Tony and Dolly Ellis

By Susan Brockway.

As the president of the board of directors for a small food bank, I am losing a lot of sleep wondering where the money will come from.  Small food banks don't receive proceeds from national cause marketing campaigns for operating funds.  Most local donations  are down 20% and most services up 35-40%. 

What rabbit are we going to pull out of our hats to keep these critical operations up and running? 

Is  anyone else worrying.......I certainly hope so.

 

By Ed Nicholson

At Tyson Foods, we’re frequently asked why so many of our in-kind donations go to Feeding America food banks.  After all, there any number of very worthy recipients of our products, at both the local and national levels, who could channel everything we donate to people in need.

Here are some of the reasons we choose to support Feeding America with our in-kind donations:

The Feeding America network of food banks covers every county in the United States.  It is a well-designed, well-run food distribution network, that specifically addresses the needs of the 34 million people in the U.S. at risk of hunger.

Each food bank has a robust network of agencies who can guarantee the food is distributed fairly. Agencies are required to submit evidence that the food they receive goes specifically to hunger relief programs, feeding people who really need it without discriminating requirements.  

Food safety is at the forefront.  Feeding America has a food safety certification program to ensure each food bank is handling and distributing the food properly.  In turn, the food banks ensure their distributing agencies also place a high value on food safety. This is especially important in a world where food safety is everyone’s responsibility, from farm to fork. 

The food will not end up back on the market; no matter what.  When we donate products, we want to make certain they don’t end up back in commerce, competing with our products in retail stores. Believe it or not, this has occurred.  This is important to the retail stores to whom we sell.  Us, too.

Feeding America, through their national organization, encourages thought leadership and best practices among its member food banks.  Examples: Backpack programs, which send food home on the weekend with kids at-risk of hunger.  A Washington, D.C.-based office of hunger experts who advocate on The Hill for legislation that addresses hunger in the U.S.

Feeding America has the support of national sponsors, who are committed to the sustainability of the network. 

We’re often approached for donations by individual agencies at the local level. We subsequently encourage them to become members of the Feeding America food bank serving their area, ensuring them sustainable access to a consistent supply of quality food.
 

 

 

 

By Ed Nicholson

At Tyson, we get frequent requests for food donations from organizations claiming to be "food banks." Upon further query it often turns out that many of the groups--as worthy as their efforts are--are not food banks. There exists some confusion over the use of the term that needs to be cleared up.
A food bank is a non-profit organization that warehouses and distributes food to a network of local agencies, who in turn distribute to individuals in need.
Food banks receive food and other resources from a number of different sources, including food producers, grocery stores, individual donors and organizational food drives. Many food banks are also official distributors for USDA and FEMA government emergency food programs.
Food banks typically have a network of non-profit organizations to which they distribute, which can include food pantries, feeding sites, and shelters. Quite often, this is where the confusion arises. Food pantries are not "food banks" (even though some food banks operate food pantries and mobile food distribution systems).
The agencies are where the rubber meets the road. They distribute the food to families and individuals in need.
Tyson Foods is a proud supporter of the Feeding America Network, which includes more than 200 member food banks, serves every county in the U.S., and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of food relief each year.  95% of the food Tyson donates goes to Feeding America food banks. There are some very compelling, specific reasons our company chooses to partner with Feeding America. I'll get into those in a later post.
The U.S., due in large part to the effectiveness of the Feeding America and its network of food banks has the most efficient emergency food distribution system in the world.
 

 

By Susan Brockway

I pose this question before I even begin, because unlike one or two years ago, things are not as easy, and need a quick solution.  I am a board member of a Feeding America member food bank.  My fellow board members, staff, volunteers and I are constantly looking for ways to bring more food into the pipeline.  We have increased our distribution by 1 million pounds in one year and will most likely see another increase this year.  Some would say “great job”.  I say this is a recipe for trouble and that we need to pay close attention to the trends. 
It is expected that we will see an increase of approximately 40% in the number of agencies and individuals needing food from community food banks.  Is anyone but me questioning why this is a dangerous trend?  While we certainly are working hard at  meeting the needs of growing numbers of families, food banks and agencies were never meant to take the place of retailers, gardens, co-ops and markets in supplying food. 
Some would say that food banks have been forced to become a retailer of sorts, making food choices and purchasing food to keep up with the increasing demand.  When people and organizations who have traditionally been food bank donors are forced by the economy to be food bank recipients, what are  we to do?
Please tell me you are not satisfied with the status quo.  Let’s open some dialogue about why most states are struggling to provide an easier venue for individuals to apply and qualify for food stamps? We are a food rich nation, how are we managing this asset? 

Susan Brockway is Sr. Community Relations Manager at Tyson Foods, deeply involved in the company's hunger relief efforts.  She is also Board President of the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank.

photo Creative Commons, Mike Licht

by Andrea Sherwood
It seems the buzz around the issue of hunger and helping others increases during the holiday season. Let’s share our creative ideas and get the conversation started while the momentum of caring is getting into full swing.
What traditions do you have of helping other people around the holidays? Do you involve your family? How do you involve your children and others?

