Food for Thought Essay

As of 2005, hunger continues to be a worldwide problem. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, â€Å"850 million people worldwide were undernourished in 1999 to 2005, the most recent years for which figures are available† and the number of hungry people has recently been increasing. The official poverty rate in the U. S. has increased for four consecutive years, from a 26-year low of 11. 3% in 2000 to 12. 7% in 2004. This means that 37. 0 million people were below the official poverty thresholds in 2004. This is 5. 4 million more than in 2000. The poverty rate for children under 18 increased from 16. 2% to 17. 8% over that period. Poverty is the state of being without the necessities of daily living, often associated with need, hardship and lack of resources across a wide range of circumstances. For some, poverty is a subjective and comparative term; for others, it is moral and evaluative; and for others, scientifically established. That is why it is so important to start a Food and Clothing program. This program will be funded by the church and it members, but benefit the community. Non church member would be able to reap the benefits from this program as well as church members. There is no such program in the other sister congregations that are affiliated with us. By instituting a program of this nature to the community. We will assist in reducing the fight against hunger. The food distribution program will be a place where food is offered to the poor for free. The project objective would to meet the needs of the community by filling there physically need as well as there spiritual needs. The mission is to provide food and fellowship, to feed the hungry in body and spirit. Also we would like for all the members of the congregation to assist in donating to the needs of others. By provide food items, toiletries and clothing they no longer want or need. Contribution will be tax deductible. The assumptions that can be made is that we are only funding this program to gain membership to the church. It can be said more members the more money coming into the church. Other assumptions are that we may want to play self-righteous. This project may be more than the church can handle alone. All department of the church should be involved especially food preparation. The minister, secretary, treasure deacons, elders, food committee and any volunteers. The risk involve are the lack of volunteers, the limited amount of donations. The element this program may attract, such as the drug, and alcohol abusers. There will be those seeking drug treatment, counseling, housing and etc. If we do not provide these things do we stand a chance of losing that person because we can not meet all that persons needs? The participates could abuse the program; by falsify information, health issues, food poisoning or spoilage. This program has never been done before and is much needed in this community. This is a much need program in this community for it is a rural farming community. Not many people have access to transportation and many are elderly, sick and shut-in. No one should go to bed hungry. The idea is to provide food to needy people. Food would be distributed freely; the receipts would be required to fill out information sheet. We will reach other receipt through referrals and meet and greets in the neighborhood. There are no food program in the town in which I live the need is a great one. There are food pantries but no food program We will provide those in need with food and with fellowship, responding to all with humanity and respect. The food distribution program will provide needy families with groceries on a weekly basis for meal preparation at home. In this community we want to make life better for low-income and needy individuals and families. By establishing this needed program in the community. We plan to help families and individual in poor nutritional status gain stability, good health and dignity. The goal is to meets the needs of the hungry in this community. Feed their physical need as well as their spiritual needs. Budget. 2 years with a million dollar budget, with donations for church members and all in-kind donations, (donations include, food, clothing, money and counseling) Overhead cost – The is no rent because the program is using the church building which is paid in full. Office supplies are going to average out to be about $ 500 dollars a year. There will be cost for new equipment, and health and liability insurance. Which I will allocate $100,000 dollars toward. Salaries most of the staff will be volunteers, but we are looking at about 50,000 dollars allocated toward salaries Miscellaneous Costs 100,000 Total budget of 1 millions dollars. The project objective is to feed the poor and disadvantage for as long as we can. Feeding the physical as well as meeting the spiritual needs of the people. This will be an ongoing program with a budget of 2 million dollars for 2 years. We will solict donations from community member such as Restaurants, grocery stores. We will start to gain potential clients from data bases from human service agencies, WIC, and health care centers. Posting flyers and mailing out flyers. We are looking into starting this program which we will name Food For Thought. A target time to start will be in 4 months starting with an Easter Dinner for the community. Hours of operation are Sunday in between Sunday services 12:00 p. m. to 5:00 