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VEAP | 952.888.9616
9600 Aldrich Avenue SouthBloomington, MN 55431veap.org
Mark Your Calendar
May ■ Plant an extra row for VEAP
June ■ Make a Donation in Honor of Your
Father on Father’s Day Sunday, June 19
■ Summer Youth Food Drives All Month Long
July ■ Summer Youth Food Drives
All Month Long ■ VEAPfest
Sunday, July 24August ■ Back to School Supply Drive
Through August 10 ■ National Night Out Food Drives
Tuesday, August 2 ■ Donate Your Garden’s Produce
Save the Date!November ■ VEAP Gala-Celebrating Community
Friday, November 18 Hyatt Regency Bloomington - Minneapolis
South
VEAP exceeded the 2016 March Food and Fund Campaign goal thanks
to YOU! To all those that donated to this year’s drive and worked
so hard to ensure we reached our goal, a sincere thank you and
congratulations on a job well done!
Giving made easy
March Food and Fund campaign
recap
Support VEAP’s basic needs programs by joining the Monthly
Giving Club. Your gift can be debited directly from your bank
account or charged to your credit card on a monthly basis. Or you
can set up an automatic bill pay with your bank. It’s an easy and
efficient way to support VEAP programs.
Does your employer match contributions made by employees? Many
employers match the volunteer or financial contributions made to
non-profits. Check with your Human Resources department to see if
your gifts to VEAP will be matched. It’s a great way to double the
impact of your gift!
Honor a friend or family member with a gift to VEAP. More people
are choosing alternative gift options for birthdays, holidays, and
special life milestones and occasions. A gift made in memory of a
loved one is also a special way to remember and recognize them.
Contact Jim at [email protected] or 952.955.8321 for more
information.
Donate & Do -Group volunteer opportunitiesVEAP welcomes
group volunteers. Organize a drive, collect or purchase bulk items
like toilet paper or diapers, and bring the items to VEAP for a
group re-packaging event. For more information on how your group
can get involved, contact Shari at [email protected] or
952.955.8304.
Normandale Hylands UMC youth donated and repackaged toilet paper
for 442 families.
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link
Feeding our Future
Spring 2016
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Meeting Basic Needs
In 2015, VEAP distributed 1.4 million pounds of fresh produce.
VEAP welcomes donations of fresh garden produce throughout the
harvest season. Most fresh produce donations go home with clients
just hours after they are delivered to VEAP.
Volunteers, aka VEAP’s Veggie Valet, deliver farmer’s market
donations weekly to VEAP’s food pantry. Mike, one of VEAP’s Veggie
Valets said “I continue to be amazed by the near universal
participation and generosity of the farmer’s market vendors. The
amount and quality of the produce they donate is truly
amazing.”
Next time you’re at the Farmer’s Market, purchase a bit extra
and look for VEAP’s donation bins.
Working full-time as a personal care attendant isn’t enough when
Nicole’s three growing boys are home over the summer months.
“Providing two additional meals a day for three kids adds up to 30
meals a week. I struggle to make ends meet over the school year
when they are able to get breakfast and lunch at school. Summers
are even tougher.”
Nicole participates in VEAP’s Summer Youth Food program where
she is able to pick up kid-friendly, easy to prepare breakfast and
lunch groceries, plus milk and produce, to help her family have
enough food to get through the summer months.
“My sons are 13, 10 and 6. They are growing so fast I can barely
keep food in the cupboards. I don’t know what I would do without
VEAP’s summer food program.”
81% of VEAP households have annual incomes of $19,200 or
less
Donate your produce
When planning your garden, consider planting a row for VEAP.
VEAP places a high priority on having a variety of nutritious,
healthy, fresh foods available to clients in the pantry and through
the Summer Youth Food program.
VEAP clients identify cost as the main barrier to having fresh
and healthy foods available daily for their families. Clients are
able to access the food pantry once per month, and in the weeks
when they don’t come to VEAP, they have fewer fresh fruits and
vegetables on hand.
Easy to grow vegetables such as green beans, carrots, onions and
zucchini are appreciated. Or consider more culturally specific
vegetables such as Thai peppers, poblanos and tomatillos. For
maximum freshness, it’s ideal to deliver the produce on the day of
harvest-- simply brush off the dirt and deliver as is. Bloomington
Garden Center will provide one free tomato plant and one free
pepper plant to gardeners committed to growing produce for
VEAP.
Does your company, congregation, school or neighborhood have a
large plot that will become a vegetable garden? Community gardens
in Bloomington, Richfield and Edina help us maintain a large
inventory of healthy, fresh foods by donating their harvest to
VEAP. Want to know more? Contact Kial at 952.388.6410 or
[email protected].
What to plant?
The Silvas Veap's veggie valet
Plant An Extra Row For VEAP
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Building Stronger Communities
Low-income families often struggle to make ends meet, and when
kids are out of school, the financial hardship is multiplied.
Parents are faced with choices—pay the rent, fill a prescription
and settle for lower quality food because it’s cheaper.
Why does it matter? It’s well documented that children who are
well nourished have fewer illnesses; children who are well
nourished have fewer cognitive and mental health issues; and,
children who are well nourished are more likely to succeed
academically and socially. Children who are well nourished
throughout childhood contribute to a stronger community for today
and the future.
VEAP’s Summer Youth Food Program provides nutritious,
kid-friendly breakfast and lunch groceries for families with
school-aged children over the summer months. In 2016, VEAP will
distribute approximately 7,200 bags of food from June-August. Bags
are packed in advance with easy-to-prepare items as well as dairy,
fresh fruits and vegetables.
89% of VEAP households worry sometimes or often they will run
out of food before they have money to buy more
Peanut Butter (15-18oz)ApplesauceFruit cups (fruit in water/100%
juice)Canned tuna (4oz, “light”) SpaghettiOs/Ravioli (14 oz)Canned
chicken (5 oz)Beef Stew or Chili (15 oz)
Popcorn (3 bag packs)Soup (Tomato, Chn Ndle, Veg Beef)Graham
crackers (14 oz box)Raisins (1 oz box packs)Instant Oatmeal (8-12
count)Granola Bars (low sugar)Whole grain cereal (10 oz box)
Please donate summer youth food items
VEAPfest is ■ family-friendly ■ no entrance fee ■ held at VEAP,
9600 Aldrich Avenue
South, Bloomington
Join us on Sunday, July 24 for VEAP’s new community event:
VEAPfest! Be a part of creating public art, enjoy live music, food
truck fare and craft beer.
Shop at Jerry’s Foods at 5125 Vernon Avenue South in Edina, to
purchase specially marked Summer Youth Food items or pre-packed
bags for VEAP.
For more information, contact Jackie at [email protected] or
952.955.8322.
Access to healthy food - Summer Youth food
