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HARVESTFairbanks Community Food Bank
Neighbors Helping NeighborsWinter 2013
Newsletter
Fairbanks is Full of Remarkable Leaders
FAIRBANKS - Sizable checks from the Bill Stroecker Foundation, totaling about $500,000, should be showing up in the mailboxes of about 60 charities early in the New Year. Most of the charities are in the Fairbanks area and most of them are probably those listed in Stroecker’s will, ranging from groups that help the needy to arts and sports organizations.
This is good news and it is the fi rst visible step of transforming the legacy of Bill Stroecker into a long-lasting entity that will benefi t a host of good causes in our community and elsewhere. Every group that gets a check will be thrilled. Because the foundation is following rules to remain tax exempt, it must report to the IRS on what grants are made, but those documents will not be released to the public until later in 2013 or in 2014. The tax-exempt element is what separates this entity and others like it from strictly private concerns.
Six members of the board, selected by Stroecker before his death in 2010, include Don Dennis, Richard Heieren, Richard Hompesch II, Ted Cox, Jerry Walker and Cory Borgeson. The Alaska Trust Company, headed by Douglas Blattmachr, is a corporate co-trustee. With a value that may ultimately be in the range of $20 million, the foundation is much smaller than the Rasmuson Foundation, which is close to a half-billion, but the Stroecker Foundation is likely to become the most important charitable foundation in the Fairbanks area.
Stroecker, a lifelong Fairbanksan, was a leader in the banking industry for decades, a talented musician, and an outdoorsman who was active in many parts of the community. He died in November 2010 at 90. In his will, he mentioned dozens of groups he wanted to support in his foundation, stipulating that he did not want to back “left wing or greenie” organizations.
The estimated $500,000 in checks that were to be sent Saturday from the Alaska Trust Offi ce in Anchorage represent the fi rst half of that initial sum. The 2012 business plan called for $1 million as the start-up total. As far as the total value of the foundation goes, that information is not yet public. However, the minutes of a trustees meeting fi led in court say that oil and gas income of $1.2 million a year is expected to continue for seven more years.
Let me close by saying that this foundation has tremendous potential for improving the quality of life in our community. That’s the most important thing. Stroecker’s decision to create this entity was a gift to his hometown unmatched by anyone else in the history of Fairbanks.
Dermot Cole can be reached at [email protected] or 459-7530.
A Few Words from the Food Bank...
Sam and Bill were friends for 50+ years. Bill was a volunteer at the Fairbanks Community Food Bank and often helped in little projects which directly aff ected the people of our community.
Sam and Bill drank coff ee together at moose camp. The talk invariably turned to the groups and the community he loved most.
This Fairbanks Community Food Bank is very proud to be part of the Bill Stroecker Foundation and received a check written on December 28, 2012 to be spent on a vehicle replacement.
We are deeply grateful for Bill’s generous legacy. It will provide needed funding for this food bank. We will always receive free food and give it away free, that is our mission, and we have been succeeding in that mission for 30 years.
Thank you, Bill Stroecker, and your team of Foundation trustees.
On December 30, 2012, Dermot Cole of the NewsMiner wrote about the Foundation which was created by Bill Stroecker. Below is his story.
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BOARD MEMBERS 2013Brad Johnson, PresidentBill Wright, Vice PresidentHollis Hall, SecretaryKaren Kiss, TreasurerMike Walsh, Past PresidentEllen AyotteLarry BaillonTom BartelsPhil CochraneSandy CummingsDan SeckersSam TalleyBoard member emeritus: Bernice Boykin
Sta� Leadership Team:Samantha KirsteinAnne Weaver
725 26th AvenueFairbanks, Alaska 99701Tel: 907-456-7267FAX 907-374-9776Email: [email protected]
Our Mission StatementThe mission of this Food Bank is to collect surplus food in the community and share it with local people who need it.
Did you have a cup of co� ee this morning? Some people in our community could not a� ord one. Help us help them by purchasing HARD TIMES co� ee, thanks to our sponsors North Pole Co� ee Roasting Company. $3 for a sample package.
Need a warm story for a cold day? Read our blog (www.fairbanksfoodbank.org).