Here are a few hunger tips to get us started:
• 2008 Treats for Santa. Have your children leave a box of mac & cheese or other shelf stable items for Santa. Have them write a note to Santa asking him to drop the food off at the local food bank for hungry kids.
• Santa Delivers Food. In addition to stocking stuffers Santa leaves a bag of food with a note asking your children to please deliver this food to the food bank to help those who are hungry. Then take your kids to the food bank to donate the food and take a tour.
• Cookie Delivery. Take a plate, a tin or pan of cookies you have baked and deliver to the food bank staff saying thank you to them for making sure other kids get food to eat. While there take a tour and ask about hungry kids in the community.
• Serve a Meal. Contact your local food bank for contact agencies who will be serving a holiday meal to those who are hungry. Sign up for you and your family to volunteer.
• Help Distribute Gifts. How about signing up to help distribute gifts that have been collected for families who are in need? Contact your local agencies to see how you and your family can help.
What are you traditions or ideas?

by Andrea Sherwood

Tyson Foods, Inc. donated 36,000 lbs of protein to Harvest Texarkana Food Bank on December 11, 2008. As part of that day, Carolyn Box, Hope Complex HR Manager, Donna Duggan, Grannis & Broken Bow Complex HR Manager and I toured the food bank. We learned about local agencies, programs, and the food bank’s wish list. I am always amazed with each food bank tour the amazing business each food bank operates and the impact they have on each of our communities. It was an eye-opening day for each of us.
How far away are the vast majority of Americans from needing assistance from a Feeding America Agency? Listen to Michelle Harutunian, Executive Director, Harvest Texarkana to find out and hear two other stories of hunger in America!
What stories do you have of Hunger in America?

Suzan Bateson, Executive Director of the Alameda County Community Food Bank, offered this comment  and perspective on  Sue Brockway's post suggesting that the hungry deserve a bail out, too. We thought it compelling enough to stand on its own as an entry.

******

We can't wait for a government bail out for the Alameda County Community Food Bank in Oakland, California.

An unprecedented spike in need has us scrambling to hand out food for today and hope for tomorrow by working on policies that we hope will brighten the future. We have an amazing outreach team that helps connect as many families as we can with the federal supplemental nutrition assistance (food stamp) program -- that takes time, and these days with layoffs and underemployment, high food prices, and a 40% spike in clients who need food right now -- time is our enemy.  We distribute millions of pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables each year and find a great deal of pride in that. Our operations team works harder than they knew they could to turn product around swiftly. Finance team keeps a close eye on our financials and oversees our administration while development works tirelessly to raise funds, food drive donations and create amazing events (you know you've seen us in action). I walk among angels each day with our staff, agency partners, board and donors -- who strive to conquer hunger in our community.

We serve tens of thousands of hungry children. Children's health is affected by improper nutrition -- but even more delicate is their emotional state when parents work more than one job but can't afford adequate nutrition for their family. Illness, depression, isolation and hopelessness can lead to a gang's allure or academic failure. This is our future, America, how can we ignore our children.

Last week a 92 year old called the food helpline. He had never asked for help in his life. Our helpline operators take calls like these each day. They have more compassion than you can imagine. They take in more than anyone should ever hear.

How can you help? Many who read this won't be able to make big financial gifts -- but America is a wealthy country and has many wealthy citizens. Over the next couple of years it will be essential for Americans to give -- at their greatest capacity -- to basic needs organizations like food banks. With 36 million Americans affected by hunger it's clear that we have a crisis that will play out in the future if we don't provide a safety net today.

Sue, thanks for your work and your challege to speak up. Sometimes the work takes us to the limit, but it's important that we share a snapshot of Main Street with those who will take our words to heart.

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We're always eager to provide space in this forum for hunger fighters who would offer their perspective.  We'll gladly link back to your own online space should you do so.

by Ed Nicholson

The Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee (Nashville) has a unique USDA-inspected food processing facility in their food bank that produces "boil in the bag" food for hunger and disaster relief.

In addition to producing for their own agencies--food pantries, backpack programs, etc.--they also produce for other Feeding America food banks around the country.

Scott Burleson, director of manufacturing for the food bank, describes the operation in the video above.

This is a great example of innovative solutions being applied to ongoing challenges.

By Ed Nicholson

Beth Kanter pointed us to this very well-written article by David Cay Johnston in the New York Times discussing the state of hunger in America today, which states the obvious for those involved the fight:  Hunger relief organizations are seeing exponential growth in demand due to a struggling economy, at the same time resources are shrinking. 

"What makes the demand so striking this year is not only the suddenness but also the demographic that is seeking help. Most of the newcomers have been employed and have managed to survive dips in the job market. Many of them are couples and single parents who... had [previously] managed without handouts."

And on the supply side, improvements in inventory and quality control by donor companies have reduced available product, while, "Surplus production is often sold to overseas markets at a discount that brings food manufacturers more than the value of the tax deduction of a charitable donation, food bank managers across the country said in interviews." 

Times are tough.  If you can afford it, donate to your local food bank. 

John Curry is the food resources manager for the San Francisco Food Bank.  John was instrumental in our expanding the Hunger Challenge comment for food effort to all five food banks in the Bay area. In addition to being an all-around good guy , John also helps manage a unique distribution sysem for the food bank.  John discusses the system in the video interview attached. 

John's a great example of the kind of dedicated folks you'll find in food banks all around the country.