News from the Central Texas Food Bank
What’s INSIDE
Central Texas Family Finds Hope at the Food Bank Our New Look
Amazon Gives Back as Business Grows Double Your Impact this Summer
Summer 2016
“The Food Bank has given us hope.”
A small family of three was making it. They were living the American dream. Steven had a good job to support his wife and young son, they had a place of their own, and they mostly worried about whether they should buy their son another toy. But to this family, taking care of their loved ones was more important. Although Victoria lived in Lubbock, she constantly traveled to Bartlett, Texas, to look after her mom, who has Parkinson’s disease, and her aunt, who has lung problems. She would stay with them for weeks at a time before going back home, but this made it stressful to raise her 3-year old who needed his mom and dad together. Taking care of her ailing family was a fulltime job, and Steven and Victoria were adamant about keeping them out of a nursing home, even if it meant making a life changing decision. They left everything they had built in Lubbock, packed their belongings and moved to Bartlett. “You come to a point though, it’s either family is everything or family is nothing. That was the deciding factor,” Steven said. The move depleted the family’s savings. Unable to find a job in Bartlett, the family was
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left without any income to fall back on and more mouths to feed. Buying toys for their son was no longer a concern when getting by became a struggle, especially when their son, Ari, fell ill. As soon as they arrived in Bartlett, Ari suffered from intestinal problems and had to undergo surgery. With three members of the family needing medical attention, and the nearest hospital 20 miles from them, any trip to the doctor meant traveling at least 40 miles round trip and sometimes even up to a 60 mile round trip. The long drives meant more money spent on gas, and increased summer gas prices weren’t helping. The family went from spending $500 a month at the most in Lubbock to almost $1000 in Bartlett. It came down to food or
gas. “They have to be at their doctors’ appointments,” Victoria said. “It’s basically their life line; it’s what’s keeping them going.” Unfortunately, gas wasn’t something they could offset, but eating was. Eating less or skipping meals altogether was Victoria and Steven’s only option to make sure that Ari and Victoria’s mom and aunt had food to eat. “We’ve had to make choices and it’s more on the lines of we just eat the smallest meal as we possibly can,” Victoria said. The days where spending hundreds of dollars a month on groceries was the norm were long gone. There were no more extra trips to the grocery store to buy snacks, no more eating out and healthier food was now out of their reach.
We have to make that $20 into an actual $50 bill worth of food.
The future is bright, I look at my 3-year old and there’s nothing that I won’t do to ensure he has everything that he needs. To make food last, they traded in fresh produce for frozen, high-starch meals that, although not healthy, would satisfy their basic needs. “We have to make that $20 into an actual $50 bill worth of food,” Victoria said. “Buying boxed food, buying frozen food, it’s sad, but it’s actually a lot cheaper and that’s hard, because I’m all about healthy eating.” As much as the family tried to stretch their budget, it wasn’t enough. With Victoria’s aunt and mom’s monthly benefits drained by the middle of the month and $5 left in their pockets to buy groceries, the family turned to their nearest Central Texas Food Bank Partner Agency for help. “We’re a very proud family, and asking for help a lot of the time is a hard thing to do,” Steven said. Though they felt uneasy about going to the food pantry, their experience was reassuring. The volunteers explained the process, how much food they were going to receive and even recommended using cloth bags to make it easier to carry the food. “The people were kind; they seemed to be caring and really involved in their community,” Victoria said. “Not knowing anybody here and going there for the first time, they did make us feel at home.” At the food pantry they were able to receive food that would extend their meals. Staples like rice, bread, potatoes, canned food, onions
and beans now filled their kitchen. Thanks to the Food Bank, the family was able to reintroduce healthier food into their diet. Carrots and celery replaced Ari’s cheaper candy snacks his parents could afford, and he didn’t complain. He loves carrots and celery. He couldn’t be a happier and more carefree child walking around his house holding a bag of carrots that he eats from. Even Victoria’s mom and aunt benefited from the fresh produce. Peanut butter with celery made a healthy snack for them and the carrots were especially beneficial for Victoria’s mom’s Parkinson’s disease. “The food bank has been a lifesaver in that it has turned a situation that could’ve become hopeless and living in despair to where we can feed our son, we can feed our family, and we can hold our heads up high,” Steven said. Though Steven is still looking for a job to support his family, the family knows that their economic situation is temporary. They know that they’ll be able to give back monetarily as they used to when they were financially stable. But this time, they also want to donate their time and lend a hand to those in need. In the meantime, Ari lights up their lives with the pranks he plays on his grandma and aunt. “We’ve had to start over from scratch,” Steven said. “The future is bright, I look at my 3-year old and there’s nothing that I won’t do to ensure he has everything that he needs.”
