plant a row for the hungry - food for people, humboldt county, california

FoodFoodFoodFoodFood Notes Notes Notes Notes Notes

The Newsletter ofFood for People, Inc.

The Food Bankfor Humboldt County

307 West 14th StreetEureka, CA 95501

(707) 445-3166www.foodforpeople.org

News Inside

Summer2007

This newsletter is ourprimary way of

communicating with oursupporters. We hope youenjoy Food Notes!

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Page 6 Page 8 1Page 7 Page 9

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Making SureEvery Child,

Every Dayhas Enough

to Eat

800 Club-Supporting andSustaining aSolidFoundation

Pantry NetworkMeeting--learning aboutlocal needs andresources

Harvest, Help, and Learnwith the Gleaning Program

Thoughtful Ways to make aDonation--From planned giving torecycling, there are many ways inwhich to help

Plant a Row for the Hungry!--and help local residents in need

Letter Carriers Food Drive--15th Annual NALC Food Drive

2007 Hunger Fighter HeroAwards--honoring local heros

Disaster Planning--FFP takes stepstowards disasterplan development

New Space,New Cook,New DeliciousRecipes!

Help Wanted!--Learn whatyou can do to help

page 3

Staff:Anne Holcomb, Executive Director

Jyl Barnett, Community Education and Outreach Coordinator

Rebecca Breksa, Direct Distribution

CoordinatorArt Brown, Driver

Caitlin Collings,Volunteer Coordinator

Mary Darcy, ChildNutrition CoordinatorKatie Harbaugh, VISTA

Teresa Hruschak, Admin AssistantJamie Lamers, VISTA

Jennifer Rishel, Fund Development DirectorTyler Smith, Community Food Programs Coordinator

Chris Wisner, Operations ManagerBarbara Zollener, Bookkeeper

Choose number

1% will be added to yourbill and donated to

Food for People

80,00380,00380,00380,00380,003

Co-Op RegisterDonationProgram

when checking out at the

Credit Card DonationsFood for People is now able to process secure Visa andMastercard donations, as well as set automatic monthly/quarterly donations through our pledge and donationsforms. You may also make a secure credit card donationon our website:

Life is a Gift. . .Life is a Gift. . .Life is a Gift. . .Life is a Gift. . .Life is a Gift. . .Leave more than Memories. . .Leave more than Memories. . .Leave more than Memories. . .Leave more than Memories. . .Leave more than Memories. . .

Create a LegacyCreate a LegacyCreate a LegacyCreate a LegacyCreate a LegacyNorth Coast Legacy is a public awareness effort to

promote charitable giving. Whether you use a will or anestate planning vehicle, your generosity can change somany lives. The time to prepare these documents isnow. North Coast Legacy was created to work withour local nonprofit groups and professional advisorsin encouraging individuals to make charitablebequests.

Every day, thousands of North Coast residentsbenefit from local charities. These nonprofit organizations give so

much to our community - from helping senior citizens to providingmentors for children, to funding the arts, to supporting research in thefight against deadly diseases. But they can't operate if we don't giveback. Their vital work needs money to support it.

Chances are, you already donate a generous portion of yourincome to the public benefit organizations of your choice. But have youconsidered including those organizations in your will so that you cancontinue to make a difference for generations to come? North CoastLegacy can help you start this rewarding process.

If you would like more information about how to support Foodfor People through the North CoastLegacy program, please contact JenniferRishel at 707-445-3166 x306 or viaemail at [email protected]. Localcoordinator Lisa McCombs can alsoprovide information and assistance andcan be reached at 707-442-2993 or viaemail at [email protected].

SupportFood for

PeopleWhile you

Recycle!

TTTTThoughtful Waysto Make aDonation

Mission Statement:Food for People is working to eliminate hunger and improve the healthand well-being of our community though access to healthy and nutritiousfoods, community education, and advocacy.

Board ofDirectors:Barbara O’Neal, President

Felicia Oldfather, Treasurer

Sandi Paris Secretary

Ben Fairless

Bob Holcomb

Alma Lehtonen

Denise Vanden Bos

Food NotesFood NotesFood NotesFood NotesFood NotesPage 2Page 2Page 2Page 2

109

Tell the scale operatorthat you would like to

credit account #

Vehicle Needs•Fuel for Vans

•Tune-Up Service for Vans•New Tires for Vans

•Cell Phone plusMonthly Service

•Pager

Garden Supplies•Harvesting Knives

•Ladders (4)•Pitchfork•Stakes•Trowels

Kitchen•New or like-new skillet,

cookie sheets, set of mixingbowls with covers, set of

kitchen knives, plastic foodstorage containers with lids.

Building Needs•New Linoleum Floor

in Women’s Roomand Distribution Areas•Roof Insulation for

Warehouse DryStorage Area

•Chain Link Fence forParking Lot

•Outdoor ChangeableSign that can beMounted on our

Building to AnnounceFood Drives and

other Special Events•Sturdy Folding

Chairs•Carpet Shampooer

•CommercialDishwasher

WishList

Wish List items increase our efficiency and ability to supply food and essentialservices to our neighbors in need. If you would like to donate any of the followingitems, please contact Jennifer Rishel at 445-3166 x 306 [email protected].

Distribution Supplies•Clean Brown Paperor Plastic Grocery

Bags *Urgent Need*•Cases of Ensure (may

not be past date)

Services•Newsletter Sponsorship

•Free/Low Cost ISP•Janitorial Service•Volunteer Drivers

Other•Gifts to recognize the

hard work of ourvolunteers such as movietickets, special discounts

and gift certificates

www.foodforpeople.org Just click on the icon!

Summer 2007Summer 2007Summer 2007Summer 2007Summer 2007

News BriefsPlant a Row

for the Hungry!

Making SureEvery Child, Every Day

has Enough to EatFood for People would like to invite

local gardeners to Plant a Row for the Hungry.Plant a Row for the Hungry is a national foodrecovery program founded in 1995. Gardenersand farmers are asked to plant an extra row anddonate any excess produce to Food For People.These fruits and vegetables will be given to arearesidents in need.

