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Fall 2008
A Newsletter of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina
To Beat HungerBeatTh
e Hunger BeatHunger
Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club Join Retail Program Page 5
2008 Heart of Carolina 2 Million Pound Goal Page 8
Volunteers of the Year Page 12
www.foodbankcenc.org
2 The Hunger Beat: A Newsletter of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina
Our BranchesVisit us online at
www.foodbankcenc.org
Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina
Main Office
3808 Tarheel Drive Raleigh, NC 27609
919.875.0707
Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina at Durham
708 Gilbert Street Durham, NC 27701
919.956.2513
Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina at Greenville
497 West 9th Street Greenville, NC 27834
252.752.4996
Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina at Sandhills
195 Sandy Avenue Southern Pines, NC 28387
910.692.5959
Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina at Wilmington
1314 Marstellar Street Wilmington, NC 28401
910.251.1465
FBCENC PaRtNERS
The Hunger BeatPublished by The Food Bank of Central &
Eastern North CarolinaDesigned by Archetype
Articles contributed by StaffWritten by Christy Simmons
Edited by Christy Simmons and ArchetypeProject Coordinator: Vernetta Eastman
Questions? Call 919.875.0707
table of ContentsOn the Burner: New Program for Seniors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
In the Bag: Walmart Retail Program Launches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Dishing it Out: Community Food Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Heart of Carolina Food Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Faces of the Food Bank: Sweet Potato Pie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
In Your Neighborhood: Helping Hurricane Victims . . . . . . . . . . .11
Volunteer Spotlight: Annie Edwards and Martie Bauer . . . . . . .12
Milestones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Website Spotlight/How You Can Help Fight Hunger . . . . . . . . .14
Staff List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
2008–2009Board of DirectorsCHaIRalvin G. Ragland, Community Volunteer
CHaIR ELECt Ed Carney, Cisco Systems, Inc.
SECREtaRY Hershell McCarty, Progress Energy Carolinas
tREaSURER Jim Knight, NC Education Lottery
PaSt CHaIRWalter R. Rogers, Jr., Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan, L.L.P.
Mary Esther Baker, Community Volunteer Dana Barco, Fidelity InvestmentsJohn Chapin, Community VolunteerMarilyn Forbes, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Riceamy Gamber (ex-officio), WTVD ABC 11Glenn Gaylord, Food LionLiz Goodmon, Be Active North CarolinaFelicia Gressette, The News & ObserverEsther Hall, NC Legal Education Assistance Foundation Keith Hayes, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North CarolinaCarey Hill, Ma, Carey Hill Consulting, Inc.Debbie J. Johnson, Genworth Mortgage InsuranceSteve Jones, RBC Centura BankDana Lange, Community VolunteerNancy Schwarm Livesay, Community Volunteer Heather Mallard, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC Matthew G. t. Martin , Esq., Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan, L.L.P.Craig McKenzie, Harris TeeterMorgan Moylan, Sports Endeavors ashmead Pipkin, Attorney Kim Rosenberg, Attorneys Title Bob Sar, Ogletree, Deakings, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PCHarrison J. Kaplan, Esq., Legislative Counsel
MEDIa PaRtNERS
A member of
Fall 2008
The Hunger Beat: A Newsletter of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina 3
Dear Friends,
thank you all sincerely for your support during the last fiscal year. Once again due to your compassion and commitment to the cause of feeding the hungry, we were able to accomplish a number of our goals, including:
n Your e-mails, calls, and letters to our representatives in Washington, D.C. prompted them to pass the Nutrition Title in the Farm Bill. As a result, we are already seeing significant increases in the number of commodities we receive through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).
n We collected over 1 million pounds of food—our largest amount to date—during our 2007 Heart of Carolina Food Drive.
n During our inaugural 2008 Kids Summer Stock campaign, we focused on the 250,000 schoolchil-dren eligible for the free and reduced lunch program that they don’t have access to when school ends. The campaign was a huge success. The combined food and funds raised during the month of June provided over 1.2 million meals to those children and families in our region who suffer from hunger.
n Our Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Kids Cafe Program continues to grow. We added four new sites, are now in 26 of our 34 counties, and served more than 91,000 meals during last fiscal year.
n Through the Bayer CropScience BackPack Program, we nearly doubled the number of backpacks distributed (from 11,800 in 2006–2007 to almost 21,000 in 2007–2008).
We are indebted to you for initiating a record number of food and fund drives. Your financial donations were critical in supporting various aspects of our operational expenses, such as fuel. In addition to picking up food throughout our region, our fleet of 22 trucks travels over 1,500 miles a day delivering vital supplies to our partner agencies; our fuel costs to hover around $6,000 per week.
