Turn Hungry Holidays into Happy Holidays p2 . Beyond Innovation: CAFB’s St. John Community Food Center and Public Policy Update p3 . Thank You and Upcoming Events p4 & 5 . Revolutionizing Food Banking p6 . Summer Family Nutrition Program Feeds Families for the First Time p7 . Message from the President & CEO p8
CAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK OF TEXAS OUR MISSION: TO NOURISH HUNGRY PEOPLE AND LEAD THE COMMUNITY IN ENDING HUNGER. Turn Hungry Holidays into Happy Holidays p2 . Beyond Innovation: CAFB’s St. John Community Food Center and Public Policy Update p3 . Thank You and Upcoming Events p4 & 5 . Revolutionizing Food Banking p6 . Summer Family Nutrition Program Feeds Families for the First Time p7 . Message from the President & CEO p8 November 2010 - January 2011 feedback
Transcript
CA P I TA L A R E A FO O D BA N K O F T E X A S
OUR MISSION: TO NOURISH HUNGRY PEOPLE AND LEAD THE COMMUNITY IN ENDING HUNGER.
Turn Hungry Holidays into Happy Holidays p2 . Beyond Innovation: CAFB’s St. John Community Food Center and
Public Policy Update p3 . Thank You and Upcoming Events p4 & 5 . Revolutionizing Food Banking p6 . Summer Family
Nutrition Program Feeds Families for the First Time p7 . Message from the President & CEO p8
November 2010 - January 2011
feedback
Helping families meet summer challenges
GET OUT AND JOIN IN THE FUN.During the season, there are many events around town benefiting the Food Bank from concerts to CANstruction, to food
drives and food events featuring local restaurants. Check out the events list at www.austinfoodbank.org/events and start
filling your calendar! Follow @events4good on Twitter.
DONATE YOUR TIME.Embrace the spirit of giving and put your good intentions to work by
volunteering with the Food Bank. During the holiday season, thousands
of helping hands are needed. Bring your family, friends or group of co-
workers for a hands-on giving opportunity like no other.
Visit www.austinfoodbank.org/volunteer to sign up.
GIVE CARDS THAT GIVE BACK.Make a statement with a holiday card from the Food Bank. Your message of
goodwill and generosity will feed families facing hunger this holiday year.
Visit austinfoodbank.org to order your cards.BECOME AN ADVOCATE.Join the Food Bank community. Sign up at austinfoodbank.org to keep abreast of all our news, programs, events, client
stories, volunteer opportunities, and how we work to affect public policy impacting the hungry. Then, encourage your
friends, family and colleagues to get involved. It’s easy to pass along the gift of information and join in the fight to end
hunger in our community.
Ways to help families in need this holiday season:
Whether it’s addressing cards, shopping for that perfect gift or planning family get-togethers, for many of us the
holidays are a hectic and demanding time. For food banks across the country, this is also true. With the fall comes an
abundance of seasonal activities including food drives, fundraising efforts, special events and food distributions that
help us gear up to help hungry families. So now is the time we need your help the most.
With record numbers of families turning to us and our partners for food assistance this year, we invite you to include
us in your holiday plans, and help “Turn Hungry Holidays into Happy Holidays” for thousands of central Texans.
PARTY WITH A PURPOSE.At your holiday party, instead of exchanging gifts, ask guests to make a financial donation to the Food Bank. Collect
donations at your party and set up your own food drive online so your guests can easily donate. Get started, and register
your Virtual Food Drive at www.austinfoodbank.org/how-to-help/virtual-food-drive.
The Food Bank continues to develop new ways to meet the needs of individuals and families in our communities. Our newest and most innovative effort is the St. John Community Food Center at The For the City Center in east Austin.
The Food Center’s inception began with the closing of CAFB’s East Austin Service Center (EASC). Karla Cantu, senior director, agency relations, said, “It [EASC] wasn’t user-friendly and we couldn’t get enough clients in the facility. So, when the opportunity came up with Austin Stone Community Church we decided to go for it.”
Austin Stone Community Church outgrew their previous location and purchased land to build a new facility. They wanted this new facility to offer practical services to the community, and found partners to help expand the services of the center. “Their vision was to not only build the church, but to work with non-profits to help support the community,” explains Karla.
Some of the nonprofits include: Communities in Schools, the nation’s largest dropout prevention organization; Caring Family Network, an adoption and foster care agency; and Austin Lifeguard, an abstinence-based comprehensive teen sex education program. “These agencies refer families to us. Our SNAP outreach coordinators work with the clients, and families also receive food assistance through the food pantry,” said Karla.
