AAFB Food Lines Newsletter - Fall 2014

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Food Lines is a quarterly publication of the

Association of Arizona Food Banks2100 N. Central Avenue, Suite 230

Phoenix, AZ 85004-1400

www.azfoodbanks.org

AAFB is a Partner State Association of:

and a partner with:

Support Arizona’s Food Banks!

Get Yours at www.ServiceArizona.com

www.azfoodbanks.org

• Community Eligibility Paves the Way for More Kids to Eat• New Data, New Staff, New Initiatives and More for 2014-15• The Latest on the Arizona Statewide Gleaning Project

Hunger Fighters for All to See: We’re proud to have longtime supporter Western Refining

adorning the back of every one of our Arizona Statewide Gleaning Project trailers.

Food LinesCelebrating 30 Years: 1984-20142014 Fall Issue | Vol. 31 | No. 1

/azfoodbanks | /aafb

Inside this

Issue

Arizona Has New Tools To Fight Child Hunger: From Community Eligibility to Breakfast in the

Classroom, new programs arrive to help feed kids and AAFB leads the way to maximize their impact.

Dear Friends,

Each of us are faced with choices every day. Some are hard, some are easy. Do I hit the gym? Should I keep watching television or go to bed? What should I eat for lunch? You would think these would be the easy questions but for some, they are not. Can you imagine if every day you had to ask:

• How much can I afford to spend on this meal? • What do I eat now and what do I save for later? When will I eat again?• What foods do I choose that will fill me up? Where can I go to get those foods?

As I learn more about the struggles children, families and seniors face with food insecurity, I am struck by how resilient and resourceful they are. I see moms in checkout lines with carefully crafted menus and coupons, and I compare that to my haphazard cart thrown together with only a thought to balance fruits, vegetables, dairy and protein in the most time saving way possible. I visit food banks and hear stories from men and women who are working, at low wages or fewer hours than they’d like, who share how they piece together a month’s worth of food on a very limited budget by visiting the food bank and carefully shopping with their SNAP (Food Stamp) benefits.

I try to reconcile this with the stories and rhetoric I hear about how those struggling are a drain on the economy or how they don’t contribute and don’t work. I hear they buy soda and potato chips and don’t care what they feed their kids. I believe nothing could be further from the truth. Families and seniors without resources do exactly what those with resources do: buy the healthiest food on the budget we have. We work as much and as hard as we can to feed our families. And we are all human and make less than ideal choices sometimes (as I write this sipping a Diet Coke).

My hope is we all revisit our ideas about those struggling with hunger and poverty and encourage others to do the same. You have already made a commitment to help by contributing to AAFB or your local food bank. You know how critical that support is. It provides necessary nutrition so children can learn, families can work and seniors can thrive. I am greatly appreciative of that. Now I am asking you to share what you know with your neighbor.

In addition to investing in school nutrition outreach (see the main feature on Community Eligibility), soon AAFB will embark on a public awareness campaign to share what hunger looks like, who it affects, and what we can do about it. I urge you to not just follow our work, but to be a champion for it. Share your stories with us about how you are fighting hunger. Tell your relatives, neighbors and friends about why hunger is unacceptable to you. And most certainly in this election season, ask your candidates where they stand on hunger and poverty issues.

I am incredibly lucky. I have a tremendous, dedicated staff working hard every day supporting our food banks to feed people in Arizona. I have amazing donors like you who support this work. I have community members that are dissatisfied with statistics showing nearly 1 in 5 Arizonans and more than 1 in 4 children struggle with hunger. We now need to step up our game and choose to do something MORE about it.

Respectfully,

Angie Rodgers, President & CEO

Advocacy Matters Continuing Resolution Passed for Federal Budget

In September, Congress passed and President Obama signed a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund programs and services at fiscal year 2014 levels from October 1 through December 11, 2014. While not ideal, signing the CR into law temporarily avoids a potential government shutdown and ensures SNAP (Food Stamp) and Child Nutrition Programs are not cut. You’ll hear a lot more about this during the Fall, as Congress will eventually need to pass comprehensive full-year appropriations legislation to appropriately fund our spending obligations and other needs.

