Capital Area Food Bank of Texas | Feedback | Spring 2011

feedback February - April 2011

C A P I TA L A R E A F O O D B A N K O F T E X A S

Kids Cafe: Nourish, Play, Support p2 . In With the New p3 . Thank You and Upcoming Events p4 & 5 “Hunger Is UNacceptable” Website Makes You a Powerful Advocate for Change. p6 . Hunger is 365 Days a Year.

You and Your Family Can Help. p7 . Message from the President & CEO p8

OUR MISSION: TO NOURISH HUNGRY PEOPLE AND LEAD THE COMMUNITY IN ENDING HUNGER.

Kids Cafe: Nourish, Play, Support Many families rely on the free and reduced price lunch program to provide their children with nourishment during the school day, but find it difficult to provide an evening meal. Kids Cafe is a Feeding America program sponsored locally by the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas providing free, nutritious evening meals to low-income children, in a safe environment.

The Capital Area Food Bank operates 34 Kids Cafes throughout our service area. These programs are held in schools, Boys & Girls Clubs, and community centers, and under qualified adult supervision. In the 2009-2010 school year, Kids Cafe provided more than 31,000 meals to 2,950 children each month.

Every meal contains a healthy balance of protein, grains, fruits, vegetables and dairy in accordance with the USDA School Lunch Program standards. In addition to nourishing hungry bodies, Kids Cafe also works to nourish the minds of the children it serves through enrichment activities at each site.

The mission of the Capital Area Food Bank is to nourish hungry people and lead the community in ending hunger.

While the meals nourish children, Kids Cafe also seeks to end hunger by providing children with every opportunity to learn and grow without the distraction of hunger. By nourishing both bodies and minds, Kids Cafe helps children succeed and breaks the cycle of hunger.

Thank You!

The Food Bank receives a $200,000 grant from the Dell Foundation.

“

The Dell Foundation, along with the entire Dell team, has embraced and rallied around the issue of hunger since its inception in 1995,” said Trisa Thompson, vice president of Dell Corporate Responsibility and chair of the Dell Foundation.

“Our hope is for CAFB to reach deeper into the community and help every local family in need.

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The Town Lake Chapter of the Links hosted a Kids Cafe kick-off party for the students at Norman Elementary School and presented the Food Bank with a check for $10,000.

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It’s just so awesome, that we feel we need to continue this program and lay the seeds and foundation so the kids can be successful.

Geraldine Tucker, President of the Town Lake Chapter of The Links, Inc.

Learn how you can help at austinfoodbank.org

In With the New

By Wendy Heiges, Senior Director, Advocacy and Public Policy

Parents everywhere care about when and what their children eat. About every five years, an extremely important child nutrition bill is reauthorized to improve critical federal nutrition programs. Why should we care? Our country’s future economic and national security depends on these critical federal programs.

Alongside members of the Texas Food Bank Network (TFBN), the Capital Area Food Bank played an important role in advocating for the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. On December 13, 2010, President Obama signed the Act into law. Child nutrition advocates in Congress, and throughout the nation, won a major legislative victory for food insecure children.

This a major legislative victory.

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Approval of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 is a victory for millions of children at risk of hunger throughout our nation, many of whom are our neighbors, here, in Central Texas. It means healthier meals at school, a full meal for children participating in afterschool programs, and more children nourished during the summer. This measure would never have become law without the effective advocacy of the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas and its counterparts.

Together, we must continue to work to meet the needs of food insecure children, who have no voice without us.

”

U.S. Congressman Lloyd Doggett

So back to the question: why should we care?

Hunger ignites a chain reaction. Children who aren’t properly nourished don’t do as well in school. Children who don’t do well in school may not graduate. High school drop-outs don’t qualify for well paying jobs and often can’t join the military. Obesity rates also affect our nation’s military readiness. Food insecure families don’t have the flexibility to pay for the things they need such as food, medicine, utilities, and other necessities. All of these factors affect our country’s economic competitiveness and national security.

Simply put, child nutrition programs represent an investment in our future.

Become an ADVOCATE

Join the Food Bank community. Sign up at austinfoodbank.org to keep abreast of all our news, events, client stories, volunteer opportunities, and how we work to affect public policy impacting the hungry. Encourage your friends, family and colleagues to get involved and join the fight to end hunger in our community.

cafb community e Photo courtesy CAFB

Thank you, Central Texas for helping us turn happy holidays for thousands of hungry October – December 20

Photo courtesy Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Keller Williams Food Drive Raised more than 14,000 pounds of food.

