Foodshare

Showing posts with label Feeding America. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Feeding America. Show all posts

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Great American Milk Drive Returns!


Across Connecticut, 438,000 of our neighbors struggle to afford enough food, including basic staples like milk.

To help more of our food insecure neighbors access the essential nutrients they need, Price Chopper has partnered with Feeding America once again to host the Great American Milk Drive.

From June 1 to June 30 customers will have the opportunity to make a monetary gift while shopping at their local Price Chopper store.

All money collected will be used to purchase half-gallons of milk, which will be used to help local food banks like  Foodshare put milk on the table for local families. 




Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Going Digital to Rescue Food


"Last month, food rescue made a leap to a national scale...Until now, a restaurant, store or catering service with excess food (unless it was a regular on the organization’s pickup list) had to call around to various feeding programs to see which one wanted food and could come to get it. Or the store could call the food bank, which would pick up the food if the donation was large enough, then refrigerate it, and distribute it the next day.

Now Feeding America matches donors and recipients with an algorithm. A restaurant can go on Meal Connect to post an offer of, say, eight trays of fried chicken and biscuits. Meal Connect will automatically match that offer with the closest food pantry or soup kitchen that can get it up right away."

Feeding America's Chief Executive, Diana Aviv, made the following statement about the new digital resource, “This allows us to provide real hot meals,virtually at the same time that someone coming off the street and paying for it would get it.”


Source: New York Times, 5/2/17, Going Digital to Rescue Food

Friday, January 13, 2017

Seed Pods take Root

Last summer Foodshare's Food Sourcing Manager received a call from Feeding America with a large supply of 50,000 seed pods from MiracleGro. Together with our Community Engagement Team, we were successful in distributing over 40,000 seeds that will now be used for various community-based projects.

To highlight just a few of those projects:

  • Bristol Housing will be using the seeds for a gardening project with their elderly residents. A portion will also be used to coincide with their “Reading is Fun” program for children. Each child who participates will help to plant the veggies, keeping whatever they grow. 
  • Hartford Food System is currently using the seed pods both with the early learning center program, the Little City Sprouts, and as a giveaway on their Hartford Mobile Market.
  • Trinity College Community Garden will be using the seeds for their Read and Seed project.
  • Knox seed pods will be donated to all twenty community gardens within their network. Gardeners will donate much of the produce that is grown to local food banks and community kitchens.

Thank you to MiracleGro for this unexpected donation, and to all the individuals and organizations exponentially "growing" good in the community as a result!
















Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Bloomfield Fire Department Blazes as Beacon of Turkey Hope

Thank you to the firefighters, dispatchers and commissioners from the Bloomfield Fire Department for donating 45 turkeys to Foodshare to feed our hungry neighbors!

L to R: FF Mike Riley, LT. Jim Simone, Capt. Brendan Riley, Deputy Chief Peter Barnard, FF Carlos Lazu

Friday, November 18, 2016

Local Kids Promote the 'Power of Peace'


Foodshare extends its gratitude to Power of Peace members Abhiram B. (15), Meghana (15), Sreenidhi (16), Neha (14), Kumar (15), Abhiram T. (15), Aravind (12), Akshatha (13), Vaishnavi (12), Rushil (13), Arvind (11), Varun (11), Abhinav (13), Sivani (12), Goutham (14), Bhavana (15), Mantra, Sreekar, Ankith, and Arun and their families for their donation. Thank you for living up to your motto: “For the Kids, By the Kids.”

Six school kids: that’s all it took to start a grassroots movement for positive change. In 2013, Power of Peace was founded by Abhiram B., Meghana, Sreenidhi, Neha, and Kumar. Power of Peace stepped forward to raise money for an orphanage in Bangor, India, as well as “close-to-home” charities, mostly those focused on children. The group has since expanded to 20 members, and one of their goals for the past few years has been to eradicate hunger.

Earlier this year, they held their annual fundraising event, filled with music and dancing. They used a portion of that to donate $3,200 and 23 turkeys to Foodshare last week after United Way matched their donation. The founders shared that they they hope to break the stereotype that you need to be of a certain age to promote change.

View More photos >

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Hungry Neighbors Will Be Fed Thanks to Disney

Thanks to the partnership between Feeding America, Walt Disney Company, and the ABC Television group, Foodshare will receive a $15,000 donation that will expand our efforts in providing our hungry neighbors with fresh produce and nutritious food!

"Since 2012, Disney has provided millions of dollars in support to Feeding America initiatives".


Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Go Team Primary!

Primary Residential Mortgage, Inc. formed a national partnership with Feeding America and is trying to raise $150,000 in only 8 weeks. One of their local offices, based in Manchester, has set a goal to raise $15,000, all of which will benefit Foodshare!

They have started by launching several internal competitions, and offering staff incentives like a free day off for anyone who raises $500 or more. For any real estate business partners who join their team and raise $1000 or more, they will buy lunch for their entire office.

If you would like to support their efforts, visit their fundraising page.

