Summer Feeding Will Run June 6 – August 22
(Nampa from June 9 and 10 – August 22)

Picnic in the Park 2008, The Idaho Foodbank’s summer feeding program has expanded again. This year free lunch will be available to anyone between the ages 1-18, from June 6 through August 22, at 15 sites, 12 in Boise, one in Meridian and two in Nampa. The Nampa lunches will start June 9 and 10 (details below). Hours are from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for lunch and 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 for enrichment activities, Monday through Friday. Last year the program served 73,448 lunches.

This year’s Boise sites are Ann Morrison, Cassia, Elm Grove, Fairmont, Ivywild, Manitou, Owyhee, Veterans Memorial and Winstead parks, plus the Boise Family YMCA (1050 W. State St.), Davis Apartments (970 N. 29th St.) and Northwest Pointe Apartments (3475 N. Five Mile Rd.). The lunches at the apartment complexes are open to all.

In Meridian, Picnic in the Park lunches will be served at Storey Park, also June 6 – August 22. In Nampa, lunch will be at the Boys and Girls Club (316 Stampede Dr.) starting June 9 and the Salvation Army (403 12th Ave. S.) starting June 10.

There are no income or attendance requirements. All young people have to do is show up, have lunch and enjoy the lunches and enrichment activities.

This program is important for thousands of children in the Boise area. Some 36% or about 8,000 of the children in Boise schools depend on free or reduced-price lunches during the school year. Those children are at risk of going hungry during the summer when school breakfasts and lunches are not available. Across the street from the program in Veterans Park, for instance, is Taft Elementary where 76% of the kids are on the free or reduced program. Down the street is Whittier, where 91% qualify.

Those are the types of kids we need to reach this summer.

The Picnic in the Park program is a collaboration between The Idaho Foodbank and a number of partners, including Boise City Parks and Recreation, Albertsons, the US Department of Agriculture, the Idaho State Department of Education, United Way of the Treasure Valley, and generous individual donors, and will include programs by Humphreys Diabetes Center and Ada Community Library.

Thank you for helping spread the word!
 

Letter Carriers Food Drive Nets 207,976 Pounds

Saturday, May 10, was a beautiful day for a food drive, and the results of the 16th annual National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive reflected that beauty. Treasure Valley residents donated, and 450 amazing volunteers packed into trucks, 207,976 pounds of food, $8,162.57 in cash and three boxes of cell phones (so far) which will be recycled and the income added to the cash total.

This compares favorably to the 199,649 pounds and $5,841 donated last year.

This was the largest one-day food drive of the year, and it will supply the Foodbank and our partner agencies with one-third of the food-drive food that will be collected this year.

Big thank-yous to everyone who participated, especially all the letter carriers – you went above and beyond. We also are indebted to Mike Morrison of the National Association of Letter Carriers, who organized the drive again this year; all the volunteers who moved more than 100 tons of food in one day; and to the generous donors who made it all possible.

The sponsors who made this year’s drive possible included the National Association of Letter Carriers, the National Rural Letter Carriers Association, US Postal Service, WinCo Foods, Valpak, AFL-CIO, Campbell Soup, United Way, Albertsons, CBS 2, Tim and Barbara Grant, USF Reddaway, Idaho Center for Professional Truck Driving, A Company, West Coast Paper, Idaho Statesman, Tates Rents, W.E. Enterprises, Mayor David Bieter’s office, West Coast Paper, St. Alphonsus RMC, Food Service of America, Angela R. Stewart Design and Middleton Schools. We also say thank-you to every one of our wonderful 450 volunteers.

The national results are still being collected, but in 2007, the drive delivered 70.7 million pounds of non-perishable items donated by patrons to local food organizations. It was the fourth consecutive year the total surpassed 70 million pounds. Last year’s figure brought the overall total for the nationwide drive’s history to 836.2 million pounds.
 

Volunteers Needed to Help with Foodbank Cannery Project
CAN WHITE BEANS: MAY 19-22

The Idaho Foodbank will again partner with the LDS Cannery in Garden City, this time to produce 35,000 cans of nutritious, shelf-stable food for families throughout Idaho. But it won’t happen without about 160 dedicated volunteers.

The project is set for May 19, 20, 21 and 22, and volunteers are needed to work three-hour shifts.

