy. Utilizing GIS technology, she created a food map of the city, ultimately drawing media attention to the food desert in downtown Ogden.
Hunger Free Community Report: Making Stone Soup: Community-Driven Efforts to End Hunger in Utah is an educational booklet that highlights community food security models, specifically local wellness policies and assessments, as complements to emergency food and federal food and nutrition programs. This compilation of pictures, articles, and data illustrates creative partnerships and grassroots initiatives that are helping to reduce instances of food insecurity and hunger among low-income Utahns.
Policy Placement: Alliance to End Hunger (Washington, D.C.)
Cecilia is working on two projects, both dedicated to building political constituencies and momentum in the anti-hunger movement. For the Presidential Project, she researches potential presidential candidates for the 2008 election and identifies methods to motivate them to include hunger and poverty as part of their campaign platforms. Her second project, Heroes for the Hungry, aims to enlist members of Congress as active champions for hunger issues; to this end, Cecilia is planning "hunger tours" to inform national leaders and help build political support. Cecilia also contributes to other Alliance endeavors, including the "got breakfast?" campaign and the Hunger Message Project.
Education and Experience: Cecilia graduated with distinction from Yale College in 2005 with a dual degree in History of Science, History of Medicine and Ethnicity, Race, and Migration. She served as an ethnic and freshman counselor at Yale, facilitating discussions about the role of race and ethnicity in cultural and academic life. Cecilia has worked abroad in Bolivia, done extensive scientific research at the National Cancer Institute and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and combined her scientific background with her humanitarian interests to improve college preparatory curricula for disadvantaged youth in Connecticut and Texas.
 Dana Conroy
Field Placement: D.C. Hunger Solutions (Washington, D.C.)
As a Community Food Security Specialist, Dana conducted a community food assessment of D.C., generated information on food-related needs and provided action-oriented recommendations for program developments, community organizing, and policy advocacy. Specifically, she evaluated access to federal nutrition programs, supermarkets, and local, fresh produce in stores, schools, and other institutions. Dana also researched differential pricing in supermarkets, the existence of cooperative food stores and buying clubs, and the relationship of food-based businesses to economic development.
Hunger Free Community Report: A Community Food Assessment of Washington, D.C. details the findings of Dana’s assessment and provides action-oriented recommendations for program enhancements, community organizing, and policy advocacy. Noteworthy within the assessment are up-to-date maps of grocery stores and farmers’ markets in the District and information addressing how farm-to-school programs could be successfully integrated into the D.C. school system.
Policy Placement: Call to Renewal (Washington, D.C.)
Dana is creating a comprehensive database of Call to Renewal’s grassroots organizing contacts in order to improve the efficiency and reach of their mobilizing efforts. She is also aiding in the planning of Call to Renewal’s June 2006 conference and preparing occasional policy updates to be sent out to the organization’s network. Education and Experience: Dana graduated from Davidson College in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts in history. She completed a thesis examining the 1954 addition of the phrase “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance, studied abroad in Florence, Italy, and created a manuscript collection for the Davidson College Library Archives. She also interned at Loaves & Fishes, a food bank in Charlotte, North Carolina, was a tutor at a local elementary school, and did historical research for a professor’s upcoming book.
 Indivar Dutta-Gupta
Field Placement: D.C. Hunger Solutions (Washington, D.C.)
Indi spent the first six months of his fellowship working with D.C. Hunger Solutions where he developed and implemented an outreach strategy to improve access for D.C. residents to the Food Stamp Program. Indi also initiated plans to expand these efforts into neighboring Montgomery County, Maryland – through Manna Food Center – to target underserved immigrant populations. Additionally, Indi advocated policies at the local level to expand opportunities for food stamp use and began a project to make hunger an issue during the 2006 local elections.
Hunger Free Community Report: Indi created an up-to-date food stamp outreach resource guide and tool kit along with plans for the development of a citywide food stamp outreach network. The guide and network specifically targets groups and individuals serving immigrants, seniors, persons with disabilities, and persons experiencing homelessness.
Policy Placement: Center for American Progress (Washington, D.C.)
As part of the Domestic Policy team, Indi is working on an anti-poverty initiative that aims to refocus the debate around fighting poverty while offering bold long-term policy proposals towards eliminating poverty in America. He will focus on both research and logistical support for the initiative's task force, which will travel around the country and publish a final report articulating a new progressive anti-poverty agenda for all levels of advocacy and policy, including the community, state, and federal level. In addition, Indi is providing research support on issues ranging from local demographics and workforce participation to how advocates should communicate about poverty with the American people.