OUR NEW LOOK As we prepare to move into our new 135,000 square foot facility, we are thrilled to unveil our new look. As we grow, we continue our dedication to serving every corner of our 21 county service territory. Our new name, Central Texas Food Bank, reflects our commitment to nourishing every neighbor and every community from San Saba to Fairfield, and from Waco to Luling. We are also setting some exciting new goals. Our new facility has seven times the combined refrigerator and freezer space of our current facility, giving us the ability to distribute more fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy than ever before. In five years, we hope that half the food that leaves our warehouse will be fresh produce. Our new carrot logo reflects our commitment to distributing the healthiest food possible to our most at-risk neighbors. We hope our new brand better tells the story of the work we are doing in our community, and that all of our donors, partners and clients are excited to see the big changes coming their way.
COME SEE OUR NEW FACILITY Tours will run June 20 – August 31, 2016 on Wednesdays & Fridays Wednesday tours start at 8:30 A.M. Friday tours start at 11:30 A.M. Please contact Amy Elms at aelms@centraltexasfoodbank.org or call 512.684.2532 to reserve your space today.
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UPCOMING EVENTS Farm to Fork June 1 at HausBar Urban Farm 3300 Govalle Ave, Austin, TX Enjoy live music and great food cooked by local chefs at HausBar Urban Farm while learning more about the U.S. Zero Waste Business Council and other local organizations. This inaugural event will benefit the Central Texas Food Bank, HAAM and Keep Austin Fed.
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Round Rock Express Strike Out Hunger Wednesday Home Games at Dell Diamond 3400 E Palm Valley Blvd, Round Rock, TX The Round Rock Express is giving away a free lawn ticket to Wednesday home games when attendees bring in two H-E-B branded canned food items to the Dell Diamond on game day. Music Under the Star Concert Series July 8, 15, & 22 from 6:30 - 9:00 P.M. at Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum 1800 Congress Ave, Austin, TX Join us at the Bob Bullock Museum on three Friday evenings in July for a free concert series and free entry into the museum. Food donations will be collected for the Food Bank’s Summer Meals that Matter campaign. Bacon and Beer Fest June 12 from 2:30 – 5pm at Circuit of the Americas 9201 Circuit of the Americas Blvd, Austin, TX The third annual Bacon and Beer Festival is produced by Edible Austin and Eat Boston and presented by Circuit of the Americas. Boasting many varieties of bacon and beer treats, the festival sells out annually and raised more than $10,000 for the Food Bank in 2015. Keep Austin Weird Festival June 25 at The American Legion/Veterans Park 404 Atlanta St., Austin, TX This annual festival celebrates all things weird with sideshow attractions, a costume contest, live music by local bands, and the “slowest 5k ever” that includes several fun stops like a slip and slide and Amy’s Ice Cream. The Food Bank receives $1 from every festival pass sold. In 2015, this event raised more than 10,000 meals for hungry Central Texans. Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival August 21 at Fiesta Gardens 2101 Jesse E. Segovia St, Austin, TX Now in its 26th year, the Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival is the world’s largest hot sauce festival, boasting more than 300 varieties of hot sauce. There are several different contest categories to crown the best red, green, special variety and pepper sauce. The festival is free with a suggested donation of non-perishable food items to the Food Bank. In 2015, this event brought in nearly 10,000 pounds of food donations.
