Get to Know Allison Duda

In 2022, roughly 17 million U.S. households were food insecure, meaning these households were uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, enough food to meet the needs of all their members due to insufficient money or other resources. Serving as the Youth Nutrition Coordinator for the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, D.C., Bloomberg Fellow Allison Duda has a front-row seat to the crisis of food insecurity in the United States. Through her Fellowship, she hopes to gain the tools she needs to help families in the D.C. area move toward a healthier future.

After earning her degree in Dietetics in Wisconsin, Duda relocated to the D.C. area to complete two service years with FoodCorps/AmeriCorps. In this role, she provided nutrition and garden science education in D.C. Public and Charter Schools. Realizing how many students in her schools depended on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Duda was determined to help families in the D.C. region gain access to both nutritious food and the services they might need to obtain food on a consistent basis.

A few years later, Duda joined the Capital Area Food Bank and began assisting with their school-based Family Market program. Through this program, Duda and her team distribute approximately 30 pounds of produce and shelf-stable items monthly to families at 20 partner schools. In 2023, these school-based programs provided 350,000 meals to D.C. families. Duda also saw an incredible opportunity for collaboration at these monthly markets and brought D.C. Hunger Solutions on board to assist families in enrolling in food-security programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assitance Program. 

Reflecting on this partnership, Duda shared, “I believe that food banks like ours can play a crucial role in partnering with a wide array of organizations and healthcare systems to support [community wellness].” She added, “I am passionate about ensuring those facing food insecurity are aware of and utilize all available food-access programs, since not just one program can solve food insecurity.” 

Understanding the importance of effective policy and partnership, Duda applied to the Bloomberg Fellowship to complete her Master of Public Health degree at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. While she initially joined to gain more skills, she immediately saw the vast network of collaborating partners as a sea of opportunity and is eager to leverage her fellowship experience to continue making key connections to help improve the lives of her community members.