p. m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday five days a week from the hours of 10:00 a. m to 6:00 p. m. â€Å"We need to raise community awareness on hunger and raise community participation,† Duffield said. â€Å"We are calling upon religious organizations, business and civic groups such as Scouts and service clubs especially, because this is where we have the best skilled volunteers. † Duffield said many at the table were homeless people who normally eat at shelters in the downtown area, but there were also people fed who are not homeless. â€Å"It’s just awesome to see all of these organizations united in a focused effort,† he said. â€Å"Every American deserves a place at the table,† said Carol Trahan, a volunteer with Second Harvest. She pointed out that about 14 percent of the population in Northeast Tennessee lives at or below the poverty line. About a quarter of that population often has to choose between buying food or paying rent, more than a third had unexpected expenses and little or no money left for food. That means almost half has skipped a meal or gone to bed hungry, and more than half worries about running out of food before their next paycheck or food stamp allotment. Individuals, organizations and businesses can help by donating food, donating money, volunteering help or becoming an agency identifying an unserved area of the community. * Of the 475,000 people living in Tennessee’s eight northeastern most counties, U. S. Census figures show 14 percent, or about 68,000 people, live in poverty. The figures equate to more than one in five Northeast Tennessee children with families at or below the federal poverty line. * According to the state Department of Education, more than 30,000 children attending public schools in the region qualify for government subsidized meals at schools. * At 15 schools in the region, more than 75 percent of the student body is eligible for free or reduced-cost meals. * Of the more than 200 hunger relief agencies served by Second Harvest of Northeast Tennessee, 30 agencies are designed exclusively for children. Food Bank director Rhonda Chafin said hunger is more prone to go unnoticed in rural areas like Northeast Tennessee than in larger cities where homelessness is more visible. â€Å"In rural communities like ours, people sometimes don’t think about hunger because they can’t see it,† she said. â€Å"It’s the working poor† who most often seek help from the agencies Second Harvest works with, Chafin said. â€Å"They may not be homeless, but they do struggle and their children do miss meals at home because they are struggling just to pay their bills. † The hope is to receive more than 3. 4 million pounds of food. We will also seek a contract with The Pampered Chef to receive donations of $ 918. 45 worth of food once a week. This will be a year-long campaign to benefit the food program. The Pampered Chef is a direct seller of kitchen tools nationwide. Over $7. 5 million dollars have been donated to such programs in the past. â€Å"According to America’s Second Harvest, more than 33 million people in America are food insecure,† said Julie Christopher, vice president and spokesperson for The Pampered Chef. â€Å"There are children, the elderly and working poor who must choose between paying for food or for utility and housing costs, medicine and other necessities. â€Å"These people in need are the reason we at The Pampered Chef are so passionate about raising money. Everyday in Northeast Tennessee hundreds of men, women and children depend on soup kitchens for a hot meal. Each person or family has a different circumstance, a different reason for needing assistance with food. Whatever the reason, hunger in Northeast Tennessee is a reality. The Second Helpings Food Rescue program of Second Harvest Food Bank is there to help. ______What is Prepared & Perishable Food Rescue? We will use, perishable food prepared by, but not used by, commercial donors to hunger relief agencies in the community. Wholesome food that would have otherwise been disposed of by restaurants, caterers and other vendors will be now able to be donated directly to our program. We will in turn provide food for hungry men, women and children in our region program How does the Program Work? Using a refrigerated truck and industrial food containers, Madison County FP will picks up perishable food from food service providers and transports it to local soup kitchens and other agencies that serve meals directly to those in need. Second Helpings operates under the safe food handling guidelines approved by the Tennessee Department of Health. How does Second Helpings benefit the community†¦ It reduces the dependence on public funds It decreases feeding agencies operational expenses Permits more efficient use of the charity’s staff and volunteer time It feeds the hungry Over 250,000 pounds of food rescued annually Serving an estimated 2,000 individuals each week How you can help†¦ Volunteers will be need to help pick up and deliver food; make monetary donation; ask restaurants to donate food; Food for thought will be sponsored by†¦ Proctor and Gamble Martha White The Pampered Chef Reggies Kappa’s Steak House. Jumbo Buffet Food for thought would also like to develop a mobile food bank program that has deliveries. We would have a refr truck deliver to the elderly, shut in and those unable to get to the church. We would also reach out to those individuals living in public housing communities throughout the region. This