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Shake Anderson Concert to Benefit God's Pantry Food Bank

Shake_Anderson_Concert_8_5_x_11_w_Amy_special_guests_10_12_09

Broadway Christian Church is hosting a benefit concert for God’s Pantry Food Bank on Sunday, November 1 at 7 p.m. The concert features Shake Anderson, a Louisville native and accomplished singer and songwriter. Anderson’s concerts include a variety of musical genres, from secular music to rhythm & blues to Southern soul music.

The concert is free and open to the public and an offering will be taken up to benefit God’s Pantry Food Bank. Broadway Christian Church is located at 187 North Broadway in downtown Lexington.

More about Shake Anderson
Sam “Shake” Anderson, hailing from Louisville KY, started recording and touring at age nine as a versatile bassist/guitarist and singer/songwriter. Shake, as his friends call him, has recorded or toured with with artists as varied as Bruce Hornsby, Playa, Static Major, Aretha Franklin, The Indigo Girls, The Spice Girls, Curtis Mayfield, Aliyah, Felix Cavalieri, Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder, to name a few.

He spent six years as the musical director for the world famous Impressions. A multi-instrumentalist, he is a musicians musician, he has also worked with a great variety of Christian artist such as Crystal Lewis, Annointed, Bryan Duncan, Israel Houghton and New Breed, Avalon, Doc Mckenzie and the Hi Lites, The Highway QC’s and on and on.

As a songwriter he was signed to Warner Chappell music for six years and has produced and recorded for many labels and artists. Shake has also worked on many movies and has several gold and platinum albums for his work on Blue Streak, Dr Doolittle, Boys on the Side, and Austin Powers. He has played in some of the greatest concert halls and venues in the world, like Carnegie Hall, The Apollo Theatre, Symphony Music Hall, Radio City Music Hall, The Heinekin Music Hall, The Ryman Auditorium, The Buordone Theatre in Frankfurt Germany and all around the world. Shake now makes his home in Fort Worth, where he is Director and Worship Leader at Heritage of Faith. He continues to record and produce, as well as write for different artists, and has recently finished his CD, Stories from Sammy Louis.

The basket assembly for our Thanksgiving feeding is one of the most popular and fun events of the year. Where else can you put together Thanksgiving dinner for thousands in just a few short hours? In an effort to raise more awareness and funds for food programs, we coordinate the Brigade much like a walk-a-thon.

Those that participate will contribute a small registration fee and will receive a customized t-shirt created specifically for the event. Each participant will be encouraged to raise pledges from co-workers and friends, helping spread the word that there are folks in need in our community, and that we can do something simple yet meaningful to help.

Cool t-shirts, fun prizes, and a great volunteer activity make this event perfect for families, corporate teams, church groups, or individuals. This year’s event will be held Saturday, November 14, 2009. Spots are still available in the final two shifts of the day, which begin at 12:35 and 2:05 p.m. respectively.

Registration information is available here (PDF)

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God’s Pantry Food Bank held its annual donor & volunteer appreciation reception on Thursday, September 17. More than 140 people attended as awards were presented to twelve outstanding groups or individuals for their commitment to ending hunger in Kentucky.

Among those honored was The Kroger Company for its implementation of the store donation program. This program takes perishable product, near its sell by date, like fresh meat, freezes the product and donates it to the food bank. In just the first six months of the program, God’s Pantry Food Bank received more than 60,000 pounds of great product.

State Representative Tom McKee and Lowell Atchley, a member of the Legislative Research Commission, were honored for their work in organizing the Farms to Food Banks program, which seeks to put surplus agricultural commodities into the hands of hungry families, benefitting both the local farmer and the needy citizen.

Other local organizations and businesses recognized include M&M Sanitation, The Klausing Group, Woodward, Hobson & Fulton, Pat Byrne Printing, Quest Community Church and the Junior League of Lexington.

Individuals honored were Mindy Barfield, Tom & Holly Wade and Randolph Scott.

The reception was held at the God’s Pantry Food Bank warehouse. Entertainment was provided by Shannon Gritton and food and drink were done by Kroger, john conti coffee & tea and Republic National Distributing Company.

God’s Pantry Food Bank reported today that the need for emergency food in Fayette County has risen by 32 percent in the past year. Some months saw an increase of more than 40 percent.

Food banks across the nation also report that the current recession and the continuing rise in unemployment are having a profound effect on their ability to feed millions of Americans living at risk of hunger, according to a new survey released today by Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief charity.

The increase is nearly universal – 99 percent of all participating food banks reported a significant surge in demand for emergency food assistance over the past year.

God’s Pantry Food Bank reports that the increase is particularly driven by first-time users of the emergency food assistance system and more people who have recently lost their jobs.

More than half (56 percent) of food banks reported that they are seeing more children as clients.

“This new survey shows that we are continuing to struggle to meet the needs of hungry people in our community,” said Marian Guinn, God’s Pantry Food Bank CEO. “This data reflects activity for our emergency food pantries in Lexington, but we know this data holds true throughout our service area from speaking with member agencies in the 50 counties we serve.”

“It’s becoming increasingly difficult for many food banks and their agencies to meet the needs of their clients, especially when new clients arrive all the time,” said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America. “This is especially sobering when you consider that our network of 205 food banks delivered a record-breaking amount of food and groceries this past year–more than 2.6 billion pounds between July 2008 and June 2009 – which was an increase of 21.4 percent over the previous year.”

“More and more families are waiting in lines overnight, coming out in high heat, or traveling long distances in rural America just to get a meal or a box of food. The humbling reality for many of these Americans is that they have never had to rely on emergency food assistance before, and they never dreamed they would find themselves in this situation,” Escarra said.

