I am thrilled to introduce our fabulous intern – Sam Greenberg.  Though new to our blog, Sam has been interning with our Grocery Alliance Program since September.  From day one, she has immersed herself in all things GA, and has contributed to a number of projects including new donor rollouts and a 6-county food drive!  Today, she blogs about one of our newest donors, BJ’s Wholesale Clubs, and their Holiday Food Drive … which starts today!

In the spirit of holiday giving, BJ’s Wholesale Clubs is launching a chain-wide food drive that will take place from November 28^th through December 12^th.

Each BJ’s location will have a donation collection bin located near the front of the Club.  Members can look for aisle talkers near critical need items such as pasta, canned sauce, canned fruits and vegetables, and protein-rich items such as tuna fish and peanut butter.

BJ’s is urging its members to break apart their multi-pack or family-sized grocery bundles and donate a few packages to the food drive.  You can also bring in your own non-perishable food donations to any BJ’s Club.  Not a member?  No problem.  Anyone can participate — simply stop by member services to receive a free 60 day trial membership.

If you can’t participate in the food drive, you can help out online. For every “like” or “share” on their facebook page, the BJ’s Charitable Foundation will donate $1 to Feeding America that goes towards assisting food bank transportation costs to make sure that there is no delay helping those in need!

All 7 Central Florida BJ’s Clubs also recently joined our Grocery Alliance Program through their Feedings Communities initiative. Each day, BJ’s Team Members gather unsold perishable food to be picked up 3 times a week by Second Harvest Food Bank trucks, and in turn distributed to our partner
agencies.

We would like to take a moment to say THANK YOU to BJ’s for recognizing the need for local hunger relief, and the importance of ensuring those in need get a well-balanced nutritious meal.  Don’t forget to stop by your local BJ’s Wholesale Club today through December 12^th to help those less fortunate enjoy the season.  With an extra serving of kindness, we can all make a difference!

Sam Greenberg
Second Harvest Intern

Hunger Action Month starts today!  While we always need your involvement with Second Harvest Food Bank all year round, we do try to make it extra easy and fun in September!

Second Harvest, in conjunction with Feeding America and 205 other food banks nationwide are participating in the Third Annual Hunger Action Month. The goal of this month is to mobilize people to get involved with fighting hunger in America.

With the help of amazing local corporate partners, we have come up with a “30 Ways in 30 Days” Calendar. We’ll be counting down our 30 day calendar in weekly blog posts, so make sure to sign up to receive them in your mailbox (on the top left of this page).

You might say “Wait a minute!  You just told me there are 3 easy ways to get involved not 30! Below you can find three easy ways to start spreading the word about hunger right here in Central Florida.

 3 easy ways to get involved:

 1) Attend at least one event on our 30 Ways in 30 Days Calendar

For Hunger Month we have partnered with Cheese Cake Factory, Joe’s Crab Shack, Firestone Live!, Five Guys Burgers & Fries, NYPD Pizza, Mochi Downtown, Third Thursday Gallery Walk, Eden Bar, City of Orlando and Enzian Theater!  Check out our calendar to see how these amazing local businesses are getting involved with Hunger Action Month!

 2) Visit: http://www.CFLHungerAction.org

Our Hunger Action Month website is an online calendar of all the events happening in September. From there you can also sign the hunger pledge and learn about more ways to get involved with Second Harvest.  

 3) Share with your friends, family and co-workers

We hope you love social media as much as we do! Just look for the social media share buttons on all our pages and events. Just click the button and it will automatically share the information you are looking at with your facebook friends or twitter followers. Also, if you pick up a calendar or a postcard at an event, make sure to grab two. One for you and one for a friend.

Did you know that One in Five Central Floridians struggles with Hunger? This story made the front page of the Orlando Sentinel this morning: Nearly a third of Central Florida children may lack adequate nutrition. Join us in changing these statistics by getting involved.

In the great words of Henry Ford: “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

 Anyone want to try to complete all 30 ways in September? How do you plan on getting involved this September? 

Maria Diestro
Online Services and Communications Manager

Special Message – Your Support is Requested
The need for food is at an all-time high in our communities. Children, the working poor, people who cannot find jobs, senior citizens and more are in need. Critical federally funded nutrition programs are at risk of losing millions of dollars of support. Current budget proposals in Washington recommend huge cuts.

What does this mean for Central Florida?
If the current proposals were passed by the Senate in the next couple of months, the equivalent of over one million meals could be lost for Central Florida.

