Feedback - Spring 2017

News from the Central Texas Food Bank

What’s INSIDE You’re Providing a Future for a Family

Pantries Offered at Schools for the First Time Legislation Matters Amplify Austin is Here to Crank up the Giving

Spring 2017

us. It’s a parallel world and a completely distinct world where people follow the law.”

For the family who lived in a country where empty stores are the norm, something as simple as stepping foot inside a Walmart and seeing it stocked with items is like heaven to them, Régulo said.

From the instant they stepped off the plane, living in Austin has been a complete culture shock to the family, but they’re slowly adapting to their new surroundings.

While Régulo looks for a job, they’re relying

More than anything I just want to thank you very much with all my heart.

You’re providing a future for a family Three-year old Ivanna’s eyes glistened as she held on tight to a doll she was given at the Food Bank’s Partner Agency, Reveal Resource Center. It was her new baby doll and she would take care of it, she said.

A table, four chairs, a single mattress on the floor, and Ivanna’s new doll are all her family has in their single bedroom apartment. And Ivanna’s mom, Mirna, and her dad, Régulo, couldn’t be more grateful.

The family doesn’t have much, but they’re happy with their new life knowing they are safe and have access to one of the most basic needs: food.

Four months ago, the family never knew if they would return home safely every time they stepped out of their house in Venezuela, much less find food for their next meal.

The severe economic crisis in Venezuela has left the country unable to buy imports necessary for its residents, causing massive consumer product and food shortages, hyperinflation, an increase in crime and starved families, like Régulo’s, struggling to survive day-to-day.

“You can’t take your kids to the park. You’re scared to go to school. You’re scared to be out

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It’s really hard to leave your country, but you think about your children. The only option is to leave the country, because there’s no future there. on the street,” Régulo said. “You live in terror.

That’s your day-to-day all the time.”

With nothing but empty grocery stores in Venezuela, a sleepless night is only the beginning of a “grocery trip” for Régulo and hundreds of other Venezuelans who take to the streets in the middle of the night to wait in line to buy food.

“If you’re lucky, you might get to eat once a day. If you’re lucky,” Régulo said.

If he was very lucky, he returned home safely with a bit of food for his wife and daughter after waking up at 2 a.m. to stand in line for six to eight hours in the heat or rain and at the mercy of thieves.

Buying a package of pasta and some rice was a successful grocery trip, but that wasn’t always the case.

When there wasn’t any food left in the

already barren grocery stores, Régulo relied on his neighbors and social media to find out where he could buy food. Even then, he faced the possibility of not being able to afford the overpriced food inaccessible to working families.

Confronted with the extreme situation in Venezuela, Régulo decided to look for other opportunities.

“It’s really hard to leave your country, but you think about your children. The only option is to leave the country, because there’s no future there.”

With help from strangers online and after being granted asylum in the U.S., the family sold their belongings, gathered their savings and decided Austin would be their new home.

“We are very grateful to the U.S. who has opened its doors to us. This is another world for

on their savings to buy the most basic needs.

As their savings dwindle, it has been more difficult for the family to buy food and they have often had to wait for their family in Venezuela to send them some money to be able to buy something to eat.

After visiting a clinic and learning about the Central Texas Food Bank and its Partner Agencies, the family arrived at the Reveal Resource Center for the first time, not sure what to expect.

They were amazed by all the food and help they received. The family left with different

kinds of bread, chicken wings, meat, grains, and staples.

“We were so happy that day,” Régulo said.

“We ate the chicken wings right away because we hadn’t eaten.”

Thanks to the Food Bank, the family visits the pantry to save money on groceries and uses their remaining savings on rent to keep a roof over their heads and to pay bills, Mirna said.

“We are very grateful for this great work that you do. There are a lot of people that need food, and there are a lot of people who need these services,” Régulo said.

The family would leave with more than just food. With the drop in temperatures, the family was feeling the cold weather and was given a blanket during their first visit.

As part of the services the Reveal Resource Center provides, families are given a clothing voucher once a month and Mirna would now use hers as she picked out warm clothes for her family to use during the winter.

After meeting the family, a food pantry volunteer gave them a lamp to take home.

Mirna would also leave with a new comforter for her daughter.

Slowly and with the help from others, the family is filling their apartment. Their new home for a brighter future.

“More than anything I just want to thank you very much with all my heart because you are doing great work helping people who need food with something so basic. Because you can’t go without eating,” Régulo said. “There are a lot of people who are like us who have just arrived, who don’t have access to many things and this helps a lot.”

Legislation Matters

By Kathy Green, Senior Director of Advocacy and Public Policy One of the major roles of the Food Bank and hunger advocacy is tracking the federal nutrition programs benefiting our clients.