In this issue, you will hear exciting news about the addition of two new retailer partnerships. We plan to add 62 retail recovery stores, with an ambitious goal of securing 2.5 million new pounds of food annually. Also, thanks to funding from Cisco Systems, we are embarking on a Food and Nutrition Senior Services Outreach Program to help a greater number of seniors obtain easier access to food.
These new programs and the growth of existing programs take on even greater importance as the number of people at risk of hunger in our 34-county service area increases. According to the 2006 US Census Bureau Estimates, the number of individuals at risk has increased by 50,000— to nearly 450,000—since the year 2000. Unfortunately, it is clear that these numbers will only rise as more current data is collected.
We are extremely hopeful that we can continue to rely on your kind assistance in the form of food, donations, and time. They enable us to reach out to those who are in such need, and once again prove that our collective efforts can produce so much hope for so many.
With deep gratitude,
Peter Werbicki, President & CEO
From the Desk of the President & CEO
Our Food Bank has received a Charity Navigator 4-Star Rating for 7 consecutive years.
www.foodbankcenc.org
4 The Hunger Beat: A Newsletter of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina
ON THE BURNER: NEW FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES OUTREACH PROGRAM TO FOCUS ON SENIORS
Retirement is not necessarily golden for our seniors. Millions cannot always afford an adequate diet. The Food and Nutrition Services Program (formerly the Food Stamp Program) is one of the ways to respond to this complex issue. The 2008 Farm Bill (The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008) provides for many improvements to this program.
One of the changes is the increase in the minimum benefit from $10 to $14. Another change is a new name. The federal program is now called Supplemental Nutri-tion Assistance Program. North Carolina has adopted the name of Food and Nutrition Services as its name for the State program.
On Friday, September 12, the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina launched the new Senior Food and Nutrition Services Outreach Project by hosting an all-day training session. The session was attended by participating agencies, as well as Valerie Wilson from the Division of Social Services and Lisa Johnston from our sister food bank MANNA. Located in Asheville, MANNA already has the outreach project in place, and Lisa was happy to answer questions about their operations.
Funded by Cisco, this project allows us to team up with local Departments of Social
Services and select partner agencies to extend the Food Stamp Program to our senior population.
the following partner agencies have been selected from Pitt, Moore, and New Hanover counties to participate in the pilot program:
n Philippi Church of Christ, Greenville
n The Anointed Ones Church, Ayden
n Page United Methodist Church, Aberdeen
n Sandhills-Moore Coalition for Human Care, Inc., Southern Pines
n Tileston Outreach, St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Wilmington
n Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, Wilmington
The Food Bank is a true advocate for those we serve.
Act Now! 2008 Stewards Fund Challenges New Donors:
Give Today and Double Your Gift!
The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina has been awarded a generous $150,000 challenge grant from the Stewards Fund. From now until January 31, 2009, the Stew-ards Fund will match any gift from a new donor dollar-for-dollar—up to $150,000!
How can you help?If you have never supported the Food Bank before, make your contribution today to double your gift. Your donation will help fund nutritious meals for the over 450,000 people in our 34-county service territory who suffer from hunger.
already a donor? If you’ve already donated to the Food Bank or are a regular supporter, urge your friends and family to make a contribution. Go to www.foodbank-cenc.org and click the Steward’s Fund link, or mail your check to:
Food Bank of Central & Eastern NCAttn: Stewards Fund Challenge3808 Tarheel DriveRaleigh, NC 27609
Checks can be made payable to FBCENC.
Thank You!
Fall 2008
The Hunger Beat: A Newsletter of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina 5
In the Bag: Walmart, Sam's Club, Kroger join Retail Recovery Program
HOW did this partnership happen?Feeding America, formerly America’s Second Harvest—The Nation’s Food Bank Network, initiated this partner-ship as part of the National Store Donation Program. This program facilitates the process of supermarket retailers donating perishable food to local food banks. It has massive potential to expand the quantity of fresh food available to Americans at risk of hunger, because it allows food banks to rescue highly nutritious, perishable foods like dairy products, deli items, and meat. The Store Dona-tion Program greatly expands the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina’s current Retail Recovery Program.
WHO are the new additions to this program on the local level?Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, and Kroger stores will all partner with the Food Bank. Thanks to Food Lion, the Food Bank currently picks up at 200 stores. All stores will donate protein (dairy and meat) to help the Food Bank address the growing need.
WHat are the benefits?Locally, the Food Bank will add 64 stores or 120 stops to the routes of its fleets. To support the new initiative, Wal-Mart provided an $85,000 truck to facilitate the store program pickups. The Lincy Foundation provided a $65,000 grant to fund a route driver, equipment, and materials (such as load bars, a pallet jack, and six portable scales) to support to program.
