News from the Central Texas Food Bank
What’s INSIDE
You Offer a Hand Up to Families Facing Hunger Expanding Veterans’ Services in Waco
Thank You for Supporting Local Seniors $1 = $2! Your Donation Will be MATCHED Thanks to Beaumont Foundation and Texas Jacobson Aviation
Holiday 2018
“It was very hard to get food for the kids.”
You Offer a Hand Up to Families Facing Hunger Not long ago, Estela’s family began rebuilding their lives in Austin after a series of difficult circumstances. She and her husband, Ancel, both hardworking parents, suddenly found themselves unemployed around the same time. It took them longer than they expected to find new jobs, and they quickly went through their savings. Estela and Ancel’s situation soon became dire. They realized they didn’t have the means to put food on the table for their children — 2
Carlos, 2, Ancel, Jr., 5, Ashley, 12, and Candy, 14. “It was very hard to get food for the kids,” Estela says. “My children were underweight, malnourished.” She found out about her local Central Texas Food Bank Partner Agency just in time. Estela made her first visit to El Buen Samaritano Episcopal Mission in Austin and was thrilled by the food pantry’s selection of fruits and vegetables. She was able to find the ingredients to make
her family’s favorite dish — “Pollo al Pepian” — a wholesome chicken and vegetable stew. El Buen Samaritano serves more than 100 families each week and emphasizes nutritious food options. On Tuesdays, the agency hosts healthy cooking demonstrations using items available in the pantry. Since her family now has reliable access to nourishing food, Estela says she’s noticed her kids rarely get sick anymore. The older children are
excelling in school, and the stability of regular meals has brought comfort to the family. “We’re better now,” Estela says of their situation. “There’s food and there is support. I’m glad we’ve found help.” Ancel has landed a full-time job, and Estela works nights so she can care for little Carlos during the day. They’re still working toward financial security, but the couple is feeling hopeful about the future. Estela says she looks forward to rebuilding the family’s savings. We had a chance to talk with Estela when she and Carlos came to visit El Buen Samaritano, and her gratitude was remarkable. Having faced such tough circumstances, she’s truly relieved to have support from friends like you.
“We’re so happy to know there are people out there with a big heart, willing to give us the refuge and the love that we need,” Estela says. “I’m very thankful for all you do for us. It’s helped greatly.” Your partnership truly changes lives for the better. Thank you for feeding hope here in Central Texas.
We’re so happy to know there are people out there with a big heart . . . I’m very thankful for all that you do for us.
Advocating for our Community’s Health by Kathy Green, Senior Director of Advocacy and Public Policy On January 8, the Texas Legislature will return to Austin for its 86th session. What does that mean for Texas food banks? We will be communicating our role in improving the health of our clients through our food and programs. On our agenda will be increasing funding for the Texas Surplus Agricultural Product Grant Program, which provides greater access to Texasgrown produce for food banks. This allows us to not only support our local Texas economy, but also allows us to improve the dietary choices of our clients. Hunger is a health issue, so we will be making the case to the Legislature that not addressing it only increases healthcare costs to the state and decreases workforce productivity. We will fight harmful legislation that would prevent qualified people from accessing federal nutrition programs. Alternatively, we will support proactive legislation that simplifies and improves access to these programs. Following the idea that hunger is a health issue, we will stress how they help address rates of dietary diseases. Our partners in this effort will include members of the healthcare, education, and business sectors because we know there is strength in numbers in communicating to the Legislature. We invite you to join our advocacy efforts going into the session. 3
HOLIDAY MATCHING CHALLENGE!
YOU’RE SHARING HOPE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
$1=$2!
This holiday season, every dollar you give will stretch to provide EIGHT nutritious meals! The Beaumont Foundation and Texas Jacobson Aviation have offered to match all gifts to the Food Bank, up to $125,000, until December 31! Please consider a generous gift to the Food Bank this holiday season to help reach TWICE as many Central Texans with the healthy food they need to thrive!
UPCOMING EVENTS Austin Empty Bowl Project November 17th | Preview Party | 6pm - 9pm | Central Texas Food Bank November 18th | 11am - 3pm | Central Texas Food Bank Join us the Sunday before Thanksgiving from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and choose from an array of hand painted bowls and enjoy hot soup from local restaurants. Love the bowls but hate the lines? Come to the preview party the night before. Information and tickets at austinemptybowl.org. KidsGiving December 1st | 9am - 11am | Central Texas Food Bank KidsGiving is the annual children’s open house at the Food Bank. Interactive activities appropriate for our youngest hunger fighters will be staged throughout our garden, kitchen, warehouse and more. This event is suitable for children of all ages but is best for toddlers to tweens. Family tickets are $25 at centraltexasfoodbank.org/kidsgiving.