“While local economic circumstances, like plant closings, can have a significant impact on food banks, the most critical change we’ve seen over the past year is the ability of low-income families to put food on the table and is a shift from the challenges of increasing food and fuel costs to unemployment and underemployment,” said Escarra. “We frequently hear stories from around the country that people who once donated to food banks are now waiting in lines as clients.”

“As a volunteer in one of our pantries here in Lexington, I’ve seen firsthand the new faces of hunger,” Guinn said. “We see working parents who are raising kids and grandkids on one income, there are single mothers trying to make ends meet and once affluent professionals who have recently been laid off and are turning to the food bank for the first time in their lives.”

Additionally, participation in the Supplemental Food Assistance Program (SNAP formerly the Food Stamp Program), the largest of the nation’s federal nutrition programs, reached an all-time record of 35 million recipients in June 2008—a 22 percent increase over a year prior.

Child nutrition programs are currently set to expire on Sept. 30, 2009, and the Congress will be considering whether to extend current levels of funding or increase funding in the coming weeks.

“This survey underscores the importance of Congress providing more funding for Child Nutrition programs this fall and supporting President Obama’s pledge to end child hunger by 2015,” said Escarra. “It is both tragic and unacceptable for anyone in this nation to go hungry, but we are especially concerned for the 12 million children living in food insecure households and suffering long term consequences as a result. Recent research has shown that children in food insecure households have difficulty learning and are less likely to become healthy, productive members of our society.”

Food banks also reported in the survey that increased support through federal nutrition programs, including through the recent American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, have provided vital support to their local efforts. Among food banks that distribute commodities through The Emergency Food Assistance Program, (USDA’s commodity program intended to help feed low-income Americans), 92 percent said the increase in food from the federal government has been very important to their capacity to meet the growing need. Additionally, almost half of food banks cited recent increases in benefits from the SNAP (formerly the Food Stamp Program) as being very important to clients in their service area.

“As Congress and the Administration balance a very daunting list of priorities to jumpstart our economy, I hope that they will continue to remember the poor and near poor who suffer the most,” said Escarra. “We are deeply grateful for the support our food banks and clients have seen from the federal government this year, but it is important to acknowledge that millions of people are still continuing to face extraordinarily difficult times.”

For complete details on Feeding America’s “Economic Impact Survey” including anecdotes from across the nation, please visit http://feedingamerica.org/newsroom/local-impact-study.aspx.

Macy’s is hosting an exciting national campaign from September 13 – October 21 called Come Together, and Feeding America and its network of food banks are the beneficiaries. Macy’s is inviting customers across the country to Come Together over dinner. You host a dinner. Your friends and family donate money. Macy’s will match customer donations dollar for dollar until they reach a total of 10 million meals.

It’s just one of three ways you can come together with Macy’s to support Feeding America and local food banks:

HOST a dinner to raise money.
GIVE a $1 donation at any Macy’s.
SHOP For a Cause on October 17.

An exciting marketing and event campaign is in place to help raise awareness for this cause, including a new celebrity TV spot, in-store displays, extensive advertising, and special events scheduled in Macy’s stores coast to coast.
To learn more and participate, please visit www.macys.com/cometogether.

The 11th annual Burgers & Bikes event, a fundraiser for God’s Pantry Food Bank, will be Sunday, September 20 from 2-6 p.m. at Man O’ War Harley Davidson on Bryant Place near Hamburg. This year’s event features a later start time but also offers early bird bike registration from 9-11 a.m. so that entrants can also participate in the S&S Tire Cruisin’ for a Cause event which leaves the store at 10 a.m.

Burgers & Bikes features a raffle, live and silent auctions, a 50/50 prize contest and a complete bike show for motorcycle enthusiasts. There is also live music, great food and fun games, making this a great, family-friendly event.

For more information on this year’s Burgers & Bikes event, visit www.bluegrassHOG.com.

University of Kentucky student-athletes are joining athletes across the Southeastern Conference in a food & funds drive this month. The “Together We CAN” drive is being held at all 12 conference schools. Locally, all donations will benefit God’s Pantry Food Bank, which serves 50 counties of central and eastern Kentucky.

To make a secure online donation, click here.

One way that everyone can get involved and help UK top the other SEC schools, no matter where you live, is through a virtual food drive set up by God’s Pantry Food Bank. By following the link above, fans can show their support and donate to this food drive from the comfort of their home or office, anywhere in the world. Fans can donate all month long. All donations received through the virtual food drive from September 18-27 will be added to UK’s total for SEC Together We Can Food Drive.

Do what you can to help UK stomp the competition this month and in turn, help feed thousands of central and eastern Kentucky families in need.

The 6th annual Golf Fore the Hungry, benefiting God’s Pantry Food Bank and Food for the Hungry, was a huge success. The event featured a dinner and live and silent auctions on Sunday evening at NorthEast Christian Church in Hamburg. University of Kentucky women’s basketball coach Matthew Mitchell was the featured speaker at the dinner. The golf scramble was held Monday at the University Club of Kentucky. More than 160 golfers played in the scramble. Celebrity golfers included Coach Mitchell, former basketball Wildcats Cameron Mills and Ravi Moss and former UK football star Lester Boyd. Current UK Football players xxxx also participated in Monday’s festivities.

The event raised more than $135,000 in its first five years and had another successful year in 2009. Glenn Auto Mall was the title sponsor for this year’s event. Check the Events section of our website for photos from this year’s event!

God’s Pantry Food Bank, in conjunction with Feeding America, announces the second annual Hunger Action Month, a nationwide call-to-action effort to mobilize people everywhere to get involved with ending hunger in America.