HOW will the program work?In addition to 200 retail stores that are already a part of this program nationwide, locally we will eventually pick up product from 65 Food Lion stores, 39 Walmart stores, 6 Sam’s Clubs, and 19 Kroger stores. These retail stores will provide traditional sources of protein such as meat, deli, and dairy, as well as bakery items, produce, and dry goods. These stores are dedicating freezer space to store frozen products, therefore allowing the Food Bank to conserve fuel by making fewer pickups.
WHEN will it start?Phases of the program have already started in some areas. Sam’s started in September, Kroger stores were added in November, and Wal-Mart will come on board early in 2009.
(Continued on page13)
Top 2007–2008 Grantors 2007 Stewards Fund (Challenge grant) $100,000 1,762 new donors contributed a total of $123,318 between January 1 and April 30, 2008!
Bayer Foundation $50,000 BackPack Program
Kraft $45,000 Funded the construction and installation of the Durham Branch Freezer (See story on page 13).
Food Lion Charitable Foundation $35,000 (2 grants: $25,000 and $10,000) Rural Food Delivery Program in Greenville
Wake County $35,000 Supports the food distribution to almost 70,000 people living at or below the federal poverty level in Wake County and provides support to 175 of our nonprofit partner agencies.
Cape Fear Memorial Foundation $35,000 (year 2 of 3-year grant) Strengthens the infrastructure of the Wilmington branch and secures long-term viability.
Idol Gives Back Foundation $29,747 Combats child hunger by expand-ing the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Kids Cafe after-school program.
Sunshine Lady Foundation $25,000 Expands a highly successful BackPack Program serving low-income elemen-tary school students in New Hanover, Brunswick, and Pender Counties (Wilmington area).
Cole Foundation $25,000 Maintains the Feeding Families Better program in Richmond Co. that targets almost 8,500 people living in poverty.
www.foodbankcenc.org
6 The Hunger Beat: A Newsletter of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina
The 2008 theme of the N.C. State Fair was “Take Time for a Great Time.” Food and fun were present from beginning to end. On Thursday, October 23, during Food Lion
Hunger Relief Day, fairgoers also took the time to help families who may not have food during the economic downturn. Fairgoers donated more than 166,000 pounds of food—the equivalent of 140,000 meals. Last year fair attendees donated 174,000 pounds of food, the equivalent of about 147,000 meals. By bringing four cans of food, attendees received free admission.
Hunger Relief Day at the Fair is one of the largest one-day drives of canned food in the state. The Food Bank had close to 450 volunteers and staff members on site to collect the canned goods. We will distribute the food to families in need in our 34-county service area, as well as sister food banks across the state.
2008 Raleigh CropWalkThanks to all who supported the 2008 Raleigh CROP Walk on Sunday, October 12! More than $17,000 was collected—$2,000 more than last year. All activities began and ended at Marbles Kids Museum on Hargett Street. This year’s walk was approximately 4 miles (6.4 kilometers).
Seventy-five percent of WALK proceeds support international and national relief, while the remaining 25% stays in the local community to support the important work of five agencies here in Raleigh. The Food Bank was one of the 2008 beneficiaries.
September was National Hunger action MonthIn September, the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina joined Feeding America and the more than 200 food banks across the nation in the inaugural, nationwide Hunger Action Month. It was a call to all Americans to get involved locally to bring an end to hunger.
How did you make a difference during hunger action month?We educated our friends and collected cans and donations at the following events:
September 5First Friday Celebration in Southern Pines
Dishing it out: Community Food Drives
Cold Weather, Warm Hearts at Food Lion Hunger Relief Day
Kids Summer Stock (KSS) was in your neighborhood in June! These unique, fun events were held at each branch when food drive donations tend to slow down across the country. At the same time, there is an increase in the number of people needing food.
the Durham Branch Open House Visitors enjoyed drinks, and music by Evan Wade and His Kakalakalayuans. Food was provided by these Brightleaf Square Restaurants: Amelias, El Rodeo, Piazza Italia, and Nikos Taverna. Tours of the branch were given.
A special thanks to our Durham sponsors: Harris Wholesale, The Herald Sun, Lowes Foods, ABC 11
Sunday in the Park Pops Concert In collaboration with the Sunday in the Park Concert Series at Greenville Town Common, the Food Bank hosted a fundraising event on June 22. The Greenville Summer Pops Orchestra performed. Several lucky folks won door prizes. About 300 pounds was donated at this event; $425 was collected. Overton’s Food Drive brought another 250 pounds. A special thanks to the Greenville sponsors: Aldridge & Southerland Realtors, Kessler Law Firm, Nacco, Physicians East, P.A., Overton’s, Greenville Parks & Rec
KIDSSummer Stock
Results
Fall 2008
The Hunger Beat: A Newsletter of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina 7
Hunger action Month Events (Continued)
September 5 and 6 Gala Grand Opening Celebration of the Raleigh Convention Center
September 13 Celebrate Cary at Sunset at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre
September 29 Open House at the Greenville Branch
Special thanks to Honorable John B. Lewis for hosting this event.
