Georgia Mountain Food Bank - "Feeding Hope" - 2021 Spring Newsletter

Feeding

hope IN THIS ISSUE 10th Annual Georgia Legal Food Frenzy Page 2

Phillip Bond Sartain Volunteer Action Center The Homeless Care Kit Challenge Page 3

The Empty Bowl Is On! Page 4

www.gamountainfoodbank.org

Spring 2021

Kay’s reflections Kay Blackstock, Executive Director

Kay Blackstock, Executive Director

Georgia Mountain Food Bank 2020-2021 Board of directors Rich White, Chair Retired Bank Executive Kathleen Owen, Immediate Past Chair Syfan Logistics Nancy Jo Zimmer, Treasurer Vice President Business Banking/JP Morgan Chase Bank Kas Lawson Attorney, Hulsey, Oliver & Mahar Brian Bailey, MBA, CFRE Major Gifts Officer/The Medical Center Foundation Joy Banks Auditor, Hajoca Corporation Julie Knight-Brown Nutrition Director/Lumpkin County Schools Justin Burruss Audit Supervisor, Rushton & Company Gerald Couch Sheriff, Hall County Steven Ellis Owner, Ellis & Company Wes Hunt CEO /Homestar Financial Corporation Chance Jones Norton Insurance Cheryl Jones Nutrition Director/Hall County Schools Lori Lebow Ophthalmologist, Gainesville Eye Associates Kyle Lewellen Lew’s Custom Cutting Boards

With a new year, we think of a new chance, start, opportunity, or a second chance. Our nation hungers for a return to normal. But, if we admit it, many wonder what “normal” is and if going back is the right way.

A global pandemic that resulted in economic collapse has had us on a year-long roller coaster ride, and the ride is not over. Common sense tells us unanticipated twists await. We did not get here overnight and time will pass before we recover. Even so, access to food is a basic human right. Every person regardless of race, gender, class, or creed deserves access to a healthy, nutritious diet. Therefore, especially now, we pledge anew to uphold the GMFB Values Statement of Service, Integrity, Respect, Accountability, Stewardship, Collaboration, and Diversity.

Why? Those hardest hit after the pandemic struck were already struggling.

Stagnation, poverty, and food insecurity are the normal to which many will return.

But in a nation with plenty of food, waste and hunger make no sense. Yet, I am

Dr Carly Redding University of North Georgia

cheryl jones

Lauren Samples Partner, Tillman, Baily & Associates Carl Wagster Retired George Wangeman Gainesville City Council

GMFB never imagined this crisis, the front and center position of service it would place us, or the way food insecurity would be in the news daily. But in the new normal, I think we all have a better understanding of the need and of our vulnerability. While there is no quick fix to hurt and hunger, GMFB will see our community through this crisis’s impact on food insecurity so that the weak can emerge stronger. We will commit to working even harder to engage, educate and empower our community in our mission to address hunger, health and quality of life by serving those in need throughout North Georgia. And our shared belief today, made more acute by the present is the same as from our start: We work ‘til no one is hungry.

Keep growing the love with us, Kay

Thanks to all who signed up for 2021 annual Georgia Legal Food Frenzy. This statewide initiative provides food and funds to support Georgia Food Banks. The legal community in Dawson, Forsyth, Hall, Lumpkin, and Union Counties competed again this to year to raise support for Georgia Mountain Food Bank. We are truly grateful for your commitment to the communities we serve. This year, we had 18 firms to join in the competition that ended on April 30, 2021. Stay tuned for news on the 2021 Legal Food Frenzy Winner.

Meet Board Member

Casey Ryals Hall County Farm Bureau Insurance

We know you care—and that you will continue to be with us.

georgia legal food frenzy

Tate O’Rouke Business Development Manager/Jackson EMC

Richard Riley Marketing — Creekside Consulting

heartened. There is a better way made possible by your immense generosity and compassion. Even in isolation, we have been reminded of how connected we all are and how much we need each other.

I currently represent the Hall County School District serving my second term as a member of the GMFB board. As Hall County Schools Nutrition Director, my goal is to feed children nutritious meals during the school day, but often times our boys and girls don’t have enough food in the household for dinner at night or meals on the weekends. The GMFB bridges that food insecurity gap for nightly dinners and weekend meals when our boys and girls aren’t in school. My hope is one day that food insecurity won’t be something this world has to deal with, but until that day comes, I’m thankful that we have a partner to end food insecurity – the GMFB. —Best-Cheryl

A Generous Gift Renames our Volunteer Action Center...

The Phillip Bond Sartain Volunteer Action Center Gainesville lawyer and philanthropist, Lydia J. Sartain has provided a significant naming gift in memory of her recently passed husband, Phillip Bond Sartain, to support the Volunteer Action Center at Georgia Mountain Food Bank.

#GainesvilleCARES

The $50,000 gift will result in the Volunteer Action Center at the Food Bank being named the Phillip Bond Sartain Volunteer Action Center. Phillip was the chair and a founding member of the Georgia Mountain Food Bank, from whom he received its highest honor, the 2018 “Reflections of the Heart” award. Many Saturday mornings were spent with his three daughters volunteering with local food distributions, instilling in them a profound respect and concern for the wellbeing of their community. Kay Blackstock, Executive Director of GMFB, fondly recalls Phillip’s passionate insistence that, “The only action the Food Bank needed to concern itself with is getting nutritious and healthy food into the hands of those who need it.” Blackstock added, “Phillip didn’t want to know why there was a need; he simply wanted to meet it.”

Both Lydia and Phillip have been active members of the Gainesville community. Lydia observed, “Phillip had such a commitment and care for people adversely affected by systemic issues of justice and poverty and he worked hard do something about it. To be able to honor him in a way that supports others who want to serve and engage in the hands-on effort of getting food to those in need is gratifying. I know this action would have brought a smile to Phillip’s face and a gleam to his eye.”