Education and Experience: Indi is involved with Amnesty International USA, as a member of its Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Advisory Group and in other volunteer positions. After graduating from the University of Chicago in June 2005, Indi came to D.C. to work with a non-profit Democratic consulting firm on political campaigns, food and hunger, international development, energy and national security issues. While in school, he interned at the Chicago office of U.S. Senator Richard J. Durbin (D-IL) and worked for the Human Rights Program. He also has worked on fair housing issues in Chicago and spent a summer in Ghana with the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions promoting housing rights as well as the property rights of women in sub-Saharan Africa.
 Lauren Forbes
Field Placement: Children First of Oregon (Portland, OR)
Lauren conducted research that documented the link between the high cost of child care and food insecurity in Oregon. Her project employed both quantitative and qualitative methods, including statistical analysis and personal interviews. During the research process, she collaborated with the Oregon Child Care Research Partnership and the Child Care Improvement Project to glean and summarize data and propose policy solutions.
Hunger Free Community Report: The Cost of Child Care explores family financial stability by focusing on the affordability of child care. The report uses Oregon Food Bank survey data to correlate families that incur high child care costs with the incidences of food insecurity. It also includes the voices and perspectives of Oregon families and child care providers. The Cost of Child Care provides the content for a policy brief on child care that was distributed to policymakers, the media, and the general public.
Policy Placement: Share Our Strength (Washington, D.C.)
Lauren is working to grow and increase the impact of the Hinges of Hope program, a series of tours built around specific themes to create understanding and inspire action by connecting Share Our Strength’s corporate partners and executives with communities and their leaders in new ways. She is leading the research and guiding the design of new trips that focus on childhood hunger in Los Angeles, Appalachia, New Orleans and the Mississippi Delta, Boston, New York City, and Washington, D.C. Lauren is also designing and implementing the Bearing Common Witness Tour, a series of Hinges of Hope trips that will involve men and women who are likely to be influential in the next Administration. The nominees will be selected by a bipartisan panel of distinguished Americans and will participate in trips that will begin in January of 2007 and continue through the parties’ nominating conventions.
Education and Experience: Lauren graduated from Vassar College in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and correlate sequences in Economics and Philosophy. As one of Vassar’s Community Action coordinators, Lauren facilitated student volunteerism in youth and women’s services for two years. She also worked for campaign finance reform with Democracy Matters, and was a member of Hunger Action, an organization that coordinates hunger banquets and student involvement with Poughkeepsie’s soup kitchen. Originally from Tampa, Florida, Lauren studied in London and Washington, D.C., and interned for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and with Co-op America, where she worked on Fair Trade campaigns.
 Natalie Halbach
Field Placement: Community Farm Alliance (Louisville, KY)
Natalie worked to increase access to fresh, locally grown foods in low-income neighborhoods of West Louisville by supporting two neighborhood farmers’ markets. She organized goal-setting meetings that empowered farmers and neighborhood residents to create new partnerships for the 2006 season. To ensure that women and children of all income levels could access local food at the markets, Natalie researched the need for and potential benefits of the WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (WIC FMNP) for Louisville Metro and created tools to educate the community about the program. She also presented on the myths of industrial agriculture at the 2005 Healthy Food, Local Farms conference and collaborated on an urban food systems bus tour for the 2006 Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SSAWG) Conference.
Hunger Free Community Report: Building Health and Wealth: Assessing Potential Benefits and Raising Awareness of the WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program in Louisville Metro, Kentucky is a two-part toolkit for advocates interested in the WIC FMNP. The first section assesses Louisville health data, food access issues, and changes in the Kentucky farm economy to determine need for theFMNP as well as the potential benefits it could provide low-income families. The second section provides an advocacy toolkit containing pilot project templates, sample press releases and newsletter articles, and resources for further information.