Any residents living in outlying areas maydirectly drop off any excess produce at their localfood pantries. Gardeners with large donations,an orchard of apples for example, may call KatieHarbaugh at 445-3166 ext:312 for help withharvesting. Due to the price of fuel however,those with smaller donations are asked to dropoff produce at Food for People, or at the closestfood pantry.

Those with fruit trees can donateblemished fruit that is otherwise edible. Onceharvested, donations can be dropped off at 307W. 14th St. from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mondaythrough Friday. More information on the Planta Row program can be found at: http://www.gardenwriters.org/Par/. More informationon Food Bank programs and local area pantriescan be found at: http://www.foodforpeople.org.

continued on p. 8

Page 3Page 3Page 3Page 3

Students at Alice Birney Elementary School leaving forhome Friday after receiving their food Backpacks

Thank You for Your Generosityand Support of the Plant a Row

Program and the EurekaCommunity Garden!

*Sherwood Forest*Shafers Ace Hardware

*Humbodt Waste Management*Mad River Gardens

*Miller Farms*The Farm Store

*Fortuna Feed & Garden*Sylvandale Gardens

*Piersons Garden Shop & Nursery

Food for People’s No More Hungry Kids Campaignencompasses three child nutrition programs: Backpacks for Kids,Afterschool Snack, and the Children’s Summer Lunch program.Our county’s future is closely tied to the health of our familiesand meeting basic nutritional needs is the first step to raising healthychildren. Food for People is committed to helping children getthe good solid nutrition they need to prosper, learn and grow intothe future leaders of our community.

The campaign is generously sponsored by: America’sSecond Harvest, Green Diamond Resource Company, HumboldtArea Foundation, Humboldt Sponsors, HSU Student AthleticAdvisory Committee, Humboldt Trinity Real Estate, Mel andGrace McLean Foundation, Northcoast Coop, Patricia andWilliam Smullin Foundation, Suddenlink Communications, St.Joseph Health System of Humboldt County, Union Labor HealthFoundation and many individual caring community members.

Backpacks for Kids ProgramThe Backpacks for Kids Program works to bridge the

nutritional gap for school children who rely on school meals astheir primary source of nutrition. Food for People staff works inpartnership with school personnel to identify children who aregoing hungry, or who are at risk for going hungry, over theweekend and during school vacations. Each Friday during theschool year, students are sent home with a backpack filled withkid-friendly meals and snacks including milk, whole grain cereal,fresh fruit, peanut butter, tuna, canned soups, macaroni & cheese, granola bars and 100% fruit juice. Foodsincluded are determined by availability and USDA nutritional guidelines, as well as parents’ and children’sexpressed preferences.

This year marked our first year as a sponsor of the Backpacks for Kids Program. Food for Peopleserved children at 3 different pilot sites in Willow Creek, Fortuna and Eureka. During the 2006-2007 schoolyear, 2941 backpacks were distributed.

Judy Alvarez, an AmeriCorps member working at South Fortuna Elementary School, saw first handthe positive impact this program. “I have witnessedhow the food backpack program has served as abridge between needy families and the schoolcommunity. The families I come in contact with arevery thankful for the program because the communityof Fortuna is very limited on its food resources. . .theprogram helps decrease the stress that parentsexperience when they live with the effects of poverty.When parents no longer have to endure the burden ofworrying about feeding their children, they can beginto take the necessary steps to get connected to vitalresources such as counseling, parenting classes andjob readiness programs that will help their family movetoward self-sufficiency.”

Food For People sees the biggestincrease in requests for assistance

during the summer months. Themajority of these requests come from

families who are struggling to provideextra meals for their children once

school is out.


The Willow Creek Kiwanisfor their ongoing commitmentto the Willow Creek FoodPantry and the Backpacks forKids program. Club memberspick up the food for bothprograms at Food for Peoplein Eureka and transport it toWillow Creek, a 100 mileround trip. No one canremember exactly when theKiwanis assumed coordinationof the Willow Creek foodpantry, but it has been at least7 years since they startedpicking up the food in Eurekaand assembling and distributingfood boxes to local residentsin need on a monthly basis.

This year, Kiwanismembers expanded theircommitment when theyvolunteered to deliver food for the Backpacks forKids Program. Kiwanis members deliver the food tothe Willow Creek Community Resource Center wherevolunteers assemble it into backpacks for distributionto 25 children in need at Trinity Valley ElementarySchool. The support provided by the Kiwanis makesit possible for Food for People to serve this ruralcommunity cost-effectively, and helps to ensure thatthe children will return to school on Mondays readyto learn.

Bob Lazelle was honored for being a shining exampleof “compassion in action”. He is well-knownthroughout the community for his volunteer work in awide variety of local organizations, and puts hiscommitment into action at Food for People daily. Bobassembles emergency food boxes, assists with SeniorBrown Bag distributions and USDA eligibilitycertification, and weighs, sorts and boxes incomingdonations of food. He knows what it’s like to workhard and live on limited means, and always takes timefor a few quiet words of encouragement for food bankclients and staff alike. Bob is also one of Food for

People’s best advocates in the community and solicitsgifts for outstanding volunteers as well as donationsof food and services to support food bank programs.Bob’s big heart and his commitment to the communityare an inspiration for all who meet him.

Zoe Barnum Transitional Opportunity ProgramTeacher John Smith and Students have beenvolunteering the first Thursday of every month for theEureka Senior Brown Bag Day for over 4 years. Thestudents partner with seniors and other volunteers toassist with sorting produce, assembling bags, carryingbags to waiting cars, distributing boxes for theCommodity Supplemental Food Program and cleanup. When they go back to the classroom, they havean opportunity to reflect on their experiences throughjournal writing and discussion. Teacher John Smithalso incorporates lessons about hunger, living withlimited means, and making healthy choices. He oftenfollows up with a mini cooking class, focusing oninexpensive, healthy foods the students could makeon their own. The overarching goal of the program isto encourage students to become involved in theircommunity through community service.

