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Just like Boris, our little
spider mascot over on the right, many Idaho families
know what it's like to experience the ups and downs of
modern economic life. Because of your generosity, The
Idaho Foodbank can be there to help them through the
downs. Please take a look at our burgeoning calendar at
the bottom of this newsletter to see the food drives and
other events that might benefit from your participation.
Thank you for putting food on the tables of thousands of
Idaho families.
This is the October edition
of Idaho Foodbytes, The Idaho Foodbank's
electronic newsletter, Volume VI, Number 10.
--
David Proctor
October Contents
1. Scouting for Food: The Second Largest Food
Drive of the Year
2. It's Not Too Late to Make Those
Bowls
3. PBJ Drive Sets New Record Thanks to Students
in Boise...
4. ...and in Twin Falls
5. Pocatello
Perspective: Art for Food Raises $2,500
6. Eastern
Idaho Hunger Summit Advocates Change in Sales Tax on
Food
7. Governor Declares October as Hunger Awareness
Month
8. What It Means to Be Hungry
9. New Law
Allows IRA Donations
10. Gallery of Giving: Fred
Meyer, CROP Walk and Two Hunters
11. Facts of the
Month: Food Stamps
12. Quote of the Month: Mark R.
Rank
13. The Foodbank's 2007 Calendar
| Saturday, Nov. 10
Scouting for Food:
The
Second Largest Food Drive of the Year
This food drive is
a great way to spend time with family and friends
and at the same time make a real difference in the
lives of people in your community.
In the rush toward the holidays, the annual Scouting
for Food drive can get dropped from your to-do list.
But this food drive is hugely important to the
families that rely on emergency food to get them
through to the next paycheck.
Scouting for Food is the second largest
food drive of the year. Last year Scouts from
Mountain Home to Ontario to McCall collected more
than 100,000 pounds of food and donated it to
non-profit organizations in their areas. Donations
of canned food items from manufacturers are at their
lowest level in many years, while demand continues
to rise. This means your help is needed more than
ever before.
This year, most of the 15,000
Scouts in the Ore-Ida Council will go door to door
on Saturday, November 10, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., rain or
shine. The food will go to local organizations such
as The Idaho Foodbank, the Salvation Army and the
Jaycees to fight hunger during the upcoming
holidays.
Scouts across southwest Idaho will
distribute door-hangers as reminders during the week
of Nov. 3, but if you don’t receive one call The
Idaho Foodbank at 336-9643 or the Ore-Ida Scout
Office at 344-4411 for drop-off locations.
Scouting for Food is sponsored by the
Ore-Ida Council, Albertsons/SUPERVALU, United Way of
Treasure Valley, Rotary Club of Nampa and The Idaho
Foodbank.
Another easy way to donate is
through our virtual food drive. Just click
here... |
Among
our many repeat customers, there is some debate
over whether it is more fun to find the perfect
bowl or to enjoy that cup of hot gourmet soup
after a successful hunt.
For Empty
Bowls' 10th Anniversary
It's Not Too Late to Make
Those Bowls
November is so close you can feel
the chill, but there is still time to turn out a few
bowls for the tenth anniversary edition of Empty
Bowls, sponsored by Albertsons. The deadline is Nov.
16.
For this popular fundraiser, always held
the day after Thanksgiving, we offer handcrafted or
pre-cast, hand-painted bowls made and donated by
both accomplished and novice artists. The date this
year is Friday, Nov. 23.
Bowl prices start at $10, and soup comes
with each bowl. After you've found your bowl(s),
your next decision is to choose from the variety of
fabulous epicurean soups made by the chefs from and
donated by 20-25 of downtown Boise's best
restaurants. Our booth will again be located on the
Brick Oven Bistro’s patio (on the Grove).
Empty Bowls has become hugely popular in
the past nine years. Which means, of course, is that
to keep up with demand we need 1,800
of those hand-painted bowls completed by the 16th
to make this event as successful as it has been.
Both experienced and novice artists can participate.
Have your own potter's wheel? Go ahead and start
throwing those bowls.
If your chosen medium
is not clay, that's OK. Glass, wood or steel will
work, too. As long as your bowl is food-safe and
re-useable, your artistic creations will be
gratefully accepted.