Nichole Hunt Posts on Facebook About Fairbanks Community FoodbankSpecial Place! When I was a Junior in high school, I was sentenced to 20 hours of community service for smoking on school grounds. (Don't worry I quit that awful habit more than 20 years ago!) The Food Bank allowed me to work off my time and treated me with dignity. I spent my time busily washing eggs and packing up food and weighing boxes. I remember my favorite part of the job, other than the nice people, were all the day-old doughnuts I could eat, and as much chocolate milk as I wanted. After serving my time there, I stayed on as a volunteer, walking to the Food Bank after school each day to continue helping out until I received a paying job in the community. Thanks for teaching me a good work ethic and giving me a chance. Though I don't live in Fairbanks anymore, I see the value in supporting my own local food pantries and I've taught my children to help out too. So far, they have helped with two food raisers.
Facebook Conversation (Name Has Been Changed for Privacy)Food Bank Friend: Are there certain days or times when you would need volunteers?Fairbanks Community Food Bank: Depends on the day. We always schedule our volunteers because we never want to waste your time. If you call 45-SHARE and ask for Kathy (M-F) or Pam (Saturday volunteering) they will get you hooked up. Thank you so much for the interest! We would love have you!Food Bank Friend: =] awesome! We are always looking for something to do with our free time and this would just be an amazing way to spend it! I used to volunteer a lot in high school and it's sad when life gets busy and free time becomes nonexistent! But now is a good time to get back into it!
Installation of our new microturbine was completed in mid-January and Fairbanks Community Food Bank is now generating 65kW of our own power and recovering 550,000 BTU of heat in the process.
What does that mean to you, the donor? That means we are saving money on heat and lights so now we can stretch your donated dollar even farther!
This project took several years to go from concept to completion. With the rising cost to maintain the coal boiler and the time spent making sure the coal was fed into the hopper, the initial maintenance for the food bank will be dramatically reduced.
The new system provides both heat and power (cogeneration), which is more effi cient than producing heat or power separately, and because it uses natural gas, it's much cleaner. We have already sold $1,000 worth of electricity BACK to GVEA thanks to our new microturbine. That means that we aren’t only saving money, but also making money. It is so important to us to be the best stewards of our donor’s dollars and we are so excited this is working so well!
For those of you who wonder how in the world a food bank can fund this sort of capital project, here are our partners/sponsors: State of Alaska (Legislature, thank you Interior Delegation for your grant two years ago); Dennis Wise; Walmart; Rasmuson Foundation; FNSB (as part of their incentive program to remove the coal boiler).
Thank you to the many people who spent the last two years working with us on this project which appears to be a success story.
Our Microturbine Is Up and Running!
Facebook Conversations
www.fairbanksfoodbank.org Page 3
US Seniors Are Going Hungry
Once again the Quota Club steps up to support our customers. In 2012 we received 50 cheery Easter bags filled with candy, toys, Easter grass and plastic eggs to put in our Food Box. We have heard from customers in the past commenting on thoughtful "extras" like these Easter bags and the comments range from "wow, even a little treat," to "that made me cry,” and “this community is not only helping my family but they care enough to put in an extra touch to make my family's day better. Thank you!"
Thank you, Quota Club, for your thoughtful gifts to our customers!
Thank you to our food donors, large and small!Many thanks to each and every food donor! It takes everyone in the community faithfully giving their surplus to feed almost 40,000 individuals each year.
A new study that looked at the hunger trends over a 10 year period found that 14.85 percent of seniors in the United States, more than one in seven, face the threat of hunger. This translates into 8.3 million seniors.
"In 2005, we reported that one in nine seniors faced the threat of hunger," said Craig Gundersen, University of Illinois associate professor of agricultural and consumer economics, and executive director of the National Soybean Research Laboratory, which led the data analysis on the study. "So, unlike the population as a whole, food insecurity among those 60 and older actually increased between 2009 and 2010."
According to the study, from 2001 to 2010, the number of seniors experiencing the threat of hunger has increased by 78 percent. Gundersen said that the fact that seniors in our country are going without enough food due to economic constraints is a serious problem that will have greater implications for senior health.
"Compounding the problem is that food insecurity is also associated with a host of poor health outcomes for seniors, such as reduced nutrient intakes and limitations in activities of daily living," Gundersen said. "Consequently, this recent increase in senior hunger will likely lead to additional nutritional and health challenges for our nation."
The increases in senior hunger were most pronounced among the near poor, whites, widows, non-metro residents, the retired, women, and among households with no grandchildren present.
