Fall 09 Food for Thought Newsletter

8/14/2019 Fall 09 Food for Thought Newsletter

1/8

Seniors Struggle:True stories of hunger in Southwest Virginia

foodSouthwestern VirginiaSecond Harvest Food Bank

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

f o r t h o u g h tF a l l 2 0 0 9

Ruth receives $53 a month in Food Stamps. The meager

amount wouldnt be enough forRuth to live on alone

and with a family of four, its simply impossible. Thats

why this struggling senior sits patiently inside her localfood pantry waiting for the brown paper grocery bag

filled with the necessities that will last her household

another week.

Unable to work and with only $53 a month in food

stamps,Ruth struggles to keep up with lifes necessities

by stretching her disability check as far as it will take

her. The disability check she receives at the beginning

of each month is carefully distributed for rent,

electricity, water, and sewer. Whats left isnt enough

for groceries and thats whyRuth is left sitting in this

waiting room... waiting for her turn to receive the food

assistance she so desperately needs.

Unfortunately,Ruth is notalone in her struggle.

According to the U.S.

Census Bureau, nearly 10%

of individuals 65 or older

live below the poverty

level. Nationwide, its

estimated that nearly four

million seniors struggle in

poverty. Seniors who, like

Ruth, depend on food

assistance to survive.

W h a t s I n s i

p.2 -A Message from th

President & CEO

p.4 - Staff Stories

p.6 - Hunger Horizon

p.7 - Granting Success

Names and photos used in this story have bchanged to protect the identity of clie


2/8

www.swvafoodbank.org

Board of Directors

James E. Pearman, Jr.Board PresidentFee-Only Financial Planning,LC Founding Member

Daniel BarchiBoard Vice PresidentCarilion Biomedical InstitutePresident and CEO

Neil BirkhoffBoard SecretaryWoods Rogers, Attorneys atLaw Principal Attorney

Kathy GravelyIndividual

Pamela IrvineSWVA Second Harvest FoodBank, President & CEO

Teresa LynchR.T. Lynch Transport &Logistics, Vice President -Operations

Donna McMannersKroger, Print AdvertisingManager

Rev. Nouhad MelkiAtkins First Church of GodSenior Pastor

Jon PainterAmerican Electric PowerHuman Resources Consultant

John F. Shoulders, Jr.New Century DevelopmentCo., LLCManaging Member

Chris ThompsonPelican Management, Inc.Principal

Christine NelsonVirginia Career VIEW/Virginia TechOutreach Coordinator

Jason HartmanBrown Edwards &Company LLPAssurance Services Partner

2

The beauty of Southwest Virginia in

the fall can be intoxicating. The

mountains burst with vibrant colors,

signaling the start of a new season.

Its lost on very few that the rural

region of Virginia we call home offers

some of the most fantastic, awe

inspiring sceneries on the east coast,

especially in the autumn. But let us

not forget that living within the reds

and yellows of these beautiful

mountain landscapes are tens of

thousands of men, women and

children struggling with hunger.

Its true the Southwestern Virginia

Second Harvest Food Bank serves

some of the most photo friendly

regions in the state, but its also true

that your Food Banks 26 county, 10

city service territory covers some of

the most impoverished regions

in the state.

As mother nature sheds her summer

green and braces for the cold season

ahead, let us remember the

working-poor families, elderly couple

and single parents that are also makin

preparations for a long winter.

Struggling families that will have to

add expensive heating bills on top of

a mountain of bills. These families

will certainly need a helping hand

as temperatures plummet and thanks t

you, the Food Banks more than 340partner agency feeding programs

will be there to help those in need

this winter.

from the President & CEOA MESSAGE


3/8

3

Looking for a Speaker?The Southwestern VirginiaSecond Harvest Food Bankhappy to provide speakers an array of topics such as:

Understanding the Food BaA guide to understanding thprocess of the Food Bank a general overview of the

various programs offered.From Kids Cafe and Backpprograms, to safe foodhandling and financialplanning, you may be surprat whats happening at theFood Bank.