2007 Hunger Fighter Hero AwardsOn Thursday June 7th Food for People honored some very special people for their efforts to help end

hunger here in Humboldt County. They were recognized as part of the annual “Hunger Fighter Hero” awards,which are designed to honor those individuals and organizations that have made a commitment to help endhunger in Humboldt County through their engagement in community education and hunger relief activities. Thisyear’s awards were presented to:

2007 Hunger Fighter Hero Award winners (left to right) John Smith,Zoe Barnum TOP Students, FFP Executive Director Anne Holcomb,

and Bob Lazelle (Willow Creek Kiwanis not pictured)

Food for People would like to extend itswarmest thanks to some very special businesses andindividuals who helped make the 15th annual NationalAssociation of Letter Carriers Food Drive on May12th a success. First and foremost, a huge thank youto all the Letter Carriers throughout the county whopicked up hundreds of extra pounds of groceriesalong their routes and dropped them off at local foodpantries or the Food Bank to help feed local peoplein need. Special thanks also go to John Raycraft andTony Roth from the Eureka Main Post Office forcoordinating the effort and to media sponsors KIEMNews Channel 3, KHUM/KSLG Radio andRedwood Broadcasting for getting the word out. Weappreciate the willingness of the Country Club Marketon Humboldt Hill, Murphy’s Market in Cutten, John’sCigars Shopping Center and the Safeways at EurekaMall and Harris and Harrison to serve as remote droppoints for the Letter Carriers. Volunteers GailJohnson, Tahme Clark, Phyllis Coy, John Gahn andGlen and Nancy Pritchard helped them unload andkept in touch with us thanks to donated cell phonesfrom Sprint PCS.

It takes a lot of volunteers to help unload,sort and box the thousands of pounds of donatedfood as it rolls in over the course of the day, and wecould never have done it without all the greatvolunteers who stepped forward to lend a hand.Volunteers from Youth Exchange Services, Boy ScoutTroop #27, the members of the CaliforniaConservation Corps, Eureka High School Naval

Thank You LetterCarriers!

Volunteers work quickly to organize the thousandsof pounds of food brought in by incoming Letter

Carrier trucks

continued on p. 10

Summer 2007Summer 2007Summer 2007Summer 2007Summer 2007 Page 5Page 5Page 5Page 5

News Briefs

By volunteering with Food for People’sGleaning Program, I have had the wonderfulopportunity to harvest produce from a local farm insome beautiful Humboldt County sunshine, meet somefun and caring volunteers, make a positive contributionto my community and learn a thing or two aboutfarming.

When I first learned about the program fromKatie – (coordinator of Food for People’s GleaningProgram), I was encouraged and enthused to hearthat there are local farmers donating to the Food Bankand working to enhance the wealth and health of thecommunity.

The Food Bank collects donated food forpeople in need in Humboldt County. Last year, withthe generosity of local growers and the aid ofvolunteers an estimated 17,633 lbs of fresh fruits andvegetables was either donated or gleaned. It is likelythat with the aid of additional helping hands that evenmore can be contributed to programs like Backpacksfor Kids and Homebound Delivery—two great

services that the Gleaning Program supports in additionto the Food for People’s monthly food boxes.

There are many ways that one can supportFood for People, but I was drawn to the Gleaning

by Joel Singer

Volunteer Joel Singer and Gleaning CoordinatorKatie Harbaugh glean strawberries at Susan

Bicknaw’s farm in Hydesville.

Program because I was interested in learning moreabout farming, and I did not need any prior experiencewith farming in order to start volunteering.Additionally, I was interested in donating my time andenergy to a program that I knew would respect andvalue the time that I had to offer. This is one of thebusiest times of the year for the Gleaning Programand they are always grateful to have additional aidthroughout the season. If you are interested involunteering or just want to learn more about theprogram you can contact Katie – by phone: (707)445-3166 ext. 312 or [email protected]. If you would like tomake a donation to Humboldt County’s Food Bankthey are located at 307 W. 14th St. in Eureka and youare welcome to drop by anytime Monday throughFriday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Volunteering for the Food Bank has provento be an enriching and rewarding experience. I wouldencourage anyone interested in cultivating a healthierand more affluent community to take advantage ofthe opportunity to participate in this fantastic programand make a difference with Food for People.

Harvest, Help, and Learn with theGleaning Program

“I was interested in learning moreabout farming, and I did not need

any prior experience with farming inorder to start volunteering.”

Making Our CommunityStronger and Healthier

Thanks to Your Support!

Arcata EducationalFarm

Camp Grant RanchChad Creek ProduceCollege of the

RedwoodsEducational Farms

Double J & J ProduceEarth N’ HandsFieldbrook OrchardG FarmsGratefully GrownGreen Fire Farm

I and I FarmsLittle River FarmMycality MushroomsNeukom FarmNita HulbertOcean Air FarmPaul LohsePierce Family FarmPotawot FarmRiver Bar FarmsSmall FruitsWelton OrchardWillow Creek Farm

Soup Bowl SundayA n n eH o l c o m b ,E x e c u t i v eD i r e c t o rreceives acheck fromEmily JohnsonPinces. Emilyand Zoe Ziegler (not pictured) hosted “SoupBowl Sunday” fundraiser at the FirstCongregational Church in Eureka. The girls(along with their mothers) made White BeanRosemary and Potato Leek soups. Ingredientswere donated by Wildberries, Murphy’sMarket in Cutten and the Eureka Ray’s.

400 lbs of SalmonMid May, Food for People received a donationof approximately 400 pounds of salmon fromthe California Department of Fish and GameEureka Marine Region. The fish was caughtby boats trolling for hake. Per their exemptedfishing permits, the boats are required to retainall the “bycatch” for collection of biological data.Food for People usually receives 5-7 salmon

bycatch per week during this fishing season. Thelarger donation allowed the food bank to sharethe fresh salmon with the North Coast StandDown, St. Vincent de Paul, Arcata Endeavorand the Eureka Rescue Mission.Assemblymember Patty Berg sent two of herlocal field representatives, Connie Stewart andNancy Starck to help fillet the salmon for theNorth Coast Stand Down. “Patty is a supporterof the Stand Down, and this is one of the wayswe want to help out,” said Stewart.