Policy Placement: Catholic Charities USA (Alexandria, VA)
Natalie works as a member of the Social Policy Department at Catholic Charities USA. She focuses on immigration research, and works on projects related to the 2007 Farm Bill and the Food Stamp Program. Natalie is compiling data on immigration trends and politics in selected states, and conducting interviews with Catholic Charities member agencies nationwide to gather their experiences, successes and challenges in providing services to immigrant and refugee families. She will share the results of her research on the Catholic Charities USA website, and the best practices identified in the interviews will help to strengthen member agencies’ programs and the policy work of Catholic Charities USA. Natalie will also contribute to the CCUSA website by updating written pieces on CCUSA policy focus areas.
Education and Experience: Natalie graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a double major in international studies and French. She was recognized by the Atlantic Coast Conference for her academic and athletic excellence, performing all four years as a varsity gymnast. Natalie worked for various campus organizations on fundraising and marketing activities designed to promote campus participation in community service. At the 2003 Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, she presented Quit Playing, You’ll Spoil your Dinner! The Impact of Youth Sports on Childhood Eating Behaviors, a paper which was published in Nurture. She interned at Minnesota FoodShare, volunteered in Tanzania on HIV prevention and rural resource management, and served as a trip leader for a mission to Miacatlan, Mexico, a freshman mentor, and a math tutor for disabled children.
 Aiyeshia Hudson
Field Placement: Hunger Task Force (Milwaukee, WI)
Aiyeshia conducted an emergency food assessment for the Hunger Task Force, a Milwaukee-based food bank. She collected over 1,500 surveys and conducted interviews at 62 food pantry and meal site locations in the Milwaukee area. She also provided advocacy presentations and facilitated hunger simulations for school aged children and civic organizations.
Hunger Free Community Report: In Search of a Hunger-Free Community provides insight into the needs and circumstances of clients accessing emergency food assistance within Hunger Task Force’s network of food pantries and meal sites. The report provides data related to client demographics, participation in federal nutrition programs, and food insecurity.
Policy Placement: RESULTS Educational Fund (Washington, D.C.)Aiyeshia is working in the domestic department of RESULTS to expand their grassroots activist network. She is developing new citizen advocacy groups in the South with a special focus on increasing participation among people of color. She is also responsible for facilitating advocacy workshops at national and international conferences, including the C.O.O.L. Idealist National Conference, the National Head Start Association’s Annual Training Conference, and the RESULTS International Conference.
Education and Experience: Aiyeshia is a 2005 graduate of Florida State University, with a major in psychology and a minor in English. She mentored and tutored children at low-income schools through the America Reads program and volunteered with the children’s program at Refuge House, Inc. She has conducted research for the Florida State University Anxiety and Behavioral Health Clinic, Baumeister/Tice Social Psychology Lab, and Plant Prejudice and Stereotyping Lab. Aiyeshia also studied Spanish and Latin American culture in Panama.
 Shijuade Kadree
Field Placement: Center for Economic Progress (Chicago, IL)
Shijuade conducted an assessment of the Center’s core financial literacy programs, and created an evaluation tool that will allow the Center to measure the effectiveness and relativity of their workshops. She also revamped one of the Center's main outreach tools, the Benefits Resource Guide, to ensure that it was maximally effective for the targeted audiences. Finally, she designed a comprehensive manual of the financial literacy programs that will be integral to improving the Financial and Community Education department's ability to serve its program participants.
Hunger Free Community Report: The Financial and Community Education Comprehensive Program Manual details information about the Financial and Community Education department of CEP and all of the financial education programs that the department oversees. Information about the community partners, the history of the collaboration, and quantitative and qualitative information about the communities being served, is included.
Policy Placement: National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) (Washington, D.C)
At NCSL, Shijuade is creating a Hunger and Nutrition Promising Practices Guide that will provide state legislators with examples of innovative programs and partnerships that are working to reduce hunger and improve nutrition. Her time is also focused on researching immigration policy with a specific focus on immigrant access to public benefits.
Education and Experience: Shijuade graduated from Emory University in 2005 with a B.A. in Sociology and Political Science, where she participated in the Kenneth Cole Fellowship in Community Building and Social Change. Shijuade worked with the City of Atlanta, local non-profits, grassroots organizations and residents on a green space planning and utilization initiative. She was also a tutor at various local elementary schools, and studied abroad in Costa Rica. Shijuade is originally from Buffalo, New York, and her family currently resides in Fairburn, Georgia.
 Matthew King
Field Placement: Washington Food Coalition (Seattle, WA)
Matthew conducted needs assessments in select communities throughout Washington State, identifying barriers to food security and developing community driven strategies to increase access to critical anti-hunger and anti-poverty programs. He also worked to create individualized hunger profiles for select districts throughout Washington that included district hunger and poverty statistics.