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Stuff the Bus December 1-24th | Register campaign at Whole Foods stores December 7-9th | Stuffable Capital Metro buses onsite Help stuff two huge Capital Metro buses with food donations at Whole Foods Market’s downtown Austin and Domain locations. To help provide even more meals, you can make a donation at the register at Central Texas Whole Foods locations from December 1st through 24th.
Amplify Austin 2019 February 28th - March 1st Amplify Austin, the greater Austin community’s annual day of giving, raised $10.3 million for 700 Central Texas nonprofits in 2018. In 2019, Amplify Austin will kick off at 6 p.m. on Thursday, February 28. Mark your calendars now, but you don’t have to wait until February to make a difference! Learn more about how individuals and businesses can participate at amplifyatx.org.
Souper Bowl of Caring January 4th - February 3rd | Central Texas H-E-B and Randalls store locations Leading up to Super Bowl Sunday, this huge food drive brings together local schools, organizations and grocery partners to raise food and funds for a month leading up to the big game. Donate at the register during January and early February when shopping at your local H-E-B and Randalls store location.
Even More Events Stay in the know about the latest opportunities to fight hunger at Central Texas Food Bank events! We list upcoming events on our website at centraltexasfoodbank.org/events, and you can find timely updates on Twitter and Instagram at @ctxfoodbank as well as Facebook.com/ CentralTexasFoodBank.
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THANKS FOR GIVING BACK! Austin Restaurant Weeks August 16th – September 3rd Austin-area diners enjoyed special prix fixe menus and drink specials at participating restaurants, with a portion of each meal or drink benefiting the Food Bank. In its first year, Austin Restaurant Weeks raised more than 500,000 meals. Mark your calendars for next year’s event!
Gospel Brunch
Expanding Veterans’ Services in Waco During August of this past year, the Food Bank joined the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Feeding America’s Veterans Pantry Pilot (VPP) program to connect the selfless men and women who have served our country with nutritious food. We established veterans’ mobile pantries at the Austin VA Outpatient Clinic and added another one at the Temple VA this past December.
About 25 percent of local households served by the Central Texas Food Bank include an individual who has served in the Armed Forces, military reserves or National Guard.
Your support of our mobile pantries makes a real difference. By delivering food directly to people facing hunger where they live and work, mobile food pantries are able to fill geographic and service gaps in food assistance — and We’re thrilled to announce that a our distributions always share fresh fruits third veterans’ mobile pantry has opened and vegetables to bolster the health of in Waco! The pantry is hosted by the the people we serve. Doris Miller VA Medical Center and If you’d like to help with the new shares food on the first Wednesday of pantry, we’re looking for volunteers! Just every month. visit centraltexasfoodbank.org/volunteer “We’re honored to be able to give to find opportunities in Waco and across back to those who have given so much Central Texas. to this country,” says our President & CEO, Derrick Chubbs. Our veterans’ pantries in Austin and Temple have quickly grown to be some of our largest mobile distributions, and we expect similar results in Waco where, unfortunately, the need is very high. 6
We’re honored to be able to give back to those who have given so much to this country.
This weekly Sunday event helped provide over 61,000 meals over the course of the summer. Join the Purgatory Players from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at El Mercado Backstage in Austin each week to enjoy Tex-Mex brunch while enjoying what the musicians call their “gospel-ish” repertoire.
Loewy Law Firm Triple Match The Loewy Law Firm generously triple-matched gifts made from July 13-19th to raise a total of $94,511.24, providing more than 378,000 meals for children and families in need.
Texas Eggfest Bob Carroll of BBQ Outfitters and Texas Eggfest presented a check to the Central Texas Food Bank for Eggfest 2018’s $10,000 donation, creating 40,000 meals for our Central Texas neighbors.
