|
|
| Spring 2007 Newsletter | ||
Articles: West Side Story A New Milestone Pasta Cravings Contribute Cash Operation Feed Kicks Off with a Big Goal Volunteering from a Different Perspective R egular Features:Did You Know? Food Facts Volunteer Focus Etc., Etc. |
||
West Side Story
|
(From left) Roy Duty and Don Gothard volunteer at the pantry at West Park United Methodist Church. The pantry has been serving local families for 30 years. |
|
|
One gentleman we spoke with, who wished to remain anonymous,
talked about his lack of transportation and the limits of his social
security check. A World War II veteran and father of seven grown children,
he told us how good everyone treated him at the pantry, and that one week,
when he was having breathing problems, how a pantry volunteer had loaded up
his groceries and drove him home so that he wouldn’t have to walk. Another client asked us about the progress of proposed federal budget cuts that would eliminate funding for vital senior citizen food programs. “Those seniors need nutritious food,” she lamented. West Park church members Ivan and Nancy Hodges took over responsibility for the pantry in the early 1980s, and since then, have seen thousands of hungry individuals and families pass through the doors, and the need for food skyrocket over the years. “After we became associated with the Foodbank in the mid-1980s, we were able to help so many more people,” says Nancy, adding, “There was so much more food to go around.” The majority of clients are from the surrounding neighborhood, with some walking as far as a mile each way, pushing carts and loaded down with backpacks and bags, to receive food, along with a friendly smile. |
||
|
|
||
| A New Milestone | ||
|
We are astounded to report that the Mid-Ohio FoodBank network is now providing
food for more than 40,000 meals per day for hungry children, seniors, and
families throughout central and eastern Ohio. This is an eight percent
increase from 37,000 meals per day just one year ago. Our reaction to this increase is mixed: on one hand, we are fulfilling our mission, spending dollars wisely, and providing nutritious food to thousands every day. But on the other hand, this increase is substantial, and reflects the dire needs of people right here in our own backyard. More and more of our neighbors are in danger of slipping through the cracks. In turn, we are working harder than ever to procure, warehouse, and transport food and grocery products throughout our twenty-county service area. Our network of over 550 emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, senior facilities, day care centers, and after school programs are in overdrive to meet the needs of the hungry in their communities. In fact, in just one year, the average increase in food requested by network emergency food pantries was 7.3 percent; and the average increase in meals served at our network soup kitchens was 12.2 percent. While there is still much work to be done, we know that our network is up to the challenge. |
||
|
|
||
| Pasta Cravings Contribute Cash | ||
 Barilla Pasta teamed up with America’s Second Harvest in February to raise
money for hunger relief. For every person who downloaded their “Celebrity
Pasta Lovers’ Cookbook,” Barilla donated $1 to the food bank of the person’s
choice.The cookbook is full of recipes from Mario Batali and Giada De Laurentiis. What a delicious way to help so many families! |
||
|
|
||
| Operation Feed Kicks Off with a Big Goal | ||
|
Community leaders and coordinators from participating organizations had the
opportunity to see firsthand one of the 228 agencies assisted by Operation
Feed. March 14th marked the start of the 2007 campaign with a kick-off held
at Community Kitchen in St. John’s Center. Operation Feed is a
community-wide food and funds drive coordinated by Mid-Ohio FoodBank and
United Way of Central Ohio. Steve Davis, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Bob Evans Farms, Inc., is providing leadership for the 2007 campaign as the general chair. Rocco Evangelista, president, National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL-CIO Buckeye Branch 78, is the labor chair for the third consecutive year. After announcing this year’s goal of raising 4 million meals, both men joined other volunteers and helped serve hot meals to guests at Community Kitchen. This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the WBNS-10TV Food Parade which benefits Operation Feed. On April 21st, you can drop off a food donation at the WBNS studio at 770 Twin Rivers Drive between 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Personalities from WBNS, ONN and Mix 97.1 will be on hand to greet you and help unload your car. If you can’t make it to the studio, you can call in your support during the telethon that will be held in conjunction with the Food Parade. On Saturday, May 12th, local letter carriers will lend their support to Operation Feed during the 15th annual National Association of Letter Carriers “Stamp Out Hunger” Food Drive – the largest one-day food drive in the nation. Postal customers can leave bags of groceries at their mailboxes and carriers will collect the food. In 2006, local carriers collected over 133,000 pounds of food for Operation Feed. If you are interested in learning more about how your organization can participate in Operation Feed and provide meals for needy families in central Ohio, contact Joan Casto, Operation Feed Campaign Director, at 614-274-7770 or jcasto@secondharvest.org. |
|
|
|
|
||
| Volunteering from a Different Perspective | ||
 Recently the FoodBank’s reclamation manager, Liz Garrabrant spent a half day
seeing volunteering from the other side. The Foodbank asks all of its
employees to spend eight hours a year volunteering at one of our agencies.