Hunger Education:Causes, solutions, and actio

Volunteering:Explore unique ways that

children and adults canvolunteer individually oras a group.

Contact Harry VanGuilder phone at (540) 342-3011ext.42, or by email athvanguilder@swvafoodbankto explore dates and topics oyour choice.

Look for details about the Southwestern Virginia Second

Harvest Food Banks expansion efforts in the Spring edition

of our Food for Thought newsletter. Well have all the

details regarding the Food Banks staggering distribution

goals, growing programs and even a peak inside the new

Appalachian Distribution Center. Look for all that and more

in the next installment of the Southwestern Virginia Second

Harvest Food Banks Food for Thought newsletter!

2009 Agency Conference & Training

The Southwestern Virginia Second

Harvest Food Banks annual AgencyConference & Trainings are an

excellent opportunity to further connect

our partner agencies with the resources

and tools they need to better serve

the hungry. It is not enough to just feed

hungry individuals, the Food Bank and

its partner agencies constantly strive to

do more. To reach the underserved

areas of this region, to be prepared for

emergency food scenarios and to make

C O M I N G S O O N !

...........................................................

sure the hungry have every available

opportunity to overcome theirpoverty status.

The trainings allow the Food Banks

partner agencies the chance to enhance

their soup kitchen, rescue mission or

food pantry through various sessions

including grant writing, public

relations, disaster training, childrens

nutrition, mobile pantries and

much more.

2009 Mobile Food Pantry Training


4/8

4

Appalachian

Distribution Center

126 Russell Rd., Abingdon, VA

Roanoke ValleyDistribution CenterAdministrative Office

1025 Electric Road, Salem, VA

Visit theFood Bank

The tour was truly enlightening.

Never in my thoughts did I have

any idea of what you do at thatlocation. I only wish more people

knew how hard you work at

helping others.

- Donna Meyerhoeffer

Join Donna and raise your

hunger awareness. Visit a

Food Bank distribution center

near you today!

William Flemming High SchoolsBank on Itparticipants rescue food for the hungry.

S t a f f S t o r i e s:Five years ago, when

James Andrews first

came to the

Southwestern

Virginia Second

Harvest Food Bank,

he was simply a man

looking for a job. If

you ask today, hell

tell you he doesnt have a job, he has a

passion. I love people. I love working

with people. This is a mission for me,

said James. What volunteers rescue in

food one day, is going to be on a

hungry familys table the next day and

that makes my job special.

James coordinates the Food Banks food

rescue program known as the Salvage

Program. Its here that dented cans and

creased boxes filled with perfectly safe

and consumable food are rescued from

ending up in the landfill. Grocers and

retailers used to not have a choice but

throw this food away, but thanks to th

volunteers working with me, all that

food can be rescued for the hungry.

When James first started as Salvage

Coordinator, he and three other volun

teers struggled to keep up with the wo

But thanks to his upbeat personality a

infectious enthusiasm for the hungry,

James now has approximately 2,000

volunteers come through every year.

Last year volunteers donated 18,000

hours of their time to help the Food

Bank and I tell each and every one of

them how much we appreciate their

help, said James. Its not like a punc

in, punch out type of job atmosphere

here in salvage. Its fun, its happy an

we are going to laugh! Theyre volun-

teers, donating their time and so I mak

James Andrews,Salvage Coordinator

www.swvafoodbank.org


5/8

5

Pamela Irvine,President & CEO

[email protected]

Amy Milberger,V.P. of Development

[email protected]

Dave Bethel,Director of Operations

[email protected]

Becki Wildenberger,Programs Manager

rwildenberger@swvafoodban

Kitty Tabor,Food Procurement Manager

[email protected]

Harry VanGuilder,Volunteer Services Coordinat

hvanguilder@swvafoodbank.