Hunger Free Community Report: Hometown Hunger contains three Washington State community needs assessments that highlight some of the challenges facing low-income populations and service providers in those areas. The reports include data analysis of community demographics and food and nutrition programs, findings from interviews with human service providers, and potential solutions gleaned from community forums facilitated by Matt and his field site partner, Rebekah Miller.
Policy Placement: School Nutrition Association (SNA) (Alexandria, VA)
Matthew is working with SNA on a nationwide survey to evaluate how indirect cost rates are applied and implemented between school districts and school nutrition programs. From the information gleaned in this study, he is developing a set of recommendations that would ensure a fair and equitable process for determining and implementing indirect cost rates. By addressing the widely inconsistent formulas for determining indirect costs, school nutrition programs operating under the National School Lunch Program could maximize their federal per meal reimbursement to offer the most nutritious meals to students in financial need.
Education and Experience: Matthew is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz with a degree in Religious Studies. In Milwaukee, he volunteered with anti-hunger organizations and as a tutor/mentor for urban youth. As a full-time student athlete in California, he organized campus food drives and continued his work with youth. He also worked on organic agriculture while finishing his undergraduate degree in New Zealand in 2004, and served with the Milwaukee Hunger Task Force on the summer food program.
 Joseph Lee
Field Placement: Farm to Table (Santa Fe, NM)
Joseph worked on a rural food gap assessment project in northwestern New Mexico. The project involved focus groups in rural counties, extensive mapping, and the development of an inter-organizational communications system to be used for food policy advocacy. This project examined the scope and dynamics of the food gap in New Mexico, and, as a community-based participatory project, was not just for research, but also for community action.
Hunger Free Community Report: Closing New Mexico’s Rural Food Gap examined the scope and dynamics of access to fresh fruits and vegetables in northern New Mexico and solicited recommendations for community action.
Policy Placement: Migrant Legal Action Program (Washington, D.C.)
At the Migrant Legal Action Program, Joseph is creating materials to reduce barriers for migrant education programs to participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). He is also researching accountability in migrant health centers.
Education and Experience: Joseph hails from western North Carolina and graduated with a degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies from Duke University in 2004. At Duke, he co-founded The Duke-Durham Hunger Alliance, which collects “left-over” meal points and converts them into food for the regional food bank. He has worked and volunteered at regional food banks in North Carolina, studied abroad in La Paz, Bolivia, interned with Student Action with Farmworkers migrant health outreach, and taught English in the suburbs of Tokyo, Japan. Joseph is currently part of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Field Epidemiology Certificate Program.
 Matthew Lewis
Field Placement: Oregon Food Bank (Portland, OR)
Matt established a sustainable structure for two advocacy committees in the Portland area, one consisting of direct-service providers, and the other of their clients. Both committees partner with the Oregon Food Bank to work on joint advocacy projects. Matt also documented the process of creating an advocacy committee of direct-service clients to inform future efforts.
Hunger Free Community Report: Connecting People to Power: How to Establish a Citizen’s Advocacy Group at a Food Bank guides service providers through the process of bringing together food pantry clients to do sustained advocacy. The guide provides helpful examples, models, and references to make it easy for anyone, regardless of background, to mobilize clients to engage in advocacy.
Policy Placement: Presbyterian Church (USA) (Washington, D.C.)
Matt is working with the Washington Office of the Presbyterian Church (USA) on federal budget policy, tax policy, and budget process issues. He is preparing educational resources for Presbyterian networks on these issues, as well as contributing articles on budget and tax issues to print media.
Education and Experience: Matt is a 2005 graduate of Dartmouth College with a degree in history and minors in government and Japanese. He worked as a policy analyst for the Vermont and New Hampshire Legislatures, where he completed a comparative analysis of No Child Left Behind policies in both states. He also served as an intern at the National Coalition for the Homeless, and at Northwestern University School of Law’s Center on Wrongful Convictions. Matt spent a summer volunteering for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights on a campaign to register voters in immigrant communities.
 Roshin Mathew
Field Placement: Center for Economic Progress (Chicago, IL)
Roshin was the Capacity Building and Training Liaison for the Center for Economic Progress. She worked with local child care providers to develop and implement an evaluation guide to determine and improve the impact of the Center's Family Child Care Tax Project, the provider's usage of the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program, compliance issues, and other factors that could improve the economic prosperity of the providers and the quality of care for the children that they serve.