One in eight Americans struggles with hunger. That’s why Feeding America and the God’s Pantry Food Bank are asking everyone to take action during Hunger Action Month and Give a Little, Feed a Lot.

Throughout September, join millions of other Americans in giving a little of yourself …money, time, voice … whatever you can … to feed the hungry in your community.

“The goal of Hunger Action Month is to mobilize the public to help feed the millions of American men, women, and children who are living on the brink of hunger,” said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America. “This September is our opportunity to create a movement that has a real and lasting impact on our efforts to feed more Americans.”

The smallest gift can make a big difference to those in need in every community.

God’s Pantry Food Bank is asking coworkers, corporations, community groups, and individuals to participate in Give a Little, Feed a Lot in many easy ways.

Participants in Give a Little, Feed a Lot can commit to volunteer, advocate, organize a food drive, or donate to God’s Pantry Food Bank.

Throughout the month, participants can also visit www.godspantry.org to learn more about how to help people struggling with hunger in their community. Each dollar donated to God’s Pantry Food Bank provides 4.5 meals for someone in our community living at risk of hunger.

God’s Pantry Food Bank provides emergency food assistance for more than 159,000 people in

central and eastern Kentucky every year. The USDA reports that more than 36 million Americans live in “food-insecure” households – meaning they don’t have dependable, consistent access to adequate amounts of nutritious food to maintain good health.

Nationally, funds will be raised and distributed in several ways. National partners including Macy’s, The Cheesecake Factory, Sony, and others will support the campaign locally through online giving opportunities as well as nationally, through unique programs designed to promote public awareness and support.

Four area Toyota dealerships are teaming up to support God’s Pantry Food Bank this October with the “You CAN Make a Difference Food Drive.” Green’s Toyota of Lexington, Glenn Toyota in Frankfort, Toyota on Nicholasville and Toyota South in Richmond will be collecting non-perishable food items to support the food bank throughout the month.

Not only do hungry families benefit, but customers win as well. For every three-can donation, the dealership will offer $5 off any service or parts purchase of $30 or more. A donation of five cans will give the customer $10 off their service or parts purchase.

Suggested items include canned fruits or vegetables, canned beans, peanut butter, dry or canned pasta or canned or dry milk products.

Participating dealership information:

1. Green’s Toyota of Lexington
630 New Circle Road NE
Lexington, KY 40505
www.greenstoyotaoflexington.com
859-254-5751
2. Glenn Toyota
1001 US 421 South
Frankfort, KY 40601
www.glenntoyota.com
502-695-1500
3. Toyota on Nicholasville
2100 Lexington Road
Nicholasville, KY 40356
www.tonss.com
859-887-4200

4. Toyota South
961 Four Mile Road
Richmond, KY 40475
www.toyotasouth.com
859-624-1313

For every customer who schedules a $49.95 Safety Inspection & System Check (regularly $129) in the month of October, Fayette Heating & Air will provide 20 meals on the customer’s behalf to God’s Pantry Food Bank. For every new HVAC system installation the company performs in October, they will contribute enough to provide 100 meals to hungry families.

God’s Pantry Food Bank has seen a 32 percent increase in demand for service in Fayette County over the past year. The food bank is currently serving 1,700 families per month in its six Lexington pantry locations, including more first-time clients than ever.

For more information on Fayette Heating & Air’s promotion, visit www.fayetteheating.com.

God’s Pantry Food Bank will begin its 2009-2010 slate of “What’s Cooking?” classes on October 12 with Jean Baptiste Cabot of Le Deauville. The class, which is the first of five in the series, will be held from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. in the Junior League of Lexington Nutrition Education Center at God’s Pantry Food Bank at 1685 Jaggie Fox Way, Lexington. Advance registration is required and the cost is $40 per person.

Participants in each class will get the chance to watch the chef prepare the dishes and then sample the items themselves. Participants will have the chance to take home the recipes and the classes also feature wine samples from Lover’s Leap Winery.

The complete schedule is as follows:
October 12 –Jean Baptiste Cabot, Executive Chef, Le Deauville
November 9 –Graham Waller, Chef & Owner, Winchell’s Restaurant
January 11 – Stella Parks, Pastry Chef, Holly Hill Inn
February 8 – Will Pieratt & Kevin Heathcoat, Chefs & Owners, Bourbon & Toulouse
March 8 – Jeffrey Newman, Executive Chef, Historic Boone Tavern

Funds raised through “What’s Cooking?” classes are used by God’s Pantry Food Bank to teach nutrition education programs to low-income parents in Fayette County.

To sign up for these classes, call Susie Basham at 859-288-5332 or for more information, visit www.godspantry.org.

The Kroger Company is a longtime supporter of God’s Pantry Food Bank and food banks across America. Once again, the grocery chain has come up with another great way to help hungry families through an in-store promotion. Throughout November and December, Kroger is selling reusable “Bringing Hope To the Table” shopping bags throughout all of its banner stores. The bags are being sold for $1.99 a piece, with $1.30 of each bag sold to benefit the local food bank.

Other ongoing promotions at Kroger include:

Kroger Gift Cards: Truly the Gift that Keeps On Giving!

Are you a Kroger shopper & God’s Pantry supporter? Consider getting a Kroger gift card from God’s Pantry Food Bank. If you re-charge your gift card before you check out, Kroger will donate an amount equal to 4% to God’s Pantry Food Bank. The gift card would also make a nice gift! To purchase your gift cards that benefit God’s Pantry Food Bank, call Susie Basham at 859-288-5332.

Another Way to Check Out Hunger!

Lexington Kroger stores also have coupons valued at $1, $2, and $5 located at the checkout lanes. To make a donation, simply tear off a coupon and have it scanned. Your charitable donation is registered on your receipt and your money goes directly back to God’s Pantry Food Bank. It’s an easy and convenient way to fight hunger in your community.