There will be two shifts per day for four days, from 9 a.m. – noon and noon – 3 p.m., with an orientation for 15-30 minutes before each shift. Each shift needs about 20 people.

The work is simple but of great value. The job will be to take dry white beans and turn them into beautifully finished and labeled cans of high-quality protein that are convenient even for people who do not have good cooking facilities or skills.

To volunteer or for information, contact Cindy Fenn at The Idaho Foodbank, 336-9643, ext. 236.

16th Annual Letter Carriers Food Drive is Saturday, May 10
“Stamp Out Hunger”

On Saturday, May 10, Treasure Valley letter carriers will join forces with The Idaho Foodbank in the National Association of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger! food drive. Now in its 16th year, the Stamp Out Hunger! effort is the nation’s largest single-day food drive, having collected more than 765 million pounds of food since its inception in 1993.

Last year, valley letter carriers picked up a remarkable 200,000 pounds of donated food and $5,841 in cash. The Foodbank will also collect old cell phones for recycling. In past years the phones have netted the Foodbank more than $600 in the fight to end hunger in Idaho. Those additional funds translate directly into food because the Foodbank pays only shipping costs on donated food.

To help Stamp Out Hunger! this year, postal patrons can simply leave sturdy bags filled with non-perishable foods such as canned soup, canned vegetables, pasta, rice or cereal next to their mailboxes prior to the time of regular mail delivery on May 10. Food items should be in non-breakable containers, such as boxes and cans.

Please, no homemade or out-of-date food.

The letter carriers will then collect donations and deliver them to nearby post offices where volunteers will pack the food for delivery to the Foodbank.

The Letter Carriers Food Drive supplies The Idaho Foodbank with about one-third of the food-drive food it collects every year. In a state that rates as the 13th hungriest in the nation, this food drive is vitally important.

Food Network’s Chef Tyler Florence to Headline 10th Annual A Chefs’ Affaire
TO BENEFIT THE IDAHO FOODBANK

The Idaho Foodbank is proud to announce that the Food Network’s Chef Tyler Florence will be the featured guest at the 10th annual A Chefs’ Affaire fundraiser.

A Chefs’ Affaire, presented by SYSCO Food Services of Idaho, is set for Saturday, June 7, at the Boise Centre on the Grove. Tickets can be reserved by calling Michelle Shobe at 336-9643, ext. 249. Tickets are $125 for individuals and $1,250 to $5,000 for corporate tables of 10.

In addition to his active participation in the A Chefs’ Affaire dinner and auction, Chef Tyler Florence will give a cooking demonstration prior to the dinner, presented by the Idaho and Eastern Oregon Onion Committee. Tickets are $50 and seating is limited.

As always, A Chefs’ Affaire promises to be an evening to remember as 20 of the Treasure Valley’s most talented chefs prepare a five-course gourmet meal and diners can choose from a wide assortment of Idaho’s finest wines.

The silent auction will feature a wide array of dining packages, merchandise and services from the area's restaurants, caterers, wineries, hotels and retailers. Better yet, the participating chefs will be auctioned to the highest bidder.

It will be an evening unlike any seen in Idaho, an evening of great fun, mouth-watering food, and a room full of caring and very talented people.

Since 1996, Tyler Florence has been the star of several Food Network shows and a regular guest on numerous other programs. He was named the “Sexiest Chef Alive” by People magazine.

Tyler graduated from the College of Culinary Arts at the Charleston, South Carolina, campus of Johnson & Wales University in 1991. The university later awarded him an honorary doctorate and named a scholarship after him.

He hosted the programs Food 911 and How to Boil Water, and currently hosts Tyler's Ultimate on the Food Network. He has been widely acclaimed for his abilities by publications including Food & Wine, GQ, Wall Street Journal and USA Weekend.

Florence also has been featured on television commercials for the Applebee's restaurant chain and has contracts with Macy’s, Mikasa and Braun.

To see more about our celebrity chef go to www.tylerflorence.com
 

Egg Producers and Oakdell to Donate 45,720 Eggs to Foodbank
DOWNPAYMENT COMING MARCH 20

America's egg farmers and Oakdell Egg Farms will make an eggs-cellent Easter donation of more than 45,000 eggs to The Idaho Foodbank. It is part of a larger gift of more than 12 million eggs from United Egg Producers to America’s food banks during March to help feed the nation's hungry.

