Spring 2024 Newsletter

Rebecca Thurman, Executive Director

Georgia Mountain Food Bank 2023-2024 Board of directors

Steven Ellis, GMFB Board Chair

Owner/Ellis & Company

Casey Ramsey, GMFB Vice Chair Assistant County Administrator/Hall County Government

Andrew Beauchamp, GMFB Treasurer Audit Senior/Rushton and Company

Brian Bailey, MBA, CFRE Major Gifts Officer/The Medical Center Foundation

Carli Jones

Social + Content Manager/ Forum Communications

Julie Knight-Brown

School Nutrition Director / Lumpkin County Schools

Ari Mathe’

Attorney / The Law Office of Arianne E. Mathe’ PC

Jennifer McCall

Attorney/ Jennifer McCall, Attorney at Law LLC

John Pace

Retired CFO/Norton Agency

Felix Santiago

HR Business Partner/Ames Taping Tools

Reneigh Satterfield

Financial Advisor/Edward Jones

Julie Taylor

SVP Commercial Lending / Cadence Bank

John West

Vice President, Atlanta Community Food Bank

Suzanne Willis

Owner/Willis Properties

Growth, Vitality, and Renewal

Dear Food Bank Friends,

I want to sincerely thank you for your long-time support of the Georgia Mountain Food Bank in our mission to fight hunger. In November I became the permanent Executive Director of the Food Bank after acting as the interim director for nine months in 2023. I have been involved with the Food Bank for over eight years starting out as the Business Manager/CFO and then moved to Director of Operations. I am deeply honored to have been selected by the board of directors as the Executive Director of the Georgia Mountain Food Bank.

Today marks the dawn of a new era at the Georgia Mountain Food Bank, a chapter that we are thrilled to share with all of you. Over the past year, we’ve been immersed in our Let’s Grow capital expansion project, and the culmination of our efforts is the unveiling of our enhanced facility.

When you visit our new space, you’ll see the color green, adopted by Feeding America years ago to represent Growth, Vitality, and Renewal. These words capture the essence of our new era here at GMFB. We have grown both in physical infrastructure and community impact, embodying vitality as a cornerstone of support for those we serve, and we renew our commitment and spirit to further our mission.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to ALL the generous donors who contributed the funds that turned the vision of expanding our facilities into a reality. Thank you truly from the depths of our hearts. Your generosity and unwavering commitment to nourishing families, children, and seniors across our five-county service area are helping us meet the escalating demand for our services.

Recent studies have highlighted a staggering 30% increase in food insecurity across Georgia just last month. Our own statistics align with this alarming reality. Your vital partnership has equipped us to address this crucial need within our community.

‘til no one is hungry,

Rebecca Thurman, Executive Director

P.S. Double Your Donation! Stock the Shelves! First Financial Services is amplifying your donation, up to $5,000. Imagine, instead of $25 providing 125 meals, it could now deliver 250 meals! Donate today in the enclosed envelope or via the QR Code.

2024 Georgia Legal Food Frenzy

Thanks to all who signed up for 2024 annual Georgia Legal Food Frenzy. The Georgia Legal Food Frenzy is a two-week fundraising competition created in partnership with the Georgia Attorney General, State Bar and Young Lawyers Division, and Feeding Georgia.

The competition is open to everyone in the legal community to see which law firm, legal organization, or corporate/in-house counsel can have the biggest impact on hunger. The legal community in Dawson, Forsyth, Hall, Lumpkin, and Union Counties will compete again this to year to raise support for Georgia Mountain Food Bank. We are truly grateful for your commitment to the communities we serve.

EMPTY BOWL 2024!

save the date: September 27, 2024 You’re

Mark your calendars for a favorite annual community event—the Georgia Mountain Food Bank Empty Bowl Luncheon! This year’s lunch will take place on Friday, September 27, at Lanier Tech’s Ramsey Conference Center. You can make a difference by sponsoring this event, which last year raised enough to provide 1.1 million meals to neighbors in our five-county service area. For more information about sponsorships, please contact Colton Donino, Business Manager at 770-530-7472 or Colton@gamountainfoodbank.org.

Bowl Painting Parties! You Can Help!

If you or someone you know are interested in painting a bowl for our Empty Bowl Luncheon, 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, scan the QR code or email Araceli Hernandez at araceli@gamountainfoodbank.org.

You can help us find celebrities to create auction bowls! The live auction at the Empty Bowl Luncheon was born out of an idea by legendary Mike Banks, who spontaneously asked Phil Neikro to place his hands on a bowl and sign while serving as a celebrity server. From college Presidents to Music Stars & Legends, to Athletes, to Politicians and more, the live auction bowls have brought many gifts to the Georgia Mountain Food Bank. So far we have country music singer-songwriters Deana Carter, Dustin Lynch, and the Oak Ridge Boys

Do you have an idea for a future “celebrity bowl painter”? Please call 770-534-4111 or email Ronii@gamountainfoodbank.org.