Stewart and Starck filleting salmon at FFP

Food NotesFood NotesFood NotesFood NotesFood Notes

Help Wanted! Volunteer Opportunities!Page 6Page 6Page 6Page 6

Food for People needs your help! The food bank is an extremely busy place, and we would not be able to keep up without the help of our loyal volunteers. If you havea bit of time and would like to help provide food for our low-income friends and neighbors, please contact us! You’d be providing a valued service while reapingtremendous personal rewards. Each month, over 200 volunteers donate their time and talents across our many programs. That is the equivalent of over 7 full-timepositions and conservatively, a savings of $114,600 annually to Food for People. Whether you’re an individual or representing a group, we have opportunitiesfor you to get involved!

Food Bank Workers - An averageof 1100 households (2800 individuals)come in to the food bank over the courseof the month to pick up a food box. Fooddistribution days are Wednesdays andFridays, 52 weeks a year. Tasks we needhelp with on a daily basis include sortingdonated baked goods and produce,conducting client interviews, assemblingand distributing food boxes, assisting withreceptionist duties, general maintenanceduties, etc.

Receptionist - The front desk is a busyplace at the food bank, as clients call infor appointments for food boxes, mail isdelivered, etc. We can’t afford a paid

receptionist at present, and must rely on volunteers to answer the phone, takemessages, field basic questions from the public and schedule walk-in clients.Retirees and people on disability who are not working have found this a great wayto get out of the house and be part of a team that is making a difference in thecommunity. Of course folks of all ages and abilities are welcomed.

Donation Pick up Drivers - Peoplewith small trucks, vans or station wagonsare needed for a variety of local pickupsand deliveries. This can include pickingup donated food from local supermarketsand bakeries in Eureka, or trips to localfarms to pick up donations of produce.The schedule varies depending on the site(daily, weekly, monthly, on call) but we’lldo our best to find something that workswith your schedule.

Providing Food for Seniors andPeople with Disabilities -Large bags of groceries are distributedonce a month to homebound disabledpersons under the age of 60 and lowincome seniors. These food distributionstake place in several communities (Arcata,Eureka, McKinleyville, Fortuna, Rio Dell,Redway, Blue Lake, Orick, Trinidad, etc.)countywide. Volunteers are needed toassemble bags, help unload the van at thecommunity sites and assist with the deliveryof prepared bags. Almost three hundredbags are delivered to folks who arehomebound or who have notransportation. They really appreciate the

home delivery service and the smiling faces that bring the bags to their door!

Gleaners- Local farms are a wonderfulsource of donated produce for the FoodBank. Volunteers are needed to help pickthe produce, which can include apples, kale,squash, tomatoes, beans etc. The greatestneed for help is in the late spring and summermonths.

Driver Assistant - Ever wonder what it looks like “behind the scenes” at yourlocal grocery store? Ever wanted to get a look at how food is made by localmanufacturers? Then this is the volunteer opportunity for you! Help our VanDriver on his daily pick up route, collecting generous donations from local storesand food manufacturers. Must be able to commit to at least one morning perweek, and able to lift 30-50 pounds.

“Iron Chef” - If you like to cook and get excited about the challenge ofpreparing a healthy meal from an ever-changing array of ingredients, we have justthe job for you! Food for People provides a meal for our volunteers on Wednesdaysand Fridays. It’s our way of showing our appreciation for the time our volunteerscontribute, and it also helps keep volunteers “on site” as we prepare for a busyafternoon distributing food boxes. The meal is served from 11-11:30 for an averageof 12-20 volunteers and staff.

Continued p. 7

Thank you

No More Hungry Kids Campaign Sponsor

Humboldt Trinity Real EstateNorthern California Homes -- Lands -- Investments


Group Activities-

Volunteer Opportunities (continued)

For January through May of 2007, volunteer averages areas follows...

-An average of 170 volunteers/month-Putting in an average of 1,355 hrs/month-In approximately 9 different program areas

The total number of volunteer hours in the first five monthsof 2007 equal 6777 hours. That time is equivalent to$50,828 if volunteers were working at minimum wage.This comes to a monthly average of $10,166 worth ofdonated time. Of course, we think our volunteers have amuch higher value than that of minimum wage andtherefore those numbers should be much higher.

We Couldn’t Do it Without YOU...3%

47%

3%

18%

5%

8%

15%1%

Fundraising

Brown Bag

Backpacks

Direct Distribution

Gardening & Gleaning

Homebound

Warehouse

Nutrition & Food Stamp Outreach

Average number ofvolunteers used byeach program.

Average number ofvolunteer hours perprogram.

There are some tasks that occur on a less regular basisthat require larger groups of volunteers. It’s a greatopportunity for your church, civic group or youth group tolend a hand and work as a team. These task include:

Food Drives - Donated food must be sorted andboxed when it is returned to the Food Bank. This usuallytakes several hours on the day of the food drive. Fooddrives occur in December around the holidays and in May,when the annual letter carriers’ food drive occurs.Businesses and other groups often stage their own fooddrives around events or other promotions.

Bulk Mailing - Food for People Staff prepare all ofour own newsletters, program flyers and direct mailfundraising materials “in-house.” Volunteers are neededto help us collate, label and prepare everything for mailing.It’s repetitive but easy “sit down” work.

Cleaning Days - The Food Bank distributes over 1.6 million poundsof food per year, and keeping the facility and our equipment clean is an ongoingtask. Tasks include power washing milk crates used to transport food, painting tables and shelves, scrubbingkitchen cabinets, sweeping and scrubbing floors in the warehouse and walk-in cooler, sweeping the parkinglot, washing vans, etc.

If you have a particular interest or talent, or just lots of energy andenthusiasm to share, please call us! We can always find something for youand your group to do. Contact Caitlin Collings at 445-3166 x310 and lether know which volunteer activities interest you the most! All volunteers

complete an application and receive an orientation to Food for People andtraining specific to the volunteer activity.

