Food Bank of North Alabama – Harvest News – Fall 2022

FALL 2022

FARM FOOD IN OUR COMMUNITY The Farm Food Collaborative (FFC) is North Alabama’s first and only local food hub, operating out of the Food Bank of North Alabama since September 2014. To date, the FFC has generated almost $4 million in sales for local farms! This economic impact is multiplied more than twice over as local food dollars are re-circulated throughout the community and farm jobs are created and retained. Everyone from children in the school lunch line to families shopping at the grocery store have greater access to fresh locally grown fruits and vegetables. All of these things combine to achieve more food security in our region, which serves the Food Bank’s long-term mission of helping create solutions to end hunger.

The FFC is a farmer-led program managed by Carey Martin-Lane and Natalie Bishnoi, and assisted by Brandy Talley. They are a dedicated team invested in supporting a robust and sustainable local food system by connecting small and mid-size family farms with wholesale buyers, handling the paperwork for sales, helping farmers market to consumers, and providing food safety technical assistance.

Farm to school is a great strategy for accomplishing our mission because it equitably increases availability of fresh, local foods while bolstering the economic resiliency of area farms. This spring, the FFC coordinated more than $60,000 in strawberry sales to nine local school districts, plus early care and education facilities.

In one week alone, more than 68,000 North Alabama students enjoyed fresh local strawberries! Plans are already underway for fall semester deliveries of Alabama grown peaches, apples, and more.

Natalie and Carey are currently planning their 6th annual Apple Crunch Day event in celebration of National Farm to School Month. This year’s itinerary will include two field trips for North Alabama 3rd graders: one at Scott’s Orchard in Hazel Green and one at LouAllen Farms in

Moulton. Students all across the state will get to join in on the fun by registering with the Alabama Farm to School Program and biting into crisp, locally grown apples on Tuesday, October 18. Be sure to check your social media that day for awesome apple pictures!

In addition to schools, you can find locally grown products in a variety of places in North Alabama this fall. Be sure to check out the pumpkin display at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens, featuring pumpkins grown at J.Calvert Farms in Bremen. Through the FFC, Haynes Farming in Cullman provides sweet potatoes and watermelons to all seven North Alabama Kroger stores.

And restaurants like Farm Burger in Huntsville and Augusta’s Sports Grill in Cullman partner with the FFC for their weekly sweet potato supply all year long!

The Farm Food Collaborative makes buying and selling local food easy. All you have to do is ask if your school, grocery store, favorite restaurant, or workplace cafeteria is buying locally grown fruits and vegetables. If not, have them contact the FFC team to get started.

For more information, please visit foodbanknorthal. org/programs/ffc

BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Daniel Kaufmann Vice President David Newberry Treasurer Joe Clark Jr. Secretary Will Scott

Directors

Aaron Caradonna Andrea Gallagher Wade Hunt Alissa Mackiewicz

HAVE YOU EATEN BREAKFAST?

School pantry pilot program addressing food insecurity for children in Geraldine Mike Monis Michelle Omenski NIck Stavely Vanessa Tucker

STAFF Chief Executive Officer Shirley Schofield Chief Operating Officer Joshua Matthews Development Director Bobby Bozeman Finance Director Liz Rice Agency/Community Relations Manager Michele Pepper Warehouse Manager – Huntsville John-Edward Thomas Warehouse Manager – Shoals Jenn Tittle Farm Food Collaborative Co-Managers Carey Martin-Lane Natalie Bishnoi Special Programs Manager Chyna Smith Store Donation Coordinator Austin Kusiak Inventory/Food Sourcing Coordinator Chris Birdwell Grant Coordinator Martha Grace Mize Equitable Food Coordinator Marisa Hawkins Agency Services Representative Susan Szczepanski Special Programs Assistant Brittany Meade Donor Services Assistant Sharyn Meade Operations Assistant Edward Ikard Farm Food Collaborative Assistant Brandy Talley Finance Assistant Sara Hammer Administrative Assistant Amanda Carter Development Assistant Kenrick Davis Warehouse Technicians – Huntsville Vincent Wilson Jr. Jonathan Henderson Le’Keith Hogan Food Sorting Captain Carla Johnston Drivers Mark McCrary Frank Mitchell Jimbo Beck Ty Johnson Andrew Baites

PO Box 18607 Huntsville, AL 35804 (256) 539-2256 • www.foodbanknorthal.org Counties served: Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marshall, Morgan. The Food Bank of North Alabama is an equal opportunity provider & employer.

Geraldine High School teacher Dr. Brandon Renfroe knew all about food insecurity before he reached out to the Food Bank of North Alabama.

Renfroe has 18 years of teaching experience, but recently completed his doctoral studies, which included research into food insecurity andits impact on communities in the Black Belt region of southern Alabama.

As a teacher at Geraldine High, Renfroe said he saw food insecurity – and its effects – in his own students. So, he reached out to the Food Bank of North Alabama to help “We know that food insecurity inflicts damage at a variety of levels, academically but also socially, emotionally, behaviorally, across the spectrum of levels,” Renfroe said.