"What may be surprising is that out of those seniors who face the threat of hunger, the majority have incomes above the poverty line and are white," Gundersen said.
Hunger hurts, but in Fairbanks, Alaska we have found that sharing helps. Thank you, Fairbanks, for your support!
Thank You Fairbanks!
Pictured left are Melissa Bidwell of Quota International of the Tanana Valley, Anne Weaver of the Food Bank, and Shawna Pritchette of the Quota International of the Tanana Valley.
Pictured above: Donations from a TSA food drive .Thank you for your donations in 2012!
Every spring, the National Association of Letter Carriers holds the nation's largest food drive at post offices throughout the country. For a week in May, everyone can help “Stamp Out Hunger!” in Fairbanks by making a delivery of non-perishable food items, such as canned meats and fish, canned soup, juice, pasta, vegetables, cereal and rice, to their local post office. All food donations are then repacked by the Food Bank and redistributed to community and emergency food programs to help families in need.
Let’s make our local Fairbanks Community Food Bank look like this! At this point only one out of every four houses in the Tanana Valley participates in this great way to donate – the Letter Carriers do all the work – but we dream of a collection like this – and WE NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE IT HAPPEN!
Stay tuned for more details about the Spring 2013 campaign. For more information about this NATIONAL FOOD DRIVE, go to www.nalc.org/community/fooddrive.
There is a story about a man who left this earth and was taken on a tour of the inner realms. He was shown a room where there was a large group of hungry people trying to eat dinner, but because the spoons they were trying to eat with were longer than their arms, they remained frustrated. “This,” his guide told him, “is hell.”
“That’s terrible!” exclaimed the man. “Please show me heaven!”
“Very well,” agreed the guide, and on they went. When they opened Heaven’s door, the man was perplexed to see what looked very much like the same scene: there was a group of people with spoons longer than their arms. As he looked more closely, however, he saw happy faces and full tummies, for there was one important difference: the people in heaven had learned to feed each other.
BELIEVE THAT WE HERE ON EARTH CAN LEARN TO FEED ONE ANOTHER AS WELL.
Please join us here at the Food Bank on Saturday, April 13th for EmPty BowlS, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is a national project which was adopted in Alaska by a local group of potters. The purpose of the project is to raise money for feeding hungry people, to increase awareness of the hunger problem, and to enhance art education. Local potters have made empty ceramic bowls which will be given to guests at the April 14th event in exchange for a donation of money. The guests will be asked to keep the bowls of their choice as a reminder that someone’s bowl is always empty and that on this one occasion they have helped to alleviate hunger in Interior Alaska. All proceeds remain in this community.
As Dr. Wood said in an article about EMPTY BOWLS, May 27, 1992, “Government subsidy? No, just Fairbanks home folk. Good neighbors together, and proud of it.”
Page 4 we’re on the web! Donate online @ www.fairbanksfoodbank.org
• Please consider a gift to your local, home-grown, made-in-Alaska food bank.
• We would like to encourage those who can share food from your cupboards and gardens.
• If you are a commercial food vendor, review your salvage food policies to make sure you eliminate as much food waste as possible.
Your help is definitely needed to keep the doors open and to continue to do the important tasks of recycling usable food. We certainly cannot do this work without your support. Please go to www.fairbanksfoodbank.org to make a donation today. Thank you.
COMMUNITY SERVICE and our operations are inseparable. We provide the opportunity for citizens to give their time and talents to help us reduce hunger in our community.
The hundreds of volunteers who donate thousands of hours each year make it possible for us to serve many thousands of people who would otherwise go hungry. We invite you to become a Food Bank Volunteer! Call 45-SHARE (457-4273) and ask for the volunteer coordinator.
Volunteer!
How can you help?
Please think of Fairbanks Community Food Bank and our important mission as you file for your 2013 PFD in January. When you go online to sign up for your PFD dividend (www.pfd.state.ak.us), you will see the option called PICK.CLICK.GIVE. Search for us by name, Fairbanks Community Food Bank. Click and follow the instructions to make a new donation, or an additional gift. Additional information on this program can be found at www.PickClickGive.org or by calling Sam at 456-7267. Fairbanks Community Food Bank is the only Food Bank serving Interior Alaska.
Thank You!!
Donate
Empty Bowls: April 13, 2013
Stamp Out Hunger: May 11, 2013
