HISTORY
HISTORY OF AMERICA’S SECOND HARVEST Established in 1981, America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia is a locally inspired, volunteer driven nonprofit food bank and community partnering organization. Our goal is to feed hungry people and strengthen communities in our twenty-one county service area. Children, the elderly, people experiencing homelessness, those with disabilities, and the working poor are those primarily served by America’s Second Harvest Food Bank. Our food bank partners with more than 241 organizations to distribute food to families in need in southeastern Georgia. The food bank also effectively captures and distributes second harvests. Food items are donated from national and local manufacturers, gleaned from farmers’ fields, and recovered from grocery and retail stores.
HUNGER IN COASTAL GEORGIA • • • • • •
31% of seniors are at-risk for hunger. 40% of our clients have admitted to watering down food and drinks to get them to go further. 64% of children in qualify for free/reduced meals at school. 66% of our senior clients have to choose between food and medicine. 69% of our clients have to choose between food and utilities. 84% of our clients purchased inexpensive, unhealthy foods to stay within budget.
PARTNERSHIPS MAKE OUR MISSION POSSIBLE Leading the effort to end hunger and improve lives.
PARTNERSHIPS MAKE OUR MISSION STRONGER
Our partners give hands and feet to our mission, enabling us to provide hunger relief throughout Coastal Georgia to more than 141,000 people in need. The partner agencies consist of church food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and programs for low-income children, senior citizens and the disabled.
WHERE WE HELP
WHERE WE FEED THOSE IN NEED 21 COUNTIES OF COASTAL GA
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96 cents of every dollar donated to America’s Second Harvest goes directly to services to help end hunger. We are able to provide six meals for every dollar donated to America’s Second Harvest. Georgia is currently ranked 27th in the country for food insecurity which equates to 11.3% of Georgia residents. 1 in 9 people struggle with hunger nationwide. 1 in 7 Georgians are food insecure and 1 in 4 children live in food insecure households.
YOU CAN HELP HOW YOU CAN HELP
There are many ways to get involved with America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia food bank. Volunteering, sponsoring a food drive, or making a financial contribution, are some of the opportunities that you can help be a part of the effort to end hunger in our community.
VOLUNTEER America’s Second Harvest could not operate without your support. Opportunities to volunteer include food sorting, stocking shelves, packing Brown Bags for the Elderly, and packing Mobile Food Pantry boxes. To discuss or schedule volunteer opportunities in Savannah, contact our Volunteer Coordinator at 912.721.1795 or for Brunswick at 912.261.7979.
HOST A FOOD DRIVE Collect food for your community and neighbors in need and help to support our mission. Organize a Food Drive and encourage your friends, family, church, school, company, business or social club to get involved and participate. We are always in need of canned tuna, chicken, beef stew, vegetables, fuits, peanut butter, granola bars, pasta, cereal, and child friendly snacks. Ask your friends to donate food in lieu of gifts at your next birthday or anniversary celebration. For more information or to obtain food drive boxes, call 912.236.6750.
HOST A VIRTUAL FOOD DRIVE Don’t want to deal with the logistics of collecting canned goods? Let us set up a Virtual Food Drive online and you can start raising funds without collecting or lifting a single can. The Virtual Food Drive is a fast and easy way for you to start an online campaign fundraising for Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia. For more information or to get setup online today, call 912.236.6750.
DONATE
Did you know for every $1 donated, we can provide six meals? Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia accepts many types of monetary donations including online credit card transactions, corporate partnerships, and company matching gifts. You can even use AmazonSmile for your everyday shopping and designate Second Harvest as the beneficiary. Our overhead is only 4 cents out of every dollar donated. That equates to 96 cents of every dollar going directly into feeding our hungry neighbors. For more information on how to donate, call 912.236.6750.
EVENTS
TOUR D’EPICURE - February Trolleys, restaurants, artists and a silent auction of their artwork make for a fun, casual Sunday afternoon to raise money for our Mobile Food Pantry program.
JEWELS & JEANS - April Savannah’s most fashionable come decked out in their jeans and bling for a fabulous event in our warehouse. The evening is full of delicious food, drink, live music, a silent auction, good friends and fun all to benefit our Childhood Hunger Initiatives.