Monday, September 26, 2016

Improving our SNAP outreach efforts


Foodshare's SNAP Outreach Coordinator, Laura Roberts (front row in yellow), recently attended a Capacity Institute convening in Chicago along with SNAP personnel from other food banks in the Feeding America network. They shared ideas with other attendees on expanding and re-invigorating their own SNAP programs. SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly Food Stamps) and is one of the most powerful tools for addressing hunger in our community.

"These capacity institute convenings always make me feel ready to conquer hunger when I leave. They are so energizing. Many of us agree that we learn so much from each other each time we go. I find many of the food banks asking me questions about our volunteer driven SNAP program. I tell them, our volunteers can do practically everything an employee can." 

This photo was taken on Hunger Action Day, September 8, so many of the attendees donned their orange apparel to promote awareness of hunger issues. In Hartford and Tolland counties, over 137,000 people cannot be sure where their next meal is coming from, which includes one out of every six children. Learn more about our efforts to connect people with SNAP benefits >

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

More Food, Less Waste thanks to Local Partners!

sponsors 3 Price Chopper Supermarkets Presents Retail Food Rescue Program

Food insecurity is a major problem for many families in Greater Hartford. An estimated 137,000 people in Hartford and Tolland counties are at risk of not having enough food, including 1 in 6 kids.

With funding from Price Chopper Supermarkets, CBS Radio Hartford and CBS EcoMedia are partnering with Feeding America to support Greater Hartford’s regional food bank, Foodshare. Together with Johnson Brunetti, Brown Paindiris & Scott LLP, Jefferson Radiology and Kia of East Hartford they will help support Foodshare’s Retail Pick-up program, which helps to rescue and distribute nutritious food from local retailers that would otherwise go to waste. These rescued foods, which are no longer sellable--but remain edible and nutritious--are taken directly to pantries, community kitchens and shelters.

In 2015, Foodshare rescued 14 million pounds of food, providing 11.5 million meals right here in Greater Hartford. This year Foodshare anticipates recovering over 5 million pounds from retail in 2016, improving access to healthy food for many households across the region.


This is all possible thanks to the generosity of donors like you!

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

The Great American Milk Drive is Back!

Hungry children and families in your community are missing out on the essential nutrients supplied by milk because many food bank donations do not include milk. During the month of June, Price Chopper will be participating in the Great American Milk Drive to help fill this gap. Make a donation at your local store to put milk on the table for families in need!


Tuesday, April 12, 2016

National SNAP Summit Held at Foodshare

Foodshare SNAP Outreach Coordinator, Laura Roberts, hosted 13 member food banks belonging to the Feeding America Network at a Regional Strategic Planning Summit from March 21-23. The group (pictured above), including staff from Feeding America and Capacity Advisors from other food banks, met to examine the successes and struggles of offering a SNAP Outreach program.

Discussions included sharing best practices for marketing, reaching senior populations, steps to achieve program goals, working with grant and fundraising staff to maximize funds use, and reaching out to our state representatives and advocating for change to difficult barriers. Many members attending voiced their plan to take information back to their food bank to share.

Monday, March 21, 2016

SNAP Regional Summit @ Foodshare!

Foodshare is proud to host SNAP Outreach program staff from the Feeding America network for one of three Regional Summit Meetings this week. Participants from around the country will attend the summit to learn about strategic planning for their individual programs. Feeding America staff and Capacity Advisors will guide Foodshare SNAP Coordinator Laura Roberts, and other food bank participants with knowledge and tools they need to build meaningful multi-year strategic plans. This is part of a multi-year program including webinar and summit training sessions.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps, is one of the most powerful tools for addressing hunger in our community. Unfortunately, many people who are eligible do not apply for these benefits because the application process is so challenging. Foodshare addresses this problem by sending trained volunteers into a given community to help walk people through the process.  This means more people are getting food through SNAP, freeing up our own donations of food for people who do not qualify for the program.

Thanks to Feeding America for allowing us the opportunity to host this wonderful event!

Monday, March 7, 2016

#GiveaMeal (or several thousand!)

Thank you to Bank of America, and all those who so generously supported their #GiveaMeal Program. As a result of this effort, Foodshare will receive $15,330 to fight hunger here in Greater Hartford. Over $6,000 poured in through individual donations, to be matched by Bank of America’s foundation for an additional $9,220...what an incredible partnership!


Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Baby Boomers and Beyond: Facing Hunger after Fifty


Feeding America has released a new report on older adult clients in the network age 50 and older, with support from the AARP Foundation. Using rich data from the Hunger in America 2014 study, Baby Boomers and Beyond highlights heightened vulnerability among the pre-senior population (ages 50 to 64), as they are not yet eligible for the full breadth of entitlement or safety net programs.

Check out the executive summary, and coverage by USA Today.

Friday, May 15, 2015

Battling Senior Hunger

Did you know May was Older Americans Month? The appreciation month for seniors is an annual event dating back to 1963 when President John F. Kennedy designated May as Senior Citizens Month. It was later renamed Older Americans Month and every president since Kennedy has issued a formal proclamation that the entire nation pay tribute to older persons and their contributions to our communities.

