If it's time to talk about the BackPacks for Kids program and the
Albertsons Boise Open, summer must be winding down, whether the
temperature feels like it or not. This month's edition of Foodbytes
also has information about our newest pantry and some stellar recent
events. Thank you for making it all possible.
This is the July edition of Idaho Foodbytes, The Idaho
Foodbank's electronic newsletter, Volume VI, Number 7.
You can use the handy form at the bottom to forward this edition of
Idaho Foodbytes to any of your friends who want more information
about hunger and poverty in Idaho, want to know more about the Foodbank
or would enjoy photos of recent Foodbank events.
To see our past newsletters and get much more information about who we
are and what we do, check our award-winning web site:
http://www.idahofoodbank.org (First place, Idaho Press Club
2005). You are also welcome to stop by our three warehouses: Boise, 3562
S. TK Avenue; Lewiston, 3600 E. Main; and Pocatello, 919 S. 2nd Avenue.
Unsubscribe information is at the bottom of this newsletter. If you
would like to receive our free print newsletter,
Food for Thought, email Nancy Perkins at
nperkins@idahofoodbank.org.
Your e-mail address will be used only by The Idaho Foodbank. It
will not be sold or loaned to any other organization.
-- David Proctor
July Contents
1. The BackPack for Kids Program: It Works
2. Kids to Benefit from Albertsons Boise Open
3. Grangeville Pantry Joins Foodbank Family
4. Volunteering is Good for You
5. Last Chance: Silent Auction Bargains Await Your Bid
6. Snake River Stampede and CBS 2 Rope in $6,000
7. Barbacoa Serves Up $5,000 Donation
8. When an Orchard Hands Us Apples, We Make You-Know-What
9. New Law Allows IRA Donations
10. Gallery of Giving
11. Fact of the Month: Poverty in Idaho
12. Quote of the Month: David Nasby
13. The Foodbank's 2007 Calendar
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Fill the Truck Kicks off in Pocatello
The BackPack for Kids Program:
It Works
Children who stuff themselves Monday mornings on school
breakfasts because they haven’t eaten over the weekend. Children
whose mothers cry because they don’t have food for their
families on Saturdays and Sundays.
These are the children who depend on BackPacks for Kids, a
weekend school-year food program that has been embraced
statewide by students, teachers and sponsors.
In cooperation with schools and other sites, and with the help
of generous donors and volunteers, the Foodbank supplies
backpacks filled with food and sends them home with children who
are in danger of not eating over the weekend. The kids pick up
the full backpacks on Friday and return them empty on Monday.
In each backpack the children get a nutritious array of food
that includes such items as vegetables, milk, juice, oatmeal,
peanut butter, crackers and occasionally fresh fruit.
And in Pocatello this August, they will get notebooks,
paper and other crucial school supplies. The "Fill the Truck"
program will run August 8-22. Sponsored by United Way of
Southeastern Idaho, Faith Lutheran Church, Grace Lutheran
Church, News Channel 6, Hirning GMC and the Foodbank, the goal
is to fill a pickup bed with supplies that will go into
BackPacks as school starts.
BackPacks for Kids was created as one way to help some of the
nearly 65,000 Idaho children who live in poverty and the members
of the 74,000 households in the state who are not sure of their
food supply.
In Pocatello, BackPacks began in 2006 as a pilot project at
Lewis and Clark Elementary School with six recipients. The
response was so enthusiastic that by the end of school, thanks
to donations from businesses and private individuals and great
volunteer help, the program grew to 208 per week.
Along with the marvelous success in Pocatello, the Boise
staff and volunteers distributed 250 BackPacks every week last
year and Lewiston handled 150.
''It’s a program that works," says Roy Lacey, who directs the
Foodbank operations in Pocatello. "It’s simple, it puts food
directly into the hands of the children who need it and it makes
you feel good."
The BackPack program is just one of the safety net of services
the Foodbank operates through its Children’s Nutritional
Services department.
See the "Fill the Truck" PSA on our Pocatello page. Just click
here... |
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Ticket Revenue Goes Directly to Children's Programs
Kids to Benefit from Albertsons Boise Open
We are thrilled to announce that the Foodbank's Children’s
Nutritional Services is a beneficiary of this year’s Albertsons
Boise Open presented by First Health. The 72-hole golf
tournament and associated activities are set for Sept. 17-23 at
Hillcrest Country Club in Boise.
This means, even if you don't know a birdie from a peregrine or
your slice is sharp enough to cut metal, you can watch some of
the best golfers in the world, enjoy the beauty of Hillcrest
Country Club and support the Foodbank at the same time.
Thanks to Albertsons' generosity, the Foodbank’s programs that
feed Idaho children are eligible for income from three
tournament-related sources:
The Sara Lee Tickets-FORE-Charity program,§
which allows us to sell tournament tickets and keep 100% of that
income. (Use the link directly below or cut and paste this
link:
http://www.albertsonsboiseopen.com/tickets/tickets.php -
either method will take you directly to the ticket page.)
SUPERVALU and Sara Lee will provide a§
$50,000 bonus pool, which will be distributed based on each
non-profit’s percentage of total ticket sales.
