Tony and Dolly Ellis

By Ed Nicholson

Every time I visit a food bank, I'm impressed and inspired by people who are taking limited and continually-taxed resources and working miracles with them.  Yesterday, I had the pleasure of visiting the San Francisco Food Bank to donate a truckload of chicken, made as part of the Tyson commitment you the readers of this blog made possible by commenting on this post about hunger in the Bay Area.  I'm pleased to announce that since the effort began, Tyson has delivered more than 300,000 pounds of food to Bay Area food banks.  
The San Francisco Food Bank is a truly innovative, inspiring organization. In addition to serving more than 200 independent agencies, they've also created a network of distrubtion points, strategically-located to fill gaps where need exists, providing fresh produce acquired in collaboration with producers around the state.
Paul Ash, seen in the attached video, is the food bank's executive director, and has served the food bank for 19 years,  Paul has a keen insight into the state of hunger in and beyond his own community. 
On a personal note, it was a true pleasure meeting Amy Sherman, Faith Kramer and Gayle Keck, part of the Hunger Challenge group that made this effort possible, as well as Paul, John Curry (SFFB food resources manager), and the rest of the great group from the food bank.  
Another phenomenal group working in the trenches in the fight against hunger.

 

Faith Kramer, Amy Sherman, Gayle Keck, Paul Ash

By Ed Nicholson

 

Ethel Shepherd

Ethel Shepherd is the Tyson Hunger All-Star of the Month for October. You can read Ethel's inspiring story here, but in brief, for the past 25 years, she has been collecting and distributing food for those at risk of hunger in her home town of Mountain Grove, Missouri. 
In the past nine years, as Tyson Foods has become increasingly involved in hunger relief, we've encountered hundreds of "Ethels" around the country: inspiring people who are working selflessly, innovatively and creatively to end hunger in their own communities.   We created the Hunger All-Star program to honor and recognize the work of these people.  Because they deserve it. Because they inspire others to become involved. Because they make a difference.
Perhaps you know someone like Ethel. We would encourage you to nominate them here as a Hunger All-Star.  Even if they're not selected as a Hunger All-Star of the Month,  if they've made a valid contribution, we'll put your nomination up on this site as recognition.  If they are selected as Hunger All-Star of the Month, the Feeding America food bank serving their area will receive a truckload of Tyson products, donated in their honor.
On Monday, Ethel Shepherd received the Hunger All-Star of the Month Award at Ozarks Food Harvest Food Bank in Springfield.  She honored us all by celebrating her 80th birthday at the award ceremony.  And she's still going strong. 

Guest Post by Michael J. Clark, APR - Mitchell Communications Group.

 

Beth Kanter at the SOS Social Media Workshop

I'm currently sitting in the breakout session titled Tapping into Social Media Tools to Build Buzz, Find Fans, and Raise Funds with Tyson team members at the Share Our Strength 2008 Conference of Leaders.

Yesterday, we spent the day in Washington DC interviewing, documenting the many volunteers who dedicated a day of service to the Friendship Charter School and the Capital Area Foodbank, see photos on here (Flickr)

Social media played an important role in the day of sharing. A team of ten participants led by Beth Kanter  (twitter) set out to invite the online community to bear witness.  Share Our Strength (blog)

We invite you to join in the community and participate by making a contribution in our social media to create awareness for Share Our Strength (blog)

 

A young volunteer (and his helpers) at the Share Our Strength Conference of Leaders Day of Service

We're in DC at great event, the Share Our  Strength annual Conference of Leaders.  Each year, Share Our Strength brings together their flock--people who work on Taste of the Nation events, Operation Frontline, Great Amerian  Dineout, Great American Bake Sale, staff, corporate sponsors, and many others.
It's a marvelous example of community building, at the end of which, relationships have been formed and rekindled, and people go away energized about the organization's mission of ending childhood hunger in our lifetime. 
Each year at the conference, a phenomenal conversation occurs, among a group of incredibly passionate, bright and motivated people. This year, we're determined to extend that conversation beyond the conference; to bring it online, and to use the event as catalyst for a social media effort that keeps the community connected year-round.  
To that end, we have quite a bit of social media activity going on.  Beth Kanter is coming in to help us live blog the conference's Service Day, and to lead a workshop tomorrow.   The Share Our Strength Conference of Leaders blog is up and running to document the goings on.  Several people will be tweeting events.   Check it out for the next couple of days to see what's happening. We encourage you to join the conversation, and stay connected as we move forward.

By Ed Nicholson

Today is Blog Action Day, in which thousands of bloggers nationwide devote their energy and resources to creating awareness of one issue, poverty.

While we were late to the game, and didn't get an organized effort together (we promise to  continue to focus on hunger throughout the year), some of the friends we've made this year are doing some admirable work today.

