Tony and Dolly Ellis

 By Ed Nicholson

For the past few years, those of us in public relations have been receiving a constant stream of reminders that the ground is shifting beneath our feet. That the way we communicate, engage stakeholders,  and participate in communities is being revolutionized by breakthrough communications vehicles.  I’m one who happens to believe that’s true.

While I still can’t start my day without dead trees, more and more of my daily information flow is being delivered to my desktop via RSS.    I author and contribute to several blogs, including this one.  I have a (relatively inactive) Facebook account  and a growing number of Linkedin contacts.
I even Twitter.

I’ve discovered that all over the Web, there are vibrant, stimulating, engaging discussions occurring in ever-growing communities on virtually any subject or any issue one might imagine.

But for the life of me,  I can’t find much more than static content from the hunger community online.  I’ve done Technorati and Google searches.  “Hunger Relief” is on my daily Bloglines feed.  Not much there in the way of active discourse. Lots of folks talking at  people, but not many real conversations.

Beth Scofield put together an incredibly well-built online presence with SOS in Sharingwitness.org, with an all-star cast of contributors. Comments were enabled (and I'm certain encouraged), but one can count the number of comments on two hands. Before its time…?

I know this is a passionate community.  I’ve been to A2H and SOS conferences, and you won’t find a more committed, articulate, educated bunch in the world.  People like Michael Farver (who himself is very hip to technology).  They certainly aren’t afraid to speak out when they’re face-to-face. And they have some remarkable things to contribute.

Helloooo…..Anyone out there?  Maybe, there’s a party going on somewhere to which I’ve simply not been invited.  If so, please let me know.  We’ll put a link up on this site to try to drive more traffic that way.

Meanwhile, we’d appreciate your adding this site to your RSS feed.    We’re bound and determined to play a role in stimulating the online discussion about this issue.

Got a comment?   PLEASE jump in.

By Jenise Huffman

My company (Tyson Foods, Inc.) is so committed to alleviating hunger that they are funding a fellowship for me to work in New York City at Millennium Promise for 6 months to work on reducing hunger and poverty in Africa. 

Millennium Promise was founded by Dr. Jeffrey Sachs and Ray Chambers after the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan introduced the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).   The Millennium Development Goals are the world’s time-bound and quantified targets for addressing extreme poverty in its many dimensions while promoting gender equality, education and environmental sustainability

 Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Hunger and Poverty
 Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education
 Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
 Goal 4: Reduce Child Mortality
 Goal 5: Improve Maternal Health
 Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases
 Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability
 Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development

Tyson Foods has demonstrated a deep commitment to advance the first of the MDGs: eradicate extreme hunger and poverty in the world.

To this end they have generously loaned me to Millennium Promise to support their mission to achieve the MDG’s.

Millennium Promise uses a holistic approach to work with impoverished communities, partner organizations and national and local governments to implement high-impact programs aimed at stopping the cycle of poverty. Their flagship initiative, the Millennium Villages project  now operates in 80 villages across 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.. 

I’m so excited to be part of this organization’s strategy development, branding and business development efforts.  It is so fulfilling to go to work every day knowing that I work for a company that is actively participating in finding a solution to world hunger and the poverty that leads to chronic malnourishment.  I’m proud to work for Tyson and be part of this amazing endeavor.  The solution won’t be easy, but I don’t know of anything more important than to save the more than 20,000 people who die every day due to extreme poverty (inability to buy food or medicine).

Jenise Huffman is a National Account Exec in the Tyson Foods Consumer Products Group.