Oakdell Egg Farms will donate 45,720 eggs, equivalent to 127 cases, or 3,810 dozen, to the Foodbank. The first delivery will arrive at 3562 S. T.K. Avenue on Thursday, March 20 at 10:30 a.m. Oakdell and Foodbank representatives will explain the importance of this donation and the larger national effort in which 12 million eggs are being delivered across the country. Interviews will be available.

“Our family has been serving the Midwest for 100 years as we celebrate our centennial anniversary this year,” said Cliff Lillywhite, the vice president of Oakdell Egg Farms. “We feel privileged to be able to offer help to such a worthy cause, especially during the Easter season.”

“Seeing the increasing need within their communities, the families of our industry came together to make sure America's food banks are well stocked with nutrient dense eggs for the holiday season,” said Gene Gregory, president of the United Egg Producers.

“I am continually awed by the generosity of America’s farmers and ranchers when it comes donating to help feed people in need,” said Roger Simon, executive director of The Idaho Foodbank. “Oakdell’s humble beginnings a hundred years ago were right here in Idaho. As they have grown, they have never forgotten their roots. Thousands of families in Idaho will have a brighter Easter as a result of this donation. Beyond Easter, this gift will continue to nourish people who have had to cut back drastically on healthy food as grocery prices have been going up so much lately.”

For information on Oakdell: www.oakdell.com. For information on United Egg Producers: www.uepcertified.com

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society Names Roger Simon as Finalist for the
2008 Above & Beyond Citizen Honors

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society has announced that Roger Simon, executive director of The Idaho Foodbank, is one of 51 finalists for the inaugural Above & Beyond Citizen Honors.

The Above & Beyond award is the first time all 107 living Medal of Honor recipients have banded together to create a national platform to promote and honor “Service before Self.” “The thousands of nominees prove that we have among us, heroes in the most fundamental meaning of the term. Wonderful Americans who because of confluence of time, circumstances and events, choose to challenge fate or reality as they understand it to be, and literally change the world. We are humbled by their deeds and their commitment to service before self,” said Col. Bob Howard, President of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society of the United States.

Roger’s nominating citation reads: “Roger Simon of Boise, Idaho, for going above and beyond with his devotion to feeding the hungry. In 1994, Simon took over the faltering Idaho Foodbank and since then has seen it triple in size and capability. In 2007 alone, 729,105 meals were served and 5.25 million pounds of food distributed. Under Simon’s leadership the Foodbank now has direct-service programs such as Kids Café, Chefs to the Rescue, and the Mobile Pantry for the inhabitants of rural Idaho. Simon is wholeheartedly committed to giving his time to non-profit organizations and providing for thousands in need.”

“I think it is an amazing statement about what this Foodbank has accomplished through the efforts of so many wonderful employees, volunteers and committed citizens of Idaho,” Simon said of the nomination. “I have the honor and pleasure to serve as the leader of an agency that is focused on results – getting food to those who need it. Recognition I receive is a testament to the accomplishments of all.”

Every year the Above & Beyond Citizen Honors will pay tribute to three civilian Americans who have made a difference in the lives of others through a singular act of extraordinary heroism or through their continued commitment to putting others before themselves, without regard for personal gain. These are ordinary Americans who perform extraordinary acts of selfless courage, dedication and sacrifice in civilian life, that, were they in uniform, would warrant consideration for receipt of the Medal of Honor.

The 51 Finalists, one from every state and Washington, D.C., were selected from nominations collected during a nationwide submission period which was open to every American from October 9th through December 16th, 2007.

Three of these 51 finalists will be chosen to be the 2008 Above & Beyond Citizen Honorees, and these remarkable citizens will be honored during a ceremony on March 25th, Medal of Honor Day, in Washington, D.C.

There is more information and a complete list of nominees at www.aboveandbeyond365.com

 

Idaho Foodbank and Nampa Boys and Girls Club Will Serve
Free “Lunch Break” Meals Thursday & Friday Feb. 28-29

Because many children in Nampa, and other school districts, depend heavily on free and reduced-price school lunches for the nutrition they need, The Idaho Foodbank and the Nampa Boys and Girls Club will provide a free “Leap Year Lunch Break” on Thursday and Friday during parent-teacher conferences. All children, not just club members, ages 6-18 are welcome to have free lunch on those days.

