feedback Spring 2012
Backpacks for Bastrop p2 Protect Children’s Nutrition p3 Thank You and Upcoming Events p4 & 5 Tooth Fairy Math p6 Texas Hunger FIghters p7 Message from the President & CEO p8
OUR MISSION: TO NOURISH HUNGRY PEOPLE AND LEAD THE COMMUNITY IN ENDING HUNGER.
Learn how you can help at austinfoodbank.org
Backpacks for Bastrop Last September, Bastrop was ravaged with wildfires that destroyed homes and the livelihoods of thousands residents in the area. CAFB responded with immediate food relief, working in concert with FEMA, the Red Cross, and other first-responders. Our disaster relief efforts often continue for months after any crisis. In the case of the Bastrop fires, residents are only now beginning to return to a normal life — repairing their homes, transitioning out of temporary housing, and re-establishing their communities. For families living one crisis away from poverty, the fires have been devastating with some struggling to feed their children. This is where your generous gifts so many months ago make a difference. We got a call from our neighbors in Bastrop to find out if we can help provide food for families with children. In collaboration with Bastrop ISD (BISD) we are distributing backpacks to almost 1,000 children each Friday. The backpacks contain a child-friendly and nutritious breakfast, snack and lunch foods such as cereal and milk, juice, fruit, and an easy-to-prepare meal such as beef stew or mac and cheese. The program will run for 28 weeks through the summer and into the first semester of next year. The Backpack Food Program is completely funded by disaster relief donations. Thank you, Central Texas, for your support in times of crisis.
Keeping families afloat Summertime can mean many things to us in Central Texas. Hot days spent cooling off at our favorite swimming holes, family vacations and backyard cookouts. Unfortunately, it can also be one of the most difficult times of the year for countless families, with rising gasoline prices and home energy bills soaring. Compounding the problem is too many children will not have access to free and reduced price lunches through public schools, leaving their parents to figure out how to fill that nutritional gap when their household budgets are already so fragile. For almost 300,000 people every year, the Food Bank is the resource they need to keep afloat. This is exactly the case for Dania Lozano in Austin. Her family has been accessing food from the Food Bank for about nine months. Dania visits Hope Food Pantry because “there’s no food for my babies.” Dania and her husband are the proud parents of two children: Grydi, age 2, and Mickey, 4. Her husband works in construction, but it’s very unreliable. He’s always looking for more consistent work, but there’s none to be had. Dania is grateful for places like this that help her during her time of need. “It’s good! Thank you!” That is why the Capital Area Food Bank is launching our Summer Meals That Matter campaign. We know our neighbors will rise to the occasion and help us meet our goal of raising 500,000 meals, ensuring that our children, families, and older adults have the food they need all summer long. You can help us right now by making a gift. Every $10 will provide 25 healthy meals. Visit austinfoodbank.org for more information.
Protect nutrition programs to protect children By Kathy Green, Senior Director, Advocacy and Public Policy
Hello, Food Bank Advocates! This year, my two third graders take their first statewide assessment test, the STAAR. With that in mind, our school has sent home a lot of information to parents — including a reminder to feed our kids a good breakfast the morning of the test. Why? Because any educator will tell you, children perform better when they are well nourished. Unfortunately, too many of our children aren’t well nourished and are hungry. Of the 48,000 people we serve each week, 2 out of 5 — 20,000 — are children. The consequences of this terrible statistic go far beyond rumbling bellies. Most health experts and pediatricians agree that a hungry child’s academic achievement, health and future workforce participation can be endangered if deprived of food and essential nutrients, especially in the critical early years. Children often have little choice in their situation. Thankfully, however, many of our federal nutrition programs focus on children. Among them are the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs, the Summer Food Service Program, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program. In addition, nearly half of those who receive SNAP (food stamps) are children. These programs, along with the services our food bank provides, help weave a strong network to feed our children. The federal nutrition programs mentioned are part of our nation’s first line of defense against hunger. Cuts to SNAP, or any of the other programs, will place added strain on a hunger network that has already been significantly weakened — if our first line of defense is weakened, our last line of defense won’t hold and more children and families will go hungry. There is no reason that anyone in this country should go hungry, especially a child. We have the food, and we have the resources. Let’s continue to ensure that our children remain happy, healthy, and prosperous — with full bellies. If you’d like to help the Food Bank continue to put a smile on a hungry child’s face, visit www.austinfoodbank.org.
