Sarah Ford
Chef who revolutionized homeless food program at Miriam’s Kitchen says goodbye after 14 years
WASHINGTON — Ann Brown remembers walking through D.C.’s Foggy Bottom neighborhood 15 years ago and catching a whiff of canned collard greens and hot dogs at 6 a.m.
That smell was breakfast cooking at Miriam’s Kitchen, where Brown volunteered on Tuesdays as a dishwasher.
But in 2001, those smells stopped when Steven Badt stepped into the kitchen.
Badt, a chef who worked in restaurants in New York, Boston and D.C., didn’t see the need to treat the nonprofit’s food program any differently than a program in one of his restaurants.
So he replaced cans of mushy vegetables with fresh salads made from local greens, beans and nuts. Salty hot dogs were swapped for made-from-scratch waffles, omelets and home fries.
“Steve said, ‘I would never give anyone homeless something that I wouldn’t eat or you wouldn’t eat at home,’” Brown recalls.
Get Resources and Insights Straight To Your Inbox
Explore More Articles
Corporate Volunteering: The Business Case for an Employee Volunteer Program
Corporate volunteering has evolved well beyond the occasional company service day. A well-designed employee volunteer program can strengthen employee engagement, reinforce company culture, develop leadership skills,…
Environmental Awareness Month
Every September, environmental organizations around the Nation come together in recognition of Environmental Awareness Month, with a goal to raise awareness about environmental issues that…
Join Feeding America and Take Action During Hunger Action Month
No one should have to go hungry in the richest country in the world — yet millions of Americans don’t have enough to eat. Our…
Get Resources and Insights Straight To Your Inbox
Receive our monthly/bi-monthly newsletter filled with information about causes, nonprofit impact, and topics important for corporate social responsibility and employee engagement professionals, including disaster response, workplace giving, matching gifts, employee assistance funds, volunteering, scholarship award program management, grantmaking, and other philanthropic initiatives.