Hunger Free Community Report: The Special Financial Educational Report aired on WLUW 88.7 F.M.’s Community News report. The radio feature included interviews with experts in the field of volunteer income tax preparation and the earned income tax credit. The report provided listeners with information on how they could increase the amount of the refund which working families received.
Policy Placement: Connect for Kids (Washington, D.C.)
At Connect for Kids, Roshin functions as both a journalist and advocate. In the capacity of a journalist, she is writing four feature length articles about children and the various hunger, nutrition, and poverty issues that they face. Her advocacy work will include organizing potential partners who work on juvenile justice delinquency prevention and analyzing data on the effects of current legislative programs on the juvenile justice system.
Education and Experience: Roshin received her political science degree from Oregon’s Reed College in 2004 and taught English at a middle school in Japan for a year afterward. She traveled extensively in Japan and South East Asia where she volunteered with homeless squatters in Osaka and recorded the stories of Khmer Rouge survivors in Ankor Wat. Roshin spent a summer in Cape Town, South Africa where she wrote a case study on the city’s juvenile crime system. She also taught after school classes on film at a Portland middle school and worked at Sister’s of the Road Café, a restaurant which caters to Portland’s homeless population.
 Elizabeth McCarthy
Field Placement: FoodChange (New York, NY)
Beth and her field site partner Almas Sayeed formulated a comprehensive report on immigrant access to the Food Stamp Program, which included both quantitative and qualitative analyses of the eligible but nonparticipating immigrants living in New York. As part of their research, they convened city and national officials, community leaders, and advocates from the research and non-profit sectors to discuss the high rates of unmet need in NYC as well as the barriers that disproportionately impact immigrants and their access to food stamp benefits.
Hunger Free Community Report: Access to the Federal Food Stamp Program: An In-Depth Analysis of New York City’s Immigrant Communities, Estimates of Unmet Need and Barriers to Access, co-authored with Almas Sayeed, is a comprehensive analysis of the context of immigrant food stamp access in New York City. The report includes maps of each of the City’s five boroughs highlighting those zip codes with the greatest concentration of eligible and non-participating immigrants and the results of advocate interviews describing barriers that disproportionately impact immigrant communities. The final section of the report outlines policymaker and advocate generated recommendations to improve immigrant access.
Policy Placement: Families USA (Washington, D.C.)
Beth is part of the Health Policy department and is developing a report on Medicare Part D legislation and its impact on both the existence and structure of State Pharmacy Assistance programs. She is also involved in the Campaign for Children’s Health Care, which is a national message campaign focused on universal child health care coverage. Additionally, she is analyzing data and information for a series of fact sheets and reports related to populations of uninsured children.
Education and Experience: Beth graduated cum laude from Harvard College in 2005 with a degree in Social Studies and a certificate in Health Policy. Her senior thesis examined how personal responsibility affects obesity policy in the United States. While interning at the Institute of Medicine, Beth collaborated on a paper published in the Annual Review of Public Health. In her coursework and internships, she has studied issues of social justice, civic engagement, and health policy. Beth’s activities in college included teaching civics classes in Roxbury, Massachusetts, lobbying for increased funding for HIV/AIDS treatment, and directing a mentoring program for teenage boys in transitional homes.
 Rebekah Miller
Field Placement: Children’s Alliance (Seattle, WA)
Rebekah completed needs assessments in select communities throughout Washington State, identifying barriers to food security and developing community driven strategies to increase access to critical anti-hunger and anti-poverty programs. She also organized the annual meeting of the Anti-Hunger and Nutrition Coalition in Washington, which brought leaders together to discuss immediate and five-year advocacy goals for anti-hunger programs, and served on the planning committee for Have a Heart for Kids Day, an advocacy event at the state capital that brought together more than 500 children’s advocates.
Hunger Free Community Report: Hometown Hunger contains three Washington State community needs assessments that highlight some of the challenges facing low-income populations and service providers in those areas. The reports include data analysis of community demographics and food and nutrition programs, findings from interviews with human service providers, and potential solutions gleaned from community forums facilitated by Rebekah and her field site partner, Matt King.
Policy Placement: Share Our Strength (Washington, D.C.)