Jeremy Butterfield,

Communications [email protected]

Gary Mitchell,Operations Supervisor

[email protected]

Edward Roberts,Development Officer

[email protected]

C o n t a c t U sRoanoke Distribution Cente

(540) 342-3011

Appalachian Distribution C

(276) 628-9266. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

experts.sure that they are having a good time

when they come in. The production of

James volunteers speaks for itself. Over

the past five years, rescued food has

nearly quadrupled. It used to take about

three months to sort and rescue 30,000

pounds of food. Now, we can rescue that

much in two or three weeks. If I have a

big group come through, we can get that

done in just one week. When I tell the

volunteers that they are helping to feed

hungry families, theres no stopping

them. They dont even want to take

a break.

You may be laughing when youre with

James, but rest assured you will be

working. Rescuing food is no small task.

First, all the items must be Pre-Sorted.

Thats when broken and leaking contain-

ers are thrown away, the salvageable

items are wiped down, expiration dates

are checked and finally the food is

boxed. Next, volunteers do Final-Sort.

Thats when all the boxed Pre-Sort is

re-checked, re-wiped, and this time

labeled with a sticker reading Donated,

Not for Sale. The third step is to weigh

all the Final-Sort and you guessed it,

inspect the product for a third time. If

the food passes the test and is safe and

consumable, it is distributed to the Food

Banks partner agency feeding programs.

In all, about 60,000 pounds of food is

rescued, following this process, every

month. And James couldnt do it alone.

I have had all sorts of volunteers:

employees from local businesses,

congressmen, attorney generals, beauty

queens, school groups... you name it and

they have volunteered with me. For me,

coming to the Food Bank and doing my

job isnt about getting a pay check. Its

about feeding hungry people and I

couldnt do it without my volunteers.


6/8

Indulge your sweet tooth a

support your Food Bank! V

any Ruby Tuesdays, order

half-dozen gourmet cookies for take out or

catering orders and Ruby Tuesday will donat

10% of the sales to the hungry!

Salem, VA - Stop by the

Food Banks Roanoke

Valley Distribution Center on December 8th

a snack, a tour of our more than two million

cubic foot warehouse and some hunger

education. Tours conducted 3p.m.-7p.m.Abingdon, VA- Stop by the Appalachian

Distribution Center on November 20th,

Tours conducted 12p.m. - 6p.m.

Keep your ears open

another exciting Food

Bank & K92 Mornin

Thang collaboration.

Danny, Zach & Monica are back at it again.

Details coming this fall. Listen up!

Kitty Tabor, Food Procurement Manager, accepts food donations at 2009 Craftsmens Classi

Organize a Food Drive!

Food drives are essential tothe Food Banks cause. Not

only do food drives bring inmuch needed non-perishable

items, they also raise thehunger awareness of every-

one involved. Contact KittyTabor, Food Procurement

Manager at (540) 342-3011ext.19 or reach Kitty by email

at [email protected]

Organize a Fundraiser!

Did you know that for every$1.00 you donate for the

hungry, the Food Bank can

distribute $6.00 worth offood? Thats more than threemeals for a hungry

individual! As you can see,fundraisers really pay off!

Contact Amy Milberger,(540) 342-3011 ext. 26 or

reach Amy by email [email protected]

Organize a Volunteer Day!More than 2,000 volunteers

donated more than 18,000hours of their time last year

to help the hungry inSouthwest Virginia. There

are a variety of tasks at theFood Bank that volunteers

can help with. Contact HarryVanGuilder, Director of

Volunteer Services at(540) 342-3011 ext. 42, or

reach Harry by email [email protected]

6www.swvafoodbank.org

09 Craftsmens ClassicIncreased donations help fill need

Any time the Southwestern Virginia

Second Harvest Food Bank experiences

an increase in donations during an annual

event it is something to celebrate, but

this years increase during the 2009

Craftsmens Classic Arts & Crafts

Festival, in the midst of a significantly

worse economy than seen in years past

was especially encouraging to witness.

For the third year in a row, show

promoters made this one and only stop

on their fall tour free to the public.

Instead of admission, visitors were

encouraged to bring non-perishable food

donations to the Roanoke Civic Center.

The effort paid off! In only three days

time, residents donated more than

28,000 pounds of sorely needed food tothe hungry.

Our heartfelt thanks goes out to each and

every one of you who donated food dur-

ing this years show. And a special

thanks to show promoters, Clyde and

Tami Gilmore, as well as WDBJ7 for

sponsoring the show.