Did you know?
cafb community Thank you, Central Texas, for making these events a success! Photo: Jeff Loftin Photography
Charity Bash Masquerade Ball Raised more than $27,000 for hungry Central Texans.
Crop Walk 2012
Hunger Heroes Dinner
More than 950 walkers from various world religions fight hunger
An evening of appreciation for CAFB’s strongest supporters.
2012 Souper Bowl of Caring Brought in more than 1.1 million meals for Central Texas!
YEAR-ROUND GIVING OPPORTUNITIES Learn more about our year-round giving opportunities, including Ink Out Hunger, NabTheDeal, Pampered Chef, and much more! Visit www.austinfoodbank.org/how-to-help/ongoing-fundraisers.html for more information.
events
Get the facts about hunger at HungerIsUNacceptable.com
For more event info, follow us on Twitter: @events4good
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for these upcoming events that raise awareness about hunger in Central Texas H-E-B’S HELP END HUNGER CAMPAIGN Austin-area H-E-B stores May through June While shopping at your H-E-B or Central Market, help end hunger by tearing off one of the $1, $3, or $5 coupons from the tear pads at each register. Add the coupon to your final grocery bill and know that all funds will benefit CAFB.
Applied Materials Raised more than $142,000 for hungry Central Texans.
P. TERRY’S GIVING BACK Six Austin-area P. Terry’s locations Saturday, June 16 As part of P. Terry’s initiative to give back to the Austin community, they are donating the profits0=9] from all six of their locations on Saturday, June 16, to the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas. Choose one closest to you: 404 South Lamar Boulevard; 3303 N Lamar Blvd; 4228 W William Cannon Dr.; 204 W Ben White Blvd; 3311 Ranch Road 620 South; and their sixth location opening early June at 701 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. Come out and enjoy delicious burgers and fresh-squeezed lemonade, while supporting CAFB. For more information: http://bit.ly/pterrysgives
KEYE-TV FOOD DRIVE Austin-area Randalls stores Two weeks in mid-July; dates TBA The 2012 KEYE-TV Food Drive will help nourish hungry Central Texas children this summer. Make donations for the KEYE-TV Food Drive at area Randalls grocery stores. Donate via the $1 & $5 tear-pad coupons at check-out, purchasing a pre-packaged bag of CAFB’s most-needed items, donating online at keyetv.com, or via coin drops at registers.
Austin Reggae Festival Raised more than $225,000 for hungry Central Texans.
CARS & COFFEE Old Town Leander (200 West Willis St.) First Sunday of every month John Eagle European is partnering with the town of Leander to host this unique car show in Old Town Leander. Family and friends can enjoy an up-close look at classic, vintage, antique and exotic automobiles sure to satisfy any automotive enthusiast. The event is free with a suggested donation of $5 per person for the Capital Area Food Bank. For a complete list of upcoming events, visit austinfoodbank.org/events
Summer service As schools empty out for the summer, an unfortunate reality for all too many children is hunger won’t take a vacation. More than one in four children here in Texas is currently at risk of hunger. To be clear, that means that they are not sure where their next meal will come from. That’s where Capital Area Food Bank of Texas (CAFB) and partners step in. We participate in a program that fills the lunch gap created for thousands of children who might otherwise go hungry all summer long. The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), is a federally funded program that provides free meals to children aged 18 and under during the summer, when National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program meals are not available. We operate SFSP from a number of sites and the program ensures children have the nutrition they need so that they are ready to learn when school starts in the fall. Monday through Friday, children are welcome to enjoy nutritious lunches at any SFSP site. The program starts on June 4 and runs until August 24, is free and no registration or identification is needed. More information at austinfoodbank.org/sfsp
“If everybody gave their tooth fairy dollars, that would buy a LOT of food!” — Leo, age 6
When a child believes Leo, whose mom works for the Food Bank, recently lost a tooth. As it is for most six year olds, the dollar left by the tooth fairy began immediately burning a hole in his pocket. Leo knows that there are many people in our community that don’t have enough food to eat and he has been especially fascinated by the idea that every dollar donated to the Food Bank helps purchase $5 worth of nutritious food. So, this time, Leo decided that the Legos and action figures could wait and turning a $1 donation into $5 worth of food for kids who didn’t have enough to eat was “pretty cool math.” He even asked his mom to drive him down to the Food Bank so he could personally deliver his donation. Sometimes it’s the smallest gifts that make the biggest impact. CAFB is proud to support Leo’s spirit of giving.