Over the summer, the bi-partisan Summer Meals Act (SR 2527 & HR 5012) was introduced, which would expand the reach of the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) to more low-income children and significantly simplify administration for summer meal site sponsors. Unfortunately, no further progress has been made, but we encourage advocates to keep banging the drum for the Summer Meals Act. As we first reported in the previous issue of Food Lines, we continue to ask Congress to protect SNAP (Food Stamps) by signing on to HR 2384, which would boost monthly allotment levels by requiring benefits be calculated on the basis of the Low-Cost Food Plan, which provides more purchasing power than the currently used Thrifty Food Plan, important in light of rising food prices.

We also are monitoring the horizon for news on the upcoming 2015 Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR). Many programs with which you’re familiar – school breakfasts and lunches, the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, the Summer Food Service Program and after-school meal programs – are included in CNR and up for reauthorization, which happens every five years. Our friends at the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) have a nice primer on all things Child Nutrition Reauthorization at http://frac.org/pdf/cnr_primer.pdf.

Finally, if you haven’t signed up for our Advocacy Team emails, be sure to email [email protected]. We also encourage you to like us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with breaking news. Most importantly, you can always contact your members of Congress via www.contactingthecongress.org.

A Message from Angie Rodgers

Census Releases New Poverty Data for 2013In September, the U.S. Census Bureau, released new data for 2013 which once again showed nearly one in five (18.6%) individuals and more than one in four (26.5%) children under the age of 18 in Arizona lived in poverty. Both figures are slight declines from the 2012 poverty rates of 18.7% and 27.0%, respectively, but for Arizonans living in poverty, their plight remained essentially unchanged from 2012. However, counties and rural areas with already high individual and child poverty rates saw their plight worsen. Complete data by county and metro area, and for the first time by all nine Arizona Congressional Districts, is at: www.azfoodbanks.org/index.php/hunger/#a1.

Order Your Hunger Relief License Plate TodayAlmost 1,900 have been ordered - do you have yours? The official Arizona Hunger Relief specialty license plate can be ordered at www.servicearizona.com or by visiting any MVD or Authorized Third Party office. They look awesome and are a great way to promote the hunger cause - $17 of the $25 fee benefits AAFB and our member food banks that collectively serve all 15 Arizona counties. Keep in mind specialty license plate fees are not pro-rated, therefore your new Hunger Relief license plate will renew on your next scheduled vehicle registration renewal date.

Feeding America Releases New 2014 Hunger in America Study

In August, Feeding America released the sixth edition of its 2014 Hunger in America study, conducted every four years to gain a better understanding of who visits food banks and what their circumstances are. The data shows more than 46 million Americans – 1 in 7 – have used a food bank, including 5.4 million individuals in any given week. Other insights include 65% of served households have either a child under 18 or a senior over 60, and 20% of households have at least one active duty or veteran military member. AAFB will release a comprehensive Arizona-specific report early next year, covering these Key Arizona Highlights:

• An estimated 83% of client households are food insecure, meaning they may lack access to or the ability to afford enough food to feed their household. As a result, 63% of client households receive food from a food bank program regularly.

• An estimated 24% of clients served are seniors aged 60 and older.• 34% of client households served have a member that has completed at least

some college, a two-year degree, a four-year degree, or higher.• An estimated 54% of client households have a member with high blood pressure,

while an estimated 42% have a member with diabetes.• Only an approximate 45% of client households currently receive SNAP (Food

Stamp) benefits, highlighting the need for improved outreach – an estimated 73% of client households not currently receiving SNAP benefits are potentially income eligible to receive the benefit.

Kala Weinacker & Shawn Telford Join the AAFB Team

In early summer, AAFB welcomed Kala Weinacker to the team as Office Manager / Executive Assistant. Kala brings a wealth of energy and experience, and we’re happy she’s onboard. Take a moment to welcome Kala at [email protected].