Here is a quick overview of some of the programs administered through Central Texas Food Bank, and what legislation affects them.

Programs authorized through the Farm Bill include: The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) Provides USDA commodities to qualifying agencies (primarily food banks) to distribute to low-income populations. Commonly includes canned fruits and vegetables, dried beans, peanut butter, cereals and pasta, meats/poultry/fish and dairy. These items are provided at no cost to food banks and redistributed to clients, pantries and soup kitchens.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”—food stamps) Program that provides a monthly benefit to households to purchase food. Benefits depend on household size, assets and other factors, and are loaded on a Lone Star Card (EBT) that can be used at grocery stores and farmers’ markets.

Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) Provides USDA commodities via shelfstable food packages to low-income seniors.

Recipients must be at or below 130 percent of federal poverty income guidelines and 60 years old or older.

Programs authorized through the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act include: Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Provides meals to children under 18 during summer months (when school is not in session) at schools, non-profit organizations, summer camps and local government facilities. Children may receive free meals at any open site, usually located in lowerincome areas of a community The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Provides meals to child and adult care institutions, as well as afterschool programs.

Common sites are schools, Boys and Girls Clubs, Austin Parks and Rec and YMCAs. Children who may not get dinner at home, or can’t due to parent’s schedules, can receive help at these sites.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

THANK YOU FOR HELPING FIGHT HUNGER!

CROP Walk February 26, 2017 Camp Mabry 2299 W 35th St., Austin, TX 78703 The Annual Austin CROP Hunger Walk is sponsored by Church World Service and raises money for food, medical care, disaster relief and development locally and throughout the world. The funds raised will help provide more meals for our community through Food Bank programs, like our Mobile Food Pantry.

1,7. 20th Annual Austin Empty Bowl Nearly 2,000 attendees were able to choose from an array of hand-painted bowls and enjoy delicious soups. Proceeds from the event benefited the Central Texas Food Bank and Meals on Wheels Central Texas kids’ programs.

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3.Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation The Food Bank received a $45,000 donation as part of a program – called Fill Your Tank – that celebrates the company’s 60th anniversary by providing $60 million to fight hunger around the globe.

Amplify Austin 6 p.m. March 2 – 6 p.m. March 3, 2017 www.amplifyatx.org/foodbank Amplify Austin brings together hundreds of local nonprofits to raise millions of dollars in online donations for Central Texans in need in just 24 hours. Mark your calendar or schedule your gift today at amplifyatx.org/foodbank Austin Reggae Festival April 14 – April 16, 2017 Auditorium Shores 900 W Riverside Dr., Austin, TX 78704 Reggae Fest is one of the Food Bank’s largest signature events and has helped raise more than $1,000,000 for the Food Bank since its inception. The event raises food and funds for the Food Bank through ticket sales and donations at the gate.

2,9. Legacy of Giving Day of Service Thirty-six schools from Austin collected food and then visited the Food Bank on December 2nd to unload their donations and celebrate collecting 28,265 pounds of food that provided 23,554 meals for Central Texans.

4,15. Stuff the Bus Whole Foods Market and Capital Metro teamed up once again to help us fill two Capital Metro buses with food donations. With the help of customers who donated both food and funds, and local partners like KIND Bars, the event surpassed the original goal and raised 185,705 meals.

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5. Hops For Hunger Live Oak Brewing donated $1 for every Hefewiezen sold and Svante’s food truck donated 10% of food truck sales during our Hops for Hunger benefit night, raising more than 400 meals.

6,11. Mace’s #nohunger Campaign In the third year of the #NoHunger food drive, 9year old Hunger Fighter Mace Massingill set a goal to feed 90,000 people. He blew the goal away and raised 199,026 meals for those in need.

8. Brunch at Uchi For the first time ever, nationally renowned restaurant Uchi offered brunch and donated a portion of proceeds to the Food Bank. This unique event raised 14,000 meals for Central Texans in need.

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10,16. Souper Bowl of Caring This annual event brings local schools, organizations, and grocery partners H-E-B, Central Market and Randalls together to raise food and funds for a month leading up to the big game. This year our goal was to raise 2.75 million meals for Central Texans.

12. Dimensional Community Day Dimensional Fund Advisors hosted a community volunteer day for their employees and had more than 100 employees volunteer with us. Together they sorted more than 14,500 meals.

13. Charlotte Pipe & Foundry Company Through their employees’ monthly giving and company contributions, Charlotte Pipe has donated more than 182,000 since 2013, helping to feed thousands of families across Central Texas.