The images of New Orleans post-hurricaneswere terrifying to those of us who watched from adistance. They demonstrated how powerless we asindividuals can feel in the face of a disaster of suchmagnitude, and how flawed many of our assumptionswere about who would be available to help and howforthcoming that help would be. The giant lessonlearned through this experience was just howimportant disaster preparedness is at all levels, whetherwe are dealing with hurricanes, floods, flu pandemics,tornadoes, fire or earthquakes.

On May 24th and 25th I had the opportunityto attend a conference on disaster preparednesssponsored by America’s Second Harvest. There wasan enormous amount of information crammed into thetwo day conference and much of it was based onlessons learned from Katrina. Representatives fromfood banks in the Gulf Coast that were severelydamaged or destroyed and/or played a key role inrelief efforts were on hand to share their stories alongwith representatives from the national offices ofAmerica’s Second Harvest, the American Red Crossand the Salvation Army.

As members of our local VOAD – VolunteerOrganizations Active in Disaster – Food for Peoplewill be expected to play a key role in the event of adisaster here in Humboldt County. That’s why we willbe working on the development of our owncomprehensive disaster preparedness plan in thecoming months. One of the key points emphasizedrepeatedly in the training was the importance ofpersonal preparedness and cross training of staff. Ifwe aren’t prepared at home, it will be difficult for usto provide assistance for the community. Fortunately,our local chapter of the American Red Cross has beengearing up to provide training for communityorganizations and has developed training that includesan overview of the role of disaster service workersduring a major disaster; personal and familypreparedness for employees; modes of diseasetransmission and preventative practices; and shelterin place guidelines. Our staff is looking forward toworking with Linda Nellist, Director of CommunityEducation Programs for the Red Cross to make surewe are prepared if and when the time comes. Weencourage everyone in the community to do the same.For more information, contact the Red Cross at 443-4521 or visit their website atwww.humboldtredcross.org.

Disaster PlanningConference

by Anne Holcomb

12%

2%

60%

%

18%

Fundrasing

Brown Bag

Backpacks

Direct Distribution

Gardening & Gleaning

Homebound

Warehouse

Nutrition & Food Stamp Outreach


Imagine standing in front of a room of 20attentive individuals, all waiting to see if you will tellthem something that they haven’t already been doingfor 30 years. You have a list of ingredients to utilize,but most of the items don’t make any sense together.The list includes frozen ground beef, grapefruit juice,canned corn, canned plums and white rice. Your goalis to put these items together in a few dishes that willtaste great, cost little, and still be healthy. Luckily,you’ve known for about a week that these ingredientswould be designated for USDA commodities thismonth through the food bank and you’ve comeprepared. Even luckier, perhaps, is the fact that youhave worked as a head chef for 32 years and this isjust like another day at the office.

Every month Food for People holds cookingclasses for low income individuals in the communitykitchen space at the Eureka Co-op. Our dedicatedand highly skilled volunteer teacher, Karen Phillips, isthe former head chef at the Downtown Express Caféin Eureka and excels in situations such as the onedescribed above. She has recently retired from theformal business of cooking and catering and has movedon to other passions, such as helping others learn how

New Space, New Cook, New Delicious Recipes!

Professional Chef, Karen Phillips artfully combines USDAcommodity foods.

to cook nutritiously on a tight budget. Karen has hadother opportunities to teach for people using higherend ingredients, but she says “who wants to teachabout using truffle oil, when there are many other, muchmore practical ingredients and students out there.”

Food for People has held monthly cookingclasses for a few years now, but wehave just made the move into theEureka Co-Op’s community kitchenand utilized the help of a professionalchef. The kitchen space is large enoughto teach 20-25 students with all of theproper kitchen items needed to make3 to 4 dishes each class using USDAcommodities and local donation itemsthat the food bank receives. Theparticipants look forward to themonthly class as a way to learn newcooking tricks and also to shareknowledge of their past kitchenexperiences. Young and old alikediscuss their experiences dealing withdiabetes diets, cutting down on fatcontent, vegetarian alternatives, or

mother’s tricks that have stood the test of baking time.Each participant will receive a free bag of food

for attending. To sign up for the class, please contactJamie Lamers or Jyl Barnett at Food for People at445-3166. Please do not contact the Co-Op withquestions, as the class is run through Food for People.

continued from p. 3Every Child, Every Day

continued on p. 10

In a letter of support, Dale Stockly, Principalof South Fortuna Elementary School noted, “Thedemographics of our community have changeddramatically in the past ten years. (The number ofdistrict children qualifying for) Our free and reducedlunch program has risen from 8% to 78%. We servebreakfast and lunch at South Fortuna ElementarySchool. These two nutritious meals for many of ourstudents is their only food for the day. You look atyour students and wonder how they will fare over theweekend. The Backpacks for Kids Program has beena special gift to our community. Our students nowhave one less worry! They know there will be foodin their home for the weekend. The students haveresponded to the Backpack Program in a very positiveway. Student attendance has improved, on taskbehavior has improved, and their social interactionsare much more positive.” Improved attendance rateswere also noticed at the other two pilot sites.

At Food for People, we feel gratified inhearing about all the wonderful and tangible benefitsseen after just nine months as a new sponsor of theBackpacks for Kids program. Along with school

officials, we also received great feedback fromprogram participants and their parents. “I struggle asa single mother with two children,” wrote Susan (namechanged for privacy). “I work seven days a weekand I don’t get to see my children that much. Sowhen I do see my kids, it’s nice not to stress on food.With the backpacks they send home with my daughters,we have milk and cereal when I can’t afford it. Itreally does help my family, so I know it helps others.”

Food for People is currently looking forfunding to continue this program in the Fall of 2007,when kids return to school. The program was started

with a $20,000 grant from America’s Second Harvestthat made it possible for us to set up the program andserve an average of 125 children/week. Unfortunately,only a fraction of that amount is available for the 2007-2008 school year, with sponsors nationwidecompeting for limited funds. The cost for backpacksfood for an entire school year is about $200-$250per child.

