Blog

Since July, Bread for the City has been grieving the loss of our long-time chief operating officer, Jeannine Sanford. To those who knew her, Jeanine was a caring mentor. Throughout her 30-year tenure, she always offered her time, provided advice, and advocated for those in need as a well-known pillar in the legal services and pro bono community. 

We unite with Jeannine’s family, her friends, the legal access community, and her Bread for the City loved ones in honoring her legacy as we say goodbye.

“With food insecurity at an all-time high in the District, working with area businesses in the food industry is paramount to solving hunger through a collaborative approach,” said George Jones, CEO of Bread for the City. “It takes all of us – nonprofits, government, businesses, and individuals – to tackle these complex issues. We’re excited to receive this support from Wegmans and happy to welcome them to the fight against poverty here in DC.”

On May 5, the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety had its first public hearing on the “Paternity Establishment Amendment Act of 2022.” This amendment would make it easier to obtain court-ordered DNA testing when someone has reason to believe there was a mistake in the signing of an Acknowledgment of Paternity (AOP).

Under current law, it is difficult to undo an AOP, even when everyone agrees a mistake has been made and someone else is the child’s biological father. This often results in men being responsible for paying child support and having legal rights to children that are not their biological children, and with whom they may have no relationship.

Bread for the City’s Legal Clinic has been fighting these cases in court for years and our attorneys have witnessed the injustices and burdens on families that inaccurate AOPs can have. Our own Allison Miles-Lee provided testimony in support of the amendment during last week’s public hearing. She shares the difficult story of a former Bread for the City client who was denied his request for a court-order paternity test and lost the right to care for a  child he believed to be his own.