§
Albertsons Boise Open officials will present a check to the
Foodbank based on tournament proceeds at a December luncheon
hosted by SUPERVALU.
To buy a ticket and help the Foodbank’s efforts against
childhood hunger, use the handy link below. When you get to the
page, choose Idaho Foodbank from the alphabetical list of
charities.
The Albertsons Boise Open presented by First Health, is part of
the 32-event Nationwide Tour, a subsidiary of the PGA TOUR. The
top 25 money winners during the Nationwide season will
automatically be eligible to play on the PGA TOUR in 2008. The
total purse for the Boise Open is $675,000. The winner will earn
$121,500.
This link will take you directly to the ticket page. Remember to
choose Idaho Foodbank... |
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Grangeville Pantry Joins Foodbank Family
 The
Idaho Foodbank is very pleased to announce that the Evergreen
Assembly of God in Grangeville has become an agency and opened a
new food pantry. Support will come from the Foodbank’s Lewiston
facility.
The new pantry is located at the church on Main Street in
downtown Grangeville and will provide a central location for
people in need of assistance. In addition to emergency food from
the Foodbank, the Evergreen Food Bank distributes government
commodities and hopes to conduct food preparation and cooking
classes in the near future.
"It has been really exciting to see this new pantry open," says
Chuck Whitman, Director of Northern Idaho Services in Lewiston.
"The need here is extensive. And the excitement of the
volunteers on opening day was infectious. When you watch the way
people who are receiving the food respond with smiles and hugs,
you know all the work was worth it."
Information about our Lewiston facility is right here... |
New Study Finds
Volunteering is Good for You
Over the past two decades, a growing body of research indicates
that volunteering provides not just social benefits but
individual health benefits as well.
This is more than your mother telling you to eat your spinach.
Those who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater
functional ability, and lower rates of depression later in life
than those who do not volunteer.
The Corporation for National and Community Service, a
government-sponsored agency, collected the data and released
some key findings:
Older volunteers are most likely to receive greater§ health benefits
from volunteering.
Volunteering leads to§
greater life satisfaction and lower rates of depression.
§
Volunteering and physical well-being are part of a positive
reinforcing cycle.
Individuals who volunteer live§
longer.
State volunteer rates is strongly connected with§ the physical health
of the states' population.
You can see the study by using this link... |
Closing August 3!
Silent Auction Bargains Await Your Bid
A Chefs’ Affaire 2007 is over, but for a few more days, whether
you attended or not, there is a way you can still be part of the
fun. A few items in the silent auction did not find the right
bidder at the event. You may be the perfect fit for one (or
more) of the items we still have available for auction.
Eight terrific items, from a three-receiver DIRECTV setup for
your home to a gym membership, are listed on our web site,
complete with a full description of each item and the bidding
procedure.
There are bargains to be had, so please take a look and help us
reach that magical $190,000 mark for A Chefs' Affaire. Bidding
will close on August 3.
Eight silent auction items can be found with this single link... |
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Snake River Stampede and CBS 2 Rope in $6,000
The fundraiser sponsored by 2007 Snake River Stampede rodeo and
promoted by CBS 2 rounded up $6,137 for the Foodbank. The
Stampede generously offered $1 from every opening night ticket,
and CBS 2 ran extensive advertising, calling the promotion
Saddle Up for The Idaho Foodbank.
On Saturday, July 21, Vern Carpenter (left), Director of the
Snake River Stampede and Bob Thomas (right), Vice President and
General Manager of CBS 2, presented the check to Linda Walker,
the Foodbank's Director of Food and Agency Resources.
Thank you Vern and Bob, and thanks to everyone who attended
opening night. Your generosity will make a difference to
thousands of Idaho families.
If you didn't make it to opening night, a click here will take
you to our easy-to-use donation page... |
 Barbacoa
Serves Up $5,000 Donation
Robert and Martine Castoro, owners of Barbacoa, threw a private,
pre-opening preview on Saturday, July 21, to showcase their
unique new restaurant and add their support to the Foodbank.
With the help of about 100 discriminating diners and a fabulous
staff, the Castoros served up a $5,170 donation.
Barbacoa is Boise's new multi-million dollar concept restaurant,
located at 276 Bob White Court on the ParkCenter pond in east
Boise. From the food to the decor, this is something completely
new for Boise.
Our thanks to Robert and Martine for being such wonderful hosts
and throwing such a fantastic party.
Glen and Brenda Proctor were among the first 100 to experience
Barbacoa – and support the Foodbank in the process.
There is more information about Barbacoa right here... |
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With a Lot of Help From Our Friends
 When
an Orchard Hands Us Apples,
We Make You-Know-What
We are very pleased to present the second batch of applesauce
produced by the Foodbank in cooperation with some wonderful
donors and a group of fantastic volunteers.
Over the course of five very labor-intensive days in May and
June, 73 volunteers put in 420 hours to turn 41,800 pounds of
apples into 34,000 cans of applesauce. The Foodbank staff put in
an additional 75 hours. The result: This nutritious, delicious
food is already feeding hungry families throughout Idaho.