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THANK YOU FOR HELPING FIGHT HUNGER! 1,15. Souper Bowl of Caring This annual campaign brought together local grocery partners H-E-B and Randall’s, who together raised more than 2.55 million meals for hungry Central Texans.
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2. Austin Oyster Festival The Fourth Annual Austin Oyster Festival included a variety of food and drinks for oyster lovers, and a portion of ticket and raffle sales benefited the Food Bank. 3,9. CROP Hunger Walk The Annual Austin CROP Hunger Walk raises money for food, medical care, disaster relief and development locally and throughout the world. The funds raised will help provide meals locally though programs like our Mobile Food Pantry. 4. APLA & APES 9th Annual Golf Tournament This annual golf tournament brings together professionals within the oil & gas industry who together raised nearly $30,000 for the Food Bank.
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5. Amplify Austin More than 600 local nonprofits raised a collective $8.5 million in online donations in just 24 hours. The Food Bank surpassed its goal of 600,000 meals, raising $224,824 or 899,296 meals. A special thank you to the Wood Family for their Power Hour sponsorship and matching gift. 6. Austin 10/20 The Food Bank was the 2016 beneficiary of the annual Austin 10/20 run. This unique race included live music by local bands at every half mile and raised more than 5,900 meals for hungry Central Texans. 7. Edible Austin 2016 Children’s Picnic This annual children’s festival is hosted by Edible Austin and includes free food from local vendors, live music, cooking demonstrations, gardening lessons and more. 8,13. Austin Reggae Festival Reggae Fest is one of the Food Bank’s largest events and has helped raise more than $1,000,000 for the Food Bank since its inception.
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10,16. Spring Break Volunteers More than 70 students from University of Wisconsin–Madison’s “Students Today Leaders Forever” organization made a trip to Texas for an “Alternative Spring Break” and stopped in Austin to volunteer in our warehouse. 11. Fight Hunger. Spark Change. This annual partnership between Feeding America and Walmart raises money for Food Banks nationwide both in store and online. 12. AMD Day of Service The annual AMD Cares Day of Service brought out volunteers who sorted thousands of pounds of food and had a big impact on their local community. 14. MINI USA Test driving a MINI benefited Feeding America food banks nationwide.
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Flexibility Vital for At-Risk Families By Kathy Green, Senior Director of Advocacy and Public Policy
Amazon Gives Back as Business Grows When Amazon Prime Now arrived in Austin, shoppers could skip the trip to the grocery store and order anything from toiletries to CDs to tomatoes from their cell phones and have their items arrive in as little as one hour. In a warehouse filled with thousands of products, even food, nothing goes to waste. When the packaging of a food item arrives with slight damage, but the inner packaging is fine, instead of throwing it out Amazon donates it to the Food Bank. Cereal, cucumbers, canned food, mushrooms and even dog food make their way to the Food Bank’s warehouse where they’re distributed to struggling families. “I don’t like to throw anything away,” Julio Cruz of Austin’s Amazon Prime said. As the service gained popularity, an increase in orders meant more products arriving at the Amazon warehouse, but less storage space to keep them for longer periods of time. For Amazon, it just wasn’t right to throw away pallets of food to clear space in their warehouse, especially when one in six Central Texans is at risk of hunger. “Amazon is adamant about donating to a non-profit organization that’s going to help the community that we’re a part of,” Julio said. “It’s a morale booster for us and management and for employees to see that we actually do more with what we can’t sell to the customers.” What started as a weekly pick-up trip to the warehouse turned to two pick-up days, and now the Food Bank picks up pallets of donations three times a week. Since their partnership with the Food Bank began
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in June 2015, they have donated 85,779 pounds of a variety of food to the Food Bank – fresh produce, bread and non-perishable food. With help from the Food Bank, Amazon employees have learned to sort the items and filter them to make sure none of the products are past due or have been recalled. As the company makes improvements to their warehouse, the Food Bank is always in the back of their minds. To keep produce fresh longer, a new freezer has replaced refrigerators that were once used. Instead of selling the refrigerators, Amazon decided to keep them and use them exclusively for produce that’s donated to the Food Bank. Amazon clients will soon be able to purchase meat and the company is already planning on donating meat to the Food Bank. “It’s just been great to have [the Food Bank] as a partner because we would rather do so much good with all the items that would normally just fill up our dumpster.”