September 1–30Schaeffer BMW Food Drive in Wilmington.
SummerfestThe Food Bank hosted a Kids Summer Stock event at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre’s Summerfest series on June 21. The North Carolina Symphony presented “Forbidden Broadway.” Attendees also enjoyed dinner, drinks, and dessert in a tent by the lake.
A special thanks to our Raleigh-area sponsors: Town of Cary, IBM, L & M Family of Companies, Harris Wholesale, Lowes Foods, ABC 11
First Friday in Southern PinesFamilies from the Sandhills region gathered in downtown Southern Pines for First Friday on June 6. Live music, refreshments, and kids activities were featured as well as a Food Bank table and food drive. Fun was had by all! The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina at Sandhills benefited from the summer-long First Fridays series. Food and funds were collected until October, and one lucky donor walked away with a piece of pottery by renowned potter Ben Owens. Nearly 800 meals were provided with donations from this series.
an Evening at thalian HallThe Food Bank hosted a wine tasting and hors d’ouevres at the Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts. Attendees were invited to sample select wines and enjoy music by Jimmy Gatlin. We thank all of our guests for joining us for this lovely evening!
A special thanks to our Wilmington sponsors: Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts, Inc., Next Media, Lowes Foods
Here are other partners who have supported us over the past few months:
Fidelity Food Drive Our friends at Fidelity Investments held a summer food drive and collected more than 3,000 pounds, the equivalent of 2,607 meals!
WCHL Cash and Cause
CaSH: WCHL’s Cash and a Cause promotion asked WCHL listeners to “wave our flag” by placing a WCHL window sticker on their vehicle. The station held live broadcasts from University Mall, The Siena Hotel, Pam Herndon State Farm Insurance, and Carrboro Plaza Vet Clinic, where in exchange for placing the sticker on their vehicles, listeners had a chance to draw from a box of envelopes that contained $1, $10, $100, or $1,000.
CaUSE: Nonperishable food items were collected at each event to benefit the Food Bank of Central & East-ern North Carolina at Durham. The food and funds col-lected were the equivalent of more than 2,000 meals!
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina BCBSNC held its annual food drive in June. Employees collected nearly 2,000 pounds of food and more than $4,000 dollars. Food and funds combined provided over 19,000 meals for those at risk of hunger.
KIDSSummer Stock
Results (Continued)
www.foodbankcenc.org
8 The Hunger Beat: A Newsletter of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina
2008 Heart of Carolina Food Drive
On November 21, 2008, aBC 11 will kick
off the 22nd Annual Heart of Carolina Food
Drive to benefit the Food Bank of Central &
Eastern North Carolina and the Second
Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Caro-
lina in Fayetteville. With a goal of raising
2 million pounds of food this year, the drive is
a region-wide event that spans the station’s
22-county broadcast area. Corporate partners
are Kroger, Embarq, Genworth Financial,
Cisco, Credit Suisse, RBC Bank, and BASF.
Initiated by aBC 11 Eyewitness News in the late 1980s, the Heart of Carolina Food Drive has continued to gain momentum with the support and assistance of community groups. Companies, colleges, schools, churches, and civic organizations hold food drives and donate funds throughout the 22-county viewing area. Last year’s event raised more than 767,000 pounds of food and additional funds that helped to feed the more than 450,000 people at risk of hunger in the counties the Food Bank serves.
the campaign begins on Friday, November 21 and culminates with a “drive-thru” day on Wednesday, December 10. Food donations will be accepted at all Kroger stores; the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina locations in Raleigh, Durham, Greenville, and Southern Pines; the Food Bank in Fayetteville; and TradeWilco locations in Pitt County.
On “drive-thru” day, ABC 11 viewers will be able to make canned food donations between 5:00 am and 8:00 pm at the following five locations: The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina on Tarheel Drive in Raleigh, Kroger at Creedmoor and Strickland Roads in Raleigh, Kroger at Maynard and High House Roads in Cary, Kroger on Hillsborough Road in Durham, and Highland Shopping Center on Raeford Road in Fayetteville. Throughout the day, WTVD ABC 11 Eyewitness News will air live reports every half-hour from all five locations.
Newspapers in several communities are sharing their resources to support the food drive. The Herald-Sun in Durham, The News & Observer in Raleigh, the Daily Reflector in Greenville, The Pilot in Southern Pines, and The Fayetteville Observer will insert grocery bags in the weekend editions of their papers on November 21, 22, and 23, so that their readers can fill the bags with canned food goods for the Heart of Carolina Food Drive.