By Susan Brockway

In my quest to find out what people are eating and cooking, I interviewed 2 single mothers on my weekly visit to the grocery store.  I found 2 very interesting contrasts. 
The first mother spends about $75 in cash for a family of 4 for 10 days, and is not a food stamp recipient because of her income level. They eat a lot of hamburger helper, many times without the burger, grilled cheese sandwiches and hot dogs.  When I asked her what kind of fruits and vegetables she and her children ate, she identified bananas and canned peaches.  They do not eat eggs or breakfast meats because of cost, and instead eat 3-4 bags of sugary cereal.  I asked her about beverages and she identified soda, 1 gallon of milk and fruit drinks.  2 of the 3 children are enrolled in free and reduced lunch programs. 
The second mother has three children and  is a food stamp recipient.  She spends approximately $125 a week including her food stamps and cash on food. She buys very little with processed sugar said she watches portion control; adding 2 snacks each day of fresh fruits and grains. She said she is able to make things stretch.  Both women talked about the lack of money available because of fuel costs and the need to drive more than 10 miles each day for jobs that pay more than minimum wage but hardly add a cushion in their budgets.  Both pay some child care costs that are supplied by relatives.  I had a great talk with them both and was saddened by the choices they are forced to make because of the available resources. 
I posed a question to both, and their answers were almost identical:  I asked them if they could buy anything they wanted regardless of cost; what would it be.  Their answer was milk, meat and something so that their children could have better breakfasts each day.   I gave them both  coupons for Tyson products and pointed out some great protein buys for them. 
When I left, I sat in my car for several minutes and was even more saddened.  Each day there are people making hard choices about nutrition, and they often seem to be making ones we find fault with. But given their resources and living costs, I had no answers or additional words of hope.
They are working hard to make ends meet, and the ends never seem to come together. 
So here is my question to all of you; What if we all chose one family to work with, just one, and saw it through.  We could share recipes, our garden bounty and knowledge.  What if we listened to their stories and struggles and became agents of change for just one family?  Would it make a difference?  I decided the answer was yes. 
I am befriending one family and providing some help.  I, in turn, am being blessed more than I will ever receive in return.  I was given a new recipe for a vegetable dish from a family's great grandmother that one mother cannot afford to prepare.  While I was in human service field in an earlier career, I learned a lesson that's still true:  many doors are closed to people who are now classified as the working poor. What are you willing to do……are you willing to be an agent of change? Let me hear from you.

Tyson Foods president and CEO, Dick Bond, along with Linda Scheid, executive director, Food Bank of Siouxland,  announcing the donation of a truckload of Tyson products to the food bank.

On Tuesday, May 20, Tyson Foods president and CEO Richard Bond visited the headquarters of the company's Fresh Meats Group in Dakota Dunes, South Dakota, announcing the donation of a truckload of Tyson products to the Food Bank of Siouxland and the kickoff of Tyson's annual “Powering the Spirit” fundraising campaign against childhood hunger.

 “One of the key components of a healthy meal is protein and having Tyson as our partner in the fight against hunger is an enormous boost,” said Food Bank of Siouxland Executive Director Linda Scheid.  “This donation is especially helpful since food prices continue to rise and more people are turning to local charities to help feed their families.

The Food Bank of Siouxland serves as a year round, centralized, stable food source for more than 200 area agencies that have on-site feeding programs or food pantries.  It provides food to member agencies such as church pantries, emergency relief agencies, shelters, children's homes, day care centers, rehabilitation programs, senior citizens centers and other outreach programs.

Tyson’s involvement in the fight against hunger goes beyond food donations.  Between 2003 and 2007, Tyson Team Members raised more than half a million dollars to provide childhood hunger relief in their own communities through an internal fundraising campaign, called “Powering the Spirit.”   This includes almost $3,500 raised last year by Team Members from the Tyson’s Dakota Dunes office.  This year’s campaign will also include Team Members from the company’s Dakota City plant.

Where is the most lively debate on hunger in America occurring on this beautiful day in May of 2008? On the Websites of America's Second Harvest or Share Our Strength, or FRAC?

Nope.  Not today--as valuable as those sites are for providing great information. Today the most lively debate is occurring in the comments section of a USA Today article, "New breed of American emerges in need of food." 

It's a good article.  Well researched, with some provocative facts and statistics.  It quotes a lot of very knowledgeable people including our good friend Maura Daly from A2H, who's been on the front lines out there fighting for a quality nutrition title in the Farm Bill;  and Bill Bolling from Atlanta Community Food Bank, a pioneer in the food banking business, who's been in it long enough to speak quite authoritatively about what's happening now.

I read it with interest. All the way down to the comments section.  Which amazed me.  703 comments as of the time of this posting.  Probably more by the time you read this.  More than any other story sitting online at USA Today as of this writing (twice as many as the article about the Pope voicing his opinion on gay unions).

The comments are all over the board, with a lot of opinion divided across ideological lines, and some of the commentary devolving into political bickering.  What's especially disturbing is the great number who are unashamed to voice the opinion that people at risk of hunger "get what they deserve."  

One wonders how many people--how many kids--have to be placed at risk before it's widely recognized that more often than not, hunger is not a product of lifestyle choices.

I didn't have the time to read all of the comments.  But I have to ask: is there a better way to elevate the debate and create accurate awareness for hunger in our country?

I am also a believer in ROI for giving initiatives, and that doing good can and should be a rewarding venture for both companies and their beneficiaries. But to accomplish this, those of us working in non-profits or corporate philanthropy have to do a better job of creating great matches between the two.
 
What makes a great match? If you look around, you can find many examples of giving initiatives that seem to really work. Like an energy company that supports environmental conservation, or a bank that supports financial literacy education, or a food company that helps feed hungry families.
 