will prevent items from going to waste. Before you begin, you may want to look up the amounts of your income (wages, SSI, social security, VA payments, child support), rent or mortgage, utility bills, day care expenses, and medical bills (if you are 60 or older, or disabled). This information will be needed for the tool to work. For the past several months, we have seen repeated footage of hungry Afghan refugees on television news. These images of hungry people in faraway places touch and disturb us, but for many of us they also seem distant and far from our own reality. Maybe that’s because hunger in America is largely invisible. There are no pictures of distended stomachs and hollow eyes among America’s hungry. In the United States, we have practically eliminated starvation and malnutrition. There are, however, children whose only meal of the day is a school lunch, seniors who do not have enough to eat for several days at the end of the month until their Social Security check arrives, and families who stretch the income of several part-time jobs to pay for rent, utilities, transportation and medical bills with little to spare for wholesome food. Yet, hunger is real and, in fact growing. Hunger in America 2001 has four primary objectives: provide a comprehensive profile of the nature of hunger in the U. S.; compare date between the 1997 study and the 2001 study to identify trends; provide extensive demographic profiles of emergency food clients at feeding agencies and the efficacy of those programs to meet the need; and provide comprehensive demographic information about hunger and the charitable response to hunger in local communities. Demographics †¢74% of clients at food pantries are women – a disproportionate number †¢24% are households with single parents †¢63% of single parent households have children under age 18 †¢39% of two-parent households have children under 18. †¢29% of households have a family member over age 65 †¢26% of the clients are the elderly – people who compromise good health with weaker immune systems or more alarming symptoms of illness such as diabetes, heart disease or high blood pressure due to poor nutrition Food Stamps Hunger in our communities has remained at a high level even though food stamp and welfare rolls have decreased. As a result of obtaining low-income employment, many families formerly receiving welfare still cannot provide both shelter and food for family members. Most mistakenly believe they are no longer eligible for food stamps. †¢25% of clients are using the food stamp nutrition program, while more than 70% are income eligible for the food stamp nutrition program that would help provide more food for their families. †¢In Nevada, only half those eligible for food stamps are using the program, often due to red tape, language problems or complex eligibility requirements. The State of Nevada application for assistance is 11 pages in length. †¢Most people who use food stamps report benefit levels of 70 cents per meal are inadequate and often last only two weeks or less. Even if all who are eligible do apply and receive benefits, the need will continue to exceed the resources without reform. Food Insecurity Nearly three fourths of all those who sought food assistance in 2001 were â€Å"food insecure. † These are people who meet a standard government definition of hungry or at risk of hunger. Food insecurity means regularly not having food or the money to buy enough food. Among all clients of the Food Bank of Northern Nevada, 73. 5% are classified as food insecure and 65. 6% are food insecure with hunger. Among families with children, 69. 2% are food insecure and 59. 6% experience hunger, with almost half of adults reporting that they missed meals due to lack of food. Most families with children provide the food to children with adults skipping meals when food is scarce. Many clients must choose between food and necessities: †¢42% choose between paying for food and paying for utilities or heating fuel. †¢42% must choose between buying food and paying rent/mortgage †¢Local and state officials can help by increasing access to child nutrition programs such as the Summer Food Service Program, the Child & Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and the School Breakfast and Lunch Programs. Municipalities and states can also help by supporting the work of food banks and food rescue programs in local communities. Hunger is a solvable problem. As this report makes clear, however, food banks and food pantries cannot solve the problem alone. Beyond the public-private partnership through which corporations and individuals make contributions of food for distribution to needy individuals, public policies can help end hunger in our lifetimes. †¢Federal nutrition programs – particularly the Food Stamp program and child nutrition programs – are an essential part of the food assistance safety net. †¢Less than a third of people nationally and one fourth of people in Nevada who turn to charity are receiving food stamps, while more than three fourths are income eligible. †¢Food stamp proposals recently passed in the U. S. Senate strengthen the Food Stamp program and increase funding for food stamps and commodity donations. †¢Local and state officials can help by increasing access to child nutrition programs such as Summer Food and School Breakfast, and by supporting the work of food banks and food rescue programs in local communities. AT THIS TIME. Forty six percent of pantries, a third of kitchens and 45% of shelters report increases since 1998 in the number of people they serve. Food banks are by far the single most important source of food for most food bank member agencies, accounting for 68% of the food used by pantries and two thirds of the food used by shelters. Locally, food pantries provided 1,306,360 pounds of food, particularly staple and high value nutritional items, to more than 24,000 different individuals in 2001; this accounts for 65% of the total amount of food distributed by the Food Bank of Northern Nevada. † The Food Bank is reporting low levels of food resources needed to assist hungry people through the year. â€Å"The emergency food pantries and shelters we supply with food need help all year long. The 2. 