Here at The Women’s Foundation, we have hit the ground running and are looking forward to an exciting 2014. As we start a brand new year, I want to share a few of my top priorities:

1. Catalyzing Investment:  We will continue to deepen both our impact and reach.  In addition to growing our important Stepping Stones investments supporting low-income women in our region, we are working to catalyze new strategic partnerships in our community that will result in targeted programming and support for middle school girls and their mothers, simultaneously.

2. Developing a Policy Agenda:  In partnership with the California Women’s Foundation, the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis, and the Chicago Foundation for Women, we are undertaking research to identify the key components of both a local and national women’s economic security agenda that women’s foundations can play a role in elevating.

3. Engaging our Stakeholders:  We will continue to find ways to engage you in our work, including providing you with opportunities to lend your voice to our efforts and to deepen your connection with the Foundation and the region.

4. Expanding our Resources: We have seen amazing results from our work but must continue to mobilize our community to build the human, social, political and financial capital needed to create the kind of transformation we all believe needs to happen.

We have an opportunity to build the momentum and national messaging generated by The Shriver Report, which emphasizes why we must make investing in low-income women and girls a priority. You — your presence, voice and support — are critical to our efforts to transform the lives of women and girls, and the Washington region. I hope that you’ll stand with us in 2014.

Last week, the media was buzzing following Miss Utah’s flubbed response at the Miss USA Pageant to a question about pay inequity and women’s rights. The question from judge NeNe Leakes was: “A recent report shows that in 40 percent of American families with children, women are the primary earners, yet they continue to earn less than men. What does it say about society?” Miss Utah (aka Marissa Powell) for all intents and purposes could not answer the question, and under the pressure of the lights and the cameras, vaguely responded with allusions to increased education and job creation. I’ve been fascinated by the coverage of this issue as there appears to be some level of outrage, at least across the media, to the fact that Marissa botched the answer to this question, and of course the commentary about the relative intelligence of beauty pageant contestants has been part of the ribbing. ( I found this media reaction particularly interesting given the fact that, in general, mainstream media does not seem to be aware of or interested in women’s rights issues and reporting on the continued inequality in this country).

At the end of the day, I think this contestant’s inability to answer the question is less about beauty pageants, and in fact more reflective of the lackluster state of the women’s rights movement, and in particular, the lack of awareness among young women about the issues that women continue to face in this country. For me, this is a call to action – women’s organizations, policymakers, and leaders need to do a better job of educating the public on the need for continued focus on women’s rights and re-galvanize women of all ages to continue to fight for equality. Only then will we have the voice and power to shift policy and institutions that continue to hold women back.

Nicky is president of Washington Area Women’s Foundation.

This week, several members of The Women’s Foundation staff are participating in the Food Stamp Challenge, an exercise organized by D.C. Hunger Solutions that educates the public and raises awareness of the benefits of food stamps and the challenges recipients face while eating on a very limited budget. The staff will be sharing their experiences on this blog.

Yesterday, I took my 12-year-old son with me to my local Safeway to do my shopping for the Food Stamp Challenge.  I had $30 to buy food for an entire week for myself.  Just the process of shopping was highly enlightening and also frustrating.  First thing I realized was how much I take for granted when I am shopping for food in a typical week.  Yes – I always shop from a list, carefully crafted to enable me to prepare meals for my family over the course of the week.  But once the list is made, with only rare exceptions, I don’t really look at the prices of the things I am buying – they are on the list, they are part of the meal plan, so they go in the cart.  That is probably the surest sign of economic security and stability – and the anti-thesis of my shopping experience yesterday.

With only $30, the first thing I realized was I needed to get the maximum amount of food with the money I had.  That meant 1) fewer fresh fruits and vegetables; 2) fewer proteins – I purchased eggs, a five-pack of chicken legs, a can of black beans, a can of garbanzo beans, and peanut butter as my protein quotient; 3) more carbs – bread, pasta, rice; 4) organic was out the window, as were any consideration of sodium, carbs, fat, or nutritional content – it was all about cost.

The second thing I realized was how stressful it was to walk up to the checkout line knowing I had only $30 to spend and no more.  People were lining up behind me, and wondering why I was keeping some items in the cart as I waited to see what the tally would be.  When it came in lower than I expected, I added the items held back.  When all was said and done, I had $2.45 left – there was no way I was leaving that on the table.  So I completed check-out, left the groceries with my son, and went back in to find one or two more items for my $2.45.

The third thing I realized was that I could not afford the luxury of things like chocolate and caffeine.

This is going to be an interesting week.

Nicky Goren is president of Washington Area Women’s Foundation.

Earlier this month, I had the great privilege and opportunity to attend the London Olympic Games — fulfilling my lifelong dream of seeing the Olympics and having the chance to do so in the city in which I grew up.  It was truly the experience of a lifetime, and not just because I’m a lifelong athlete and sports fan. These games were historic in many ways, particularly for women, and it was truly an honor to witness them live. As the festivities in London continue with the start of the Paralympics this week, I wanted to share with you five observations about these games.

5.  I’m proud to say that London carried out its role as host admirably.  Our experience as attendees was stress-free, the transportation system worked perfectly, and the organizers had clearly put a lot of thought into the logistics.

4.  While I admire Britain’s National Health Service, and was a frequent user of those services as an accident-prone child and teenager, I’m not sure they deserved quite so prominent a role in the opening ceremony.  Just saying.

3.  It was interesting to learn how, for so many athletes, both here and abroad, winning an Olympic medal would change their lives forever, and in many cases, help lift them and their families out of poverty.

2.  It was equally interesting to learn about how many athletes in the US live at or below the poverty line. Few make enough money through sports to support themselves, and the US Olympics Committee – a 501(c)(3) – does not raise enough to sponsor every athlete.

1.  In so many ways, this Olympics was about the rise of women in sports, though it was still clear that there is, in some places, a long way to go (one example being the stories about the Japanese and Australian women’s teams travelling coach on the same plane as the men’s teams, who flew business class).  For Team USA, women ruled, winning 59 of the total 104 medals, and 29 of the 46 Gold medals won by the US team.  This was also the first time in history that the US sent more women athletes to the Olympics than men. The successful turnout has been attributed, in part, to Title IX.  An increase in women’s sports at the Olympics also led to every country present having at least one woman on the team for the first time ever.

We do have a way to go to ensure that male and female athletes are on equal footing when it comes to sponsorships and ticket sales. Increasing opportunity, interest and visibility is a wonderful thing – and not just for female athletes. A fundamental shift in sports can lead to more prospects and confidence for women and girls in all areas. Seeing a woman with talent and a dream holding up a gold medal on a podium in London makes so many more things seem possible.

Nicky is president of Washington Area Women’s Foundation.