Silent Auction Items Needed

New in 2023, our Silent Auction helped us raise 41,490 additional meals. Thank you to all businesses that donated auction items. Items included gift baskets, power tools, jewelry, art, and tickets to shows and sporting events.

We are now collecting items for our 2024 silent auction! If you or someone you know have items they would like to include as part of our silent auction, please call 770-534-4111 or email Ronii@gamountainfoodbank.org .

on the road...

Watch for us on the road! Our new Mobile Market and Outreach Car are serving our 5-county service territory.

Why? Children and our rural neighbors facing hunger especially need our help, and a Mobile Market is a proven solution for addressing childhood and rural hunger. The key advantage of mobile markets is that they allow for increased distribution of fresh, refrigerated, and frozen items such as fruits, vegetables, dairy, meats and other protein items in communities and neighborhoods that do not have adequate grocery stores or food pantries.

And our new Outreach Car is helping us travel to food and financial donors, partner agencies, and other community efforts. Wrapping the car with the Georgia Mountain Food Bank logo and graphics helps us raise awareness throughout our 5-county service area.

Watch for us in a town near you and give us a beep to end hunger!

School Food Drive Success!

WINNERS OF THE 2023 SCHOOL COMMUNITY FOOD DRIVE

❤ 1st place: Chestnut Mountain Creative School of Inquiry

❤ 2nd place: World Language Academy

❤ 3rd place: Riverside Military Academy

We are grateful to the 17 schools that participated in our school community food drive challenge! “One of the things we try to stress to volunteers, and schools in particular, is how important it is to start getting future generations involved right now,” said Denise Bernardi, Community Engagement Coordinator at Georgia Mountain Food Bank. Because of the support of these schools, over 19,588 pounds of food was collected!

Together, WE GREW...

Today marks the dawn of a new era at the Georgia Mountain Food Bank, a chapter that we are thrilled to share with all of you.

Over the past year, we’ve been immersed in our Let’s Grow Capital Campaign, and the culmination of our efforts is the unveiling of our enhanced facility.

Following our strategic plan crafted in 2021, our goal was to distribute more than 6 million meals from this facility by 2027. To our amazement, we surpassed that milestone last year, and as we embark on this new year, we are already surpassing expectations by a remarkable 27%. The escalating demand for our services necessitated the growth of our facility, and we are proud to present the tangible results of that expansion.

Our revitalized space now boasts:

✦ office accommodations for up to 16 additional team members

✦ parking facilities for 53 more volunteers

✦ a staggering 91% increase in cold storage capacity

✦ 10,000 square feet more warehouse space with racking systems to accommodate about 402 pallets of additional dry storage

Our Heartfelt

THANKS

Thank you to everyone who donated to our Let’s Grow Capital Campaign. Whether your donations were financial or in-kind, big or small, together, we have created something truly remarkable. We are grateful for each and every one of you who contributed to making our vision a reality.

This transformation not only enables us to meet the rising needs of our community but also positions us to continue exceeding our goals in the years to come. Together, we can end hunger.

Take a

Visit Us, TOUR

Together, we are forging a path toward a brighter, more resilient future for the Georgia Mountain Food Bank, and we invite you to join us in celebrating this exciting new chapter. For a tour of your Georgia Mountain Food Bank, call us at 770-534-4111 to schedule yourselves or your group.

Together, We End Hunger

Each person present possesses the power to effect change. Recently, a mother brought her 10-year-old son Rajah to volunteer. The experience was transformative. Until that day, Rajah associated hunger with homelessness. The information he learned while at Georgia Mountain Food Bank changed his perspective. He learned that someone could own a car, a house, and even a pet, yet have no means for food. His time at the Food Bank, according to his mother, was a “truly humbling experience.”

Recent studies have highlighted a staggering 30% increase in food insecurity across Georgia just last month. Our own statistics align with this alarming reality. Your vital partnership has equipped us to address this crucial need within our community. Thank you!

First Financial Services, a family owned and managed company located in Gainesville and Canton, GA. has generously offered a matching challenge—up to $5,000—which can double any gift received between now and May 31. This means your gift will provide not five, but up to ten meals for every dollar you give! Donate today in the enclosed envelope or online through the QR code! More space = more shelves = more food to those in need.

Rebecca Thurman, Executive Director

Denise Bernardi, Volunteer Coordinator

Jamie Cooke, Driver

Phil Dennis, Donor Outreach Coordinator

Ronii Diaz, Executive Assistant

Colton Donino, Business Manager

Clint Frain, Driver

Araceli Hernandez, Administrative Assistant

Ernest Hooks, Warehouse Associate

Perla Ibarra, Mobile Pantry Coordinator

Lydia Johnson, Agency Services & Programs Coordinator

Bobby Leverington, Driver

Holly Sheldon, Agency Orders Associate

Alec Tipton, Operations Manager