Sourcing Support Locally to Close the Heartland’s Meal Gapfoodbankheartland.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Fall16.pdf · summer mobile pantries at locations in both districts. This

The DishSourcing Support Locally to Close the Heartland’s Meal GapSomeone you know is food insecure. It may be your elderly neighbor, a classmate at your child’s school or a family at your church. Food insecurity is the lack of reliable access to enough food to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Thousands of Heartland families struggle each day with food insecurity.

Food Bank for the Heartland has established ambitious goals for ending this epidemic in our community over the next 10 years by sustainably closing the meal gap in our service area and creating access to 39 million meals by 2025. The meal gap represents the meals missing from the homes of individuals and families struggling with food insecurity in the Heartland. Factors like food costs and poverty help determine our meal gap.

As Food Bank for the Heartland works to close the meal gap by 2025, we have an important message for donors, volunteers, producers and all community members in Nebraska and western Iowa: You have the power to feed your neighbors, to help us end food insecurity and to bring about real, lasting change in our communities. After all, the best support is locally sourced.

For every $10 you donate, we can provide enough food for 30 meals – desperately needed meals that heal, restore hope and fuel growth. Together, we can end hunger where it begins: right here at home. Learn more about our plan for closing the meal gap at FoodBankHeartland.org.

Fall 2016

Provide 39 million meals per year by 2025Double funding over the next 10 years and increase school-based distributions & direct distributions Strategically increase food sourcing program by 65% over 10 yearsIncrease food budget from $2.7M to $6.2M to include funding for produce and transportation

Develop the processes, infrastructure and resources to empower our network partnersThe Food Bank’s 530 network partners will continue to be the primary distribution channel

Expand SNAP outreach to 9.3 million meals per year by 2025Benefits are invested back into the communities where the recipients live and the state’s economy

THE FOOD BANK’S BOLD GOALS

Letter from the President & CEO

September is Hunger Action Month

We can do it! We can create access to healthy food for each of our hungry neighbors. Nebraska and Iowa have enough food, we just need to make it easier for people who need it to get it. That is the challenge we accepted in our 10 year strategic plan – to provide access to 39 million meals each year for 220,000 people, doubling what we’ve ever done before.

How can we do that? With creativity, with urgency, with integrity, and with you! There is great interest these days in “locally grown” food. We trust it, we honor those who raise it. It seems natural to us. Local support is similar. We trust it, we believe in the people who provide it, we know it won’t be wasted. Whether local for you means Harrisburg or Omaha, Alliance or O’Neill, the best support is locally sourced.

What is my role? You are the local source. All investments in Food Bank for the Heartland stay in Nebraska and western Iowa. 97% of every donation you make goes directly to providing food for our neighbors. Every volunteer hour you share saves $25 in staff costs, allowing more food to be provided.

We can do it! You and the team at the Food Bank, in partnership with 530 Nebraska and Iowa agencies and schools, can eliminate hunger in our lifetime. The path is clear, the commitment is strong, we need your support. Locally sourced – it’s the best for us and for our hungry neighbors. Locally sourced – it’s you!

Blessings and thanks!

Susan Ogborn President & CEO

You can promote hunger awareness during September through these Hunger Action Month initiatives:

Pints to Gallons Milk DriveSchools, businesses and organizations are collecting money to help the Hunger Collaborative provide gallons of milk for local families in need during the Pints to Gallons Milk Drive. Food Bank for the Heartland, Heartland Hope, Heart Ministry and Together are part of the Hunger Collaborative. These local nonprofi t organizations work together and share resources to fi ght hunger. Contact Maggie Schill about participating in the Pints to Gallons Milk Drive during the month of September at (402)905-4825 or at [email protected].

Cannot Reach Your Full Potential on an Empty StomachThis year’s nationwide Hunger Action Month initiative asks people to consider the universal feeling of an empty stomach, and how on an empty stomach, we cannot reach our full potential.

Look for Hunger Action Month videos and graphics on the Food Bank’s social media channels to share on your own. You can also volunteer at Food Bank for the Heartland or make a donation. Visit FoodBankHeartland.org for more information on how you can make a diff erence during Hunger Action Month and throughout the year.

An iconic landmark in downtown Omaha’s skyline was illuminated in the color of hunger relief during the fi rst week of September for Hunger action Month. WoodmenLife lit its headquarters orange September 1-9 to promote hunger awareness in the community.

Hunger Action Month is a nationwide eff ort to raise awareness and encourage people to take action on the issue of hunger.

More than 220,000 people in Food Bank for the Heartland’s 93-county service area in Nebraska and western Iowa are considered food insecure. These children, single parents, seniors and veterans may not know from where their next meal is coming. They need help.

“We’ve participated in Kids Cruisin’ Kitchen the past two summers, and it really helps,” said Chris, a father of fi ve, while his children enjoyed hot dogs, baked beans, strawberries and chocolate milk at Memorial Park in Plattsmouth.

For the sixth year, Food Bank for the Heartland partnered with the Omaha Salvation Army to share resources and to feed hungry children during the summer. The Kids Crusin’ Kitchen (KCK) program served hot, nutritious lunch meals free of charge to children. Four food trucks traveled to 15 sites across the Omaha metro area May 31 through August 5 during weekdays. The KCK sites were selected because they are places children live and play such as parks, libraries and apartment complexes.