Looking to the community, we already havea commitment from the Fortuna Sunrise Rotary Clubmembers who are eager to participate in the programfor the upcoming school year. Erin Dunn, President-elect wrote, “Fortuna Sunrise feels it is a vital servicefor our community as hunger is a silent menace in theEel River Valley. We would like to expand yourcurrent program, now in place at South FortunaElementary, to the Fortuna Middle School.” The clubmembers have applied for grant funds in addition totheir monetary donation in order to increase thenumber of children served. They have also made acommitment to pick up the food and assemble anddeliver the backpacks to the new site weekly, whichhelps minimize operating costs. They will be following

by Jaime Lamers


Though I do not wish to join the 800 Club at this time, I do supportyour efforts. Here is my donation for:$200 ____ $100 _____ $50 _____ $25 _____ $ ______ I’m enclosing a check payable to Food for People. Please charge my donation to the credit card below. Visa MasterCard Signature__________________ Card #: ________________________ Exp. Date______________

In 1981, Food for People staff figured that if 800 community members donated $5 per month, our financial needs would bemet--hence the birth of the 800 Club! 25 years later, Food for People continues to help many more of our friends and neighbors inneed throughout the county. With our present operating budget, 800 people donating $20 a month will provide us with the solidfinancial foundation that would enable us to focus more fully on the needs of our community.

The 800 ClubSupporting and Sustaining a Solid Financial Foundation

Yes! I would like to join the 800 Club by making amonthly donation of $_____quarterly donation of $_____ Please send me a packet of pre-addressed envelopes Please charge my credit card monthly/quarterly

Your Donation Is Important!

___ We feel it is important to occasionally acknowledge our donors publicly. If you do not want your name mentioned, please check here.Food for People, Inc., is a 501 (c)(3). Donations are deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Name________________________ Street____________________________ Town, ZIP______________________ Phone______________

___ I would like to volunteer.Please have someone contact me.

Food for People, the Food Bank for Humboldt County, 307 W. 14th St. Eureka, CA 95501. (707) 445-3166. www.foodforpeople.org

Here isWhat Some800 ClubMembersHave to

Say

For many years, I was closely

involved with Food for People

as I conducted cooking

demonstrations on a monthly

basis. Upon hearing the

reasons why people found

themselves at FFP, I wanted to

contribute on a regular basis.

The 800 club and theautomatic contribution from

my credit card account make it

easy for me to do so. -Kathy Embertson

1 June 2006

Dear “Food Bank,”

This will be my last check to you.

We are moving to Oregon and will direct

our contributions to whatever corre

sponds

to your service in our new community.

For 25 years we have tried to send

you 1% of whatever we grossed. It’s a

way, we’ve discovered, of buying

a bit of

peace in our souls. Thank you for

your

part in our peace.

May you continue to do well--but

better, wouldn’t it be great if we organized

our economy so no one would need a f

ood

bank?Respectfully, a

nd with our

warmest regards,

Name withheld for privacy

McKinleyville, CA

Being an 800 Club member is an easy,effective way for you to address the needs in our

community year round. There is no minimum monthlydonation, nor is there a maximum!

Food NotesFood NotesFood NotesFood NotesFood NotesPage 10Page 10Page 10Page 10continued from p. 8Every Child, Every Day

Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, HumboldtRecovery Center, the Lee and Bonnie Brown House,and many other individuals contributed their time andtalents on May 12th. Donated pizzas from PapaMurphy’s, Domino’s, Round Table, Smug’s, Angelo’sand Big Louie’s helped feed our fabulous crew.Collectively, all these businesses and individuals madeit possible for us to collect a total of 26,882 poundsin Eureka and 47,466 pounds throughout the restof the county.

Food for People and its network of foodpantries countywide rely on the food collected duringthis annual drive to provide food boxes for those inneed in the coming months. The total number ofpounds collected was down a bit this year comparedto last, and some communities were more successfulthan others. The Letter Carriers reported that manyof the households that typically donate said they justcouldn’t afford to do so this which seems to be areflection of the health of our local economy. That’swhy Food for People’s services are so important. Wewould like to extend our warmest thanks to everyonethroughout the county who donated nonperishablefood to help us sustain those efforts. We are proud tobe part of such a generous and caring community.

in the footsteps of the Willow Creek Kiwanis Cluband its members, who made it possible for us to servechildren in that community by agreeing to transportthe food from the Food Bank to the Willow CreekCommunity Resource Center, where it was packedinto backpacks by volunteers and delivered to theschool. It is just this sort of community spirit that makesthe backpacks program work.

Afterschool Snack ProgramThe Afterschool Snack Program works with

academic, recreation and community after schoolprograms in low-income neighborhoods or “pocketsof poverty” to serve a healthy snack to help bridgethe gap between lunch at school and dinner at home.Many of the same sites serving snacks also participatein the Children’s Summer Lunch Program.

In Rio Dell, the Community Resource Centerworked in partnership with school staff and volunteersto make sure that kids who needed snacks were ableto get them before going home. Consistently, theywere serving snacks to over half of the kids at theelementary and middle schools! During the 2006-2007 school year, children in five cities ate39,068 snacks.

Children’s Summer Lunch ProgramFood for People has sponsored the Children’s

Summer Lunch Program since 1997, and has helpedthe program grow from serving 3,500 lunches duringits first year to serving over 12,500 lunches in thesummer of 2006. This year, we are serving healthylunches to children at 18 sites, spread out from thetiny community of Orick in the north to Redway in thesouth, and Willow Creek and Bridgeville in the east.Food For People runs an excellent program that hasbeen recognized nationally for its efforts andinnovation. In 2002, we received a Congressional

“Victory Against Hunger” award, one of only 20awarded nationwide.

The enormity of the day to day operationsfor the Children’s Summer Lunch Program, servingchildren at sites up to 120 miles apart, requirescollaboration among many different organizations andindividuals countywide. Each summer weekday,lunches are prepared at the Humboldt SeniorResource Center by a team of intergenerationalvolunteers. Getting the lunches to the various siteswould not be possiblewithout the help of UPS andHumboldt Transit Authority.They transport coolers full oflunches to remote sites thatwe would not otherwisehave been able to serve.Working together, UPS, theHumboldt Transit Authority,several volunteers and oneFood for People staff persondrives an average of almost600 miles per day, deliveringlunches to the 18 distributionsites.