Rebekah is working with the Grants Department to determine ways to use impact data more effectively, strategically focusing grant making decisions for maximum impact on alleviating childhood hunger. To accomplish this, Rebekah is researching methodology used by other grant makers in decision making and generating recommendations for future grant making strategy. Additionally, Rebekah is also analyzing existing impact data and creating a manual to be used by grants staff to help future decision making.
Education and Experience: Rebekah is a 2005 graduate of Rhodes College with a double major in political science and religious studies. At Rhodes, she served in elected positions, built houses in Mexico, assisted low-income workers with legal advice, worked in the student-run soup kitchen, and wrote two senior theses on poverty-related issues. Rebekah also interned with Bread for the World, the Memphis Child Advocacy Center and the Metropolitan Interfaith Association.
 Brett Murphy
Field Placement: National Policy and Advocacy Council on Homelessness, Southern Regional Office (New Orleans, LA and Washington, D.C.)
Working in both New Orleans and Houston, TX, Brett conducted interviews with hurricane survivors, evacuees, church leaders, and service providers as part of NPACH’s Katrina-Rita Oral History Project. These interviews were distributed through NPACH’s website and through audio-visual presentations at fundraisers and meetings. Brett also assisted local grassroots groups in providing aid and assistance to individuals affected by Katrina.
Hunger Free Community Report: Broken Promises incorporates interviews with individuals and families affected by Hurricane Katrina into an analysis of ongoing and emerging crises in the New Orleans region. The report offers a simple overview of the New Orleans area housing crisis, highlighting the lack of “affordable” housing; explores the difficulties faced by worker who have come to the city to help rebuild; and discusses how and why thousands of indigent defendants in the Orleans Parish Criminal Court system have been denied their constitutional rights to representation, due process, and a speedy trial.
Policy Placement: National Immigration Law Center (NILC) (Washington, D.C.)
Brett is researching the experiences of immigrant communities in the Gulf Coast in regards to evacuation, relief, and reconstruction. He is also investigating the degree to which federal, state, and local emergency plans take into consideration the unique needs of immigrant populations. Working with NILC’s Gulf Coast policy team, Brett is creating a toolkit to help municipalities and service providers better incorporate the unique needs of immigrant populations into their disaster planning.
Education and Experience: Brett, originally from Oklahoma, graduated from Rice University in 2004 with a degree in history. In college, he helped devise and implement a field study on the political socialization of young women; conducted research used in multiple books and articles on women in government; served as the captain of the Rice mock trial team, winning two state championships and one national championship in debate; and studied gentrification in Houston's Fourth Ward. Since college, he has lived in Zion National Park, worked on a Senatorial campaign, and interned at a financial planning firm.
 Miles Patrie
Field Placement: Farm to Table (Santa Fe, NM)
Miles worked with communities to conduct a food gap assessment of rural counties and Native American nations in Northern New Mexico. This project documented the accessibility of healthy and affordable food in these areas by mapping food sources and conducting focus groups, interviews, and a price survey of grocery stores.
Hunger Free Community Report: Closing New Mexico’s Rural Food Gap summarized the findings of this project and included community-generated recommendations for future action.
Policy Placement: Bread for the World Institute (Washington, D.C.)
At Bread For the World Institute, Miles is researching the effect of United States farm policy on rural development and rural poverty. Miles is using this research to prepare an article for the 2007 Hunger Report and other Bread for the World Institute publications.
Education and Experience: Miles is a 2004 graduate of North Dakota State University, where he majored in anthropology and minored in political science. He conducted research on traditional medicine and health care at an anthropological field school in Tanzania, interned for Congressman Earl Pomeroy in Washington, D.C., and was chosen as a delegate to the International Federation of Agriculture Producers Conference (IFAP) for his research paper on IFAP’s role in combating world hunger. On campus, he started a weekend service trip program to a Native American reservation, led a service trip to San Francisco, and worked with Students for Social Justice and Support International.
 David Pope
Field Placement: Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (Boston, MA)
David researched and promoted food stamp participation for elderly and disabled populations of Massachusetts. He performed in-office outreach to advocates and legal service providers and conducted outreach seminars at elderly and disabled community centers, residential facilities, and group living homes. He also promoted the second phase of a food stamp enrollment program that extends benefits to low-income seniors, and collaborated with state officials to advocate for increased food stamp participation.