14. Holiday Volunteer Shift We hosted a screening of the holiday movie “Elf” while over 80 volunteers, dressed in their favorite holiday sweaters, sorted food in product recovery.

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You’re Giving Families Hope

Food Pantries Offered at Schools for First Time A long line of families forms outside a portable classroom at Dobie Middle school.

One by one, each person goes in and is handed a bag full of non-perishable food and fresh produce to take back home.

For the first time, these families are able to visit a food pantry within a school thanks to the Food Bank’s new partnership with Austin Voices for Education and Youth, a nonprofit that connects parents, schools and the community to support children and improve schools.

The partnership began in early October and food pantries are now offered at three of six Austin schools where Austin Voices is located.

Currently, Webb Middle School, Burnet Middle School and Dobie Middle School have food pantries stocked with staples and nutritious food. LBJ High School will soon be hosting a food pantry onsite as well.

“At Austin Voices, we do everything from Blue Santa to case management,” Jose Carrasco, Austin Voices Dobie Middle School Resource Center director, said. “Whatever comes in through that door, we have to either have it or know somebody we can call. That is why it is good to have partners like the Central Texas Food Bank.”

With one in four children in Central Texas at

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It’s a very big help, because it’s a lot of stuff that we normally use in our house and sometimes we don’t have enough for all of it. risk of hunger, having a food pantry at a school makes it easier for families to obtain nutritious food to help them get through the month.

For Alejandra, who takes care of her 4-year old who has a disability and is unable to speak, finding a job that works with her schedule is difficult. Times get tough for her family when her husband’s work as a painter is affected by the weather.

After learning about the food pantry during her ESL classes, Alejandra stops by the portable classroom after dropping off her two children at school.

“We’re using this help very much, because just imagine, if I don’t look for other means to

take something home, it’s not enough with his income,” Alejandra said.

She isn’t the only one who relies on the food pantry’s services. Since the partnership began on October 11, the three schools have distributed a total of 10,601 pounds of food, with Dobie Middle School having the largest increase in households served - from 62 to 102.

Families are grateful for the extra help.

Martha’s family usually has to limit the food they buy at the grocery store and will sometimes have to leave food behind to stay within budget.

At the pantry, Martha now gets food that she would not have been able to buy at the store.

“It’s a very big help, because it’s a lot of stuff that we normally use in our house and sometimes we don’t have enough for all of it,” Martha said.

As she makes her way into the food pantry, she’s given a bag filled with rice, tortillas, beans, bread, potatoes, canned food, eggs and fresh produce.

With the extra help, she now feels better about being able to provide nutritious meals for her family.

Your Gift Goes Further with Amplify Austin You’re the most important part of the work we do and you matter to the people we serve.

Without your help, there is a mother in our community who wonders if she’ll have enough food to feed her children and herself, or if she’ll have to go without dinner again tonight in order to sacrifice for her babies.

Without your kindness, there is a grandfather down the street who lives on a fixed income and cuts his prescription medications in half so he can afford basic grocery staples he needs to stay well.

People facing hunger live among us. They are likely less than a few miles from your doorstep. They are teachers, construction workers, cooks and more. They are also the disabled, retired, families that can’t afford childcare or people who were laid off and are looking for work.

They are neighbors, friends, sisters, cousins and co-workers.

This spring let’s work together to turn the page and continue on our way to ending hunger. Our community has enough food to feed everyone in need and the Food Bank has the tools to reach them.

But we need your help.

Without donations, volunteers and advocates, our work wouldn’t be possible.

When you make a gift to the Food Bank, you’re helping give families and individuals facing hunger an opportunity to start fresh and providing them with hope that there are people who care.

Give generously today. For every gift of $25 the Food Bank can provide 100 meals to people right here in our own Central Texas community. Your support means so much. Thank you!

Help fight hunger during Amplify Austin, a 24-hour day of giving hosted by I live Here, I Give Here that helps non-profits make a difference in their community. From 6 p.m. on March 2 to 6 p.m. on March 3, you can help us bridge the gap in food that the Food Bank always experiences during the spring months.

Help us raise enough to feed 2,500 Central Texas families of four for a month. Your gift of $90 can feed a family for a month!

Get involved one of three easy ways: Sign up to be a fundraiser Spread the word about the Food Bank to your family and friends and encourage them to get involved in this community-wide day of giving.

Pre-schedule your donation You can schedule your gift today at www.amplifyATX.org/foodbank, so you’ll be sure you’re fighting hunger in our community even if you miss the day of.