“We know from the research that a food insecure student is more likely to go to the principal’s office, more likely to repeat a grade, more likely to be tardy or absent, more likely to struggle on standardized tests, especially in math,” Renfroe added.

The most interesting data, he said, is that there is an increase in disciplinary referrals during the end of the month for food insecure students, especially those receiving SNAP (previously food stamps) benefits.

“Because by the end of the month, those benefits have been used up,” he said. “They’ve run out of SNAP benefits, they’re low on food, their blood sugar is low, they’re irritable, they haven’t had breakfast, consequently they are more likely to receive disciplinary referrals. It’s just that they’re cranky and haven’t eaten.

“The first question a principal should ask at a morning referral is not what have you done but have you eaten breakfast.”

So, with help from the Food Bank of North Alabama, Renfroe and the rest of the Geraldine High School faculty have established an inschool food pantry. This pantry is a pilot program for the Food Bank.

If it’s successful, the Food Bank’s special programs staff will begin to reach out to other schools in our coverage area, especially those like Geraldine that may not have a lot of other agency partners in the area.

Geraldine’s school pantry works just like any other food pantry, people who need help can go to receive boxes of food, except this one is established specifically for Geraldine students and their families.

“We’re just in the beginning stages now, but we do know that food insecurity impacts rural areas and schools more so than urban and suburban areas,” Renfroe said. “Geraldine is a rural school, so we feel it will be a tremendous benefit to our kids and students but also to the entire community. When we reached out to the Food Bank when we learned they were interested in this pilot program we were absolutely thrilled because we knew it would be great for our students and our community as a whole.”

Since school was out when this program launched, during July, Geraldine is taking each Friday and opening up what they’re calling the Bulldog Pantry. They get food from the Food Bank on Thursday and Friday they set up in the cafeteria.

Geraldine lets their students know through an automated calling system that the school also uses for other major announcements.

“Mr. Jason Mayfield, the school principal, has been very supportive of our efforts,” Renfroe said. “Geraldine also has a large Hispanic community, so Mr. Mayfield does an all call in Spanish and English. … It’s a great way to blanket the community.”

In July the Food Bank of North Alabama also held a mobile pantry at Geraldine to supplement one of their Friday Bulldog Pantries.

“We’re only able to do this because of the Food Bank of North Alabama. … We’re basically a conduit. We’re advertising and giving the people the food, but it comes from the Food Bank.” Renfroe said. “We had so much positive feedback from that.

People would just say ‘God bless you guys,’ ‘thank you so much, you don’t know what a blessing this is to our community.’“

VOLUNTEER WITH US! Do you want to help the Food Bank of North Alabama fight hunger in our community?

Consider volunteering! For more information contact Christi Garris at cgarris@fbofna.org or 256-791-2082.

FOOD BANK OF NORTH ALABAMA WELCOMES NEW STAFF MEMBERS The Food Bank of North Alabama is pleased to introduce new staff members, including new volunteer coordinator Christi Garris, administrative assistant Amanda Carter and development assistant Kenrick Dennis.

Christi Garris holds a Bachelor’s of Science in secondary education from Shawnee Baptist College. She worked in education for 10 years before taking a job at Second Harvest Food Bank in Nashville, Tennessee where she worked for nearly four years as the volunteer coordinator.

She moved to Huntsville in March with her husband and two dogs.

“I am so thrilled to be working here and to be part of the team here in Huntsville,” Garris said.

“There are so many exciting things happening at the food bank and I can’t wait to see what the years are going to bring.”

Amanda Carter holds an associate’s degree in data technology from Northeast Mississippi Community College. She’s been married for 11 years to her husband,

and they have two kids and two parakeets. She has 9 years of experience in billing and coding for medical offices and in her free time enjoys outdoor activities like camping and hiking. Carter began volunteering for one of the Food Bank of North Alabama’s agencies, the Help Center which is located in Florence. Carter said she fell in love with non-profit organizations.

“After two years in that environment, I looked at my husband and said, ‘This is where I need to be,’ Carter said.

Kenrick Dennis holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Athens State University. He’s originally from Louisiana and moved to Huntsville at the age of 15. He brings 10 years of experience in customer service and administrative work.

“I am completely grateful to be here working for the Food Bank of North Alabama,” he said. “... Being able to have an impact on families’ lives is one of the most rewarding feelings about working for the Food Bank.”

2022 HUNGER SUMMIT! Join us on September 29 for the return of our annual agency conference. Sessions will cover topics such as, SNAP assistance, volunteer engagement, food pantry best practices, fundraising, childhood hunger, advocacy and more.

The 2022 Hunger Summit will be held at First Baptist Church in Huntsville (600 Governors Dr., SW Huntsville AL 35801).

Contact Michele Pepper at communityrelations@fbofna.org for more information.

Donate today and help us feed the hungry today and create solutions that will end hunger tomorrow! Give using the enclosed reply slip or by visiting www.foodbanknorthal.org/give.