In this Issue - WAFER · 2013. 11. 26. · On November 1st, legislators allowed the 2009 Federal stimulus law (called the Ameri-can Recovery and Reinvestment Act) to expire resulting

On November 1st, legislators allowed the 2009 Federal stimulus law (called the Ameri-can Recovery and Reinvestment Act) to expire resulting in decreased Food Share dollars for recipients. The Wisconsin State Journal article on November 1st, Food Stamp cuts begin Friday, stated that nearly 900,000 Wiscon-sin residents will be affected, nearly half of whom are children. What does all of this mean? A family of four will receive $36 less per month. Those already living paycheck to paycheck will be forced to feed their family on even less, most attempting to feed each person in the family for $1.30 a meal. Demand on food pantries is projected to increase. Vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, disabled, and children, will be affected more disproportionally . Jon Peacock, spokesman for Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, projects a “ripple effect through the Wisconsin economy”. For example, grocery stores will feel the impact as fewer Food Share dollars are spent within their store. Locally and nationally, hunger needs must be addressed. Therefore, WAFER supports the work of Bread for the World. In their September letter, their President addressed the proposed cuts to food stamps and nutrition programs. “Most tragically, these cuts will deprive young children of the food that enable them to grow and learn—and thus per-petuate the cycle of hunger and poverty.” As an organization we remain committed to providing food to hungry families and indi-viduals throughout the greater La Crosse area. We are grateful for the support of busi-nesses, individuals, community agencies, and so many more, putting food directly on the table for people who need it most. Each day, hungry families and individuals, from all walks of life, walk through our door. For some, this stop may be their next meal or the first meal they have had in days. Re-gardless of the changes in federal programming they know that WAFER has been and will continue to be here for their food needs.

“Our M iss ion: Respond ing to God ’s love , WAFER p rovides food and wor ks to e l im ina te hunger ”

Board of Directors Taylor Haley, President Mike Voss, Vice-President Lee Bluske, Treasurer Don Smith, Secretary Brad Dinsmoor Sally Friend Jerry Saterbak Judy Siefert Rev. Mark Solyst Dorothy Stroschein Administrative Staff Erin Waldhart Executive Director Susan Clements Operations Manager

• From the Director • MOAG fundraiser

• Meet Carl • Weekly Donors

• Gifts In Kind • Food Collections

• Volunteer Spotlight • Gifts “In-Kind”

In this Issue:

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From the Director

In the midst of organized chaos, a lobby full of families picking up food, and the hustle and bus-tle of unloading trucks, I pause just a few min-utes to take it all in. I watch in awe as volunteers work so hard with each family helping them assemble a food pack-age, and those who help stocking shelves or unloading the truck, frequently moving those heavy boxes. As I watch Eric, the Warehouse Manager, he efficiently coordinates all the various tasks that need to happen in the warehouse. He is usually working hard from the moment he walks in the door each morning until he is done for the day. Most of the time he goes about his work with a smile on his face, humming a little tune. So much of our focus is on the good that is ac-complished for 1000’s of local families. That is important! However, it is equally important to recognize all those who give so freely of their time to make WAFER the best it can be. Thanking our volunteers is an important part of my job, but each expression of thanks is given with complete sincerity. I know WAFER volun-teers are not here for the thanks or recognition. Most will tell me that they just like the feeling they get from helping someone else. If you are a volunteer let me thank you again! What has been and is accomplished here is largely because of you. If you are thinking of volunteering, come just once and you will be hooked!

In service, Erin Waldhart, Executive Director

More frequently, donors are filling our coolers with dairy prod-ucts and produce. On the days when both drivers are out picking up donations, they can return with an abundance. This is good news for our clients, helping to stretch their food dollars further each month with wholesome, fresh product which is costly to purchase. Each month our staff rescue more than 50,000 pounds of good quality food for client families to make use of. Where $1 equals 1 pound, this results in $50,000 in product rescued each month. As a result, the Board of Directors have approved the purchase of a walk-in cooler to extend the shelf-life of the product as well as to increase the efficiency for staff and volunteers. With this purchase comes a price. An anonymous donor has generously offered to match any dona-tions for the cooler up to $9000 through December 31st. If $9000 is donated we will receive the $9000 match providing enough founds to complete this project. The total cost of this one-time project is less than the value of food rescued each month. If you would like to help fund this project through this matching grant challenge, you can essentially double your donation. Please indicate so with your donation. Would you like to see this new unit? Call our office to set up a tour with one of our staff. We will be happy to “show off” this great new piece of equipment!

Did You Know? During the first 10 months of 2013, WAFER……. * distributed 15,930 food packages. * helped 736 new families. * gave out 1,163,075 pounds of food. * volunteers gave 8653 hours.

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Most Fridays, Carl Koch can be found in the food pantry helping families pack their food package. With a smile on his face and a big, hearty laugh, Carl greets

each client with the utmost compassion. A life-long teacher, Carl has taught everything from high school to doctoral stu-dents. Most recently serving as the first Director of the Servant Leadership Program at Viterbo. However, for the last 6 years he has been the Director of an Ecumeni-cal Retreat Center in Wyoming. When asked about WAFER and why he volunteers, with a slight chuckle Carl said, “Well, I like to eat and I like to make sure others can eat too. “ Before starting his volunteer time here he said, “I remember bringing someone here and was so appre-ciative of the services that helped this person who had to choose to either eat or have medication. I had heard so many good things about WAFER.”