HUNGER ACTION MONTH - September Hunger Action Month is the Feeding America network’s nationwide awareness driver, designed to mobilize the public to take action on the issue of hunger. This annual month-long campaign brings attention to the reality of food insecurity in the United States and promotes ways for individuals across the U.S. to get involved in the movement to help end hunger.
CHEFS’ TABLE - October A premier black tie event designed to showcase Savannah’s top chefs and their culinary talents while celebrating the Kids Cafe program. Local chefs donate their time, service, and food as well as a very special and unique culinary live auction item all to raise funds to continue to feed the children of Coastal Georgia.
DRIVE AWAY HUNGER - November When it comes to the month of November, our thoughts turn to Thanksgiving and the traditional turkey dinner. Our annual Drive Away Hunger golf tournament raises funds in order for us to provide turkeys to those we serve in Coastal Georgia. Thanksgiving is certainly a time to rejoice with family and friends but also a time to help out those that are struggling with food insecurity.
PROGRAMS
BROWN BAG FOR THE ELDERLY Senior citizens are particularily vulnerable to hunger, especially at the end of the month when their income runs low. Brown Bag for the Elderly provides food assistance for low income seniors to help alleviate the stress of making the choice between food, medicine, healthcare, rent or utilities. Each month, volunteers pack grocery bags with non-perishable items. The food is provided to senior citizens who have been certified as eligible due to their income level.
KIDS CAFE Kids Cafe is an evening meal program for children who are at risk for hunger. In partnership with after-school programs that provide homework assistance and activities, our Kids Cafe program increases the number of at-risk children who stay in school, a key factor in ending the cycle of poverty. The combination of a nurturing environment and wholesome meal gives respite to working parents struggling to make ends meet and hope to hungry children.
MOBILE FOOD PANTRY Mobile Food Pantries supplement the efforts of rural partner agencies with limited capacity. Our trucks deliver food to these agencies that distribute directly to families and individuals struggling to have enough to eat, increasing their access to fresh foods and balanced nutrition which are essential in the fight against hunger.
PARTNER MARKET PLACE The food bank serves as the food distribution center for other non-profit organizations. Each day we rescue truckloads of fresh, frozen, and non-perishable food, donated by individuals, businesses, local grocers, farmers, or national chains. We stock our warehouses in Brunswick and Savannah and supply over 241 non-profit partner agencies that provide emergency feeding programs like soup kitchens, food pantries, and backpack buddies to those in need in their communities.
SCHOOL PANTRY The School Pantry program aims to help alleviate hunger for students and their families through access to a food pantry at the child’s school. Our School Pantry boxes contain meals for a family of 4 for three nights along with breakfast bars, peanut butter, canned fruits and vegetables. The student can be referred to the pantry program by their teacher, school nurse, guidance counselor or principal.
LEAVE A LEGACY GIVE EVEN AFTER YOU ARE GONE We feel strongly about giving back to those less fortunate, even after we are gone. If we can help make lives better for others for many years to come, we want to do so. Including an organization like Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia in our estate plan made this possible for us.
- The Harlander Family
As a friend and loyal supporter of America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia, you know that hunger is not a short-term problem. To ensure that Second Harvest is here to help those suffering from hunger now and in the future, we need supporters like you with a vision and commitment to hunger relief. As we plan for the future, we ask that you please consider including Second Harvest in your will or other estate plans. Your foresight and support will make a difference in the lives of those who are hungry today and will be an investment in the future of Second Harvest and our community. I have remembered Second Harvest in my will, trust, life insurance, annuity or other estate planning. I plan to remember Second Harvest in my will, trust, life insurance, or other estate planning. Please send me information on how to include Second Harvest in my plans. I would be interested in finding out how estate planning might benefit me and feed the hungry in the community. To discuss Legacy possibilities, please contact Mary Jane Crouch, Executive Director at 912.721.1790 or mcrouch@helpendhunger.org.
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www.HelpEndHunger.org America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia
Main Branch 2501 East President Street Savannah, GA 31404 912.236.6750
Southeast Branch/ Brunswick 134 Indigo Drive Brunswick, GA 31525 912.721.1795