3 million pounds of food we distribute annually may not be enough to meet the needs of the newly jobless along with people who experience food insecurity every winter when the utility bills and medical expenses increase,† said Cherie Jamason, Food Bank CEO. While help at the holidays is great, long-term help will be needed for the 70,000 people in Nevada who have lost jobs or had hours cut back due to the slumping economy in the last year. News Relehttp://www. fbn Donate now with our Virtual Holiday Food Drive Fill out our on-line donation form here! The Food Bank of Northern Nevada is grateful for support from a wide range of organizations and individuals in the community and across the region. Private foundations and corporate gifts and sponsorships provide significant funding for programs such as Kids Cafe, food distribution and child nutrition. While critical to our mission, these major gifts alone are not enough. It takes donations from individuals and local businesses within our community to keep the Food Bank working, day in and day out, throughout the year. Grants will help Food Bank and partners reach out In recent months, the Food Bank has applied for and received some significant grants that will increase our ability and that of our partner agencies to serve hungry populations in Nevada. The Food Bank has received several significant grants recently: †¢$25,000 from the Antioch Company. †¢$50,000 from the E. L. Cord Foundation †¢$125,000 from the McCabe Foundation †¢$60,000 from the Nell J. Redfield Foundation †¢$20,000 from the Robert Z. Hawkins Foundation †¢$7,500 from the Terry Lee Wells Foundation for the Back-pack Kids Program †¢A 26-foot refrigerated truck valued at $110,000-$120,000 from the 2006 ConAgra Feeding Children Better Rapid Food Distribution Program to be delivered sometime during 2006. Approximately 55% of our operating budget comes from private foundations, individual donations and special events. The Food Bank depends on donations to fund everyday functions, from keeping the roof over our head to delivering food resources to the agencies that we support. With an estimated 33. 6 million Americans in danger of going hungry and more than 49,000 at risk locally in Northern Nevada, hunger is a problem that affects us all. At the Food Bank of Northern Nevada we take community investments as far as we can and monetary donations go even further. $1 dollar translates into 4 meals for the needy. $25 will provide food for 5 families for 3 to 4 days. $50 will distribute 270 pounds of food to agencies serving hungry people. $100 will provide 3 to 5 days of emergency food to more than 50 people. We are able to distribute enough food for 4 meals with every dollar donated! There are many ways for people to join The Food Bank in our mission to end hunger. Make a financial contribution to the Food Bank and your donation goes a long way. Ask us about a regular pledge program, electronic fund transfers, bequests and honorariums or memorials. Major contributions specifically dedicated to support special events or programs like the Food for the Soul Concerts, Kids Cafe and other activities help increase the effectiveness of our fundraising efforts and provide more resources to the community. Varied, fun ways to give: Pampered Chef’s Round-Up from the Heart ® gives all year! Pampered Chef Consultants have support a program to invite their customers to round up their purchase totals to the nearest dollar or more to benefit America’s Second Harvest food banks in their region. When you place your order with a Pampered Chef Kitchen Consultant, the Food Bank of Northern Nevada will receive your Round-Up dollars. Thank you, Karen Munson, for sharing this great program with us! Contribute at the grocery store! Albertsons links Community Partners Card to Albertsons Sav-on Preferred Savings Card Recently, we’ve mentioned that Kids Cafe has been included in the Albertsons Community Partners Card program as an authorized partner. Now, Albertsons has just announced that shoppers who use an Albertsons Sav-on Preferred Savings Card can register the Food Bank of Northern Nevada for additional donations. Albertsons will distribute up to $2. 