Some 125 free lunches will be served each day. The lunches are made possible solely by community donations. Sponsorships are available.

Nampa Boys and Girls Club, 316 Stampede Drive, Nampa, 83687. Phone 461-7203. Jenny Ware, Children’s Services Coordinator, will be at this site during lunch.

Menu for Leap Year Lunch Break:

THURSDAY, Feb. 28
Apple juice, milk, hot sandwich, cookies, yogurt, carrots and handi-snack

FRIDAY, Feb. 29
Fruit punch, milk, PBJ sandwich, pudding, string cheese, (donated fresh produce available) and Ritz chips

Foodbank Teams with Idaho Stampede and CBS 2 for Food Drive at Two Weekend Games
2 CANS OR 2 DOLLARS GETS A SECOND TICKET

The Idaho Foodbank will team up with the Idaho Stampede and CBS 2 Eyewitness News this weekend on a food drive to help feed hungry Idaho families. On Friday, Feb. 22 and Saturday, Feb. 23, fans who donate two cans of food or two dollars to the Foodbank will receive a free ticket with the purchase of a ticket to any of the remaining Idaho Stampede regular season games.

Both games this weekend are against the Anaheim Arsenal.

“We are excited to team up with CBS 2 Eyewitness News, to help bring meals to members of the community in need,” said Idaho Stampede President and General Manager Steve Brandes.

The state of Idaho was ranked the 13th hungriest state in 2006, an improvement from the 8th hungriest state in 2003-2005. In fiscal 2007, the Idaho Foodbank and their agencies distributed 5.25 million pounds of food, and members of the community of Idaho, received assistance 729,884 times.

“The food drive the Stampede and CBS 2 put on makes a huge difference in the community,” said Idaho Foodbank Executive Director, Roger Simon. “With the holidays just getting over, this drive comes at a perfect time of the year.”

CBS 2 News recognized hunger to be a big problem among many citizens of Idaho, and wanted to find a way to help. This is the second annual Food Drive CBS 2 has put on with the Stampede. Last year the drive collected around 29,000 pounds of food to go to the Idaho Foodbank. This year, CBS 2 has a goal of donating 50,000 pounds.

The CBS 2 food drive began on Feb. 11 and will continue until March 16.

 

Foodbank’s Jenny Ware Chosen as Mentor

Jenny Ware, The Idaho Foodbank’s Coordinator of Children’s Nutritional Services has been honored as one of 20 mentors chosen to participate in the pilot phase of the national Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Program.

The program has been funded by a grant from the Burger King Have It Your Way Foundation and administered by America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Foodbank Network.

The Peer-to-Peer program will allow Linda Tracy, Programs Manager for the Montana Food Bank Network, to fly to Boise and spend three days, April 9 – 11, with Jenny Ware to learn about the Foodbank’s successful BackPack for Kids program.

The Idaho Foodbank and the Montana Food Bank Network are certified by America’s Second Harvest.

“I’m very excited to gain firsthand experience about the Idaho Foodbank’s BackPack Program,” said Tracy, “and look forward to bringing some of the elements of what I learn back to assure a successful program for Montana.”

BackPack for Kids is a program that provides backpacks and approximately eight pounds of nutritious and kid-friendly food for children who depend on school meals during the week and are at risk of hunger over weekends. During the 2006-7 school year, 525 children received backpacks, thanks to funding from Regence BlueShield of Idaho.

 

Feinstein Announces 11th Annual $1 Million Giveaway
Spring Campaign to Fight Hunger

Alan Shawn Feinstein is at it again. For the eleventh straight year, the Rhode Island philanthropist will divide $1 million among hunger-fighting agencies like The Idaho Foodbank as a way to help raise funds during March and April 2008.

Anyone can participate – church, school group, business or individual. The more donations made and money raised between March 1 and April 30, the more Feinstein money the Foodbank will receive. This is a great time to plan a campaign.

The donations can include cash, checks and food items (valued at $1.00 per item or pound) as well as pledges.

Feinstein’s past $1 million challenges have helped anti-hunger groups like the Foodbank raise $760 million nationwide.

You can become a partner in the most successful grassroots campaign to fight hunger of all times. Contact Jill Palmer at jpalmer@idahofoodbank.org  or 336-9643, ext. 242. For more information: www.feinsteinfoundation.org