Letter Carrierscontinued from p. 4

On Tuesday, June 26th, Food for People staff, board of directors, No More HungryKids Campaign sponsors and supporters kicked-off this year’s program at RossPark in Eureka. At the celebration, Ross Park Campers received a free insulatedlunch bag or jump rope (provided by USDA and Public Health’s “Eat more fruits andvegetables and be active” campaign) and enjoyed having balloon animals made bylocal Balloon Artist Matthew Scott. Program sponsors, Food for People staff andRoss Park Campers participated in an outstanding juggling/comedy act by RossMackinney.

Children’s

No More Hungry Kids Campaign Sponsor

Campers from Ross Park in Eureka enjoyingfree summer lunches

No More Hungry More Kids Campaign supportersand friends (left to Right) Melanie Williams, Anne

Holcomb, Laura Olson (Humboldt Area Foundation),Kathy Hayes (St. Joseph Humbodlt County), Tara

Sanders (HSRC) and Felicia Oldfather (BoD FFP)Caitlin Collings handing out

jumpropes

Summer Lunch Kick-Off

Thank you


On Wednesday March 28th and MondayApril 1st Food for People hosted meetings with thefood pantries that comprise our countywide FoodPantry Network. Themeetings were held ontwo separate days toaccommodate the diverseschedules and locations ofour pantries, whichstretch from Redway inthe south to Orick in thenorth and Willow Creekin the east. The majorityof the pantries are run byvolunteers who givegenerously of their time toprovide assistance tolocal people in need.Some are open for onlya few hours once a month and distribute only the USDAcommodity foods while others may be open severaldays a week and supplement the food boxes withlocally donated and/or purchased items.

We don’t have an opportunity to get togethervery often, so there were several things we wanted toaccomplish within our three hour time frame. Foodfor People wanted to learn more about the resourceneeds at each site, including the need for additionalfood, volunteers and/or funding; we wanted to takethe preliminary steps to set up delivery service to thepantries utilizing our new truck; and we wanted toreview the USDA guidelines to prepare each pantryfor upcoming site monitoring by a Californiarepresentative of the USDA/Emergency FoodAssistance Program. It was also a great opportunityfor our ever-creative and innovative pantrycoordinators to share some of the ideas and strategiesthey have come up with.

Food resources were a hot topic, as we’veexperienced a 40% decline in the amount of USDAcommodities provided to our Food Bank, a declinethat is being experienced by food banks nationwide.This is obviously a significant concern for pantries thatprovide only the USDA commodities. Participants atboth sessions helped brainstorm and prioritize a listof the most desired foods (see the list below) anddiscussed the availability of local donations throughfood drives as well as donations from the community.Food for People’s long term goal is to make theavailability of emergency and supplemental food moreequitable throughout the county. The challenge is toaccomplish this without a significant increase in cost.

Food for People Pantry Network MeetingBulk purchasing, developing relationships with localfarmers and businesses and grant funding to supportpurchases were all discussed, with Food for People

making a commitmentto take the lead onseeking grant funds tosupport bulk foodpurchases. We will alsocontinue our efforts toprovide more freshfruits and vegetablesthrough the Farm toFamily and DonateDon’t Dumpprograms.

The sessionswrapped up with apresentation by JylBarnett, Community

Education and Outreach Coordinator, and JamieLamers, our VISTA volunteer. Jyl provided anoverview of the nutrition education and food stampoutreach activities she and Jamie have been workingon and Jamie passed around a sample of the resourcebinder she has been developing for use at each site.The binder includes information on WIC, food stamps,nutrition tips, recipes, essential resources for lowincome households, etc. All sites have since receivedtheir own binder and we look forward to theirfeedback on its usefulness.

We can’t thank our Pantry Coordinatorsenough for all that they do on behalf of their respectivecommunities! And we look forward to strengtheningthe partnerships countywide that help keep thosecommunities healthy and strong. If you have ideas toshare or would like to help in some way, please don’thesitate to contact us.

The most desired foods are clearly main-dishprotein items and dairy products. The top seven itemsidentified include:

Peanut Butter, Canned Meats/Fish, Beans,Bread/Tortillas, Soups/Stews/Chili, Milk (fresh or

powdered), Cereal

Thanks to grant funds provided by the UnionLabor Health Foundation, we have been able toprovide extra produce for the pantries and at leastone additional item per month from the list above. InMay we provided cereal and in June we providedloaves of bread for all sites. We hope to expand theseofferings in the future as funds permit.

Senior Brown BagProgram Turns 20!

Food for People is celebrating 20 yearsof sponsorship of the Senior Brown BagProgram, which provides a monthly bag ofgroceries for 650 low income seniors at 15 sitescountywide. Approximately half of the bags aredelivered to the seniors by volunteers, who alsoenjoy checking in on them and hearing somepretty amazing life stories. The program isfunded by the California Department of Agingand administered locally by the Area 1 Agencyon Aging. An average of 90 volunteers supportthe program at each of the sites by contributingover 160 hours/month of their time and talentsto make sure the seniors don’t go without. Theprogram was threatened with completeelimination due to proposed budget cuts in2002 and 2003. The letter writing efforts ofmany of the seniors served and their families,combined with excellent advocacy support fromthe community, and especially AssemblyMember Patty Berg, helped save the program.Every dollar invested in the program generates$35 in donated goods and services.

News Briefs

March 28th meeting included representatives from theMattole Valley Grange, Bridgeville, Willow Creek

Kiwanis, Ferndale, Trinidad, Scotia - Bread for Life,Arcata and Eureka Seniors pantries

Thrill of the GrillThe Northcoast Coop supports Food forPeople in many ways including the RegisterDonation Program and the CooperativeCommunity Fund. For the past three years,the Northcoast Coop has hosted the “Thrill ofthe Grill” BBQ Benefit. The menu this yearinlcuded grassfed beef hamburgers (donatedby Rancher Lee Moira), chicken hot dogs,portabella mushroom burgers, or the supercombo grassfed beef burger with a portabellaon top. The meal included chips and a naturaldrink. This year the “Thrill of the Grill” raised$950 to directly support Food for People’s NoMore Hungry Kids Campaign. TheNorthcoast Coop is an important communitypartner to many organizations doing good workin the community. Thank you Coop!