To recognize those whose
skills are highly honed, the Foodbank will feature
those donations as limited editions at a rate
consistent with its higher value.
No
experience with a pottery wheel? Not to worry. The
ceramic studios carry pre-cast, ceramic bowls that
can be hand-painted and glazed if you finish them by
Nov. 9.
In the interest of your pocketbooks,
some studios offer group rates. Just ask for their
minimum requirements.
Here is a list of
ceramic studios that will waive the studio fee or
offer special pricing on bowls if you tell them it’s
for Empty Bowls:
• Artist for a Day, 7609 W.
Overland, Ste. 130, Boise (at the Spectrum),
375-2575
• Ceramica, 598 W. Main St., Boise –
342-3822
• Ceramic Palace, 1743 Osterloh Ave.,
Twin Falls – 734-1850
• Fire & Ice Pottery
Studio, 2108 Caldwell Blvd, Nampa – 465-7776
•
Grandma Jo's Ceramics, 4822 Yellowstone Ave,
Chubbuck - 237-3755
• Hands On, 147 Shoshone St.
North, Twin Falls – 736-4475
• Jessie's Ceramic
Shoppe, 318 N. Main, Kimberly - 423-5457 or 308-1762
• Leah’s Gifts & Ceramics, 618 Main Ave. N, Twin
Falls – 734-3227
• Mountain Monet, 310 E. Lake
St., McCall - 634-7626
• Sue’s Ceramics &
Denice’s Pieces, 521 N. Main, Mountain Home
–599-2686
• Thelma’s Ceramics, 8030 S. Gantz Ave,
Boise – 362-9518
• Treasure Valley Ceramics,
21510 Highway 95, Wilder – 482-7386
• Jessie's
Ceramic Shoppe, 318 N. Main St., Kimberly – 423-5457
or 308-1762
As more studios around the state
join the effort, an up-to-date list of participating
studios will be posted on our web site at
www.idahofoodbank.org.
Anyone can paint a
bowl. It's fun, easy, and a great way to spend
quality time with family, friends or coworkers. The
Idaho Foodbank will even pick up your donations from
the studio. No muss, no fuss. So get out there and
make a bowl to fight hunger! Your contribution may
be tax deductible.
Remember, every bowl donated will provide
at least 50 meals to our neighbors across Idaho this
winter.
Here is your link to updated Empty
Bowls information... |
(Left) Boise Mayor David Bieter read his
proclamation that declared October 14-20 as Idaho
Foodbank Week at the PBJ Rally on Oct. 17. Mistress
of ceremonies Maggie O'Mara (blue parka) watches at
right. The rally was broadcast live on KTVB Channel
7 during Larry Gebert's weather breaks. (Right) Tom
Church volunteered to collect jars at the Hillcrest
Albertsons store Saturday afternoon.
A Combined Effort
PBJ Drive Sets New Record Thanks to
Students in Boise...
The ninth annual Peanut Butter & Jelly food drive,
run by the gifted and talented elementary students
of the Boise School District, is in the books. With
95% of the sites reporting, the 2007 drive has
generated a total of 16,542 delicious pounds this
year – 13,202 in Boise and 3,340 in Twin Falls – an
increase of 2,630 pounds. This brings the total for
the life of the drive to more than 92,280 pounds of
sticky, healthy food.
The drive got off to a
very public start with a rally at Boise City Hall.
KTVB Channel 7’s Maggie O’Mara served as mistress of
ceremonies, Boise Mayor David Bieter read a
proclamation that declared Oct. 14-20 as Idaho
Foodbank Week, the students read speeches they had
written about hunger, and Channel 7 carried part of
the ceremonies live during Larry Gebert’s
weathercasts.
That good start was
accelerated when Kevin McEntee, Albertsons’ Vice
President of Operations for Idaho, announced that
the grocery chain would start the food drive with
the donation of 24 cases each of peanut butter and
jelly.
During the week, schools across the
Boise and Meridian districts held their own PBJ
drives. Then, on Saturday, Oct. 20, GATE students
and volunteers staffed 12 Albertsons stores in Boise
and collected peanut butter and jelly donations from
generous customers.