Thank you for Supporting Local Seniors It’s not easy to ask for help. Many of the people we serve are used to being self-sufficient and don’t feel comfortable waiting in line for food. Some neighbors, like Victor, feel fulfilled when they can give back to their community here in Central Texas, in addition to receiving a little help. Victor and his wife, Mary, both retired when they moved to Buda a couple of years ago. They tragically lost their home in Floresville, near San Antonio, after a devastating tornado. When they relocated, Victor expected to find work he was skilled for in mechanics or as an electrician. But he had a hard time earning a steady enough income to support himself and his wife. Eventually, he joined Mary, an educator who used to work with children with disabilities, in retirement. Like many senior citizens living on a fixed income, Victor and Mary can’t keep up with the rising cost of nutritious food – especially fresh fruits and vegetables. That’s a big problem since they’re so focused on their health. High-quality groceries — like produce, lean protein and whole grains — are often out of their budget when they go to the supermarket. Fortunately, Victor contacted FEMA for help. He was referred to the Hays County Food Bank, a Partner Agency of the Central Texas Food Bank.
“Thank you for caring for us!”
Victor had spent a lot of his time back in Floresville lending his attention and skills to the local community when people were in need. Naturally, he jumped at the opportunity to lend a hand with bi-weekly Hays County Food Bank distributions shortly after his first visit. As a health-conscious individual, Victor guides people who visit the food bank toward the most nutritious items. He loves the community feel of volunteering and meeting others who understand how hard it can be to make ends meet. At the end of each volunteer shift, Victor takes home a bag of healthy food from the Hays County Food Bank. He has so much gratitude knowing people like you are in his corner. “Thank you for caring for us!” Victor says enthusiastically. On behalf of seniors like Victory and Mary, thank you sincerely for supporting older adults’ nutrition. Your support helps so much.
Order Your Holiday Cards! This holiday season, let us mark one thing off your list with Central Texas Food Bank Holiday Cards! Let your family, friends, and neighbors know you’ve made a donation on their behalf and spread the spirit of generosity to your loved ones this year. Card features a festive watercolor image of vegetables as ornaments with text that says: There’s No Place Like Hope for the Holidays on the front. 512-684-2126 or email vcampbell@centraltexasfoodbank.org or visit us online at centraltexasfoodbank.org/holidaycards Suggested donation: $3 per card.
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mark J. Williams, Chair
Stephen Portner
Barrett Wood, Vice Chair WoodGen, LLC
Hon. Jeff Rose Texas Third Court of Appeals
Terry G. Knighton, Secretary Luminex Corporation
John Sanchez
Kevin J. Koch, Treasurer McLane Company, Inc. Jen Alessandra SolarWinds Heidi Baschnagel National Instruments Corporation Shaun Cranston Brookfield Residential Properties Inc Kenneth Gladish, Ph.D. Hari Jayaram Applied Materials Timothy M. Lee thinc.small, LLC Pat Massey IBM Corporation Joyce Mullen Dell, Inc.
Clint Scott CLS Partners Sheldy Starkes, MBA, PMP Booker, Starkes & Patodia, Inc. Leslie Sweet HEB Grocery Company, LP Anneliese Tanner Austin Independent School District Jason Thurman PlainsCapital Bank Michael G. Watkins, MD, FACC Seton Heart Institute Scott Weatherford Jackson Walker LLP Shayne Woodard Waterloo Lobby & Advocacy, Inc.
FEEDBACK? Questions, comments or change of address? Email: communications@centraltexasfoodbank.org Read it online Download and subscribe to Food Bank publications at centraltexasfoodbank.org
THANK YOU HOLIDAY SPONSORS!
MESSAGE from the PRESIDENT & CEO Dear Friends, The holidays are such a special time for me and my family. We always look forward to sitting down together, catching up on the year’s happenings and sharing gratitude for our many blessings. Unfortunately, not everyone can enjoy this simple pleasure. For some of our neighbors, holidays breed memories of scant budgets and empty plates. As I look back on this past year, I’m amazed to see how this community responds to human needs. Neighbors like you consistently share what you have to help people facing financial uncertainty, and I’m grateful for your partnership in this important work. You’re sharing hope, in the form of nutritious food, throughout the communities we serve together. So many people are giving thanks for your generosity this holiday season. The Central Texas Food Bank recently launched There’s No Place Like Hope for the Holidays, our annual holiday campaign to help fill our neighbors’ plates with balanced meals. I hope you’ll join us again this year. Please also take a few minutes to read about how your partnership is making a difference for families in need here in Central Texas. Estela, who you’ll meet on page 2, is helping her family thrive thanks to your generosity. During the holidays, food brings us all together to celebrate. Thank you for giving hungry children, families and seniors the opportunity to join together around a special meal. I’m excited to see all we can accomplish together in the coming year. Thank you for your partnership in this important work.
Derrick Chubbs President & CEO
Our mission: To nourish hungry people and lead the community in the fight against hunger. 6500 Metropolis Dr., Austin, TX 78744 | 512.282.2111
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