“Bag Hunger”
Kroger stores also sell a $5 bag of food near the checkouts at all Lexington stores for the food bank. Simply pick up a bag when you check out and pay for it with your groceries. Then drop the bag in the God’s Pantry Food Bank barrel on your way out the door. It’s that easy!

God’s Pantry Food Bank will be receiving a brand new 24-foot refrigerated truck to help support its retail store donation program with Kroger and Wal-Mart. The truck was granted to the food bank from Feeding America and the Lincy Foundation last month.

The retail store donation program was developed by Feeding America to help facilitate the donation of product close to its expiration date to local food banks. The program has been instituted in many retail chains across the country and God’s Pantry Food Bank is benefiting from donations made locally by Kroger and Wal-Mart. The program was implemented locally in late 2008 and currently picks up product at 37 separate stores in our service area more than three times a week.

Additionally, 49 more stores are slated to begin participation in the program in the coming weeks. While some of those stores will have their product picked up directly from God’s Pantry Food Bank member agencies in the area, the food bank will add another 44 stores to its pickup routes.

“Kroger is committed to the fight to end hunger and we are proud of our partnership with God’s Pantry Food Bank,” Kroger spokesperson Tim McGurk said. “While the Lexington-area Kroger stores are currently participating with God’s Pantry in the Perishable Donation Partnership, this new truck will allow all of our central Kentucky stores to be included. We look forward to expanding Kroger’s donations of fresh, nutritious meats through this partnership.”
The retail store donation program has been invaluable to God’s Pantry Food Bank over the past 10 months. Since its inception, the program has brought in more than 140,000 pounds of frozen and refrigerated product to the food bank. In addition, another 143,000 pounds of dry goods and 150,000 pounds of bakery product have been donated from the stores.

“This vehicle will make it possible for our food bank to access and distribute great high-quality product that was not available to us before,” Marian Guinn, God’s Pantry Food Bank CEO, said. “We are thrilled with the store donation program and the great meats and other grocery product it has added to our inventory. Ultimately, it’s partnerships like this that enable us to offer hope to many families in our communities. “

Before receiving this vehicle, the food bank estimated that it was at 95% of its trucking capacity and would not have been able to add the additional stores to the pickup schedule.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (USDA) reported last week that 49 million Americans, including nearly 17 million children, are food insecure. The 2009 report on Household Food Insecurity in the United States paints an alarming picture of the pervasiveness of hunger in our nation.

Demand at God’s Pantry Food Bank, which serves 50 counties of central and eastern Kentucky is up approximately 32 percent over this time last year, according to Marian Guinn, Chief Executive Officer of the food bank.
The new data reinforces recent findings from a research study conducted by Feeding America, the nation’s leading hunger-relief organization of which God’s Pantry Food Bank is a member, reflecting a dramatic increase in requests for emergency food assistance. Conducted in September, the Feeding America study shows uniformly that its network of food banks witnessed an average increased need of nearly 30 percent this year.

“These are alarming numbers. It is tragic that so many people in central and eastern Kentucky don’t have regular access to food,” said Guinn. “It is important to note that the USDA numbers reflect the state of our area in 2008. Since then, the economy has significantly weakened, and there are likely many more people struggling with hunger than this report states.

“We continue to work on the front lines feeding more than 159,000 people each year, through area food pantries, soup kitchens, and emergency feeding centers – more than 380 agencies in total,” said Guinn. “These establishments, many of which are grass root and faith-based centers operated solely by volunteers, serve as an oasis for the people who seek relief to help feed themselves and their families. Emergency food assistance is a critical link in central and eastern Kentucky’s response chain to help people through times of crisis.”

“National socio-economic indicators, including the escalating unemployment rate and the number of working-poor, lead us to believe that the number of people facing hunger will continue to rise significantly over the coming year,” added Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America. “Research on previous economic recessions indicates that people who fall into the grips of poverty in a time of recession often times never recover. Many of those people are likely to be in need of our services now or in the future.”

Escarra observes, “Feeding America and its network food banks, including God’s Pantry Food Bank, will continue to work closely with our partners at USDA to ensure that the public and charitable sectors are keeping pace – as best we can – with the dramatically increasing needs for food assistance.”

As millions of people of all faiths prepare for the holidays, volunteers for many faith-based groups in central and eastern Kentucky are preparing to distribute meals for families in need.

God’s Pantry Food Bank, a member of Feeding America, the country’s leading domestic hunger-relief organization, receives a great deal of support from the faith community to help address the issue of hunger. Nearly seventy percent of the agencies operating emergency feeding programs served by the Feeding America network are faith-based.

These soup kitchens, pantries and shelters, often primarily staffed by volunteers and financed entirely by donations, are critical to God’s Pantry Food Bank’s efforts to fight hunger in central and eastern Kentucky.

Every faith urges its followers to help those less fortunate. All are united in the quest to make the world a better place by lending support to those who cannot provide for their families this holiday season and year round. Together, we can provide hope to America’s hungry.

Would you like to contribute to the fight against hunger? Click here!

God’s Pantry Food Bank is serving more clients and agencies than ever in its 54-year history and the need is certainly not diminishing as families living on the margins struggle to pay their heating bill during winter, feed their school-aged children during the holiday break and generally live day-to-day not knowing where they will find their next meal.

God’s Pantry Food Bank is asking the community to reach out to help these people in need. Financial giving is down 11 percent from this time last year, while demand for service has increased 32 percent this year, putting the food bank at risk of disrupted service to clients.

“At this point, we have to be concerned about our ability to meet the needs of so many struggling families,” Guinn said. “The money that comes to us from donors is directly used to put food on the tables of nearly 160,000 individuals in our 50-county service area. No donation is more important than any other, and all are much-needed for these families.”