In August, as part of AAFB’s strategic planning efforts to promote the Community Eligibility Provision (see main article on the next page) and other child nutrition initiatives in Arizona, AAFB welcomed Shawn Telford to fill our new Children / Youth Outreach Manager position. Welcome Shawn at [email protected].

Angie Rodgers on KPAZ Talking Hunger, Food Banks

In July, AAFB president and CEO Angie Rodgers appeared on KPAZ’s Joy in Our Town program for an extended conversation covering the latest on efforts in Arizona to fight hunger and poverty. You can watch Angie’s appearance on YouTube at http://youtu.be/u8AFjWnTzsU to see her talk about child hunger, new school meal initiatives, and the ongoing work of AAFB and our five member food banks.

Hunger Action Month RecapThis September concluded another successful Hunger Action Month, where AAFB joined food banks and advocates across the country to take action to fight hunger via food drives, volunteer events, and so much more! Some highlights:

• Each of our member food banks provided 30 Ways in 30 Days calendars during September, chock full of fun events, volunteer activities, food drives and more.

• Go Orange Day was Thursday, September 4, where individuals were encouraged to wear orange. In addition, the Chase Tower in downtown Phoenix glowed orange every Thursday evening all month long.

• The Arizona Community Action Association held the annual Arizona SNAP (Food Stamp) Challenge from October 6-13, using Hunger Action Month toinspire people to sign-up. The SNAP Challenge encourages participants to limit their food purchases to a weekly budget of a typical SNAP participant - just $27.

• Visit www.hungeractionmonth.org for a recap and more hunger-fighting ideas!

Thanks for Supporting the 3TV Child Hunger Drive

Child hunger is a huge issue in Arizona, with more than one in four children struggling with food insecurity. Throughout September, 3 TV - Arizona’s Family teamed up with Albertsons, Bashas’, Food City and Safeway to ask shoppers to donate right at the register or purchase a pre-made food bag filled with healthy food especially for children. Your contribution benefitted AAFB and a host of other Arizona organizations dedicated to fighting child hunger! THANK YOU to all who donated!

AAFB Quick Takes

Shawn Telford

Kala Weinacker

Earlier this year, we unveiled that one of AAFB’s new strategic directions was a focus on working with eligible schools throughout Arizona to promote new programs that will lead to an increase in low-income children being fed at school. Many of these programs started as pilots under the most recent 2010 Child Nutrition Reauthorization legislation and have now been opened up nationwide.

To that end, AAFB is helping promote the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for eligible high-poverty schools. CEP allows these schools to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students across the board. This is a huge win-win for schools and children: not only do more students gain access to school breakfasts and lunches – thus improving their ability to focus on academics while reducing absenteeism and disciplinary issues – but CEP also reduces the school’s paperwork and administrative burden and combats child stigma issues associated with who receives traditional free- or reduced-price school meals and who doesn’t. Shawn Telford, our new Children / Youth Outreach Manager, is playing a key role in providing information, technical assistance and encouragement to qualified schools to help them overcome concerns or obstacles standing in the way to CEP implemention. You can learn more about CEP and how it works at http://frac.org/federal-foodnutrition-programs/national-school-lunch-program/community-eligibility.

In addition to CEP, Shawn is also focused on expanding participation in innovative school breakfast programs such as Breakfast in the Classroom and Grab and Go that are easily implemented and proven to increase participation – efforts critical to AAFB’s work to comprehensively address hunger and poverty. Too many Arizona children begin the school day hungry because they don’t eat breakfast at home and arrive too late to eat breakfast at school, assuming their families are even aware they qualify for free- or reduced-price school breakfasts. Combined with increasing CEP particpation, getting more schools to offer these breakfast programs will help children struggling with hunger.

Community Eligibility: Helping Ensure All Kids Eat

Receive a TAX CREDIT For Your 2014 DonationYou Do NOT Have to Itemize!