HolidaysFROM THEHeart

F O O D D R I V E

Anyone and everyone can participate in this

holiday food drive. Businesses, churches,

individuals, clubs, civic organizations... if yo

want to hold a food drive, just contact Kitty

Tabor, [email protected], and shel

give you all the details! Its that simple!

On the Hunger Horizo

H O L I D A YOpen House

.

.

..

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

..

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

..

.


7/8

picking up food at this years

Craftsmens Classic food drive). If not

for the grant, the truck would have cost

the Food Bank $90,000. Thats $90,000

the Food Bank just didnt haveavailable for a new truck.

The award was made possible through

the Lincy Foundations Store Donation

Vehicle Grant Program and is truly the

gift that keeps on giving! Our 340+

partner agencies that directly feed the

hungry through food pantries or on-site

meal programs are the true beneficiaries

of this gift!

Thank you Feeding America and the

Lincy Foundation for providing the

infrastructure Food Banks need to

continue to provide food for the

millions of hungry people across the

nation! The need has never been greater.

New TruckGRANTS New Life

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7

Lincy Truck picking up donated food at the2009 Craftsmens Classic food drive.

The Southwestern Virginia Second

Harvest Food Bank picks up more than

51,000 pounds of donated food from

local and regional retail food donors

each week and until recently, the FoodBanks fleet of trucks could barely

handle the strain.

The average age of our fleet of trucks

was 12 years old. Each truck, boasting

hundreds of thousands of miles on the

odometer, was subject to frequent

breakdowns and with 12,000 square

miles of service territory to cover, the

fleet wasnt getting any stronger!

But things are beginning to look up.

Recently, the Food Bank was blessed to

have been among the winners of a grant

competition facilitated by Feeding

America, our national affiliate, that

awarded the Food Bank a shiny new 22

foot refrigerated truck (shown below

Benefit Performan

A magnificent choral/

orchestral workcelebrating the joy

of Christmas.

A CD recording will bemade and sold with

proceeds benefiting the

Food Bank.

Featuring: Festival Choi

Members ofthe Roanoke Symphony

Rebekah Pence,Danny Horsly &

CSUMC Choristers Cho

Magnificat

Mark Milberger

December 12, 20098:45 Am & 11:00 AMCave Spring United

Methodist Church4505 Hazel Drive, SW

Roanoke, VA 24018


8/8

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDPermit No. 160Roanoke, VA

For more information, please contact:Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank

Roanoke Valley Distribution Center

Administrative Office1025 Electric RoadSalem, VA 24153(540) 342-3011Fax: (540) 342-0056

SWVA Second Harvest Food B

is a nonprofit 501(c)3 charity

all gifts are tax-deductiWritten and designed in-house.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .foodf o r t h o u g h t

Order Form:Note: If you have more than one Memorial or Honorarium, this form may be duplicatedMake check payable to: SWVA Second Harvest Food Bank Brighten A Life Mail to: 1025 Electric Rd. Salem, VA 24153.

Please sendThank-you card to:

Donor's Name (s):____________________________________________________Phone:_____________________________

Address:________________________________________________City:____________________State:_______Zip:__________

My donation of $_________to SWVA Second Harvest Food Bank is enclosed.___In Memory of Name:_______________________________________

___In Honor of Name:_______________________________________

Please send Gift Notification Card to: (one card per donation please)

Name (s):_________________________________________________________Phone:_________________________

Address: City: State: Zip:

Honor someone you love this holiday season with a gift to Brighten a Life. A Brighten a Life gift is

a wonderful way to recognize family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, teachers, and others during

the holiday season. We will acknowledge your gift and notify the person or family you are

honoring with a beautiful seasonal card. Honorees will also be recognized on the Food Bank

website. (please note if you prefer no listing.) Now, more than ever before thousands of hungry

men, women and children need you to help illuminate their souls with a gift to the Food Bank.

Brighten aLife and illuminate a soul this Holiday Season

Documents

Fall 09 Food for Thought Newsletter