You Shop. Amazon Gives. Did you know your online shopping can benefit the Food Bank? Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice. Visit smile.amazon.com to select the Central Texas Food Bank as your charity!
As Congress deliberates on its latest budget, they are considering what are called “opportunity grants” for food assistance. In essence, this approach would turn funding for SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or “food stamps”) into block grants, changing it from an entitlement program—meaning all who qualify for the program receive it—into fixed amounts of federal tax dollars allocated to the states. States would then have the authority and flexibility to administer the program. Although this approach might result in a reduction in spending on SNAP, it could also have severe consequences for SNAP recipients. SNAP gives low-income households greater access to food, leaving more of their budget available for other basic needs such as housing, medicine, transportation and utilities. By design, SNAP effectively responds to fluctuations in the economy. When people face greater need, as occurred during the Great Recession, the SNAP rolls increased. As the economy has improved, the SNAP rolls have begun to decline. SNAP’s flexibility also helps during natural disasters, as it did during the Bastrop wildfires, and hurricanes Rita and Ike. This important benefit helped feed families when their pantries had been wiped out or they were evacuated out of state. Unfortunately, the discretion and flexibility states would gain with an “opportunity grant” approach carries with it the risk of the funds being used for things other than hunger relief. Funds could be directed toward education, transportation, health care, or other uses the states deem appropriate. While these are all worthy pursuits, funding to help families put food on the table in an economic or natural disaster could become uncertain or inconsistent. In its current form, SNAP has proven to be one of the most successful federal programs, working efficiently to feed people and lift more households out of poverty than any other government program. If it’s not broke, why “fix” it?
MATCHING GIFT CHALLENGE $1=$2
DOUBLE Your Impact this Summer You can double your impact this summer, thanks to the Stumberg Family, Gates Family and WM Medical Consultants LLC’s generous $215,000 matching gift challenge. There are families across Central Texas struggling to make ends meet, and because you give generously, the Food Bank is able to be there when people need help most. Tailar and her two children, Ellyanna 8-years-old and Isyc 5-years-old, know the pains of hunger first hand. Ellyanna says, “I feel sad, because my tummy hurts.” They’ve had it rough lately and Tailar tells us, “We’re trying to get back on our feet now, it’s hard. Slowly but surely, we’re getting there.” Tailar and her boyfriend Marc moved their young family to Elgin - where they were finally able to find an apartment they could afford - and still have to find a way to make things work with one car commuting to jobs in Austin each day. Before the move, they were relying on the kindness of friends and family for a place to stay while they saved up. Now, “It’s paycheck to paycheck,” Tailar says.
I really, really appreciate it. It’s hard to provide for babies sometimes and when people are here to help, it feels good. Thankfully, their apartment complex partners with the Food Bank to provide nourishing meals to Ellyanna, Isyc and other children in the area each weekday. This helps the family stretch their budget and ensures that Tailar’s children don’t have to go without a healthy meal. Thinking about the help, Tailar says, “I really, really appreciate it. It’s hard to provide for babies sometimes and when people are here to help, it feels good.” We can’t help family’s like Tailar’s without you. Making a gift right now means you can make a difference. Help us make sure no children ever have to feel the pains of hunger.