Beth Kanter, who an enormous following, has  alerted us to this post by PunditMom, wherein she's donating $1 to DC's Capital Area Food Bank for every comment to the post. 

Austinite Mike Chapman, a truly great guy, whom we had the pleasure of getting to know during the HAM-Up Tweetup, joined the street immersion sponsored by Mobile Loaves and Fishes and the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas, spending a night with the homeless on the streets of Austin.  He sent Twitter messages throughout the experience.   

 Connie Reece, another well-connected Austinite,  offers this reflection.

Today, we commend everyone who redirected their normal blog focus to this important issue.

We have less than one month until we will elect our next President.  While this seemed quite far away two years ago when they began campaigning, several things have changed in our world, yet one things remains constant: the need to provide more food for those who simply do not have the needed nutritional resources. 
Since politics is such a “sticky wicket” as I am inclined to mention on occasion, I thought I would take this opportunity to talk about the power each of us has in the decision to feed our friends, neighbors and family members who are in need.
While it is easy to complain about a party’s position regarding the war, financial upheaval and a number of other critical areas where big government has dropped the ball, I would pose this question to all candidates: What is your position on food, and exactly how many meals do you think a person needs each day to survive, to thrive, to grow…………?   When they look at you with a what is likely to be a mouthful of rhetoric, take a deep breath and remember that the answer is quite easy: More than what millions of Americans are getting today. 
I would suggest we take one billion dollars and feed a few million people that cannot make ends meet, not because of what they have done or didn’t do.  But because they simply do not have the resources. 
I am amazed that a financial crisis which moves 700 billion dollars to purchase bad financial paper can bring a grown men to tears, while the thought of a family living on one meal a day--with that meal at risk--barely causes a facial nod. 
So what can we do in this situation?  Get out and vote.  Call the campaign office of the person you are considering for this honored office and ask what their position is on food.  Simple……..don’t take “no” for an answer.  Instead, think of the more than 35 million people in the United States who are food insecure.  It is an argument we cannot afford to lose.

 

People from CMT, Tyson Foods and 2nd Harvest of Middle Tennessee

By Ed Nicholson

If you've visited this site in the past couple of months, you've probably noticed a "click to give" banner on the side of the page, with an offer from Tyson Foods and CMT One Country to donate "country fried" chicken in celebration of CMT's Country Fried Videos. 
Yesterday, the first load--30,000 pounds of breaded Tyson chicken--was delivered to a very appropriate recipient, the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee in Nashville.  Appropriate for a couple of reasons.  Not just because it's Nashville, and home to CMT, country music and Country Fried Videos; and the area is home to two Tyson Foods locations.  But also because hunger in middle Tennessee is a serious issue. 
We had a chance to visit with food bank president and CEO Jaynie Day, who provided us some sobering information, in addition telling us of some of the inspiring work the food bank is doing.  We'll have more about that coming up here in the next few days.
It was great to meet all of the folks from CMT who put this together--really friendly people, who are out there doing a lot of good for several different causes.  It's been a pleasure working with you all!
It was also good to have as part of the event Wally Taylor and Jimmy Jones from the Tyson Shelbyville plant, and Steve Friedrichsen and Gary Denton from the Goodlettsville plant.  Their teams, along with 104,000 other hardworking Tyson Team Members make giving this food possible.
We'll eventually be donating a couple more truckloads in fulfillment of the promise we made with the Country Fried Video effort. So stay tuned here.

By Ed Nicholson

As of this morning, more than 2000 comments had been submitted in the read-and-comment-for-food effort to benefit Bay Area Food Banks, meaning all 200,000 pounds of food committed to the effort will be delivered.  In fact, some has already made its way to the food banks, and more will be delivered in coming weeks.

We continue to be humbled by and grateful to the efforts of people who take personal action against hunger in our country.  We're especially grateful to the Hunger Challenge bloggers who got this effort flying in the Bay Area.  Additionally, thanks to those who picked up the ball and ran with it, not just in California, but across the country.

We appreciate the hundreds of Twitter messages and re-tweets that kept this at the forefront of awareness.

Finally, and most importantly, thanks to those who came to the blog posting, read about hunger, and took action by commenting.  You truly have made a difference.

While 200,000 pounds sounds like a lot of food--and is--it is only a drop in bucket compared to what's needed to address the hunger needs in the Bay Area.  Our challenge to you is to stay involved. Don't let your good work stop here. Donate your time, your energy and your resources to a food bank in your area, no matter where you are.  

We'll have a more comprehensive blog post later, listing as many of those of whom we've been made aware who contributed by blogging, tweeting, and spreading the word.  Until then, know that you all have our heartfelt congratulations and thanks for making this effort a stellar example of the online community taking positive action.