A Wider Circle
In 2001, Dr. Mark Bergel was working as a health professional, part-time faculty member at American University, and consultant when he volunteered to deliver food to impoverished residents in the Washington, D.C. area. He was startled by the depth of poverty, poor health, and general inequalities he witnessed in the region. As he went home-to-home distributing food, he met families living without a secure food supply, without beds on which to sleep, and without access to basic health and wellness information.