The count thus far shows
that Boise and Meridian students donated 6,027
pounds and $534.91 at their schools, and the winner
was Sawtooth Middle School in Meridian with 1,101
pounds. The generous customers at Albertsons stores
donated 6,345 pounds, and the 17th and State
location was first among the stores with 1,061
pounds.
Thanks, everyone, for a great food
drive.
This link will take you directly to
information about our Lewiston facility... |
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...and in Twin Falls
The PBJ Drive has spread to the Magic Valley.
Elena Coats (left)and Sierra Norman engineered
the drive there and even took on the publicity
chores. They were interviewed on the morning
show at KTPZ, 94.3 FM "The Music Monster," KMVT
Channel 11 and in the Times-News
newspaper. All that work paid off nicely when the
girls dropped off 3,340 pounds at the Agape
Foursquare pantry.
Congratulations,
Elena and Sierra. Keep up the good work.
If you missed this drive, try our
virtual food drive. Just click here... |
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|
 Pocatello
Perspective
Art for Food Raises $2,500
Once a
year the Pocatello warehouse becomes an art gallery,
and the art helps feed families in southeast Idaho.
There were
paintings and photographs on walls where food is
usually stacked, women in heels walked where a
forklift rumbled just hours before. Instead of
people picking free food boxes, the meals were $30
each.
It was an evening of awards, good food
and fundraising for about 70 people. When it was
over the fourth annual Art for Food dinner, art sale
and raffle had raised $2,500 for the Foodbank.
But this was an event with more than one winner. In
addition to the money raised, the Mayor’s Awards for
the Arts went to Vicky Mainzer and Lori Piccolo
(individual awards), Old Town Pocatello (corporate)
and Pocatello Art Center (lifetime achievement).
Appropriately, Pocatello Mayor Roger Chase made the
presentations.
In fact, it was Mayor Chase
who started the event four years ago with a call to
Roy Lacey, the Foodbank’s Administrator of Branch
Facilities in Pocatello. After four years it has
become part of the Gate City’s social calendar.
Thanks to our generous sponsors Farm Bureau Mutual
Insurance, Intermountain Beverage, Red Lion Hotel
and the Dellart Atkin Floral Center. See you next
October for year five.
Use this link to find
information about our Pocatello facility... |
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Eastern Idaho Hunger Summit Advocates
Change in Sales Tax on Food
Roy Lacey, the
Foodbank's Administrator of Branch Facilities,
reminded participants that Idaho is the eighth
hungriest state in the nation.
The Eastern
Idaho Hunger Summit ended with the participants in
the "Advocacy vs. Lobbying" breakout session in
agreement that something must be done about the
sales tax on food. Whether the tax should be removed
or a tax credit increased is a question that must be
resolved with anti-hunger groups across the state,
the participants agreed.
The delegates who
attended the "Faith in Action" session called for
the creation of an eastern Idaho chapter of the
Idaho Interfaith Roundtable Against Hunger. The
existing IIRAH group is currently addressing hunger
issues in the Treasure Valley.
These were
strong conclusions to an excellent meeting held Oct.
19, on the Idaho State University campus in
Pocatello. United under the theme "Making Room at
the Table," participants came from academia,
agencies, government and the community and included
Idaho Reps. Donna Boe and James Ruchti, both of
Pocatello.
Mike Sanders of MSVM Group was
the featured speaker. His topic, “The Power of One”
was so moving his audience donated $126.
The general meeting during the morning
featured a welcome by Laura Vailas, a Ph.D. in
nutritional sciences and wife of Idaho State
University president Arthur Vailas, and a reminder
from the Foodbank's Roy Lacey of the severity of
hunger in Idaho.
The four afternoon breakout
sessions covered the subjects of "Designing for
Choice – Food Pantries That Promote Client Dignity,"
"Advocacy vs. Lobbying," "Faith in Action" and
"Students in Action."
Thank you, all who
attended, and a special thanks to members of the
Eastern Idaho Hunger Summit Committee: Tracy Beeton,
Idaho Health and Welfare; Char Byington, U of I;
Julia Campbell, Southeastern Idaho Community Action
Agency; Mary Cox, First Presbyterian Church;
Kathleen Hall, Catholic Charities of Idaho; Sally
Hartert, North Bingham County Community Food Bank;
Linda Jones, United Methodist Church; Roy Lacey, The
Idaho Foodbank; Laura McKnight, ISU; and Melissa
Norton, First Presbyterian Church.
