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DONOR SPOTLIGHT: RALPH S. AND FRANCES R. DWECK FAMILY FOUNDATION

12.09.2015

Martha’s Table’s Joyful Food Markets bring free, healthy groceries and food education to elementary schools through a partnership with the Capital Area Food Bank. The Ralph S. and Frances R. Dweck Family Foundation— led by husband-wife duo and Apple Society members Ralph and Louie Dweck—were among the first major investors in this exciting partnership, which seeks to spread the joy of healthy eating throughout the District. Ralph and Louie both grew up in families that placed high value on service and giving. “It has been the culture of our family—both of the families—to help and think about others,” says Louie. Both she and her husband were raised in the District, where they remain, and where they focus the work of their Foundation. “We care about this city and the people who live here,” she says. It is for this reason that their family chose to support Martha’s Table’s fight against hunger. “Can you imagine how it feels not to know when you’re going to eat again?” Louie asks. “We live in a city of educated, well-meaning people who are unaware of the overwhelming number of hungry children and families here. It’s not a problem of some other country; it is our problem, right now, in our nation’s capital. It is incumbent upon us to do something about it.” Considering the devastating impact of hunger on children and families, she adds: “If you’re hungry, you can’t learn well. If you aren’t nourished, your body can’t function. I don’t see how anyone can have hope when they’re hungry.” By 2018, Joyful Food Markets will be in every elementary school in Wards 7 and 8, totaling 49 schools, and making a major dent in child hunger east of the Anacostia river. Thank you to the Dweck Family Foundation and the many other investors, supporters, and volunteers who stand with us to make this work possible!

I don’t see how anyone can have hope when they’re hungry.

– Louie Dweck