To a prospective volunteer he says, “this job doesn’t require special skills, just a willingness to help. You know the place isn’t going to fall apart if you are not here one week [for a different commitment you might have].” For many, WAFER is what Carl called “the last stop. Without WAFER people would not have food.” In January, Carl and his wife, Joyce, will be moving to the northern part of the state. Joyce will be the new Director at the Franciscan Sisters Retreat outside of Woodruff, WI. Staff and fellow volunteers at WAFER will miss Carl very much; his always present smile and his contagious laugh. Thank you, Carl, for giving your time, your compassion, and kind words for the families served by WAFER. We wish you much happiness as you take on this new journey!

Meet Carl

Just prior to stepping off in the Oktoberfest parade, staff gathered for a quick picture. Pictured here (L-R): Eric Johnson, Warehouse Manager; Susan Clements, Operations Manager; Erin Waldhart, Ex-ecutive Director; Laura Kim, Client Coordinator.

Thank you to our faithful weekly donors!

Aldi’s Panera Target Kwik Trip Sam’s Club Walmart Linda’s Bakery Starbuck’s

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Thank you to the following organizations for donating food from July through October.

Badger State Sportsman's Club Bethel Lutheran Church Bronston Chiropractic Clinics Coca Cola Congregation Sons of Abraham Coulee Region Kiwanis Club Crescent Printing Co. Deep Rooted Greenhouses DuraTech Industries English Lutheran Church First Baptist Church First Congregational Church First Presbyterian Church Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Goodwill Industries Great Lakes Cheese Great Rivers United Way Gundersen Harmony Valley Farms Hillview Greenhouse Life Center Hillview Health Care Center Hmong Mutual Assistance Assoc. Holy Trinity Catholic Church

Kaplan Customer Service Dept. La Crosse Area Realtors Association La Crosse Area Speedway La Crosse County Humane Society Logistics Health Inc. Mayo Clinic Health System McCarty Family Farm Melrose Garden Metropolitan Salon & Day Spa

Mount Calvary Grace Lutheran Church and School Mutual of Omaha National Weather Service Neighbor for Neighbor Food Pantry North Presbyterian Church Olivet Lutheran Church Onalaska Church of Christ Our Redeemer Lutheran Church Our Saviors Lutheran Church Pacal Industries Parenting Place PEO Sisterhood Chapter CR People's Food Cooperative, Inc.

Quillin's IGA Island Radisson Hotel La Crosse Roncalli Newman Parish SAP - Americas, La Crosse St. John UCC St. Joseph Cathedral St. Paul's Lutheran Church Tammy Zee Yoga Studio Trinity Lutheran Church U.S. Geological Survery US Cellular UWL VA Medical Center Valley Dental Viterbo Students VOAD Walgreens Washborn Neighborhood Garden Wesley United Methodist Church West Salem FFA Whiteware Food WTC

Potato King

On September 26th, performers from all over the country donated their time to put together a concert to benefit WA-FER. Artists such as DEPLOI, UW-L’s own and American Idol finalist Reed Grimm, Heatbox, Grammy award win-ning DJ Head, and Mark Joseph performed a variety of musical styles—rap, soul, pop, and looping a cappella. Massive Amounts Of Good (MAOG), a new non-profit designed to raise funds for other non-profits, put together this upper-Midwest concert tour. Funds raised from these concerts benefit anti-hunger agencies, like WAFER. On Friday, November 15th members of MOAG, their production crew, and several other agency representatives were here for the check presentation. Not only did they donate the proceeds of the concert, but coordinated two local entities to participate in the matching funds campaign for the cooler. Additionally, MOAG solicited a new product donor on our behalf helping to secure much needed product. Thank you to Habitat for Humanity and People’s Food Co-op for being a part of the outstanding outcomes! Together with the Board of Directors, we thank MOAG and the performers for not only raising funds for WAFER, but for spreading the word, creating awareness about hunger across the nation, and making a difference in our community.

Spotlight on VOLUNTEERS In each newsletter, five volunteers are honored based on the highest number of hours given. Our volunteers may be here once per week or once per month, but they keep coming back to help their neighbors in need. Thank you to each and every one of you for giving all that you do. The following volunteers gave their hours from July through October: Lo-Ken Chang (137 hours) Angela Garavalia (126 hours) Dan Schmitz (109 hours) Laura Hofschild (86 hours) Judy Siefert (75 hours)

Thank you!

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Thank you for your Gifts In Kind: Mayo Clinic Health System -for new computer monitors CBS Graphics -for business cards Ann Brice -for maintaining and updating our database Dairyland Power -for letterhead and envelopes Jason Hauser -for allowing his truck to be used to pull the WAFER Oktoberfest float. A-I Fire Protection -for providing on-site maintenance

Trick-or-Treat for WAFER UW-L Track and Field teammates delivered bags to local houses prior to the pick up on Halloween. Pictured here are four athletes and their coach. In total, they collected nearly 1400 pounds in just 2

hours! Thank you UW-L Track and Field!

To receive WAFER email updates simply contact us with your email address or sign up electronically on our website (bottom right corner): www.waferlacrosse.org You can make electronic donations on our website or through these websites (processing fees vary): www1.networkforgood.org www.justgive.org

Wish List In addition to food items, we could use: • Can Openers • Office Supplies • Books for the lending library • Plastic and paper bags

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE PAID LA CROSSE, WI PERMIT NO. 103

WAFER 403 Causeway Blvd La Crosse, WI 54603 608-782-6003 waferlacrosse.org

WAFER is a United Way agency