Goal in Pocatello: 1 Million Items for Decade

Feeding the 5,000 Families
Will Kick off 10th Year

The children of City Creek Ward dressed up last year to illustrate the religious origins of the food drive.

The Feeding the 5,000 Families food and fund drive has become an important tradition in Pocatello, but its organizers have refused to be content with past success. Each year the drive grows and evolves as more faith groups and individuals commit themselves to help struggling families in their community.

The drive began a decade ago when a Sunday School class at the United Methodist Church decided to gather 5,000 food items. With Linda Jones in charge, the drive grew into an extraordinary citywide, multi-faith effort. Now about to kick off its 10th year, organizers hope Feeding the 5,000 will collect its one-millionth item by the end of March.

Here is the schedule for this year:
§ March 3 – Kicks off with an interfaith concert, 7:00 p.m. at the First Congregational Church.
§ March 17 – Progressive dinner with the proceeds to the Foodbank, 5:00 p.m., tickets are $15 and $25 per couple, available from the United Methodist Church at 232-1353.
§ March 24 – Prayer vigil at the Presbyterian Church, 202 N. 7th, to focus on hunger in our community. The church will be open from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Information at 232-3439.
§ March 27 and 28 – Canning in Idaho Falls at the LDS Cannery. Car pool will leave from the Central Christian Church at 5:00 p.m.
§ March 31 – Grocery store food-collection day from 10 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact out Pocatello warehouse using this link...

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Group Sets Goal to Eliminate
Hunger in N. Idaho

Chuck Whitman

A diverse group of 50 activists from non-profit social agencies met in at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston earlier this month united around a single goal: eliminate hunger in the region in 10 years.

The forum, which followed on Idaho’s first statewide Hunger Summit in October, was the first in the region. The groups in attendance included The Idaho Foodbank, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Community Action Partnership, the Nez Perce Tribe, several religious groups, food pantries, the University of Idaho and area residents.

Chuck Whitman, the Foodbank’s Director of Northern Idaho Services, warned the crowd that the problem of food security was not a simple one. "The issue of sustainability and hunger is such a complex issue that it does take a cross-section of groups," he said.

Government statistics from November put food insecurity in Idaho at 14%, Chuck said. This translates to about 18,000 in North Central Idaho and Asotin County. "Over 54 percent of them have to make a choice between going to the store for food or paying the heat bill," he said.

Paying for medicine instead of food is also a problem, especially in the senior population.

"Hunger issues aren't going to be eradicated by a pen down in Boise or in Washington (D.C.)," Chuck said. "It's only going to be eradicated by grassroots efforts."

Connie Granbois of the Community Action Partnership Food Bank said CAP gave out 4,037 food boxes in 2006. Georgia Barros, of the Nez Perce Tribe's food distribution program, added that they give food to about 700 individuals and families each month.

"We are meeting the needs of the people," Barros said. "They're getting the food home and that makes us feel good."

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is trying to streamline its application process for food stamps, said Linda Gossage, a supervisor in the department. There are 3,000 open food stamp cases in the five counties in the region that includes Nez Perce, Lewis, Idaho, Clearwater and Latah. About 40% of those eligible don't apply, she said.

But the application is shorter, and people don't have to report changes in their living situation as often. The Idaho Legislature allocated $4 million to update the computer system so the approval process is faster, she said.

This is the perfect time to start planning to participate in the Feinstein Foundation's million dollar fund-raising challenge. In Idaho the challenge will benefit The Idaho Foodbank.

For the tenth year, Rhode Island philanthropist Alan Shawn Feinstein (photo) will divide $1 million among hunger-fighting agencies nationwide as a way to help them raise funds during March and April 2007.

The Feinstein Foundation portions the $1 million based on how much each non-profit organization raises between March 1 and April 30. The more money Idaho Foodbank supporters raise, the larger the share of that $1 million the foundation will donate to the Foodbank to help feed our hungry neighbors. Food can also be donated during this time and will be valued at $1.00 per item.

Funds and food can be raised at schools, places of worship, businesses or neighborhoods.

Last year, 2,521 Idahoans donated $116,234 in cash, and we got credit for another $44,333 for that many pounds raised from 29 food drives statewide. In turn, the Feinstein Foundation donated nearly $1,000 to the Foodbank.

Since 1998, the Feinstein challenge has directly donated more than $6,800 and helped the Foodbank raise more than $550,000. Nationally, the Feinstein Challenge has helped food banks and other anti-hunger agencies raise $639 million. It has become the greatest grassroots effort ever to fight hunger in America.

All the details about this annual philanthropic competition are right here...

Idaho is the 8th hungriest state in the country. Here are the statistics...

Feb. 26 - March 31 - Curves food drive at all nine Treasure Valley Curves locations.
March 1-2 - Free lunch served at Nampa Boys & Girls Club. Volunteers needed.
March 2-April 1 - Feeding the 5,000 Families interfaith food and fund drive, Pocatello. Goal this year is 177,000 items for a total of one million in 10 years.
March 3 - Feeding the 5,000 Families food and fund drive interfaith concert kick-off, 7:00 p.m. First Congregational Church, Pocatello.
March 16 - Free lunch served at Nampa Boys & Girls Clubs. Volunteers needed.
March 17 - Progressive Dinner for Feeding the 5,000 Families, by the Portneuf Valley Interfaith Group. Starts 5:00 p.m., tickets are $15 and $25 per couple, available from the United Methodist Church at 232-1353. Limited to 200 tickets.
March 24 – Prayer vigil at the Presbyterian Church, 202 N. 7th, Pocatello, to focus on hunger in our community, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Information 232-3439.
March 26-30 - Free lunch served at Boys & Girls Clubs (Ada County, Meridian and Nampa). Volunteers needed.
March 27-28 - Interfaith groups at the LDS cannery in Idaho Falls canning soups for Feeding the 5,000 Families. Car pool from Central Christian Church at 5:00 p.m.
March 31 - Foodbank barrels at Pocatello grocery stores, staffed by faith communities from 10-4 for Feed the 5,000 Families.
April 2 - Free lunch served at Nampa Boys & Girls Club. Volunteers needed.
April 6 - Free lunch served at Meridian Boys & Girls Club. Volunteers needed.
April 21-28 - Canstruction at Boise Towne Square, near Sears.
April 22 - Feeding the 5,000 Families closing ceremonies at the Foodbank in Pocatello.
May 12 - National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive.
June 1 - A Chefs' Affaire, Boise's premiere fund-raiser, Boise Centre on the Grove.
June 5 - National Hunger Awareness Day.

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