Photo courtesy CAFB

“Turn Hungry Holidays into Happy Holidays” Campaign Raised more than $500,000.

Wildflower Center Holiday Illuminations Raised more than 6,800 pounds of food.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edi Raised more than 1,300 pounds o

Photo courtesy GreenTee Photo

CANstruction Austin Raised more than $6,000 and 25,000 pounds of food.

Crawl for Cancer Food Drive Raised more than 1,300 pounds of food.

14th annual Austin Empty Bowl Project Raised the most funds in event history.

events

Get the facts about hunger at hungerisunacceptable.com

For more info on our events, follow us on Twitter: @events4good

join us

n hungry holidays into Central Texans!

10 Photo courtesy CAFB

32ND ANNUAL CROP HUNGER WALK Saturday, March 5 & Sunday, March 6 Walter E. Long Park - 6614 Blue Bluff Road

Photo courtesy Bruce Glass Photography

Photo courtesy Darcy Elizabeth Photography

3rd annual Kerbey Lane Can & Cookie Drive Raised more than $800 and 200 pounds of food.

ition of food.

Photo courtesy KWillis Design

for these upcoming events that raise awareness about hunger in Central Texas:

2nd annual Legacy of Giving – Day of Service Raised more than 58,000 pounds of food.

MATCHING GIFTS

Saturday 9:30 AM registration; 10 AM step-off Sunday 1:45 PM registration; 2:30 PM step-off CROP Hunger Walk helps raise money for hunger-relief programs in Austin and around the world. Teams of neighbors, walkers, volunteers and sponsors with a passion to help end hunger and poverty put their hearts and soles in motion to make a difference. They walk because they want to end hunger - one step at a time. Won’t you join us? For more information visit: austinfoodbank.org/cropwalk

18TH ANNUAL AUSTIN REGGAE FESTIVAL Friday, April 15 – Sunday, April 17 Auditorium Shores – Riverside at South 1st Street Friday 3 PM Gates Open; 10 PM Park Closes Saturday & Sunday 11 AM gates Open; 10 PM Park Closes Join thousands of reggae enthusiasts, for this Texas-sized celebration of spring bringing together world music, tasty food, arts & crafts, spectacular scenes and excellent people watching in Austin! Hosted at one of the city’s most popular outdoor venues, this event also helps feed hungry Central Texans by benefiting the Capital Area Food Bank. Purchase tickets in advance online for $12.50 beginning February 1, or at the gate for $15 (cash only). NEW THIS YEAR: Tents welcome with a permit. For more information and to purchase tent permits and tickets please visit: austinfoodbank.org/austinreggae

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.

For a complete list of upcoming events, visit austinfoodbank.org/events

“Hunger Is UNacceptable” Website Makes You a Powerful Advocate for Change.

In support of our goal to make hunger a priority issue in Central Texas, this online resource will help inform, inspire, and make you a powerful advocate for change.

Features include: interactive hunger maps, the latest facts and studies about hunger, and stories from community members affected by hunger, with much more to be added in the coming months. Add your voice by joining the campaign online, uploading your photo to our Flickr group, or sending us your story about hunger.

New on HungerisUNacceptable.com Austin-Round Rock families stuck in the middle between poverty and the cost of living.

For the federal government, calculating poverty is as simple as using the cost of food as a guideline and applying that measure equally across the country. In metro areas like Austin, families working in low-wage jobs don’t make enough to live given the local cost of living. Many more expenses – from housing to transportation to health care – factor into the costs of daily life. Often these families may not be considered poor enough to qualify for safety net programs like SNAP or WIC, but still struggle to make ends meet. When it’s time to make tough choices, the food budget often suffers.

Our new infographic shows the cost of living for families of different sizes in the Austin-Round Rock area based on the CPPP Family Budget Estimator project. http://www.austinfoodbank.org/hunger-is-unacceptable/ stuck-in-the-middle

Hunger Relief Map In times of emergency, how easy is it to access food? Are there enough services for the most vulnerable - our older adults and children? How far is the nearest HHSC office, WIC clinic or farmers market?

This interactive map overlays poverty data on a Google map with points of access to hunger relief services. http://www.austinfoodbank.org/hunger-is-unacceptable/hunger-relief-map

Hunger is 365 Days of the Year.

You and Your Family Can Help.