4 million among the partners in the northern California and Reno markets through July 2005. Partners can receive up to 4 percent of each shopper’s Albertsons Sav-On Preferred Savings Card purchases. The Food Bank has set a goal of $25,000 as part of this new fundraising program. If you have an Albertsons Community Partners Card, simply present your card along with your Preferred Savings Card for scanning at checkout during your next shopping trip at Albertsons or Sav-On Drugs. Or go to www. albertsons. com, click on â€Å"In The Community† then click on the Community Partners logo link. Once you log in, click on â€Å"Sign me up. † You may also fill out the form included on page 11 of this newsletter and mail it to the Community Partners Program Headquarters, as noted in the lower left corner of the form. Raley’s Food for Families and Smith’s Coins for Community support the Food Bank by providing money to purchase and distribute food in the communities we serve. Look for the sign up book at your favorite Scolari’s and designate the Food Bank to receive Scolari’s Friendship Fund donations — the Food Bank’s account number is 1302. Special events: Invite people coming to your event to bring non-perishable food, either for an admission fee or a donation in honor of the event. Workplace campaigns: You may make a donor-designated gift through the United Way in your place of work. Employee/employer matching gifts: Ask your personnel office about your employer’s matching gift program; matching gifts can double your contribution. Gifts in honor or memory of a special person: You may designate your contribution as a gift in honor or memory on the Food Bank’s remittance envelope. Stocks and bonds: We accept gifts of appreciated stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Our Financial Officer can provide you with assistance with information regarding transfers to the Food Bank. Bequests: Your legacy can make a difference to the lives of many. Plan a lasting gift to help our community By Nancy and Dick Bostdorff Thousands of children and senior citizens in the Truckee Meadows would not have enough to eat every day, were it not for the terrific programs provided by the Food Bank of Northern Nevada. That’s one of many important reasons why we made the decision to include the Food Bank in our estate planning. While we all strive to eliminate hunger, the need is never-ending, and more people are moving into northern Nevada all the time. With programs like the innovative and award-winning Kids Cafe, community gardens and the Nevada Child Nutrition Initiative, the Food Bank does an extraordinary job of supporting the community and the more than 80 agencies that count on the Food Bank for food and financial support. The Food Bank is also one of the most efficient non-profit organizations around, with an administrative overhead of around 8% and a warehouse that distributes nearly 2 million pounds of food each year. We want our assets to be used well in the future, and believe we can count on the Food Bank to live up to that desire. We encourage you to help provide for the future through planned giving to the Food Bank of Northern Nevada. Together we can continue to strive for a truly hunger free community. Planned Giving with a Bequest By Doris Phelps, FBNN Director of Marketing & Fund Development Perhaps one of your New Year’s resolutions is to review your estate planning and to update your will. Your will provides you with the opportunity to thoughtfully and intentionally provide for those you cherish and to continue to support your favorite worthwhile charities. Your decision to include the Food Bank of Northern Nevada as a beneficiary will help assist programs and accomplish our important mission to create hunger-free communities in our region through direct services, advocacy, outreach and education. Your bequest to the Food Bank of Northern Nevada will benefit thousands of children, seniors, the ill, needy and families with nutritious meals and related services into the future. A bequest may be established in any amount and may be designed by you and your attorney in any number of ways to enhance tax benefits to your estate. For more information about this donor opportunity, please contact the Food Bank, your attorney or financial consultant. Donate canned goods: Individuals, employee groups and community organizations can make a difference by donating items in high demand at the Food Bank: canned meats, fish and peanut butter; macaroni & cheese and pasta meals, powdered milk, baby formula and baby food; complete meals in a can such as stew, chili, ravioli and hearty soups; canned fruits, juice and vegetables; dry cereal, oatmeal, rice and pasta. Approximately 24% of the food we distribute comes from food drives and individual contributions while about $275,000 of our budget is spent on purchasing food. Donate non-food resources: The Food Bank benefits from the support of many who provide in-kind services and donations of supplies and equipment. Please call to discuss your ideas. With an estimated 33. 6 million Americans in danger of going hungry nationally, and more than 49,000 at risk locally in Northern Nevada, hunger is a problem that affects us all. As an individual, you can help in the fight against hunger. Simply click on the button below to fill out the on-line form and donate today! Resources: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/poverty http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/needy http://www. casanet. org/program-management/resource-dev/gntwrite. htm http://sofia. usgs. gov/projects/scopesofwork03/wca2elev. html http://www. netfoodbank. org/inthenews. htm Hunger and th http://www. fbnn. org/study. shtmle Elderly. Work Breakdown Structure Responsibility Matrix Promotion Newspaper Radio Mailings Flyers Counselors Recruiting Volunteer Greeters Interviewers Food Cooking Equipment Prepares Eating Areas Services Set-up Clean-up Food storage Restrooms Sercuity.