To see the report from the first
statewide hunger summit in October 2006, click
here... |
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 Governor Declares October as Hunger
Awareness Month
Gov.
Butch Otter signed a proclamation on Oct. 4,
written by the Idaho Hunger Relief Task Force,
that declared October as Hunger Awareness Month.
During the ceremony, fourth grader Zoe Guidara
of Summer Wind Elementary in Meridian, read a
poem about hunger and Gayle Woods of the Task
Force presented the governor with a book of
children's poems on that same theme.
The
Idaho Hunger Relief Task Force is the group that
grew out of the Idaho Summit on Hunger and Food
Insecurity held last October in Boise.
To see the study on hunger in Idaho
that produced last year's Hunger Summit, click
right here... |
What It Means to Be Hungry
Some
of the children who came to the Boise City parks
for lunch this summer drew pictures to describe
"What It Means to Be Hungry." Their work was
displayed when Gov. Otter signed the
proclamation that declared October as Hunger
Awareness Month. The Foodbank, along with a host
of partners, served more than 77,000 lunches
during the Picnic in the Park program.
The wrap-up of our Picnic in the
Park program is just a click away... |
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New Law Allows IRA Donations
An IRA is one of the largest assets many people
have. Under previous law, there was no incentive
to encourage transfers or donations from IRAs to
charities. In fact, previous laws actually had
disincentives for gifts from IRAs.
Now,
the tax-free alternative IRA rollover for
charity gives people access to new resources to
support the causes they care about and receive
benefits for themselves - but only until
December 31, 2007.
Under the Pension
Protection Act, using a portion of an IRA for
charitable giving can accomplish several
important financial goals for our supporters:
• Decrease their taxable income by donating a
portion of their IRA immediately
•
Decrease the tax burden of their heirs by
passing on other assets that require fewer taxes
upon distribution
• Make a significant
contribution to causes they support - in
addition to receiving numerous benefits
The Pension Protection Act IRA rollover
opportunity may have special added appeal for:
1. Supporters already giving at their 50%
deduction limit
2. Those whose income
level causes the phase-out of their exemptions
3. Donors who do not itemize their deductions
4. Friends for whom additional retirement plan
income will cause more of their Social Security
income to be taxed
Please consult your
financial advisor for all the specifics of your
planned giving. Or call Jill Palmer at (208)
336-9643 x 242 for assistance.
And, of course, there is always this
direct link to our donation page... |
Gallery of Giving
(Left)
The City of Meridian and Fred Meyer
stores made a joint check presentation on Oct. 3
to support the Foodbank's Grocery Alliance
Program. Liam Spencer, the Foodbank's Food
Resource Developer, holds the $15,600 Meridian
check presented to him by Mayor Tammy de Weerd
(left). Fred Meyer's Bob Hobart holds a $30,000
check that changed hands shortly after this
photo was taken. The Grocery Alliance Program
picks up near-date food from stores and quickly
makes it available to those in need. GAP not
only feeds families, it offers a tax deduction
to the stores and keeps thousands of pounds of
food out of the waste stream. Our thanks to the
city and Fred Meyer for their visionary
donations.
(Right)
About 500
walkers of all ages, shapes and sizes streamed
out of Julia Davis Park to begin the Oct. 21
CROP Walk. The totals for the annual fundraiser
are not yet tallied, but we do know for sure
that it was a beautiful day for a walk. Thanks
to everyone who turned out and to Ted Wimer,
coordinator of the Boise CROP Walk, and all the
volunteers who helped make this year's event
such a smooth one.
(No Photo)
And a note of thanks to
Robert Phillips of Dallas and Carl Strawberry of
Annapolis who respectively donated 550 pounds of
buffalo meat and 200 pounds of elk. The two
hunters asked Woodcock Meats in St. Anthony to
process the meat and pass it on to the
Foodbank’s Idaho Hunters Feeding the Hungry
program in Pocatello. This was a much-needed
donation that will supply valuable protein to
families across southeast Idaho.