Summertime is especially diffi cult for families living on a tight budget because children who eat breakfast and lunch at school may not have access to regular meals when school is out of session. Forty-two percent of children in Nebraska receive free or reduced school lunches.

The Kids Cruisin’ Kitchen program served over 55,000 meals over the summer, surpassing the goal of 50,000. A big thank you to Mutual of Omaha employees who volunteered more than 1,200 hours assisting in the distribution of the meals.

The Food Bank also partnered with Bellevue Public Schools and Ralston Public Schools for summer mobile pantries at locations in both districts. This new initiative benefi ted local children and families.

Programs Provide Critical Summer Meals for Kids

Betty Springer visited a mobile pantry in Grand Island on June 24. Betty is 66 and lives on her disability and Social Security benefi ts. She cares for her 88-year-old mother.

“While my income stays the same, prices keep going up. The mobile pantry is a life saver. I especially enjoy the fresh produce.”

Food Bank for the Heartland collaborates with companies and nonprofi t partners to host more than 300 mobile pantries each year across Nebraska and western Iowa. A mobile pantry is a traveling food pantry that delivers food free of charge directly to communities in a one-day food distribution. The goal is to provide food where there is a high need but limited resources.

The mobile pantry Betty Springer attended in Grand Island is held each month in partnership with Spirit of Life Church. A complete list of the mobile pantries the Food Bank organizes each month can be found at FoodBankHeartland.org.

Helping Our Neighbors in Need

The Food Bank recognizes the following companies &organizations for their recent generous food donations:

AldiBakers

ConAgra FoodsDollar TreeFamily FareFirst Data

Flowers Baking Co.Hiland Dairy

Hy-VeeKellogg/ Keebler

Kraft HeinzNebraska Furniture Mart

PepsiRotella’s Italian Bakery

Sam’s ClubTarget

Tyson FoodsWalmart

Susan Ogborn, President & [email protected]

Ericka Smrcka, Director of Network & Client [email protected]

Brian Barks, Director of Philanthropy & [email protected]

Dave Love, Director of Distribution [email protected]

Ashlei Spivey, Director of [email protected]

Alexandra Goswami, Director of Finance & [email protected]

Joani Mullin, Philanthropy Offi [email protected]

Ann Rourke, Philanthropy Offi [email protected]

Stephani Romero, Brand [email protected]

Mike Gudenrath, Food Sourcing [email protected]

Michelle Sause, Assistant Director of Network [email protected]

Hannah Glenn, Assistant Director of Network Education [email protected]

Jason Moucka, Manager of Network [email protected]

Natalie Nelson, SNAP Intake [email protected]

Food Bank for the Heartland10525 J Street • Omaha, NE 68127

www.FoodBankHeartland.org(402) 331-1213

STAFF

BOARD

Tara Stingley, Chairman Cline Williams

Mary Balluff , Chair-electCommunity Volunteer

Sally Christensen, SecretaryFirst National Bank

Rod Anderson, TreasurerMasimore, Magnuson & Associates

Susan E. Ogborn, PresidentFood Bank for the Heartland

Jeff Austin, Community VolunteerJosh Dotzler, Abide NetworkNate Christ, Access BankRichard Gregory, Community VolunteerKathy Kimball, American National BankDenise McCauley, WoodmenLifeTodd Moeller, Alley Poyner Macchietto ArchitectureSusan Nelson, Community VolunteerJulie Schultz Self, Dvorak & Donovan Law GroupNina Swanson, PayPalNancy Todd, Midlands Cold CarrierDavid Ulferts, UNL ExtensionCraig Kinnison, Farm Credit Services of AmericaTom McLaughlin, One World Health CenterMelissa Taylor, Mutual of OmahaStephen Gehring, Legal Counsel, Cline Williams

Upcoming EventsSeptember 1-30Hunger Action MonthVolunteer. Donate. Advocate. Raise hunger awareness during September and throughout the year.

September 6-9Eat Lunch, Fight HungerEat Lunch, Fight Hunger is a week-long campaign to fi ght childhood hunger. The Food Bank food trucks will be traveling throughout Omaha serving delicious meals prepared by local restaurants for a freewill donation that will benefi t our child hunger programs.

September 16-25Omaha Restaurant WeekParticipating restaurants in the Omaha metro off er an exclusive multi-course meal at a fi xed price. Five percent of the price of each meal purchased will be donated to the Food Bank. Visit OmahaRestaurantWeek.com for a list of participating restaurants.

October 6Taste the Season, a Culinary CelebrationFood Bank for the Heartland Friends are hosting a luncheon at the Omaha Marriott featuring a marketplace of local artisanal products and a culinary presentation by Chef Suji Park.

November 1-30Woodhouse Challenge VIIIFor the eighth year, the Woodhouse Auto Family is inspiring its employees, customers and members of the Omaha community to raise money for the BackPack program. Cumulatively, the Woodhouse Challenge has generated more than $3.4 million!

November 24Shine the Light on Hunger kick-off A part of Omaha’s annual Holiday Lights Festival, Shine the Light on Hunger encourages people to remember their less fortunate neighbors during the holiday season by donating food and funds. Proceeds from ConAgra Foods Ice Skating Rink, which opens later in December, will be donated to the Food Bank.

March 2Celebrity Chef featuring Marc MurphyJoin us for a fun and entertaining evening withexecutive chef, restaurateur and television personality Marc Murphy at Embassy Suites in La Vista. Call (402) 331-1213 or visit FoodBankHeartland.org for ticket information.