Hunger Free Community Report: Intra-agency Barriers to Food Stamps: Maximizing Benefits for Elders and Persons with Disabilities in Massachusetts is a summary of suggestions from advocates on ways to improve enrollment of elders and persons with disabilities in Massachusetts' Food Stamp Program. The report includes correspondence with state officials, suggestions on how to expand the medical expense deduction, and a review of a recent food stamp demonstration project that targets special populations.
Policy Placement: National Coalition for the Homeless (Washington, D.C.)
David works to ensure the civil rights of people experiencing homelessness. He researches violence against people experiencing homelessness and the criminalization of homelessness in U.S. cities, speaks at national news conferences and community gatherings, and consults with law enforcement and other officials on new systems that identify and process hate crimes against people experiencing homelessness. He also advises the Government Accountability Office on their forthcoming research on the civil rights of people experiencing homelessness, and works with national advocates to formulate connective solutions to homelessness, hunger, and poverty.
Education and Experience: David graduated with honors from Davidson College, where he majored in English. He was elected junior class president, tutored special needs students, served as a camp counselor for disabled teenagers, and worked with Senator Fritz Hollings to support the shrimp industry in South Carolina. In the last two years, David studied refugee issues in Scotland, worked with indigenous populations in New Zealand, and spent a summer crewing a salmon boat in Alaska.
 Samuel Raskin
Field Placement: Community Farm Alliance (CFA) (Louisville, KY)
Sam worked with Kentucky farmers and West Louisville community leaders to inject justice into the Kentucky food system. He facilitated a community food assessment in the low-income, African American community of West Louisville. He also developed a business plan for a cooperatively farmer owned local foods distribution center in West Louisville, designed to create wealth both for farmers and community members. For the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group conference he designed and led a 150 person bus tour showcasing the planned distribution center location and other CFA projects throughout the city of Louisville.
Hunger Free Community Report: Sam mapped the community food assessment results using GIS technology. His maps have been distributed throughout Kentucky, and are used both as strategic tools for community members as they implement change, and as public education materials to spread understanding of Louisville's broken food system.
Policy Placement: Center for Community Change (Washington, D.C.)
Sam is working for immigrants rights with the Center for Community Change. His projects include interviewing youth who are undocumented immigrants and creating a story bank of their challenges as they try to attend college but are barred from most financial aid because of their legal status. He also keeps abreast of the Senate debate on immigration reform by attending meetings of the judiciary committee.
Education and Experience: Sam is a 2005 graduate of the University of California at Santa Cruz with an independent major in regional development and social justice. For his senior project he conducted research on small, immigrant-run grocery stores operating in low-income neighborhoods in his hometown of San Francisco, and wrote a thesis based on his findings. He has worked as a tutor in local public high schools, as an educational counselor for foster children, and as a facilitator for the National Conference for Community and Justice. Prior to attending community college, Sam worked to organize communities around local environmental justice issues with Greenaction for Environmental Justice. He also volunteers to lead river rafting trips for youth groups, drug and alcohol rehabilitation groups, and others who would not normally have access to the sport of river rafting.
 Almas Sayeed
Field Placement: FoodChange (New York, NY)
Almas co-researched and co-authored a report examining immigrant access to the Federal Food Stamp Program. The project included a quantitative analysis of the number of eligible and non-participating immigrants living in New York City as well as an investigation of the primary institutional barriers that impact immigrants’ Program access. In addition, Almas co-hosted a city-wide community forum of legal, anti-hunger and immigrant rights advocates to discuss how to improve social policy and outreach strategies to increase eligible immigrant participation.
Hunger Free Community Report: Access to the Federal Food Stamp Program: An In-Depth Analysis of New York City’s Immigrant Communities, Estimates of Unmet Need and Barriers to Access, co-authored with field site partner Elizabeth McCarthy, is a comprehensive analysis of the context of immigrant food stamp access in New York City. The report includes maps of each of the City’s five boroughs highlighting those zip codes with the greatest concentration of eligible and non-participating immigrants and the results of advocate interviews describing those barriers that disproportionately impact immigrant communities. The final section of the report outlines policymaker and advocate generated recommendations to improve immigrant access.
Policy Placement: Center for American Progress (Washington, DC)
Almas is working with the Economic Opportunity Program’s project on the impact of debt and abusive financial practices, such as pay day lending, on low and middle income households. Almas is coordinating a regional town hall forum on debt related issues and writing a policy brief highlighting innovative policy-based solutions on abusive financial practices and debt.