God’s Pantry Food Bank distributes food to a network of 380 member agencies, which includes food pantries, shelters, after-school programs and soup kitchens to name a few. These programs are designed to assist low-income households throughout 50 central and eastern Kentucky counties.

God’s Pantry Food Bank can distribute 4.5 meals for every $1 donated. To make a secure online donation, visit www.godspantry.org. Donations can also be made via mail to God’s Pantry Food Bank, 1685 Jaggie Fox Way, Lexington, KY, 40511 or by calling 859-255-6592.

God’s Pantry Food Bank is pleased to announce the winners of the 2009 Kids Helping Kids Public Schools Food Drive. This year, 49 Fayette County public schools participated, involving more than 35,000 students. This is a competitive food drive based on the pounds of food collected per student at the elementary, middle and high school level. Toyota Motor Manufacturing sponsors the food drive by providing monetary awards to the winning schools.

First Place Awards

Veterans Park Elementary – 13,730 pounds, 20 pounds per student
Jessie Clark Middle – 4,661 pounds, 5.2 pounds per student
Eastside Technical Center – 4,980 pounds, 12 pounds per student

Second Place Awards
Meadowthorpe Elementary – 4,909 pounds, 10.2 pounds per student
SCAPA Bluegrass – 1,251 pounds, 4.5 pounds per student
Lafayette High – 4,684 pounds, 2.4 pound per student

Third Place Awards
Cassidy Elementary – 5,160 pounds, 9.3 pounds per student
Southern Middle – 2,597 pounds, 4 pounds per student

Most Improved
Breckinridge Elementary – 1,196 pounds, 2.3 pounds per student
Winburn Middle – 1,314 pounds, 2.1 pounds per student

God’s Pantry Food Bank is looking to grow The Commodity Supplemental Food Program in Fayette County. The food bank currently administers this program to 708 Fayette County residents each month but could extend that program to as many as 850 people in the county.

An open enrollment for the program is planned for Wednesday, January 13 from 3:30-5 p.m. at Broadway Christian Church (187 N. Broadway). The registration will take place in the fellowship hall.
The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) works to improve the health of low-income pregnant and breastfeeding women, other new mothers up to one year postpartum, infants, children up to age six, and elderly people at least 60 years of age by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA commodity foods.

CSFP is an enrolled program and participants receive a monthly food box. CSFP food packages do not provide a complete diet, but rather are good sources of the nutrients typically lacking in the diets of the target population. The monthly food box typically contains canned meat, evaporated milk, canned juice, canned fruit and vegetables, pasta, cereal and cheese. CSFP is administered at the Federal level by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The following people are eligible for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program:
• Senior citizens over the age of 60, living at 130% of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines (monthly income cannot exceed $1,174 for a single-person household and cannot exceed $1,579 for a two-person household).
• Pregnant women, infants and postpartum mothers up to the child’s first birthday, living at 185% of Federal Poverty Income Guidelines ($1,670 for a single person household and $2,247 for a two-person household) but NOT participating in the Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC).
• Children through the month of their sixth birthday, living at 185% of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines, but NOT participating in the WIC program.

To apply, adults must bring personal identification (driver’s license or birth certificate). Parents should provide proof of birth date for children (hospital or state birth certificate, medical card or immunization record.) Proof of income also is required to apply for this program. Acceptable proof includes a Social Security award letter, a copy of a Social Security check, a bank statement, a food stamp qualification document or a statement from the Housing Authority.

What: God’s Pantry Food Bank is holding volunteer activities in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his dedication to serving others.

When: Monday, January 18, 2010 – 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Where: God’s Pantry Food Bank (1685 Jaggie Fox Way, Lexington)

Who: We are looking for 25-30 volunteers to help the food bank pack boxes for our Mobile and Satellite Pantry programs. Volunteers will be working on an assembly line, a very fun and entertaining activity. Volunteers can sign up to work the whole day (with a break for lunch, which is provided) or in two shifts (8:30 a.m. – Noon and 1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.).

How: To sign up, please email or call Mandy Brajuha (mandy@godspantry.org or 859-288-5324). Volunteers should be at least 13 years old and minors should be accompanied by an adult.

At God’s Pantry Food Bank, we are privileged to experience many touching moments –with grateful clients picking up an emergency food box, with volunteers who are as passionate about ending hunger as we are or with financial donors whose generosity and caring hearts bring forth gifts that allow us to touch so many lives.

We recently experienced one of these particular moments when we were fortunate to meet five-year-old Ralph Bright. Ralph is the grandson of longtime Nathaniel Mission pantry volunteer Howard Bright. Mr. Bright passed away this fall and little Ralph wanted to do something to honor his Granddad.

Mr. Bright was always passionate about giving back to the community, so Ralph decided he wanted to put together a canned good donation for the pantry where his grandfather had volunteered his time. Ralph began collecting a “rainbow” of his favorite foods. At his school, Ralph was taught about having a rainbow of colors on his plate at every meal to stay healthy.

So, by sharing his “rainbow” of canned goods, Ralph was able to share what he had learned at school and pick out a few cans of each of his favorite foods to share.

Community Services Coordinator Linda Lancaster, who oversees all of the Fayette County pantries and worked with Mr. Bright for many years, met with Ralph, his mom Melissa and Reverend David McFarland from Nathaniel Mission, at the pantry in November so he could drop off his donation of canned goods.

Ralph really enjoyed the opportunity to stock the shelves, “just like Granddad did for many years.”

“God’s Pantry is doing great work and we are so thankful that we could help a few families by bringing a rainbow to them on their next shopping trip,” Ralph’s mother Melissa said.