Feeding America participates in the movement by raising awareness and showing support for the 7 million seniors served by our network of food banks, the 1 in 12 seniors who face hunger in our country, and the nearly 750,000 seniors who volunteer each month at Feeding America network food pantries and meal programs across the country.

Food insecurity is particularly detrimental to seniors because of their unique nutritional needs related to aging and medical conditions. As such, we know seniors facing hunger are at increased risk for chronic health conditions like depression (60%), heart attack (53%), asthma (52%) and congestive heart failure (40%).

You can get involved in Older Americans Month in three key ways:
  • Take a picture holding a handwritten #SolveSeniorHunger sign and post to social media with the hashtag to elevate the issue.
  • Organize a senior food drive to provide food and grocery items unique to senior needs.
  • Tell your member of congress to support a strong Older Americans Act to provide health and nutrition services to seniors in need.
Visit FeedingAmerica.org/SolveSeniorHunger to learn more about the issue and find resources to get started Solving Senior Hunger.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Why Canned Food Drives Alone Won't Solve America's Hunger Crisis

Foodshare recently received 125 milk coupons from the New England
Dairy Promotion Board - just a small piece of what this wonderful
partnership is providing to so many of our hungry neighbors!
When it comes to hunger in the United States, we’re faced with some scary statistics: according to a 2014 study by Feeding America, 49.1 million Americans lived in food insecure households in 2013. And 20 percent of those households included children.

Local food banks and networks are hard at work providing hunger relief to communities nationwide: Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief organization, annually serves 46.5 million people across the U.S. through its network of 200 food banks, according to its "Hunger in America 2014" study. But what you may not know is that these organizations have limited resources themselves. While approximately 100 million pounds of food is donated to Feeding America food banks each year via canned food drives, these items alone won’t solve the issue of hunger that so many Americans face. Tight budgets, limited volunteers, finite donations, and the short turnarounds required between receiving fresh foods and distributing them to families in need can be challenges in addressing the issue of hunger – and doing so with nutrient-rich foods.

Food banks and pantries across the U.S. are of critical importance, and perhaps even more important are the people who run them. We’ve partnered with The Great American Milk Drive to highlight the efforts made by employees and volunteers as they work to get nutritious foods to people who need it most. Read More...

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Fewer Hungry People in Greater Hartford...

http://map.feedingamerica.org/county/2013/overall
What does hunger look like in your community? 
 
Feeding America’s annual Map the Meal Gap study, a nationwide assessment of the state of food insecurity, finds that in Hartford and Tolland counties 137,480 people can’t be sure where their next meal is coming from. This is a decrease of 3,100 people compared to last year’s report — the first time the figure has dropped since the study began five years ago.

This result gives us hope that our new plan to address hunger on all fronts is working. While the number itself is still far too high, we’re encouraged about the overall direction of the number. Learn more about our plan to solve hunger in Greater Hartford.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Feeding America's Member of the Year!

We are happy to share that Foodshare has been nominated for Feeding America’s Member of the Year Award!

This award honors the most outstanding food bank in the Feeding America network for going above and beyond its core mission of providing for hungry people. Award recipients play an instrumental role in improving the communities they serve through creative, efficient and successful programs and services; serve as a strengthening force for the entire Feeding America network; and exemplify the highest standards of operations.

The winner will be announced during the Hunger’s Hope Award Ceremony on April 23. Stay tuned...

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

A New Partner...


Restaurant Depot in Hartford now has a Feeding America donation program. Our Food Sourcing Manager went to meet with the managers and walked out with 5 pallets of produce totaling 1910 pounds. That's enough to provide local families with 1591 meals!

Monday, September 15, 2014

Help Our Community by Voting for Foodshare!


Today is the first day of Feeding America and Walmart's 'Fight Hunger, Spark Change' campaign, and it will run through October 5th. Walmart has committed to donating $3 million to this campaign, and the 50 food banks with the most votes will each receive $60,000. The voting process takes place over Facebook, and if you don't have one - you can help by sharing the link below and urging your family, friends, and community to vote!

How to vote:

  1. Go to: www.walmart.com/fighthunger
  2. Log in to your Facebook account from the Walmart webpage (this is for verification purposes only - you will not be added to any future Walmart mailing lists).
  3. Search for Foodshare (our zip code is 06002).
  4. Click the "vote" button on Foodshare's profile. Once you've voted, click the "share" button to encourage friends and family to do the same.
  5. Make sure to come back and vote once every day until October 5th!
If everyone votes once a day, that will ensure our chances of receiving this wonderful gift!

Where is the money going?

A significant portion of the money will directly benefit three of our partner agencies: Health Collective East, Channel 3 Kids Camp, and Hands On Hartford. Each of these organizations works hard every day to improve the lives of families and individuals every day, and in turn, your votes will help our community.

Now, go vote and share!