When you donate this summer, you’ll help us provide 1,000,000 Summer Meals that Matter, and have your gift doubled thanks to the Stumberg Family, Gates Family and WM Medical Consultants LLC. When matched, a gift of $100 will stretch to provide 800 meals - that’s incredible. Of living in Elgin, Tailar says, “My babies are happy and that’s it, that’s all I’m worried about, and they love it here.” Thank you for bringing happiness to your neighbors all over Central Texas.
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS Heidi Baschnagel, Chair National Instruments Corporation
John Sanchez Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
Joyce Mullen, Vice Chair Dell, Inc.
Clint Scott CLS Partners
Terry G. Knighton, Secretary
Sheldy Starkes, MBA, PMP Booker, Starkes & Patodia, Inc.
Kevin J. Koch, Treasurer McLane Company, Inc. Jen Alessandra SolarWinds Melissa Anthony Sinn anthonyBarnum Public Relations Kenneth Gladish, Ph.D. Seton Foundations Timothy M. Lee thinc.small, LLC Hon. Jeff Rose Texas Third Court of Appeals
Leslie Sweet HEB Grocery Company, LP Jason Thurman PlainsCapital Bank Michael G. Watkins, MD, FACC Seton Heart Institute Scott Weatherford Jackson Walker LLP Mark J. Williams Barrett Wood WoodGen, LLC
FEEDBACK? Questions, comments or change of address? Email: communications@centraltexasfoodbank.org Read it online Download and subscribe to Food Bank publications at centraltexasfoodbank.org
THANK YOU SUMMER SPONSORS
MESSAGE from the PRESIDENT & CEO These are exciting times at the Food Bank. On June 1, we officially become the Central Texas Food Bank, a change that underscores our commitment to serving everyone in our vast service territory. With the new name comes a new logo that illustrates our emphasis on distributing the freshest and healthiest food possible. And in the third week of June, thanks to your generous support, we’ll be up and running in our new facility, with more than double the capacity to serve the growing need for hunger relief here in Central Texas. Our increased capacity comes at a crucial time. As the population of Central Texas continues to swell, so do the challenges faced by many of our neighbors—challenges that often force them to make difficult choices between paying rent, buying medication or putting food on the table. Summer, in particular, can push an at-risk family to the edge. Utility costs soar and school lunches for children aren’t available. At the same time, Food Bank shelves tend to be a little bare, making it challenging for us to provide food to those in need when they are most vulnerable. Since hunger doesn’t take a summer vacation, we’ve launched our annual Summer Meals That Matter campaign. We need your help to raise 1 million meals by the end of the summer. Generous matching gifts mean that every dollar donated during the campaign will provide 8 nutritious meals for Central Texas families. Your gift will ensure we can provide families like Victoria and Steven’s (featured in this issue) with consistent access to nourishing food, giving them a better chance to reach their full potential. With your help, we’ve grown a lot since opening our doors 35 years ago. We’ve gone from distributing just 330,000 pounds of food in our first year to almost 34 million pounds of food last year, one-third of which was fresh produce. And we’ve expanded our service area from just Austin to a 21 county territory that’s home to 471,000 children, seniors and adults facing hunger issues. Through all this change, there has been one important constant. You have always been there, providing the means for us to give Central Texans a helping hand. As we move forward with a renewed commitment to our mission, let’s begin by raising one million meals for families, children and seniors this summer. Together, we can end summer hunger.
Hank Perret President & CEO
THE STUMBERG FAMILY THE GATES FAMILY WM MEDICAL CONSULTANTS, LLC FOR MAKING OUR MATCHING GIFT CHALLENGE POSSIBLE
Our mission: To nourish hungry people and lead the community in ending hunger. 6500 Metropolis Dr., Austin, TX 78744 | 512.282.2111 formerly Capital Area Food Bank /CentralTexasFoodBank
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