We salute Ralph for his kind heart and giving spirit at the tender age of five. And we thank Mr. Howard Bright for his many years of dedicated service to God’s Pantry Food Bank and the Nathaniel Mission pantry.

Every year, millions of Americans resolve to lose weight. If you’ve made your resolution to drop some holiday pounds, then join us in the Pound For Pound challenge. This year, you can help the millions of Americans who struggle with hunger while doing something good for yourself.

General Mills, The Biggest Loser and Feeding America have joined forces to support the Pound For Pound Challenge, which will help Americans lose weight while providing hunger relief. Each year, Feeding America food banks provide food assistance to more than 25 million men, women and children. Across the nation, these food banks are facing unprecedented demand for food, and help is needed to keep this crisis from worsening.

For the second consecutive year, Feeding America will partner with General Mills,The Biggest Loser and other corporate partners to encourage Americans to lose weight through the Pound for Pound Challenge. The program is built around the incredible success of The Biggest Loser, a reality show that challenges and encourages overweight contestants to shed pounds in a safe manner through diet and exercise. Individuals can go to www.pfpchallenge.com to pledge their weight-loss goals. For every pound pledged, General Mills and other partners will donate 14 cents to Feeding America.

Feeding America will distribute the funds to local food banks based on the ZIP codes of consumers who participate in the program, so the areas of the United States that participate most actively in the Pound For Pound Challenge stand to benefit most from the donations. To learn more about The Biggest Loser go to www.biggestloser.com.

The campaign coincides with Season 9 of The Biggest Loser on NBC, from January 5 to the Season Finale of the show in May of 2010. People can start taking the Challenge in December of 2009 when the new Pound for Pound Challenge
website goes live during the Season 8 finale of The Biggest Loser.

You can get involved in two ways:

1) Take the Challenge! Go to www.pfpchallenge.com, pledge your pounds and help feed hungry Americans. For every pound pledged, General Mills and other corporate sponsors will donate 14 cents to Feeding America – enough to provide one pound of groceries to a local food bank.

2) Tell your friends and family about your efforts, encourage them to support you through an online donation, and get them on board to take the Challenge themselves. Once a person has registered for the Pound for
Pound Challenge at www.pfpchallenge.com,s/he will receive a pledge confirmation email that contains information and a link to learn more about how to raise more funds for his/her local food bank through the Friends & Family
Online Fundraising program. Similar to online fundraising programs used for runs, walks and other “team fundraising” programs, the Friends & Family Online Fundraising program is an easy-to-use system that provides participants
everything they need to make asks to friends and family to sponsor his/her efforts in the Pound For Pound Challenge.

America is a generous country: in 2008, charitable giving in the United States reached 307 billion. It is with the generous support of our individual and corporate donors that God’s Pantry Food Bank, a member Feeding America, is able to serve over 159,000 people annually in central and eastern Kentucky.

Peoples’ biggest misconception is that their donation won’t go very far. They often think that a dollar won’t make a difference, but nothing could be further from the truth. For every dollar donated, God’s Pantry Food Bank can provide 4.5 meals to families in need. In 2009, we distributed over 17.1 million pounds of food to children, families, seniors in need of emergency food assistance. Each year, the Feeding America network of food banks distributes more than 2 billion pounds of food and grocery products to support feeding programs at approximately 63,000 local charitable agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs and Kids Cafes.

Every dollar, every can of food, is one more step towards ending hunger in our community. God’s Pantry Food Bank would like to offer a heartfelt thank you to all of those whose donations make our work possible every single day. Together, we can provide hope to hungry Americans.

Thank you to the following volunteer groups for giving of your time and energy in January. Altogether, 229 people served 611 hours in our warehouse alone, at a total value of $12,373 to the food bank. The time spent in our warehouse is an essential part of our operation and we couldn’t do it without our dedicated volunteers!

Bryan Station High School
Dinsmore & Shohl, LLC
Georgetown College Softball Team
Girl Scout Troop #583
Lafayette High School Teen Board
Lexington Altrusa
Lexington South Lions Club
Lexington Women’s Club
St. Luke United Methodist Church
Temple Adath Israel & Ohavay Zion Synagogue
Young Builders Challenge

…plus all of the individuals who participated in our Teen Nights and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service!

The Lafayette High School Teen Board volunteered with God’s Pantry Food Bank on January 27th, sorting food in our warehouse before it goes out the six emergency food pantries God’s Pantry operates in Lexington.

The Teen Board acts as a student advisory council for the school’s Youth Services Center. Sponsored by YSC Coordinator Kathryn Chastain Leon, this diverse group of students participates in team building and leadership trainings while promoting diversity within the school and the community. President Lily Collins told us about some other activities in which the Teen Board is involved:

Actively raising money for disaster relief in Haiti
Hosting “Mix It Up at Lunch Day,” encouraging students to sit with new people in the cafeteria to get people out of their cliques and comfort zones
Organizing movie nights to show films that deal with racism and other social issues

This was the Teen Board’s second time at the food bank during the 2009-10 school year and we look forward to having them back!

Lily Collins, senior
What was your favorite part about volunteering?
“Probably just working together to do something important that we know will help other people.”

What was the most interesting product you found while sorting food?
“Fruit cake mix.”

Blaze Tremblay, freshman
Why did you come out to volunteer?
“I wanted to give back to the community and I thought this would be a fun way to do it. We get to listen to music and I get to socialize with people while making a difference.”

What was your favorite part about volunteering?
“Sorting the drinks. Also, tipping over the donation barrels when you know that you’re almost to the bottom!”

What was the most interesting product you found while sorting food?
“Borscht.”