Beyond Innovation: St. John Community Food Center
Learn how you can help at austinfoodbank.org
Child Nutrition Reauthorization The Food Bank is very active in efforts to support the passage of Child Nutrition Reauthorization. The legislation
strengthens federal nutrition programs for children at risk of hunger. CAFB was a leader in securing signatures
of 150 organizations for a letter supporting a strong, fully-funded bill before the nutrition programs expired.
This letter was sent to Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-25), a member of the House Committee on Ways & Means,
and distributed among the state’s Congressional delegation. Though the vote was delayed, we continue to advocate for a strong Child
Nutrition Reauthorization bill without using funds from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) supporting more than 40
million people.
Story and photos by Audrey Mardavich, CAFB Communications Story Bank VISTA
For more information, visit: www.austinfoodbank.org/how-we-help/food-pantries.
PublicPolicy
UPDATE
For more information, email Wendy Heiges, senior director, advocacy & public policy, at [email protected].
This is a unique opportunity for the Food Bank,” says Karla. “Not only does it incorporate all of the things we’ve learned about providing exceptional service to our clients, it’s also a learning facility for other Partner Agencies.
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Thank you to everyone who made these events successful!cafb community events
H-E-B Help End HungerRaised more than $80,000
Deals for Meals TheLunchDeal.comRaised more than $3,400
20th annual Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival Raised more than $16,000 and 23,000 pounds of food
KEYE TV / Scouting for FoodRaised more than $10,000 and 500,000 pounds of food
Easily double your impact by asking your employer to match your gift. Many companies also match dollars for volunteer hours. Visit http://www.matchinggifts.com/austinfoodbank/ to find out if your employer offers matching gifts.
Cars & CoffeeRaised more than $1,500
MATCHING GIFTS
Thank you to everyone who made these events successful!CANSTRUCTIONNovember 13 - 21Barton Creek Square MallCANstruction is a fun competition where teams of architects, engineers and students, mentored by professionals, design and build structures made entirely from cans of food that defy expectations, logic and gravity. The designs are on display November 13 – 21 at Barton Creek Square Mall. Vote for your favorite CANstruction on-site, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. or online at www.austinfoodbank.org/CANstruction. Results will be posted on our blog. The food used in the structures is donated to the Food Bank.
14TH ANNUAL EMPTY BOWL PROJECTSunday, November 2111 A.M. - 3 P.M.The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC), 600 River StreetThis is one of Austin’s favorite family-friendly events, providing local potters, musicians and restaurants the opportunity to help hungry central Texans. Purchase locally hand-crafted bowls for $15 each to fill with your choice of delicious soup and bread donated by local chefs. Don’t forget to purchase a bowl in advance, participate in the celebrity bowl silent auction, and enjoy soup at the “Preview Party” on Sat., Nov. 20, 6 – 9 p.m. at the MACC. Purchase advance tickets online for $75. For details, visit: www.austinemptybowl.org.
HOLIDAY LUMINATIONSDecember 11 - 12Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower CenterEnjoy gardens lighted with more than 3,000 luminarias and 5,000 twinkle lights, listen to music of the season, create snowflakes, wreaths and ornaments in the Visitors Gallery or stop by the café to order festive holiday items. Admission is free with two canned food items to help nourish our hungry central Texas neighbors. For more information, please visit: www.wildflower.org/luminations.
SOUPER BOWL OF CARINGJanuary 17 - February 6, 2011Mobilize youth to fight hunger and poverty in their communities. Souper Bowl of Caring (SBOC) uses Super Bowl weekend to bring together congregations, schools, and community organizations across central Texas to create the largest food drive in Texas history. As you plan for the upcoming year, don’t forget to include SBOC to help teach youth about the issue of hunger and poverty in their community and what they can do to help. Visit: www.austinfoodbank.org/souperbowl.
Learn how you can help at austinfoodbank.org
For a complete list of upcoming events, visit austinfoodbank.org/events.
For more on our events, follow us on Twitter: @events4goodcafb community eventsfor these upcoming events:
join us
20th annual Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival Raised more than $16,000 and 23,000 pounds of food
KEYE TV / Scouting for FoodRaised more than $10,000 and 500,000 pounds of food
Easily double your impact by asking your employer to match your gift. Many companies also match dollars for volunteer hours. Visit http://www.matchinggifts.com/austinfoodbank/ to find out if your employer offers matching gifts.
Real Story: James Saucer, 63James Saucer came to Austin in 2006, after Hurricane Katrina hit his hometown. He lives in Manor, and says he loves the space, trees, wildlife and people. He’s received assistance from the Mobile Food Pantry for about a month and says the services are tremendous, quick and really professional.
During one of the distributions, we asked him a few questions:
Why are mobile food pantries important for the community?There are a lot of individuals who have food problems. This place, here, is easily accessible. Mobile food pantries help the community see that there is another port of safety, where they can not only get food, but other services, too.