The holiday lights are gone. The cards, decorations and seasonal good cheer put away for another twelve months.

What hasn’t disappeared with the new year: hunger. Hunger respects no seasons of the year, or the holiday spirit.

Hunger in Central Texas, today, is 24/7, 365 days of the year.

This means, we need your help year-round, too. There are many opportunities to help us throughout the year.

Many of our food pantries and soup kitchen partners are frequently under-assisted.

Whether its signing up to volunteer to sort donated food, assisting our mobile food pantries as they visit communities to distribute food, or advocating on our behalf with your lawmaker at the Texas Legislature, you can do your part to help end hunger.

Hunger doesn’t stick to any calendar. We work every day of the year to end hunger. Join us today.

Advocate.

The 82nd Texas Legislature convened in Austin, on January 11, 2011. Help inform our elected officials about hunger in Central Texas and advocate for our food insecure neighbors. Sign up for Action Alerts — you’ll receive timely information on legislation, as well as tips for how you can improve the lives of hungry Central Texans by connecting with your elected officials.

Sign up: austinfoodbank.org/advocate

Donate.

The Food Bank can turn $1 into $5 worth of nutritious food, so we make it easy to donate every day of the year. Please consider making a financial gift using the enclosed remit or donate online.

Donate: austinfoodbank.org/donate

Volunteer.

After the holidays, we have a tremendous amount of donated food that needs to be inspected, cleaned and sorted. We need extra help in February and March to prepare this food for distribution to our hungry friends and neighbors.

Sign up: austinfoodbank.org/volunteer

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For more information and ways you and your family can help, visit austinfoodbank.org

OUR MISSION: TO NOURISH HUNGRY PEOPLE AND LEAD THE COMMUNITY IN ENDING HUNGER.

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 Melissa Anthony, AnthonyBarnum Public Relations Heidi Baschnagel, National Instruments John Cyrier, Sabre Commercial, Inc. Mark Downing, Silicon Laboratories Rick Gesing, Applied Materials Ken Gladish, Ph.D., Seton Foundations Deborah Kerr, Ph.D., Consultant Melissa Mitchell, Ernst & Young David Montoya, University of Texas School of Law Sue Snyder, Jackson Walker, L.L.P. Paula Soileau, American Heart Association Leslie Sweet, H-E-B

Feedback?

Questions, comments, or suggestions?

Change of address? Receiving duplicate copies? communications@austinfoodbank.org

Read it online Download & subscribe to CAFB publications at austinfoodbank.org

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message from the President & CEO

When I walk through our warehouse, I realize how especially grateful I am for folks like you. Everything I see in it, which, by the way, will be gone in about 30 days and replenished with new food, is there because you donate your time, talents, financial gifts and advocate on our behalf with elected officials. We have a lot to celebrate from this past year: • We nourished 48,000 Central Texans every week.

• We distributed 25 million pounds of food, including 2.7 million pounds in September – our largest monthly distribution in the history of the Food Bank.

• We launched our second “Wheels of Sharing” Mobile Food Pantry, quadrupling the amount of people we can serve through this program.

• We opened a new food pantry in the St. Johns neighborhood. This pantry is designed to serve as a model for not just Central Texas, but also our nation’s food banks.

• For the first time, we operated our Summer Food Service program at 25 sites in neighborhoods where most children receive free or reduced-price lunches during the school year.

• Our Summer Family Nutrition program enabled more than 5,600 Central Texas families to receive healthy food and nutrition education.

And, we’ve also experienced some challenges.

This tough economy has affected more families, creating longer food lines. One in seven Texans are now receiving SNAP benefits (food stamps) — that’s 3.8 million of our friends and neighbors.

And, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which provides a sweeping overhaul of child nutrition standards and improved access to nutrition programs, was passed in Congress by cutting $2.2 billion from SNAP. Throughout these challenges, you’ve been here, supporting us with your gifts, and letting our leaders know we will not quit until we end hunger.

We believe hunger is unacceptable, and you have shown us we can accomplish what is right, even when it is not easy. Thank you for your support. Together, we can end hunger.

Go mobile with our iPhone app iPheedANeed.com

Connect with us on HANK PERRET

@events4good

A member of

Interim President & CEO

The children’s drawings in this issue were created by Capital Area Food Bank CHOICES participants and clients.

The Capital Area Food Bank of Texas 8201 S. Congress Avenue Austin, Texas 78745

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(512) 282-2111