Quantrell Gay-Richards, senior
What was your favorite part about volunteering?
“(I) just like helping out – sorting food for people who need it and getting to see what people give. There was some unusual stuff in there that I’ve never seen before!”

What was the most interesting product you found while sorting food?
“Fajita mix.”

A landmark study released today by God’s Pantry Food Bank and Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, reports that more than 211,000 people, receive emergency food each year through God’s Pantry Food Bank. The findings represent a 33 percent increase since the findings reported in Hunger in America 2006. God’s Pantry Food Bank has increased its food distribution by 42 percent since the 2006 report.

Hunger in Central and Eastern Kentucky 2010 Report (PDF)

Hunger in Central and Eastern Kentucky 2010 is the first research study to capture the significant connection between the recent economic downturn and an increased need for emergency food assistance. The number of children and adults in need of food as a result of experiencing food insecurity has significantly increased.

In Central and Eastern Kentucky, nearly 3 in 4 client households are experiencing very low food security—or hunger—while 33% of client households have very low food security.

An estimated 15,400 people receive emergency food assistance each week from a food pantry, soup kitchen, or other agency served by God’s Pantry Food Bank. Nationally, more than one in three client households are experiencing very low food security—or hunger—a 54 percent increase in the number of households compared to four years ago.

An estimated 5.7 million people receive emergency food assistance each week from a food pantry, soup kitchen, or other agency served by one of Feeding America’s more than 200 food banks, including God’s Pantry Food Bank. This is a 27 percent increase over numbers reported in Hunger in America 2006, which reported that 4.5 million people were served each week.

“The results of this report are both astonishing and encouraging,” said Marian Guinn, God’s Pantry Food Bank CEO. “To know that we are reaching 1 in 7 people in our 50-county service area encourages us to continue working to reduce hunger. However, this report also shows us that the need for assistance has grown exponentially in the last four years. We know there is still so much more work to be done to improve the quality of life of our neighbors in need.”

Highlights of the report include:

The average annual household income for clients was $13,070 and the average household size was 2.8 people.

27% of households have one or more adults employed.

41.2% of all client households include children and one in every three of those households are single-parent families.

18 percent of client households include someone age 65 or older.

God’s Pantry Food Bank is serving some of the poorest counties in the United States. 12 counties in the food bank’s service area rank in the top 25 poorest in the nation.

The number of homeless clients (8%) doubled from the 2006 report.

“It is morally reprehensible that we live in the wealthiest nation in the world where one in six people are struggling to make choices between food and other basic necessities,” said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America. “These are choices that no one should have to make, but particularly households with children. Insufficient nutrition has adverse effects on the physical, behavioral and mental health, and academic performance of children. It is critical that we ensure that no child goes to bed hungry in America as they truly are our engine of economic growth and future vitality.”

The methodology incorporated into the 2010 study includes data collected from February through June, 2009. God’s Pantry Food Bank conducted face-to-face interviews with 427 people seeking emergency food at food pantries, soup kitchens and other emergency feeding programs, as well as interviews with more than 208 agencies that provide food assistance.

Nationally, Feeding America collected quantitative and qualitative feedback from 61,000 face-to-face in-depth interviews with people seeking emergency food assistance and more than 37,000 agency surveys, making this study the largest, most-comprehensive ever conducted on domestic hunger.

The USDA reported in November 2009 that an estimated 49 million people, including 17 million children, are at risk of hunger in this country. Hunger in America 2010 reinforces the dramatically increasing need for food assistance in the United States.

View the Hunger in America Executive Summary here. (PDF)

Good news for volunteers: You can now turn your service commitment at God’s Pantry Food Bank into a free day of fun at a Disney theme park through the Give a Day, Get A Disney Day program.

“Give a Day. Get a Disney Day.” is a program that celebrates and inspires volunteerism. Disney is working with HandsOn Network to bring you amazing volunteer opportunities to which you can lend your much-needed services. As a way of thanking you for your good work, we’ll give you a free ticket good for one day admission to a Walt Disney World® or Disneyland® theme park.

You may sign up for the program only from this site. As part of the sign up process, you will search and select from a list of eligible volunteer opportunities with participating organizations. After you sign up and complete your chosen volunteer activity, and the HandsOn Network has verified your service, you will receive an email from Disney prompting you to log in to your account and print a vouchers that may be redeemed for your free ticket to a Walt Disney World® or Disneyland® theme park.

God’s Pantry Food Bank is a registered organization with the program and will verify your service time to help you take advantage of this great opportunity.

This March, God’s Pantry Food Bank is recognizing National Nutrition Month® in honor of the more than 49 million Americans that lack access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life. National Nutrition Month® is an education and information campaign promoting nutrition, sponsored annually by the American Dietetic Association (ADA). Every year, God’s Pantry Food Bank provides food assistance to more than 211,000 people in central and eastern Kentucky. More than 60 percent of our client households include children and senior citizens, who are most vulnerable to hunger and in turn, poor nutrition. Last year, God’s Pantry Food Bank distributed three million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to hungry Americans throughout the 50 counties of central and eastern Kentucky it serves.

National Nutrition Month®, initiated in March 1973 by the ADA, as a week-long event, “National Nutrition Week” became a month-long observance in 1980 in response to growing public interest in nutrition. The mission of the ADA “is to promote optimal nutrition and well being for all people by advocating for its members.” ADA is the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals including more than 67,000 members of mostly registered dieticians and dietetic technicians, registered.

National Nutrition Month® activities are carried out at local levels, both large and small for all types of audiences. Since the beginning, an annual theme has been chosen. The theme for 2010 activities is “Nutrition From the Ground Up.”