You can receive a tax credit for your 2014 donation! Under Arizona law (A.R.S. § 43-1088(G)(2), AAFB is recognized as serving the working poor. If you qualify, you could receive a FULL TAX CREDIT, up to $200 (filing as a single unmarried head of household) or $400 (married filing joint return) for donating to AAFB. Donations must be received by December 31, 2014. See www.azdor.gov for more details, or call 602-255-3381 or 1-800-843-7196 from area codes 520 or 928. Always consult your tax preparer or financial adviser for specific advice.

Western Refining Continues Hunger-Fighting Commitment

In yet another example of Hunger Action Month awesomeness, Western Refining, a longtime supporter of the Arizona Statewide Gleaning Project, once again committed to helping fuel our trucks, ensuring they are able to transport as much food to our member food banks as possible! Their generous support goes back to 2008, and since then they’ve donated thousands of gallons of fuel each year.

In total, they’ve fueled 42 months of our trucking operations, during which 103,750,000 pounds of food has been delivered. This year, we’re proud they display the Western Refining logo on the back of our trucks as a testament to our wonderful partnership and their generous support.

You Are the Key to Our Success!Without the support of generous donors like you, AAFB could not deliver food to our member food banks, encourage more effective programs and reasonable policies at the state and federal level, or champion new opportunities to feed more school children. You make all this happen and continue to be the key to our success. Thank you! Because you value the work we do you are our strongest ambassador. Please share these options for supporting AAFB with a friend.

Monthly Donations – A very convenient way to support our work and be a reliable source of income for AAFB throughout the year. The monetary amount of the contribution can be whatever is convenient for you. Set the process up online at www.azfoodbanks.org or sign up by using the envelope in this issue of Food Lines.

Planned Giving – Include AAFB in your will or donate appreciated stock from your investment portfolio as part of a planned giving strategy. If you would like to support AAFB in this way please discuss the options with your financial adviser and then contact Virginia Skinner at 602-528-3434 or 1-800-445-1914.

Let Your Employer Work for You: Employer Matching Gifts – Double your gift to AAFB through Matching Gift Programs. Many employers offer to match your gift to encourage employees, and often their retirees, to support charitable organizations. Ask your human resources office if your company offers a Matching Gift Program.

Gifts in Memory or in Honor – Celebrate the holidays, a birthday, or any special occasion by making a contribution in honor or memory of family members, friends, colleagues, or a treasured loved one. Acknowledgements, without dollar amounts, will be sent to your honorees if you wish.

Let’s Shake On It: AAFB’s Angie Rodgers and Western Refining’s

Peg Mulloy show off new look of the back of the Gleaning Project’s semi-trailers.

ARIZONA STATEWIDEGLEANING PROJECT

PHOENIX, AZ

A PROGRAM OF THE

Update

2013-14 Gleaning Project Wrap-UpAs we begin to prepare for the upcoming produce season, we’re pleased to be able to look back on the 2013-14 fiscal year as a success! Thanks to great partnerships and great weather, we transported just over 28 million pounds of food throughout Arizona, including more than 16 million pounds of fresh produce - an increase over previous years. The food banks also saw almost 1.3 million pounds of fresh produce intentionally grown and harvested for their benefit. This was also an increase over previous years and would not be possible without the support of growers such as Duncan Family Farms in the West Valley.

Looking Ahead to the 2015 Citrus Season

Attention Phoenix-area homeowners with citrus trees! St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance will come and pick citrus from your trees for a small fee, in select zip codes. Learn more and register online to have your citrus trees gleaned at www.firstfoodbank.org/citrusgleaners. Registration closes Dec. 19, 2014 and the gleaning season begins in January.

Our Mission:To deliver food and quality services to food banks

and foster relationships in support of our commitment to eliminate hunger.

Established in 1984, AAFB is a private, non-profit organization serving five-member regional food bank members and a network of nearly 1,200 food pantries

and agencies. AAFB is one of the first state associations in the nation and an inaugural partner state association of Feeding America. AAFB was

instrumental in the development of a statewide gleaning project, and our advocacy efforts have

brought about beneficial state and federal legislation for our member food banks and the people they serve.