Phillip Bond Sartain was a partner in The Sartain Law Offices from 1986 until his 2016 retirement. The practice founded by his father, the late Joe Bon Sartain, Jr. in 1959, provided a place for Phillip to specialize in workers compensation and Social Security disability claims and litigation.

CARE KIT CHALLENGE

Bringing Essential Items and Food to the Homeless In November of 2020, Georgia Mountain Food Bank launched the Care Kit Challenge as a part of our commitment to finding innovative ways to serve our communities.

The goal of the Care Kit Challenge is to provide homeless people with essential items and food that is easy to transport.

GMFB called on our wonderful community of supporters and in three and a half months was able to provide 350 Care Kits to Ninth District Opportunities to be distributed in the Gainesville and surrounding areas.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2020 was the third straight year of increases in homelessness in the US. GMFB remains committed to “Feeding Hope” and ensuring all members of society have access to food. With the growing number of people that are facing homelessness, it is paramount that GMFB continues to find new ways to meet the needs of individuals living in all situations. With that in mind, on January 18th, in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, GMFB staff joined Ninth District Opportunity and visited 7 homeless camps in the Gainesville area and provided people with Care Kits along with additional resources.

Georgia Mountain Food Bank has received so much support and interest in the Care Kit Challenge that it will continue as long as groups and individuals are interested in participating. For more information on the Care Kit Challenge, please email Whitney at whitney@gamountainfoodbank.org

The City of Gainesville and North Georgia Community Foundation (NGCF) have partnered together to help those adversely impacted by COVID-19, whether due to illness, or loss of employment and wages.

The City of Gainesville was awarded a special allocation of relief funding from the CARES Act to be used to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the pandemic. The City and NGCF are now working to distribute these funds through food and utility bill assistance for city residents.

Michelle Prater, President/CEO of the North Georgia Community Foundation, observed, “It is wonderful to live in a community where initiatives like this are created, and NGCF is proud to partner with the City of Gainesville and organizations like the Georgia Mountain Food Bank to meet these critical needs.”

Blackstock concurred stating, “GMFB is proud to support partner agencies responsible for distributing the food to people in Gainesville who need it the most. Citizens here in Gainesville are in desperate need of food. We are thankful to work with the City of Gainesville and the North Georgia Community Foundation to help them fill this need through the #GainevilleCARES initiative.”

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT Georgia Mountain Food Bank welcomes two new members to its team. Neighborhood Fresh Coordinator, Perla Ibarra (L), works closely with the community to ensure that we are servicing the five counties in our district to provide meals and groceries for individuals and families most in need. Perla works closely with community agencies to identify people and areas that are most in need including local schools where she provides both fresh food and educational materials for children and their families to promote healthy eating practices.

Volunteer Coordinator, Whitney LeHew (r) fosters relationships with our dedicated volunteers who ensure that all food is checked for safety and sorted before it is distributed to our partner agencies. Volunteers are the heartbeat of our work. Whether it is sorting food, providing clerical support, picking up food from various local drives, or working in our community garden, it takes a lot of special people willing to donate time so that GMFB can distribute healthy food to our 70 plus partner agencies and programs.

For more information on GMFB’s Neighborhood Fresh Initiative and to learn more about how you can volunteer, visit our website at www.gamountainfoodbank.org.

EMPTY BOWL 2021 IS ON! Sponsorships for Empty Bowl Available Now! Empty Bowl 2021 is on! Last year, proceeds from Empty Bowl helped provide over 833,000 meals for area neighbors. This year, our goal is providing 1 MILLION MEALS from Empty Bowl. You and your company can help us meet this goal by returning as an Empty Bowl sponsor. We know you care, and we know with your help, we can help feed the children, seniors, and families in need right here in our community.

For more information on becoming a sponsor, call 770-534-4111 or email robert@ gamountainfoodbank.com.

Bowl painting parties are back!

If you or someone you know are interested in painting a bowl for our Empty Bowl Lunch, now is your chance to sign-up! We need to get 1,000 bowls painted by September’s event. The cost per bowl is $10, and each bowl represents the empty bowls in our community that will be filled because of your support. You can have fun and help the Food Bank at the same time! For more information, email Sara Oakley at paintingcoach@gamountainfoodbank.org.

Thank you for your generous support of GMBF. Your many gifts are helping us feed the more than 12,000 people who come to us and our partner agencies each week seeking help. You help us feed hope and to make a positive impact. But hope for those in need is only as bright as our ability to give now and tomorrow.

Did you know you can designate a specific gift amount, include a specific amount in your will, or even designate a percentage of your estate to go Georgia Mountain Food Bank. When you do, the gifts are deposited into our Food for Tomorrow endowed fund.

The interest earned from these gifts will generate income forever for so that wherever food insecurity exists in our community, people will have hope and help.

Call us at (770) 534-4111 or email Robert@gamountainfoodbank.org for more information.

If you want to show support for GMFB and to display your commitment to fighting food insecurity, we have the decal just for you. Call Ronii at (770) 534-4111 or email Ronii@ gamountainfoodbank.org to get your free decal today.

GEORGIA MOUNTAIN ’til no one is hungry

Staff Kay Blackstock, Executive Director Beth Cox , Executive Assistant Ronii Diaz, Administrative Assistant Colton Donino, Warehouse & Order Management Associate

Clint Frain, Driver Perla Ibarra, Neighborhood Fresh Whitney LeHew, Volunteer Coordinator Bobby Leverington, Driver

Lydia Johnson, Agency Services Coordinator Robert Shippey, Development Director Rebecca Thurman, Business Manager Alec Tipton, Warehouse Supervisor