The canning project is part of the Foodbank's Produce
Stabilization and Training Project, funded by a $24,667 grant
from the Idaho Woman's Charitable Foundation. The first 14,976
cans were produced in January 2006. This year's applesauce was
the product of apples procured by America's Second Harvest and
donated by Grover Fruit of Kennewick, Wash.
The work this year, as it was last year, was done at the LDS
Cannery in Garden City under the supervision of Manager Clair
Workman.
Our thanks to everyone involved. It was a remarkable effort with
a remarkable result.
You can also hold your own food drive. It's not that hard. Just
click here to get started... |
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New Law Allows IRA Donations
Good news!
Under the Pension Protection Act of 2006 you can make a lifetime
gift using funds from your individual retirement account (IRA)
without undesirable tax effects.
Your gift can be accomplished simply, and it will enable you to
jump-start your legacy and witness the benefits of your
generosity to The Idaho Foodbank.
You may contribute funds this way if:
* You are 70 1/2 or older
* The gift is not more than $100,000 per year
* You make the gift on or before December 31, 2007
* You transfer funds directly from an IRA or Rollover IRA to a
public charity such as the Foodbank
If you have questions, please consult a tax professional or Jill
Palmer at The Idaho Foodbank - 336-9643, ext. 242 or
jpalmer@idahofoodbank.org
And, of course, there is always this direct link to our donation
page... |
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Gallery of Giving
(Left) Petty Officers Geoffrey Bovey and Arora Martinez present
Foodbank Director Roger Simon with checks for $728 earned at a
car wash held by the Navy Operational Support Center's First
Class Petty Officer Association.
(Right) Tyson Foods of Springville, AK, the largest supplier of
protein in the world, donated 35,000 pounds of chicken to the
Foodbank as part of its commitment in the fight against hunger.
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Quote of the Month
 "America
is the richest county in the world. And yet tonight, thousands
of your neighbors will go to bed hungry. It may be your child’s
schoolmate who is undernourished and has difficulty learning on
an empty stomach. Or it could be a co-worker, a working mother
whose low-wage job doesn't make ends meet. Perhaps it's an
elderly neighbor who has to make a decision whether to delay
filling a prescription or buying groceries. The faces of hunger
are as broad as the faces of America."
David Nasby
Former director of community affairs of General Mills, Inc., and
retired vice president of the General Mills Foundation. Was a
Peace Corps volunteer and a 2005 Minnesota Vision Award winner.
Serves on several national theological and non-profit boards,
including the Board of Trustees of the Luther Seminary
Foundation, the board of United Theological Seminary and the
Foundation of the Minneapolis Community and Technical College.
Care to lend a hand in the battle against hunger? Here's the
link to our volunteer page... |
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The Foodbank's 2007 Calendar
Through August 24 - Picnic in the Park. Free lunch in Boise city
parks, Ada and Nampa Boys and Girls Clubs for ages 1-18
Through July 31 - Hayden Beverage and Foster's Wine Group will
donate up to $1 per bottle to the Foodbank. Look for the
displays at participating Albertsons in the Treasure Valley
July 1-31 - Shu's Running Company food drive (two cans earns a
$10 discount), 1758 W. State St., Boise
August 1-31 - Business-to-Business Competitive Food Drive,
Treasure Valley. Call 336-9643, ext. 257
August 24 - Picnic in the Park program concludes in Boise
September 5-18 - Albertsons Harvest for the Hungry Food Drive,
statewide
September 17-23 - Albertsons Boise Open presented by First
Health. Ticket sales benefit the Foodbank. Call 336-9643, ext.
249 or use this link:
http://www.albertsonsboiseopen.com/tickets/tickets.php and
use the drop-down menu to select the Foodbank
October 14-20 – Idaho Foodbank Week
October 21 - CROP Walk. Ted Wimer at
teddy6w@peoplepc.com
October 20 – Peanut Butter and Jelly Drive
November 1 - Holiday turkey drives start, statewide
November 23 – Empty Bowls, on the Brick Oven Beanery patio
downtown Boise
December 1 – Santa Sort. Call 336-9643, ext. 236
Your time and skills are like gold to us. Please volunteer now.
Click here for information... |
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Thank
You!
The Idaho Foodbank
is a network of 200 non-profit agencies statewide, is an
affiliate of America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank
Network and is proud to be supported by several United Ways in
Idaho. For the second consecutive year we have been awarded the
coveted four-star rating by Charity Navigator and judged to be
the most efficient non-profit organization in Idaho. That
means your donations go further at the Foodbank than at any
other non-profit in Idaho. Please consider helping us feed
hungry Idahoans by donating online today.
This link will take you to our secure donation page... |
Thank you for supporting The Idaho Foodbank in the fight against
hunger. Your donations of time, food and cash meant that with the help
of more than 200 partner agencies your Foodbank could distribute 4.8
million pounds of badly needed food to Idaho families in 2006 and 60
million pounds since 1984.
Sincerely,
The Team at The Idaho Foodbank |