Give during Amplify Austin You’ll have 24 hours, from 6 p.m. on March 2 to 6 p.m. on March 3, to help us promote the mission of the Food Bank by giving online at www.amplifyATX.org/foodbank. Watch out for power hours, when your gift earns matching gifts and prizes so we can feed even more Central Texans in need!

Special thank you to the Wood Family for sponsoring the Amplify Austin 10-11 a.m. power hour on March 3.

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Mark J. Williams, Chair

Stephen Portner

Barrett Wood, Vice Chair WoodGen, LLC

Hon. Jeff Rose Texas Third Court of Appeals

Terry G. Knighton, Secretary Luminex Corporation

John Sanchez Clint Scott CLS Partners

Kevin J. Koch, Treasurer McLane Company, Inc.

Sheldy Starkes, MBA, PMP Booker, Starkes & Patodia, Inc.

Jen Alessandra SolarWinds

Leslie Sweet HEB Grocery Company, LP

Heidi Baschnagel National Instruments Corporation

Anneliese Tanner Austin Independent School District

Shaun Cranston Brookfield Residential Properties Inc Kenneth Gladish, Ph.D.

Jason Thurman PlainsCapital Bank

Hari Jayaram Applied Materials

Michael G. Watkins, MD, FACC Seton Heart Institute

Timothy M. Lee thinc.small, LLC

Scott Weatherford Jackson Walker LLP

Pat Massey IBM Corporation

Shayne Woodard Waterloo Lobby & Advocacy, Inc.

Joyce Mullen Dell, Inc.

FEEDBACK? Questions, comments or change of address?

Email: communications@centraltexasfoodbank.org Read it online Download and subscribe to Food Bank publications at centraltexasfoodbank.org

WIN A BIT OF DISTILLING HISTORY We’ve been gifted with an exceptionally rare, collectible, 1980 vintage bottle of Buffalo Trace Distillery O.F.C Bourbon Whiskey that we’re raffling off with the goal of raising 200,000 meals for Central Texans in need.

MESSAGE from the PRESIDENT & CEO

Hello, Food Bank friends and supporters. Having just completed my first quarter as your President & CEO, this is the first chance I’ve had to reach out to you in the pages of Feedback. I want to thank everyone for the warm welcome I’ve received. The initial learning curve has been steep, but my transition into the role has been a very smooth one, thanks in large part to Hank Perret’s time and support. My sincere thanks to him for that.

After viewing the Food Bank through a newcomer’s eyes for a few months, I want to share with you some of my initial impressions and why my excitement and commitment to our mission continue to build with each passing day.

First of all, I’m incredibly impressed with the dedication of our staff, donors and volunteers, who constantly go the extra mile to make sure we do all we can to serve our neighbors in need. Their efforts, along with a truly great organizational foundation, mean that Central Texas has a well-oiled hunger fighting machine that’s equipped to meet whatever challenges the future might bring.

Something else that stands out is the amazing sense of ownership and support the Food Bank receives from the community. Everywhere I go, everyone I meet, I’m greeted with enthusiasm for what we do to serve the 1 in 4 Central Texas children facing hunger. Also, now having been through my first holiday fundraising season here, I can attest to the caring and generous support you provide—support for thousands of our neighbors like Régulo, Mirna, and Ivanna (featured in this issue) who need your help to give them hope.

Unfortunately, hunger isn’t a seasonal issue. That’s why I’m asking for your continued generosity during the upcoming Amplify Austin event.

During this 24-hour online fundraising drive from 6 p.m. March 2 to 6 p.m. March 3, you can help the Food Bank bridge the gap in food that we always experience during the spring months. Your donation of just $90 can provide a family of four with nutritious meals for an entire month. And through matching gifts and booster prizes, your donation will feed even more of our neighbors in need. We can create a hungerfree community, but we can only do it with your help. Please consider pre-scheduling your donation today at www.amplifyatx.org/foodbank.

Again, thanks for welcoming me so warmly to the Food Bank team. I look forward to all the things we’ll accomplish together.

Only 200 bottles of bourbon dating back to 1980, 1982 and 1983 will be released. These first vintages of O.F.C. were offered exclusively to non-profit organizations at no charge to raise money for their causes.

Only 1000 raffle tickets will be sold, so don’t miss your chance to win a bit of distilling history while helping the Central Texas Food Bank fight hunger!

Purchase yours today at centraltexasfoodbank.org/ whiskeyraffle Drawing will take place on February 28, 2017 Please see terms and conditions and rules at centraltexasfoodbank.org/whiskeyraffle

Derrick Chubbs President & CEO

Our mission: To nourish hungry people and lead the community in ending hunger.

6500 Metropolis Dr., Austin, TX 78744 | 512.282.2111 /CentralTexasFoodBank

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