Fall 2008
The Hunger Beat: A Newsletter of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina 9
about the 2008 sponsors
Kroger has been a longtime sponsor of the ABC 11 Heart of Carolina Food Drive. Kroger’s retail divisions work closely with more than 85 regional food banks affiliated with Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization. Last year, for the fifth time in seven years, Kroger was named “Retailer of the Year” by Feeding America food banks.
Embarq is a leader in the communications industry. Community involvement is a com-pany value, meaning that Embarq actively seeks ways to invest in the local communities they serve. One method they employ is the sponsorship of causes such as the Heart of Carolina Food Drive. Embarq is longtime sponsor of this annual event.
Genworth Financial is a third year sponsor of the Heart of Carolina Food Drive. This company helps millions of people around the world achieve their dreams—of homeown-ership, financial independence, a comfortable retirement, and protection for their loved ones. The same spirit that drives their business—helping people realize their dreams— is also at the core of their commitment to communities around the world. Through a combination of volunteerism, collaborations with community partners, and charitable contributions, they support efforts involving basic needs, seniors, and at-risk youth to enhance the quality of life in the communities where they maintain offices. Earlier this year, the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina was the recipient of a $50,000 donation from Genworth.
Cisco Systems is another longtime supporter of the Food Bank. Cisco hardware, software, and service offerings are used to create the communications solutions that make networks possible, providing easy access to information anywhere. No one knows this better than the Food Bank. In 2006, Cisco donated a new phone system that al-lows 4-digit dialing to any branch. A $92,000 grant from Cisco, part of the Community and Philanthropy Product Grant Program, allowed the Food Bank to transition from an outdated, obsolete PBX phone system to a new IPT phone system before the busy holiday season of 2006. In addition to being a daily hunger relief organization, the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is one of the first responders in the event of a natural disaster—where every second counts. The updated phone system is crucial to getting consistent information to the public and to all branches in the least amount of time.
Credit Suisse has returned for a third year as a Heart of Carolina sponsor. A world-leading financial services firm, Credit Suisse has been a major part of the Food Bank’s volunteer program. In 2006, 115 Credit Suisse employees spent an entire day as volunteers at the Raleigh warehouse. This turnout of employees represents the largest group of volunteers to ever work in the Food Bank on a single day, other than as part of a disaster relief effort in response to a hurricane.
RBC Bank, formerly RBC Centura, returns as a Heart of Carolina sponsor. RBC Bank is headquartered in Raleigh and continues to grow in the Southeast.
BaSF is a first-year sponsor of the Heart of Carolina Food Drive. BASF is known as the world’s leading chemical company. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges, such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition, and mobility.
Media Sponsors:
www.foodbankcenc.org
10 The Hunger Beat: A Newsletter of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina
I don’t usually make the agency deliveries. I run the long hauls between branches or make pickups from vendors. But one Saturday we were short on drivers and they called me in. It was hot, unloading took awhile, and I was impatient. I just wanted to get back on the road.
Then I noticed a little girl near the crowd, jumping up and down, real excited about something. She had pigtails, and even though her clothes were faded, she was dressed real nice like she was going to church. I went over and asked her what she was so excited about. “Sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes!” she said, grinning from ear to ear. “Sweet potatoes?” I chuckled, “What’s so exciting about sweet potatoes?” She looked at me with big eyes and said in a hushed voice, “Because tonight, mama is making sweet potato pie!”
At that moment I got tunnel vision, like in the movies, and all I could see was this little girl: not excited about toys or television but about the anticipation of having sweet potato pie at dinner. My head started to reel. When I lifted my eyes, I looked at the crowd of people waiting for the food we were delivering—I really looked at them: mothers with worn faces, dads with tired eyes, seniors looking expectantly at the front of the line where the boxes were handed out, and kids squealing with joy at their contents. I was stunned and immediately felt guilty for being so selfish.
That moment changed my whole perception about what we do here at the Food Bank. I have a new appreciation for my job and our work. I’ve been a driver with the Food Bank for five years, and I’m thankful every day that I can do a little bit to help others.
Faces of the food bank: Sweet Potato PieBy Jeff Ogus, Food Bank Truck Driver
FRONT WALL MURAL TELLS FOOD BANK STORYBy Dawn Privette
As a child I always loved to draw and paint but my father told me I had to be a responsible adult and get a real job. So I worked, raised my family, and was responsible. Two years ago I had the opportunity to leave the corporate world and pursue a career as a mural-ist/faux painter. I relished the chance to fulfill my dream. I surprised myself when I found I could paint things on such a large scale.