Food for People, the Food Bank for Humboldt CountyFood for People first opened its doors in 1979 as a small food closet, designed to fill a void in the County’s social service programs. Our programs and services have grown

and matured over the past 25 years, thanks to the generous support of the local community and the various grant making foundations that have provided funding for new and existingprojects. Federal and state contracts specific to the distribution of USDA, FEMA and other purchased or donated foods provide approximately 30% of our annual funding. We relyon grants and local donations for the remaining 70%, which makes it possible for us to provide food for 9,000 to 10,000 low income children, families, seniors, people with disabilitiesand other individuals each month.

Food for People is a member of the California Association of Food Banks and is designated as a subsidiary distribution organization by America’s Second Harvest, anationwide network of food banks. We are also members of the Northern California Association of Nonprofits (NorCAN), which helps to build and strengthen our focus on localpartnerships and collaborations.

The programs offered by Food for People are intended to serve as a safety net for those whose circumstances have left them at risk of hunger and food insecurity. Our goalis to provide individuals and households with the emergency and supplemental food they need, while working to address the root causes of hunger in our county.

The Food Bank coordinates the distribution of foodthrough all designated program areas, and also overseesthe direct distribution of food every Wednesday and Fridayto an average of 1100 households (2800 individuals) eachmonth.Our Emergency Food Pantry Network provides foodfor 20 pantries and 3 congregate meal programs (soupkitchens) located throughout Humboldt County. Food forPeople monitors each site, and provides technicalassistance, as needed. Collectively, these food pantriesserve approximately 9,000 to 10,000 people each month.The Senior Brown Bag Program has been in operationsince 1987, and currently provides a bag of groceries forover 600 low income senior households each month.Volunteer drivers deliver bags to those who are unable topick up their own food.Our Homebound Delivery Program provides a monthlybag of groceries for individuals who are too ill or disabledto leave their homes. Some of our recipients are recoveringfrom surgery, while others may be coping with a terminalillness. Referrals are accepted from hospital dischargeplanners, social workers, home health workers, etc.The Summer Food Service Program, also known asthe Children’s Summer Lunch Program, served over12,350 lunches at 15 community sites last summer. Freesack lunches are provided to low income children whosefamilies cannot afford the additional cost of the extrameals once school is out. The majority of the children

served qualify for free or reduced cost breakfast and lunchduring the school year.The After School Snack Program was initiated inOctober 2006 and provides healthy snacks in after schoolsettings at various schools and youth programs for morethan 250 children per day. Many of the sites are alsopartners in the summer lunch program.The Backpacks for Kids program is new, and providesa backpack filled with kid-friendly food every Fridayduring the school year for children who are consideredat risk for hunger over the weekend. This pilot programserved 125 children per week at sites in Fortuna, Eurekaand Willow Creek during the 06/07 school year.The Commodity Supplemental Food Programprovides a 30-40 pound box of nutritious food monthly forprogram participants. Our target population includesincome eligible seniors and 5 year olds who have“graduated” from WIC (Women, Infants and Childrenprogram) but have not yet entered school.The Work Readiness Program provides basic workreadiness and job skills training for individuals who haveexperienced little success in the job market. Clients arereferred by TANF, CALWorks and other public assistanceprograms.The Nonprofit Food Network allows 24 local nonprofitorganizations providing residential, rehabilitation or afterschool programs to access food obtained through theAmerica’s Second Harvest network at a low, per pound

Our Programs Include the Following:

Our Vision:We envision a community where no one is hungry and everyone in Humboldt County hasaccess to good quality, nutritious food. Everyone in the community understands theconsequences of hunger and poor nutrition and that each one of us has a role to play increating a strong, healthy community.

StewardshipWe will be accountable to all through the efficient and

most appropriate use of resources entrusted to us.Teamwork

We will foster cooperation among our diversevolunteers, staff and community partners.

RespectWe will treat all our relationships with respect.

IntegrityWe will demonstrate the highest ethical standards in

all interactions.Innovation

We will continually seek to provide excellent servicethrough the development of new and improved

methods to reduce hunger.

Our Values:

cost. Food must be used by programs serving only lowincome children and adults.The Emergency Food and Disaster Program linksFood for People and the Humboldt County Office ofEmergency Services in times of disaster. Food is madeavailable to any community experiencing hardship due toa disaster situation. Food for People is also a member ofVOAD, Volunteer Organizations Assisting in Disaster.The Farm Gleaning Program, coordinated by our VISTAvolunteer, accesses donations of fresh produce fromcommercial farms, orchards and backyard gardens. Italso encompasses the “Plant a Row for the Hungry”campaign, which encourages backyard gardeners to plantan extra row of food to donate to a local food pantry.Community Education and Outreach Programsinclude Hunger 101, a hands-on curriculum designedfor children and adults of all ages which provides insightinto the tough decisions low income households face dailywhen trying to obtain adequate nutrition. Our Food StampAccess Outreach Project advocates for the eliminationof bureaucratic barriers to food stamps for workingfamilies and seniors. Cooking and nutrition classesare offered monthly at the food bank.The Community Garden Site on Henderson Street inEureka offers 20 x 20 garden plots for a nominal annualfee to those who wish to grow their own food. Workshopson gardening and packets of seeds are offered to thegardeners.

Our Beliefs:We believe in engaging the community and involving

those we serve in finding solutions to eliminatehunger and food insecurity.

We believe that the root causes of hunger must beaddressed if we are to realize our long-term goal of

eliminating hunger.

We believe collaboration and partnerships areessential to fulfilling our mission.

We recognize the dignity of all people and believefood is an essential right.

Mission Statement:Food for People is working to eliminate hunger and improve the health and well-being of our community through access to healthy and nutritious foods, communityeducation, and advocacy.

We believe hunger can be eliminated.