Every food drive, no matter the
size, closes the hunger gap. Here are some ways
you can help... |
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Quote of the Month
 "Poverty touches the vast majority of
Americans at some point during their lives. In
recent work, I have shown that between the ages
of 20 and 75, three-quarters of Americans will
spend at least one year in poverty or near
poverty, while two thirds of Americans will
utilize a social welfare program by age 65."
Mark R. Rank, Ph.D.
Author of
One Nation, Underprivileged: Why American
Poverty Affects Us All and the Herbert S.
Haley Professor of Social Welfare at Washington
University's George Warren Brown School of
Social Work.
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
 November 1 - Holiday turkey drives
start. The statewide goal this year: 16,000
turkeys
November 1 - Holiday turkey drive
kickoff for Treasure Valley with BSU football
players Tanyon Bissell, Bush Hamdan, Jeremy
Avery, and David Shields, ParkCenter Albertsons,
10 a.m. Boise
November 1-15 - Courtesy
Ford's “Fill the Truck” food drive. Pocatello
November 1-21 – Walgreen’s Holiday Food Drive.
17 stores from Boise to Rexburg
November
1-30 - Blaz'n Diagnostic LLC food drive,
blazndiagnostics@clearwire.net. Boise
November 1-30 - St Al's Emergency Eagle - food
drive, mmicking@AOL.com. Eagle
November 2
- Holiday turkey drive kickoff at Lewiston
Chamber of Commerce breakfast, 7 a.m. Lewiston
These glamorous turkeys are
from the creative minds at Campbell & Associates
"Smart Marketing" and will serve as the mascots
for the Take Your Turkey to Work Day in
Pocatello. Our thanks to Stacie Campbell and the
Southeast Idaho Ad Federation for their generous
year-long support.
November 3 -
Turkey Drive/Fundraiser by Army National Guard
Armory personnel at Safeway, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Lewiston
November 4 - High Desert Harley
Davidson Turkey Run, noon, tmiideas@yahoo.com,
338-5599. Boise
November 9-16 - Can U of
I, first annual BSU food drive. 426-1440. Boise
and Moscow
November 10 - Scouting for
Food. Treasure Valley
November 12-17 -
Hidden Springs Charter School canned food drive
and turkey trot, tamfromid@att.net. Boise
November 12-18 – Shadow Valley’s "Give ‘em the
Bird": Golf and cart are free for the donation
of a 20 lb. turkey, 939-6699 or svgolf@fiberpipe.net.
Boise
November 12-31 - Sears Authorized
Dealer Stores food drive. Smaller Sears stores
across Idaho
November 13 - Snake River
Valley Builders Association turkey drive, symep@hotmail.com.
Boise
November 15 - Take Your Turkey to
Work, 7 a.m. – 6 p.m., sponsored by the Builders
Association. Drop off points: Butler Builders -
2nd & Clark Sts., Idaho Central Credit Union -
Chubbuck Branch, The Idaho Foodbank - 919 S.
2nd. Call Jeff Butler 232-0115 or Foodbank
233-8811 for pickups. Pocatello
November
16 - Meridian community turkey drive sponsored
by MarKar Design and Construction at 2065 E.
Fairview Ave. Meridian
November 16 -
Southwest Building Contractors Association
turkey drive, kimd@pioneertitleco.com. Boise
November 18 - Hymns of Thanksgiving: Free
holiday concert, donations to the Foodbank
accepted, 7:30 p.m., Qwest Arena,
www.hymnsofthanks.com. Boise
November 23 – Empty Bowls, on the Brick
Oven Beanery patio, at the Grove plaza.
Bowl-making has already begun. Call Michelle
Kinney at 336-9643, ext. 249. Boise
December 1 – Santa Sort in Boise warehouse. Call
Cindy Fenn at 336-9643, ext. 236 (Sorry, all
slots are full)
February 17 – March 11,
2008 – 2nd Annual CBS 2 Food Drive. Treasure
Valley
Your time and skills are like gold
to us. Please volunteer now. Click here for
information... |
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.
You are welcome to
stop by our three warehouses: Boise, 3562 S. TK
Avenue; Lewiston, 3600 E. Main; and Pocatello, 919
S. 2nd Avenue.
If you would like to receive
our free print newsletter, Food for Thought,
email Shellie Harvath at
sdharvath@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.
This link will take you to our
secure donation page... |
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