The Food Bank approached me this past year after I finished a mural in the warehouse for the Bayer CropScience BackPack program. They asked me to create something on the retainer wall just outside of the warehouse. After several discussions, I came up with a canvas painting of what I thought the mural should be. The mural depicts the 34 counties serviced by the Food Bank by representing the skyline of Durham and Raleigh through the rural areas of the Sandhills and Greenville all the way to the coast of Wilmington. Each of the rows in the agriculture area shows items that are supplied to the Food Bank to help the hungry. The center of the mural shows the Food Bank fighting hunger and the bags of food and baskets of sweet potatoes and watermelons. The rows of browns and yellows surrounded by the skids of apples and peaches represent the second harvest. I was proud to be part of this mural, and I am proud to have helped the Food Bank create smiles for all who visit.
Dawn Privette is a muralist/faux painter living in the Raleigh area. More artist information and creations can be found at www.dawniesdesigns.com.
Fall 2008
The Hunger Beat: A Newsletter of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina 11
Out of the mouth of…No Vacation from Hunger
When first grade teacher Sheawanna Anderson plays the “food pyramid game” with her students at an elementary school in Farmville, North Carolina, she already knows that some of her students will not have correct
answers. All of the students in her class are on the free lunch program. And with their meals at home often consisting of Ramen noodles, they have no idea where to place that “food” on the food pyramid.
“Since I work with Special Education students, I have the opportunity to do a bit more advocacy and get to know the families a little more in depth,” said Anderson. “As a result, I see first hand that there are areas lacking in the home, and food—particularly nutritious food—is a definite need.”
Anderson notes that her students tend to be sleepy and sickly, which she attributes at least in part to a lack of proper nutrition. “When we have breakfast and lunch served at school, they don’t mess around. They are truly hungry,” says Anderson. “The sad part is that I know they are probably not getting much of any type of real meal [once] school has ended.”
Anderson is glad that the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina initiated a summer food drive this year called Kids Summer Stock to remind the community of the children on the free and reduced meal program. Hugely successful, Kids Summer Stock will be an annual program.
“A lot of people don’t work with children every day, so they don’t think about them eating…or not eating,” says Anderson. “I applaud the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina for encouraging the community to continue to give throughout the summer while keeping the nutritional needs of these children in mind.”
In Your Neighborhood:
Food Bank of CENC distributes to victims of hurricanes Gustav & Ike The face of hunger can be some-one in a region struck by natural disasters. Food Banks are a critical link in the disaster response and recovery chain. A little known fact about the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is that we are a first responder to natural disasters, even as we continue our operation as a daily food relief organization. We have participated in hurricane relief for more than 12 years.
As part of the Feeding America network, we respond to national disasters as well as disasters affecting your local neighborhoods.
In September, we sent a tractor trailer of baby food (nearly 34,000 pounds) to Louisiana to help those affected by Hurricane Gustav. Shortly thereafter, as the call for help for Hurricane Ike victims went out, we sent a truck to Texas with nearly 10,000 pounds of ready-to-eat food items such as Slim Jims, Lance crackers, and rice cakes.
Not only do we serve in your local neighborhoods, we are also in neighborhoods on the national stage.
www.foodbankcenc.org
12 The Hunger Beat: A Newsletter of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina
Agency Spotlight
From the Sandhills Branch: Richmond County Enrichment Corporation
Under the strong leadership of Gracie Ingram, Executive Director, the Richmond County Enrichment Corporation has one of the best Kids Cafe programs in our service area. The agency runs an after-school program that offers academic enrichment, mentoring, nutrition education, physi-cal fitness, opportunities for parental involvement, and most importantly, a nutritious meal to 50 area children. In 2007, as part of the Food Bank’s Stan-dard of Excellence Awards, the agency won the Community-Based Award.
At the Enrichment Corporation, children are involved in numerous activities that promote health. They learn to prepare nutritious meals and how and why to exercise. The program receives strong support from local school principals, the faith-based community, and members of the arts community.
Dinner and a snack are served daily to each child. The agency has four paid staff and four volunteers who work hard to uphold the core mission of the organization. The core mission is to habilitate youth with tools to develop mutual respect for themselves and others.
Richmond County Enrichment Cor-poration is located at 809 Armstead Steet in the town of Rockingham. Hours of operation are Monday through Thursday from 2:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. To request more information or offer assistance, please call 910.997.3316.
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT:2008 Volunteers of the Year
Volunteers at The Food Bank donate more than 100,000 work hours each year. Hundreds of individuals assist in the warehouses, volunteer at food drives, participate in the Speakers Bureau, staff our Kids Cafe and BackPack programs, and serve as office assistants. Throughout the year, the staff nominates someone who personifies “volunteer” each month. At the end of the fiscal year, votes are cast for these 12 people, and one shining star is selected. This year, two stellar volunteers rose above the rest.
annie Edwards has been a valuable member of the Greenville Branch family for two and half years. “Miss Annie“ volunteers as a receptionist, does clerical tasks, and conducts tours. She was born and raised in Greenville and raised five children
there. She worked many years as a factory worker and housekeeper and is now retired. Miss Annie has 8 grand-children and 10 great-grandchildren. She attends Phillipi Christian Church.