The Association of Arizona Food Banks is not a food bank - we help make food banking better.

2014-15 Board of Directors:Board Chair: Karilee Ramaley, JD

Salt River Project

Co-Vice Chair: David Armstrong Ballard Spahr, LLP

Co-Vice Chair: Karina ErnstsenWells Fargo

Secretary / Treasurer: Jo Ellen “Jody” SereySerey/Jones Publishers, Inc.

Angela “Anne” Bellan School & Hospital Administrator (Retired)

Veronica Bossack Arizona Department of Economic Security (Retired)

Beverly B. DamoreSt. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance

Jerome K. Garrison, Sr., Ed.D. South Mountain Community College

Ginny Hildebrand (Interim)United Food Bank

Mike IversYuma Community Food Bank

David LuethSenergy Petroleum, LLC

Michael McDonald Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona

William H. NordWells Fargo (Retired)

Susan Riedel, MBAModern Woodmen of America

Sue Sadecki Desert Mission Food Bank

David SchwakeLitchfield Elementary School District

AAFB Staff:

Angie Rodgers President & CEO

Virginia SkinnerDirector of Development

Brian SimpsonDirector of Communications

Sylvia McKeeverGleaning Project Logistics Manager

Shawn Telford Children / Youth Outreach Manager

Kala Weinacker Office Manager / Executive Assistant

Sherry Hostler Business Manager

Merari Ornelas Administrative Assistant

Volunteers: Harold Graf & Debbie Kuhns MSW Intern: Breanna Olguin

AAFB is funded by donations and is partially funded by the Arizona Dept. of Economic Security–Family Assistance Administration. Points of view are those of the author and do not necessarily

represent the official position or policies of the Department. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, AAFB must make reasonable accommodation to allow a person with a disability to take part in a program, service, or activity. For example, this means that if necessary, the AAFB must provide sign language interpreters for

people who are deaf, a wheelchair accessible location, or enlarged print materials. It also means that the AAFB will take any other

reasonable action that allows you to take part in and understand a program or activity, including making reasonable changes to an activity. If you believe that you will not be able to understand or

take part in a program or activity because of your disability, please let us know of your disability needs in advance if at all possible.

Please contact AAFB at 602-528-3434.

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inbox. Saving on printing and postage costs allows us to direct more resources toward our mission!

Email [email protected] to receive future issues of Food Lines in your inbox.

Food Lines is published quarterly by the Association of Arizona Food Banks. It is published in October,

December, March, and May. Send correspondence to:

Association of Arizona Food Banks2100 N. Central Avenue, Suite 230

Phoenix, AZ 85004-1400

Contributing writers and editors: Angie Rodgers, Brian Simpson, Virginia Skinner, Sherry Hostler,

Kala Weinacker

Design & Layout: Brian Simpson

Printing: Epic Print Solutions - Phoenix, AZ

Stay Connected with AAFB: Join the Advocacy Team: Stay current on state and

federal activities by sending an email with “Subscribe to the AAFB Advocacy Team” in the subject line to

[email protected].

Bi-Weekly Email Blast: Subscribe to the bi-weekly AAFB Email Newsletter by emailing Brian Simpson at

[email protected].

: www.twitter.com/aafb

: www.facebook.com/azfoodbanks

AAFB Member Food Banks Collectively Serve

All 15 Arizona Counties: Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona

www.communityfoodbank.org | 520.622.0525

Desert Mission Food Bankwww.jcl.com/foodbank | 602.870.6062

St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliancewww.firstfoodbank.org | 602.242.3663

United Food Bankwww.unitedfoodbank.org | 480.926.4897

Yuma Community Food Bankwww.yumafoodbank.org | 928.343.1243

Additional Resources:Arizona Self Help: resource pre-screening tool

www.arizonaselfhelp.org

Health-e-Arizona PLUS: online SNAP (Food Stamp) application

www.healthearizonaplus.gov

Arizona 2-1-1 www.211arizona.org

Valley of the Sun United Waywww.vsuw.org

Arizona Department of Economic Security www.azdes.gov