Education and Experience: Before the Fellowship, Almas worked with the Kansas State Legislature and the state’s Child Protective Services agency developing state policy and legislation on the intersection between child maltreatment and domestic violence. In 2003, she was a Fulbright Fellow at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where she worked with the European Commission of Technical Assistance and a legal service organization for Palestinian women, the Women’s Center for Legal Aid and Counseling. As an undergraduate, Almas studied at Birzeit University in the West Bank, Palestinian Occupied Territories and worked for a micro-finance organization in Bangalore, India. A native of Wichita Kansas, Almas graduated with her B.A. with honors from the University of Kansas and earned her MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science in Economic Development.
 Amanda Wagner
Field Placement: Community Food Bank of Tucson (Tucson, AZ)
In collaboration with the Community Food Security Center, local growers, and community groups, Amanda researched the feasibility of a subsidized CSA-share program for seniors living on a limited income. She also facilitated discussions with community members to inform and direct a long-term project on local food systems development.
Hunger-Free Community Report: Small Talks for Big Change: Conversations around Getting and Growing Good Food is a compilation of Amanda’s community discussions. It includes community members’ perceptions, words, and ideas about local food and food security. The report, and the relationship-building involved in its creation, will be used in the future activities of the Community Food Security Center. The report is available at: www.communityfoodbank.org/pdf/smalltalksforbigchange.pdf
Policy Placement: Community Food Security Coalition (Washington, D.C.)
Amanda is conducting research on local food purchasing practices and regulations as they relate to the Farm to School movement and the upcoming Farm Bill. She is also working on a leadership development pilot program for communities with little access to the food system, particularly youth. Additionally, she is providing outreach and communication support as needed on a collaborative food and farm policy project.
Education and Experience: Amanda, a native of southeastern Pennsylvania, is a 2005 graduate of Franklin & Marshall College with a B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Women and Gender Studies. She spent a semester in Sweden and another in Jamaica, where she conducted an independent study on the role of food and cooking in Jamaican women’s lives. She has done outreach for the Senior Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program, conducted research on food consumption practices in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and worked on an organic farm in Italy. Amanda also contributed to a community needs assessment and a report on housing and homelessness with the United Way of Lancaster County. On campus, she was a member of Students Committed to Social Change and Oxfam.
 Karen Wong
Field Placement: Hunger Task Force (Milwaukee, WI)
Karen conducted an assessment of a universal school meal (Provision 2) pilot program in its first year at six low-income Milwaukee elementary schools. Through interviews with students, parents, school officials, and district officials, she examined the effect of the Provision 2 pilot on factors such as student learning, behavior, and health. Furthermore, Karen gathered data to analyze the impact of the pilot on breakfast participation rates. In addition to conducting this evaluation, Karen collaborated with school and district officials in outreach efforts to ensure a high return of school meal applications, used toward reimbursement funding for the program.
Hunger Free Community Report: Evaluation of the 2005-2006 Provision 2 Pilot in Milwaukee Public Schools highlights key findings from the evaluation of Milwaukee's Provision 2 pilot and is being used to inform considerations regarding future universal free meal expansion in Milwaukee. The report discusses how students and families were affected by the availability of free school meals, the relationship between serving breakfast in the classroom and breakfast participation increases, and outcomes from meal application outreach efforts.
Policy Placement: Volunteers of America (Alexandria, VA)
Karen is working to evaluate the federal homeless assistance grant program. She is analyzing federal data regarding the utilization of these federal monies to fund programs serving the homeless. Karen is also interviewing service providers across the country to assess the relationship between the current federal grant policy and impact on local homeless programs' ability to assist all homeless populations. Education and Experience: Karen graduated in 2005 from Pomona College with a degree in psychology. Her senior thesis examined the impact of positive stereotype expectations on academic performance of Cambodian American students. She also edited for publication an assessment of a community health intervention within an immigrant community, created a best-practices guideline for non-profit capacity building programs, and evaluated Kids Café programming as part of the United Way staff. Karen’s community–based involvement includes volunteering as a caseworker to assist single mothers in obtaining services, employment and housing; serving as a day camp teacher for low income children; ministering to women recovering from substance abuse; and leading discussions among college students about race, class and gender.
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