Annie’s kindness and sharp sense of humor make the staff of the partner agencies eager to see her when they visit the Greenville Warehouse. Christal Andrews, Greenville Outreach Coordinator, says, “Her dedication to our mission is immeasurable. She is a visionary, a mother, a friend, and a confidante.”
Martie Bauer joined the Raleigh Branch family early this year and has made a huge impres-sion on the staff. She volunteers on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and walks through the door with a smile on her face that remains
during her entire shift. She was born in Germany and later worked for 17 years as an accountant for J-M Pipe Manufacturing Plant in Pueblo, Colorado. Martie has two daughters and five grandchildren. She attends Asbury Methodist Church in Raleigh.
“Martie is very energetic. She will do anything from office work to warehouse work. She doesn’t care if she gets dirty," says Billie Churchwell, Raleigh Receptionist/ Administrative Assistant.
Fall 2008
The Hunger Beat: A Newsletter of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina 13
Milestones: In Durham County
September, which is recognized nationally as Hunger Action Month, was a fitting time for the Durham Branch to reach the amazing milestone of distributing 30 million pounds of food. When staff from the Abundant Life Church of Orange County arrived at the branch, they had no idea that they would be part of history. Food Bank staff person Tony Wortham loaded a box of
Reeser’s Cold Salad onto the scale as part of the church’s distribution, and this item was the one that caused the branch to reach the 30 million pounds milestone. Balloons were dropped while church staff received a certificate and a trophy to immortalize their place in Food Bank history.
In operation since 1999, the warehouse of the Durham Branch is located at 708 Gilbert Street. Staff at the branch distributes food to more than 160 community-based hunger relief organizations such as rescue missions, soup kitchens, food pantries, after school programs, and elderly nutrition programs in the counties of Chatham, Durham, Granville, Orange, Person, and Vance.
The 18,500-square-foot Durham warehouse also celebrated the completion of a new freezer, which was made possible by a $45,000 grant from Kraft Foods. The new 320-square-foot walk-in freezer triples the existing freezer space and will allow the branch to provide a larger variety of nutritional products.
PPD, Inc. Gives $2,500
PPD, Inc. has partnered with
the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina at Wilmington to help keep hungry children from falling through the cracks. Thanks to PPD for their recent contribution of $2,500 to support the Backpack Program.
PPD is a leading global contract re-search organization (CRO) providing discovery, development, and post-approval services, as well as com-pound partnering programs. Clients and partners include pharmaceuti-cal, biotechnology, medical device, academic, and government organiza-tions. The company has offices in 33 countries and employees more than 10,500 professionals worldwide.
The corporate headquarters for PPD, Inc. are located on North Front Street in Wilmington.
thank you for your kind support!
MORE FOOD FOR MOORE’S CHILDREN
The Moore County Community Foundation provided a $10,000 grant to support the ongoing effort to ensure that over 3,500 Moore County children at risk of hunger do not miss meals. The Food Bank serves an estimated 1,500 children in Moore County through three after-school programs, two day care centers, and one Kid’s Cafe and an-other 2,000 children of low-income families through 26 food pantries. During last fiscal year, Moore County children obtained over 208,000 meals through Food Bank partner agency food pantries and the Kids Cafe program.
CELEBRATING EMPLOYEE AND VOLUNTEER MILESTONES
20 YEARS—Pat Brown, Raleigh
15 YEARS—Larry Morris, Raleigh
10 YEARS—Frances Ferrell, Raleigh
5 YEARS—Dennis Connor, Wilmington; Larry Motteler, Greenville; Anthony Reyeros, Durham; Pete Sloane, Dur-ham; Tommy Taylor, Wilmington; Tom Whitaker, Sandhills
EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR, 2008 Larry Morris, Raleigh
VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR, 2008 Annie Edwards, Greenville; Martie Bauer, Raleigh (See story on page 12.)
In the Bag(Continued from page 5)
www.foodbankcenc.org
14 The Hunger Beat: A Newsletter of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina
Website Spotlight: Branch Home Pages By Jen Newmeyer
Curious about the activity of the Food Bank’s branch locations? Now you can learn more about what is happening at the Durham, Greenville, Sandhills, and Wilmington branches by viewing their Food Bank home pages. Each branch home page features a slideshow, in-teresting facts, news, and info about events! Click on the drop-down menu under “Home” at www.foodbankcenc.org or type in these links in your internet browser:
Durham.foodbankcenc.orgGreenville.foodbankcenc.orgSandhills.foodbankcenc.orgWilmington.foodbankcenc.org
HOW YOU CAN HELP
DONatE MONEY
$1 equals $8 worth of food or 4 meals
• Individual Giving
• Event Sponsorships
DONatE FOOD
One meal equals a little over one pound of food (19 ounces)
• Individual Food Drives
• Company Food Drives
• Virtual Food Drives
• School Food Drives
• Community Food Drives
DONatE tIME—volunteer!