Taking a break for others In March, the Food Bank was able to host several groups of college students for an alternative spring break. A special thank you goes out to the University of Rhode Island S.A.V.E.S. Students (Students Actively Volunteering and Engaging in Service) for their week long service project at the Food Bank. They chose Austin and the Food Bank because they were inspired by the wildfires in our area while they were planning and fundraising for their 2012 trip.
Photo: Capitol Area Council BSA
Texas Hunger Fighters lead the way The Capitol Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America has had a long-standing partnership with the Capital Area Food Bank, built on a shared respect and commitment to the Central Texas community. Every year, both organizations team up with the larger community for Souper Bowl of Caring, a national youth-led movement to fight hunger and poverty in our community, transforming the time around the Super Bowl into the nation’s largest celebration of giving and serving. This year, we raised over 1.1 million meals, surpassing our one-millionmeal goal. It didn’t end there for Scouts from the Capitol Area Council, however. More than 100 Scouts earned their Texas Hunger Fighter badge this spring by volunteering to help sort and inspect food donated through Souper Bowl of Caring. This is an important job because the food cannot go to needy families until it has been sorted, inspected and boxed for distribution. The Scouts played a critical role in getting food out of the warehouse and into the hands of people who can really use it, and brought an excitement and energy befitting true Texas Hunger Fighters.
“Scouting has always stressed community service, and our partnership with the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas provides a perfect opportunity to plug into the community and make a direct and immediate difference.” — Charles Mead, Director of Marketing and Public Relations Boy Scouts Of America, Capitol Area Council
How you can help Are you and your family planning your summer vacation? Have you ever considered quality family time volunteering to help your hungry neighbors in Central Texas? For more information, visit us at www.austinfoodbank.org/volunteer
OUR MISSION: TO NOURISH HUNGRY PEOPLE AND LEAD THE COMMUNITY IN ENDING HUNGER.
CAFB Board of Directors Matt Dow, Chairperson, Jackson Walker, L.L.P.
message from the President & CEO
Mark Downing, Vice Chairperson, Silicon Laboratories Melissa Mitchell, Treasurer, Ernst & Young Vanessa Downey-Little, Secretary, City of Austin, Retired Michael J. Tomsu, Immediate Past Chairperson, Vinson & Elkins Melissa Anthony, anthonyBarnum Public Relations
Have you ever thought about what the face of hunger looks like? In my role here I see many faces of hunger every day including seniors, anyone living on a fixed income, the unemployed and working families, but the one face that disturbs me the most is the face of a hungry child.
Heidi Baschnagel, National Instruments John Cyrier, Sabre Commercial, Inc. Mohamed el-Hamdi, Ph.D., Samsung Austin Semiconductor L.L.C. Ken Gladish, Ph.D., Seton Foundations Deborah Kerr, Ph.D., Consultant Joyce Mullen, Dell
As perhaps the most vulnerable clients we serve, kids have virtually no choice over the situation they find themselves in, and as a parent myself, the thought of any child not reaching their full potential in our country today because they are hungry is unfathomable; and it is a disgrace. Yet more than 1 in 4 children in Texas are at risk of hunger, and of the 48,000 Central Texans we serve each week, 20,000 are children.
Sue Snyder Paula Soileau, Affinitus Sheldy Starkes, MBA, PMP, Booker, Starkes, & Patodia, Inc. Leslie Sweet, H-E-B Catherine P. Thompson, Motion Computing Jason Thurman, PlainsCapital Bank
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It is worth repeating that many experts and pediatricians agree that a child’s educational development, well-being, and future employment prospects can be threatened by hunger. So we help nourish hungry children in a number of ways. Last year our Kids Cafe program provided 35,000 nutritious meals to more than 3,000 children every month. As hunger doesn’t take a vacation, our Summer Food Service Program served up more than 31,000 meals to children all summer long, and as part of our continuing Central Texas wildfire relief, we have partnered with Bastrop ISD to provide backpacks of food for almost 1,000 students affected by the fires. Our outreach team of nutrition educators works every day in classrooms across Central Texas, teaching children about healthy eating and providing recipes to take home. But we have to do more. We owe it to our children, who are our future. We have to do everything we can to allow our children to grow and develop. The least we can do is to ensure children should not have to worry about where their next meal is coming from. If you believe hunger is unacceptable, please join us in the fight against hunger today, and help all our children go to bed each night with a full tummy and the opportunity to be all they can be.
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HANK PERRET President & CEO
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The Capital Area Food Bank of Texas 8201 S. Congress Avenue Austin, Texas 78745
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512.282.2111