What would you say to somebody that says poverty and hunger isn’t in central Texas?I would immediately tell them to look around; talk to someone. Look at the number of people walking around without jobs; people are asking for money. Your eyes and ears will tell you there is a problem and people need help.
Where do you see yourself in the next five years? Getting even better! I expect a tremendous life. Getting healthier and able to help other people. Who knows, I might be on the other side of the fence.
Learn more about our programs. Visit austinfoodbank.org/how-we-help.
The Capital Area Food Bank’s “Wheels of Sharing” Mobile Food Pantries fill geographic and service gaps in emergency food assistance. Small, rural towns often don’t have the resources to provide basic social services to families in need.
This new custom-built 48-foot tractor trailor is the biggest Mobile Food Pantry in the Feeding America network, holding 40,000 pounds of food, which includes essential staples, fruits, vegetables and frozen foods for 800 families. It more than quadruples the amount of people we can serve and revolutionizes the way food banking is done.
Thanks to this state-of-the-art truck, we don’t have to worry about quality versus quantity; each family receives an ample amount of food to support their immediate needs. And, at each distribution, clients get help from CAFB staff in applying for SNAP (Food Stamps) and other federal assistance programs. For more information about our programs, visit: www.austinfoodbank.org/how-we-help
Revolutionizing Food Banking
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Cecilia Rosales waits at St. Ignatius with her daughters, Amelia and Joanna, for 25-pound boxes of food to be distributed to families as part of the Summer Family Nutrition Program. Cecilia and her husband came to the United States after living in Honduras. Born and raised in San Antonio, Cecilia reflects on the differences between life in Honduras and her family’s new life in Austin. “Our house was like the ones with the little tin roof and made out of plywood. For a while we had a dirt floor.”
Since returning to the U.S., Cecilia says she hopes to help her daughters understand and value the help they receive from places like St. Ignatius.
“Without this help, it makes you lose faith in things, but when you have people that help you, it makes your faith stronger.”
The food Cecilia received as part of the Summer Family Nutrition Program helps Cecilia provide nutritious food for her family. “This is a really, really great thing. It’s a great blessing for everybody. For all types of people, no matter where you’re from or what’s going on in your life. This really does help.”
Cecilia says she is eager to go back to school to get her nursing degree so she and her family can be independent once again. For now, she says she is grateful for the food she received during this time of transition. “God bless y’all for everything that y’all do. Believe it or not, it does make a difference.”For more information on our programs, visit: www.austinfoodbank.org/how-we-help.
We’ve had people tell us they had absolutely no
food until the day they came here.
A lot of people are seeking assistance for the first time. There are couples who are employed, and still having trouble making ends meet
and putting food on the table.
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Providing someone with food provides them with inspiration and hope.
- Roberto Estrada, SFNP Prescreener
Summer Family Nutrition Program Feeds Families for the First TimeStory and photo by Audrey Mardavich, CAFB Communications Story Bank VISTA
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Learn how you can help at austinfoodbank.org
Here’s A Good Idea: Innovation
As interim President & CEO of the Food Bank, the question I’m asked
most is “how is the Food Bank coping with the effects of this harsh
economic climate?” In spite of my long association with the Food
Bank, I’ve served on the board since 2003, I was pleasantly surprised
to learn about the number of ways to answer that question and one
word keeps sticking out – innovation.
Since 2008 as the economy has worsened, our food distribution
has increased by 50 percent to 25 million pounds a year. Despite
tremendous pressure, we have managed to do more with roughly
the same resources. How do we do it? We’ve embraced ideas and
innovation. Here are just a few examples.
By investing in vehicle and logistics technology, we have increased the
efficiency of our food distribution and supply chain, and decreased the
cost of distributing each pound of food.
To plug gaps in emergency food assistance throughout our service
territory, we expanded our “Wheels of Sharing” Mobile Food Pantries
program, adding a second state-of-the-art vehicle. This allows us to
quadruple the number of people we feed through this program.
We sponsored a Summer Food Service Program that provided more
than 34,000 free meals to children. Serving 23 sites, we ensured
children had the nutrition needed to be ready to learn as school
started in the fall.
We were the first food bank to develop our own iPhone application.
This app connects people with the Food Bank in new and exciting
ways. Check it out on iTunes – iPheedaNeed.
Because hunger is unacceptable, we will continue to innovate and
adapt to meet new challenges, providing a great return to our
community from your investment. We’ve developed a strong vision
and strategic plan for the future, and with a committed board, staff
and your continued support, we will end hunger in central Texas.
CAFB Board of Directors
Matt Dow, Chairperson, Jackson Walker, L.L.P.
Catherine P. Thompson, Treasurer, Motion Computing
Michael J. Tomsu, Immediate Past Chairperson, Vinson & Elkins
Vanessa Downey-Little, Secretary, City of Austin, Retired