-  There would be a significant decline in the amount of TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program) food.
-  There would be millions less in SNAP (Food Stamps) for our area.
-  WIC (Women Infant & Children) would be cut back significantly impacting women, infants and children.

Action Required: Call State Senators Nelson and Rubio as well as your U.S. Representative’s offices. The phone numbers are below. When you call, you will most likely not be connected to the Senator or Representative, you will be speaking to a legislative aid. They track every call so it’s important to call. When the number of calls starts to add up, they pay attention. You are the voice of the people who are most vulnerable when you’re speaking to these elected officials and their staff.

Simple Message to deliver
-  We want you to reduce the deficit – but not on the backs of hungry and poor people.
-  If possible, tell a personal story of someone you know that is need. (a neighbor, friend, kids, seniors, unemployed)
-  Protect the funding around the programs below. The House passed bill H.R.2112 on June 16 to cut millions from them. Ask them to turn this around with the Senate.
              -  SNAP, formerly Food Stamps / WIC (Women, Infants & Children) 
              -  TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program)

Collaboration
Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is working in collaboration with Feeding America, of which we are a Member; Bread For The World and FRAC (Food Research and Action Council). We all share the common interest of these federally funded programs and the benefits for people in need.
                          
Contact Information:

Senator Nelson
Washington: 202-224-5274
Orlando: 407-872-7161

Senator Rubio
Washington: 202-224-3041
Orlando: 407-254-2573

Representative Sandy Adams
Washington: 202-225-2706
Oviedo: 407-977-7601

Representative Corrine Brown
Washington: 202-225-0123
Orlando: 407-290-9031

Representative John Mica
Washington: 202-225-4035
Maitland: 407-657-8080

Representative Daniel Webster
Washington: 202-225-2176
Winter Garden: 407-654-5705

Representative Richard Nugent
Washington: 202-225-1002
Brooksville: 352-799-8354

If you prefer to write a letter to some of the officials that works well. Any communication on this topic can make a difference. Please pass this message along if possible. Thank you!

If you need further information, please do not hesitate to call:
Dave Krepcho, President/CEO, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida
Office: 407-295-1066, ext. 38
Mobile: 407-718-6936

Related Articles:

- Punishing the Poor
- House Passes Harmful FY2012 Agriculture Appropriations Bill
- House Debates Funding Cuts For Food Safety, Nutrition Programs

I am no longer a rookie after attending my first-ever Daytona 500. It is an incredible experience – the smell of rubber burning and BBQ pork sandwiches; somehow it all works. People from every walk of life are in the stands that stretch at least a half-mile long and hold 100,000 fans.

And imagine, Lap 3 was a “Lap of Silence” in remembrance of Dale Earnhardt’s crash 10 years ago … 100,000 people standing with three fingers held up with nothing but the roar of engines in the background — incredible dedication among these fans.

So where does hunger come into this picture? Who would’ve thought that Jeff Gordon would be driving a car that is covered with the statement: “Drive To End Hunger”? And that AARP would be the sponsor?! Yes, AARP is making a major commitment to hunger among older Americans.

Their three-year sponsorship will help spread awareness of the hunger problem and also raise money to help programs serving seniors. Feeding America members will support a series of races across the country. On top of it all, Second Harvest will receive a $10,000 donation and all the food left over after the race, that ‘s what I call a special checkered flag!

Dave Krepcho
President/CEO

—————————————————————————————————————————

Working with Feeding America and Winn-Dixie, Drive to End Hunger presented a $10,000 check to Second Harvest to help feed hungry seniors in Central Florida. Additional donations were collected at the “Winn-Dixie Winner’s Circle,” a food drive at Central Florida Winn-Dixie stores. Below are photos from the event:

I’m pleased to announce that our trio Childhood Hunger programs received a Victory Against Hunger Award from the Congressional Hunger Center, Victory Wholesale Group and Feeding America.

We reached a record number of children through our Kids Cafe, Hi-Five, and Summer Food programs in the last year and it is always a pleasure to be recognized for our work.

A breakdown of the 3 programs:

Kids Cafes
           At 13 After School sites in 3 counties, 164,155 prepared or catered meals were served in fiscal 2009/2010. This reflects a 12% increase over the previous year. An average of 910 children were served daily.

Summer Food Program
           During 51 operational days while children in needy areas lacked access to school lunch programs, 43,188 meals were served at 17 sites in Orange County this past summer, reflecting an increase of 9% over last year. Through a grant from ConAgra we were also able to provide the children with , 15,773 take-home, shelf-stable food packs for the weekends.