In these cases and so many others, the match seems obvious and a good impact on society is sure to result. But effective programs don’t just meet a need, they play to a company’s strengths and allow them to make a meaningful contribution doing what they do best. Aah, now that’s a concept, and one that increases a program’s chances of weathering the ups and downs of the economy or other changing corporate winds, as Ed has pointed out. I’ve never seen a shortage of good causes to support; the reality is companies have to evaluate numerous opportunities to find those things that make the most sense for them -- and their stakeholders -- to invest in.
 
Here are a few thoughts, from my consultant’s perspective, on what makes a strong program and a great match. The best giving initiatives:
• Reflect a company’s mission, vision and values;
• Align with one or more business objectives;
• Match up with its operational locations and presence;
• Resound with stakeholders and the issues they care about;
• Create opportunities for community engagement and dialogue about how to effect positive change by working together;
• Excite employees and offer meaningful opportunities to be involved;
• Communicate credible messages about the company;
• Tell compelling stories about how lives, communities and society are being impacted;
• Establish collaborations with respected partners; and
• Enhance the reputation of everyone involved.
 
To do anything less is, well, to settle for less. Time we did more for the benefit of all.

Posted by Elise Mitchell

Elise Mitchell, APR, Fellow PRSA, is president and CEO of Mitchell Communications Group.  She and her group work closely with Tyson Foods in developing and implementing Tyson's hunger relief strategy and communications.

More than 1 million Texans experience hunger on a regular basis, and every week approximately 43,000 families receive food assistance through the North Texas Food Bank’s network of Member Agencies. As the numbers show, hunger is still prevalent and a persistent problem in the region, which is why Food Bank officials are applauding good news from Tyson Foods and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).

The partnership announced the donation of more than 15 tons of much needed protein today, as part of its 1 million pound, three-year commitment to fight hunger together. North Texas city officials, LULAC leadership, Food Bank representatives and Tyson Team Members attended the ceremony.

“The North Texas Food Bank strives to provide nutritious meals to those we serve. We are able to provide quality protein thanks to generous donations by Tyson. We value their products and partnership and so do the families who receive it,” said Jan Pruitt, North Texas Food Bank CEO. “Especially now that food prices are on the rise and the demand for food from our member agencies is up 17 percent. The donation today will serve as the centerpiece of more than 120,000 meals served throughout our network.”

Hector Flores, immediate past president of LULAC and native of Texas, was on hand today for the contribution. LULAC is the oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization in the United States. The group advances the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based programs operating at more than 700 LULAC councils nationwide.

Libby Lawson, Tyson VP media and community relations; Ruth Wade, Hunger All-Star; Lynn Brantley, president and CEO, Capital Area Food Bank

Ruth Wade has made helping people in her community a life’s work. Her community involvement began in the 1950s when she taught people in need how to cook surplus food. Today Tyson Foods recognized the difference that Ruth’s volunteer work has made in the lives of families and selected Wade as the next “Hunger All-Star,” an honor that comes with a donation of more than 15 tons of protein to America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network agency.  When told of her distinction and truckload of Tyson products coming to the Capital Area Food Bank, Wade thought of this gift to the food banks as a way she most wanted to celebrate her next birthday.

Ruth’s work is the perfect example of the “Hunger All-Star” program’s belief that one person can make a difference in the fight against hunger. In 1996 Ruth took over as coordinator of the Mount Vernon United Methodist Church food program, which feeds more than 100 people every month. Ruth says that her program helps to meet a tremendous social need for people in crisis. “Sometimes they come just for the hug, just for the love,” said Wade. While maintaining a ready supply of food and other resources may be a constant challenge for Wade, her contagious smile is always in abundant supply. With the energy of someone half her age, she shows little sign of giving up looking forward to serving the next hungry person who may walk through the church’s doorway.

At the awards ceremony, Ruth left us with some simple, but profound wisdom that exemplifies the humanity in her humanitarian work:  "In my experience people are not only happy to get food, they are happy to be treated as people.   I care about people not just  because they are hungry but because they are people."

Rising food prices, the food vs. fuel debate, increased gasoline prices, food insecurity on the rise and the “art of the cart” are daily issues in each of our communities everyday. Answers and solutions are not easy, so it leaves me thinking what can be done now. What can I do? How can I make a difference?

My thinking “outside the box” this week has led me back to thinking “inside my garden box.” It’s garden planting time! Let’s think what could happen if we all planted one extra plant, one row or one packet of seeds of something we already grow and dedicate its produce to the food bank?

Garden produce is a nontraditional food item we often don’ think of sharing with the food bank. Yet, it is a nutritional food that can be abundantly shared in the summer with little cost to each grower and a big impact on the food supply.

I invite you to join in sharing your garden goods and ideas! 

I’m off to harvest my rhubarb (ask my neighbor if they have extra to share) and make the first donation of the garden season…

Posted by Andrea Sherwood