Volunteer hours equaled the equivalent of 58 full-time employees last year.
Volunteer roles: Warehouse • Office Assistant • Speakers Bureau & Agency Fairs • Special Events • Kids Day • Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Kids Café
First Food Bank Fuel Drive In order to cover rising food costs, the Food Bank held our first Food Bank Fuel Drive. By the end of the 2007–2008 fiscal year, fuel costs had increased by 61% over the previ-ous fiscal year. Our service territory is roughly 19,000 square miles, and our partner agencies rely on Food Bank deliveries to provide grocer-ies and meals to the community. Although a lot of agencies come to the warehouse to shop, we still deliver 35–40% of the food (about 12 million pounds a year) directly. More than $1,500 has “rolled” in so far, and it is not too late for you to donate!
Fall 2008
The Hunger Beat: A Newsletter of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina 15
Sandhills Branch Staff
Our StaffVisit us online at www.foodbankcenc.org
Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina at Raleigh (Main Office)Peter Werbicki, President & CEO
Sandy Bishop, Director of FinanceBrad Blackwell, Outreach Coordinator
Martin Brewington, Jr., Warehouse LeadAnthony Brooks, Shopping Line Coordinator
June Brotherton, Research CoordinatorCaprice Brown, Outreach, Eval., & Prog. Mgr.
Pat Brown, Financial AssistantCraig W. Campbell, Sp’l. Prog./Utility Whse. Assist.
Lee Cheney, Special Events & Food Drive Mgr.Billie Churchwell, Recept./Admin. Asst.Julius Colbert, Warehouse SupervisorTonya Corso, ASAP Resource Coord.
Carter Crain, Volunteer Coord.Anna K. Davenport, Food Resource Mgr.
Tara Davis, Data Entry Asst.Vernetta J. Eastman, PR Project Coord.
Tony Evans, Senior Driver Angel Feimster, Outreach Asst.
Frances J. Ferrell, Operations Coord.John Foister, Volunteer Services Mgr.
Pamela L. Foust, Outreach CoordinatorJoe Glenn, Driver
Charlie Hale, VP of IT & OperationsAndrew C. Hefner, Transp./Log. Mgr.
Durham Branch Staff
Calvin Bragg, Housekeeper/JanitorApril Morgan, Outreach Coordinator
Anthony Reyeros, Warehouse Coordinator
Peter Sloane, Operations ManagerJohn Wearing, Driver/Warehouse Assistant
Tony Wortham, Retail Recovery Driver
Jody Anderson, Driver Christal Andrews, Outreach Coordinator
Larry Motteler, Operations Manager Roger W. Neely, Branch Ops. Coordinator
Brandon Randolph, Driver Scott Repko, Shopping Attendant
John Saieed, Janitor/Housekeeping
Greenville Branch Staff
Wilmington Branch Staff
Dennis Connor, Warehouse Manager Sarah Cox, Outreach Coordinator
Michael Whittemore, Warehouse & Product Marketing Assistant
John Bonzo, DriverMichael Cotten, Outreach Coordinator
Ray Garner, P/T Whse. Assistant
John Lenzi, Operations ManagerTammy Sinnott, Shopping Attendant
Tom Whitaker, Driver/Warehouse
Phil Hiser, Retail Recovery DriverPercy L. Hockaday, Shipping/Receiving Assistant
Lori Jones, Agency Shopping Coord.Michael Knight, Perishable Asst.
Thomas Ley, Warehouse Freezer/Cooler Person Earline E. Middleton, Vice President of Programs
Glenn Moody, DriverJeremy Morgan, Retail Recovery DriverLarry Morris, Agency Services Manager
Jennifer Newmeyer, Development Database ManagerMaxine Oakley, Development Database Administrator
Jeff Ogus, Truck Driver, Class ASamantha Ojedamoya, Human Resource Assistant
Phyllis M. Pulley, Executive Assistant/Office ManagerRobin Reed, Facility Maintenance SpecialistAllen Reep, Vice President of Development
Jim Rasmussen, Warehouse Project CoordinatorChristy L. Simmons, Manager of Public Relations
Jerry Turner, Driver/Transport AdministratorSally Wade, Grant Writer Lois Walker, IT Manager Tyrone Wallace, Driver
Sherwood Young, Director of Human Resources
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