Hi-Five Kids Pack Program
          31,245 shelf-stable food packs were provided to needy children at 18 elementary schools last year. These packs are designed to help bridge the nutritional gap that exists during weekends, when children lack access to school cafeterias.

The Congressional Hunger Center (CHC) is a bipartisan anti-hunger leadership training organization located in Washington, DC. In addition to the fellowships they offer, the CHC facilitates the national discussion of finding ways to end hunger in America.

It’s nice to be able to take a break from our workday and be honored, but there’s always more work to get back to. We continue to see more and more children enrolled in our programs and there’s much more to do. Can you help?

Brady Koch
Director of Agency Relations & Programs
bkoch@foodbankcentralflorida.org

Dear Friend of the Food Bank:
We need your help in a very important way. The Food Bank typically does not ask for folks to call Congress, however, this is a time-sensitive, critical issue for alleviating childhood hunger and improving nutrition.

The child nutrition bill before Congress is in danger of not passing.  We are engaged along with other Food Banks across the country and Feeding America in an effort to pass the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (S.3307).  Right now, there is one thing that you can do to help:

Call Congress  -   Just dial 877-698-8228 to be directly connected to your Representative’s office and deliver this message:
“Congress must pass the child nutrition bill this year. Do not go home without passing the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act (S.3307).”

Calling your Representative will help us keep up the pressure on Congress to pass the child nutrition bill.  And remember, one call is not enough—ask your staff, volunteers, partners and supporters to make a call.

There is a sense of urgency for this call because time is running out for Congress before the 111th Congress ends this calendar year. Only a couple of weeks remain. If you know members of Congress and have access to them while they are home for Thanksgiving, please make the request for passage of S. 3307.

If you are interested in more detail on this bill and some background, we’ve provided the following:

This bill is the bipartisan Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (S. 3307). We are disappointed that this was not reauthorized by September 30. It is imperative that the reauthorization be completed this year, and we urge Congress and the Administration to act.

We are also concerned by the recent divisiveness surrounding this reauthorization and its potential to put passage of the child nutrition bill at risk. This reauthorization is not a choice between addressing child hunger or childhood obesity. It is a chance to significantly improve nutrition for all children. Far too many children – especially low-income children – lack the nutrition they need to be healthy and successful in school and on the playground. By improving opportunities for healthy meals in and out of school, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act would take a step forward in addressing both child hunger and obesity: S. 3307 would help reduce hunger and increase children’s access to healthy meals by expanding the supper program from 14 to all 50 states, better connecting eligible children with free school meals, extending the WIC certification period for children to one year, and improving opportunities for mothers to fully breastfeed their infants. The bill would fund demonstration projects to test innovative strategies for ending child hunger – including alternate models of service – and support research into the causes and consequences of childhood hunger. The bill also authorizes grants to retain summer food program sponsors, improve and expand breakfast programs, and encourage states to develop comprehensive strategies to end child hunger.

S. 3307 would make progress against childhood obesity and improve the nutritional quality of meals by strengthening nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools, providing schools with increased resources and training to improve meal quality, and supporting farm-to-school programs and school gardens. The bill would also establish nutrition requirements and provide technical assistance to help child care providers improve the health of young children.

Even with the important progress made by S. 3307, more must be done to reach the goals of ending child hunger by 2015 and solving childhood obesity in a generation. We appreciate the new commitment that Agriculture Secretary Vilsack made to use his administrative authority to further improve access to the school lunch and breakfast programs.

As Congress and the Administration continue working toward these goals, first on the list must be improving access to child nutrition programs and protecting SNAP families:

Of the more than 19 million low-income children participating in free or reduced-price lunch, less than half eat school breakfast and only 16 percent access a summer food program. Most high-poverty school districts cannot meet the demand for local weekend feeding programs. S. 3307 would not fully address gaps during weekends, summers, and breakfasts, and more is needed to ensure vulnerable children have access to healthy meals. Congress and the Administration should identify alternative vehicles to establish the weekend feeding pilot and expand the year-round simplification of summer and afterschool programs included in H.R. 5504, and should fully fund the summer, breakfast, and child hunger grants authorized in S. 3307.

Locally, Central Florida has a higher rate of childhood food insecurity than the national average; approximately 1 in 4 children are in this category. The numbers are not declining, they are increasing. Last year, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida provided enough food for 17 million meals — of that total; approximately 4 million meals were consumed by kids.