She shares her experience.'I volunteered at Central College Church in Westerville. I wanted to volunteer close to home so I could see what the need was like in my own backyard and who was on the frontlines trying to fight it. It gave me the chance to see everything from a different perspective. I see so many pallets stacked with food throughout our warehouse and give little thought to where all of these boxes end up. I see heavy pallets of food being easily moved around with forklifts, but when I was at the pantry I got to see just how much work goes into getting those boxes out of a truck and into the building with nothing but 'volunteer power.' I love our volunteers and I appreciate all that they do...but now even more so! I'm used to setting up projects and organizing the staff, so it was really great to be put to work myself.' |
||
|
|
||
| Did You Know? | ||
 Next time you’re visiting the Foodbank, make sure to take a look at our
updated conference room. After years of absolutely no storage and
less-than-comfortable seating, the Foodbank was able to tackle the project
with the help of a very talented design firm.Jonathan Barnes Architecture & Design donated over 180 hours of time to help our staff develop a plan that would make the conference room more welcoming and useful. The newly finished room features cabinet space, a brand new entrance way, fun carpeting, and new lighting. Our thanks to the team at Jonathan Barnes Architecture & Design! |
||
|
|
||
| Food Facts | ||
|
This spring, we received a somewhat novel donation from Sunrise Foods in
Columbus. They had over 30,000 pounds of frozen, pre-cooked rice intended
for military kits for troops in the field overseas. The kits were all ready
to go when the rice was suddenly nixed from the order. What’s a company to
do with that much rice? Donate it to the Foodbank of course! We picked up the rice and were able to share it with other food banks in Ohio. The rice in our freezer is being sent off to soup kitchens as an easy item to just heat up and serve. |
||
|
|
||
| Volunteer Focus | ||
|
Faithful is how we describe the Xavier University Alumni Association group
that has volunteered every month for the past ten years. When the
association decided to get more involved in community projects ten years
ago, Robert Mahler was asked to head it up. Bob says he decided to zero in
on helping Mid-Ohio because “It’s a worthwhile cause and I knew the Foodbank
needed help. ”When asked what has motivated the group to keep coming back for so long, Bob explained, “These people are dedicated. For them it’s not just a matter of let’s go out and do some charity work. It’s our civic duty.” What does Bob get out of it? He says, “I’m fulfilled.” |
 Bob Mahler (far right) coordinates the volunteer efforts for the Xavier University Alumni Association group. The group has volunteered every month for the past ten years. |
|
| Involved in a fraternity, sorority or other organization that is looking to become involved? Call the Foodbank at (614) 274-7770. | ||
|
|
||
| Etc. Etc. | ||
|
The Kroger Company is always helping out, and their recent Hunger Has No
Season fundraiser was a huge help to Mid-Ohio FoodBank. Kroger asked customers to donate funds for the hungry as they were ringing up their groceries. The event was promoted by in-store signage and announcements. Stores in central Ohio raised over $68,000. With the money raised, the Foodbank was able to purchase 2,016 cases of canned spaghetti with franks and 2,500 cases of oatmeal. And even better, that’s not all of it! Hunger Has No Season wraps up in March so we’re looking forward to having the means to provide even more food for local families when it’s all over. Our thanks to The Kroger Company and its many generous customers. |
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