We will continue to source as much food as possible and get it to the people most in need with local resources, creativity, innovation and efficiency. However, Congress has a critical role to play to pass this legislation…we cannot do it alone. If it is not passed, billions of dollars can be lost.

Thank you for your support over the years and thank you for taking the time to read this far. We are committed to ending hunger and improving nutrition for all children.

Thank you,
Dave Krepcho
President/CEO
Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida

407-295-1066, ext. 38   dkrepcho@foodbankcentralflorida.org

Can you believe that we are halfway through Hunger Action Month? What actions have you taken so far from our 30 Ways in 30 Days calendar? I would love any feedback or ideas you may have on our calendar.

I have been super busy promoting our calendar via our social media channels. I am happy to report that people have been sharing my links daily. If you would like to receive updates from us … like us on facebook or follow us on twitter. We would love to interact with you via these channels.

Since there are 15 more days left of Hunger Action Month, I wanted to give you a quick rundown of some fun and quick actions you can take this week.

Today you can participate in Kraft’s Text to Give campaign. Text the word “MEALS” and your zip code to 71717 and Kraft will donate a meal to Second Harvest Food Bank. This is part of the Huddle to Fight Hunger Campaign. Everytime someone joins the huddle in Central Florida a meal gets donated to Second Harvest Food Bank. And guess what … Florida is in second place! 

On Friday, September 17 fight hunger with just one click. Download Pampered Chef’s Cookbook for a Cause for free and a meal with be donated to Feeding America. Pampered Chef’s goal is to donate 10 million pounds of food this year. You can help them reach this goal by downloading this exclusive celebrity cookbook.

You can actually do this action every day till September 23. Vote for the hunger image that moves you the most! Online voting for our Portraits of Hunger Photography contest has started. We have received over 900 votes already. Remember, you can vote as many times as you want.

We need your help in choosing the top 3 photos. After that, our 3 judges will choose the winner. The winner of Portraits will be announced along with a display of all photo entries at our showcase party. The winner will have their photo showcased at The Enzian Theater for a month!

Here are the details:
Portraits of Hunger Showcase Party
Date: Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.
Location: Enzian’s Eden Bar – 1300 South Orlando Avenue, Maitland, FL 32751
Bring a food donation (non-perishable) and receive a free Peroni. 1 free Peroni per person.

Until next week! 

Maria Diestro
Online Service and Communications Manager

Can you believe that Hunger Action Month is only 7 days away? One Hunger Action Month event we are bringing back is Portraits of Hunger. Portraits of Hunger is an online photography contest that brings light to the invisible problem of hunger in our community and the simple solutions.

Portraits of Hunger started in 2006 as a way to engage the community in bringing visibility to the invisible problem of hunger. Through this event, photographers of all abilities have gone out into their community to capture images that tell the story of hunger in Central Florida.

Last year 17 photographers participated in Portraits of Hunger. We received some pretty amazing photos of the faces and solutions of hunger in Central Florida. Below is a slideshow of their photo entries:

The winner of Portraits of Hunger 2009 was G.K. Sharman for her photograph titled: Courage.  

This year’s winner of Portraits of Hunger will have their photo displayed at Enzian Theater for a limited time. This is a great opportunity for a photographer to get some exposure. Thank you Enzian Theater!

So how does this photography contest work? The deadline to submit photos for Portraits of Hunger is Monday, August 30, 2010.

If you are interested, there is still time to enter the contest.  Click here to enter contest >>

From there the top ten photos will be chosen and posted on our website.

Online voting will start in early September. The top 3 winners will then be voted on by our three judges.

This year’s Portraits of Hunger judges are:
- Henry Maldonado, President of Enzian Theater
- Josh Garrick, Fine Art and Culture Writer for a series of news and on-line venues
- Dave Krepcho, President of Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida

The winner will be announced at our Portraits of Hunger Showcase party at Enzian’s Eden Bar on Thursday, September 30. All the photo entries will also be showcased at Eden Bar for that night.

Portraits of Hunger Showcase Party
Date: Thursday, September 30, 2010
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Enzian’s Eden Bar – 1300 South Orlando Avenue, Maitland, FL 32751
Bring a food donation and receive a free Peroni. One free Peroni per person. But feel free to bring as many cans as you’d like!

Click here to view photos from last year’s Portraits of Hunger Showcase. Hope to see you at Eden Bar on September 30!

Maria Diestro
Online Services and Communications Manager