“National Nutrition Month® presents a wonderful opportunity for God’s Pantry Food Bank to educate and promote its nutrition education programs to the public. This month also allows us to encourage the involvement of more people in helping us promote healthy food choices at our local agencies and the hungry Americans we serve every day,” said Marian Guinn, CEO of God’s Pantry Food Bank.

Thank you to the following volunteer groups for giving of your time and energy in February. Altogether, 163 people served 357 hours in our warehouse alone, at a total value of $7,230 to the food bank. The time spent in our warehouse is an essential part of our operation and we couldn’t do the hard work of feeding hungry families without our dedicated volunteers.

Bourbon County Future Farmers of America
Cub Scout Pack #122
Dinsmore & Shohl, LLC
Immanuel Baptist Church’s 7th Grade Girls Sunday School Class
SAI Center
St. Luke United Methodist Church
Transylvania’s Delta Sigma Phi
UK’s Alpha Phi Omega
UK’s Society of Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration
UK’s Student Dietetics Association

…plus all of the individuals who participated in our Teen Nights!

Thanks to Immanuel Baptist Church’s 7th grade girls Sunday School class for volunteering with us at the end of February. The class, led by Nikole Christensen, helped us re-package a very large donation of GladWare® containers and lids that will soon be made available to agencies. The girls (and one fearless father!) maintained a great attitude about all of the counting and kept up their hard work the entire evening. Thank you!

Sarah Dunson, 12 years old (far left)
Why did you come out to volunteer?
“I never been here before and I wanted to know what happens to the food that people put in the ‘Give Hope’ donation barrels I see all over Lexington.”

Noela Botaka, 13 years old (pictured second from left)
What was your favorite part about volunteering?
“When I got to steal the boxes [my sister] was using for her containers and lids! I got to do something really important and hang out with my friends at the same time.”

Manuela Botaka, 13 years old (pictured second from right)
What did you learn about GPFB that you didn’t know before you came?
“I was surprised by [the number of] hungry people in Kentucky, especially kids my age. I know there are a lot of people in need, but it was crazy to hear that you all gave food to over 210,000 needing help last year.”

More than 27% of God’s Pantry Food Bank client households have one or more adults holding down a full or part-time job and we saw the average annual household income for clients go from $9,500 in 2006 to $13,070 in 2010. While the increase is significant, it is still well below the poverty threshold of $18,310 for a family of three.

This statistic is illustrated by the many people we meet who are working but their paycheck is simply not enough to get by. Allison, a single mother working as a hairstylist at a national discount hair cutting chain, came to our pantry three months in a row after hours were cut due to slow business and she suddenly found herself reaching out for assistance for the first time in her life.

Mike has worked for many years as an auto mechanic at a large national retailer, changing tires and oil and managing to provide for his wife and daughter on a meager hourly wage. But this year’s unexpected addition of a grandchild and the associated medical costs brought him to a pantry for assistance this winter.

As these stories suggest, it can happen to almost anyone. And it happens to people you know.

Would you like to contribute to the fight against hunger? Click here!

While most of Lexington’s college community fled the city for Spring Break and the promise of parties or catching up on sleep, at least one group of students opted for something a little different last month. Transylvania University’s Alternative Spring Break program engages students in a week of community service around the country – this year, in Washington, D.C. But before leaving, ASB spent a day volunteering at sites across Lexington and we were lucky to be one of their choices.

ASB’s service is just the latest example of Transy’s support of God’s Pantry Food Bank. Just this semester, we’ve welcomed the sisters from Alpha Omicron Pi and the brothers from Delta Sigma Phi and Pi Kappa Alpha. And on April 6th, the school’s vibrant Greek community will come together for Campus Sing, an annual food drive that has brought in over 100,000 pounds of food since its inception in 2005.

We applaud Transylvania and its commitment to service and look forward to continuing this partnership! A few of the ASB students reminded us why we are so grateful for the school’s support:

Cody Alton, a sophomore from Corbin, KY, explains why ASB came out to volunteer:
“One of the main reasons was because of your mission statement and that how you work is in line with the mission of the [Alternative Spring Break] trip. We’re working with hunger and homelessness issues, and the lack of food directly correlates with homelessness and poverty. We tried to find an organization along those lines and had a lot of great options like the Hope Center and Lexington Rescue Mission, but God’s Pantry covers such a large area that we felt our time would help more people by volunteering here.”

Bethany Davenport, a first-year from Elizabethtown, KY, shares her favorite part about volunteering:
“I really liked how our group worked together as a team. At the end of our shift, we formed an assembly line to finish sorting the last few crates of food and it made things so much easier. We were able to get through a lot more food and in a shorter amount of time than if we had worked individually.”

Jake Hawkins, a first-year from Princeton, KY, told us what he learned about GPFB that he didn’t know before:
“I saw the scope of items that people donate – like baby food and non-food personal products – and just the magnitude of food you distribute. This isn’t a pantry; it’s a massive warehouse. It made me realize that even though I pledged to lose fifty pounds for the Pound for Pound Challenge [through NBC’s “The Biggest Loser”], an equivalent donation of food is so small in comparison to how much food you all need. That amount would feed a family of four for only three days.”

And the group was surprised by some of the more interesting items they came across while sorting food, including canned cactus, individual vegetable cups (similar to fruit cups), shelf-stable cheese, and hundreds of pounds of cereal!

Thank you to the following volunteer groups for giving of your time and energy in March! Altogether, 188 people served 371 hours in our warehouse alone, at a total value of $7,513 to the food bank. The time spent in our warehouse is an essential part of our operation and we couldn’t do it without our dedicated volunteers!

Central Baptist Church’s Barnabas Class
Lexington South Lions Club
St. Luke United Methodist Church
St. Martha’s Episcopal Church
Temple Adath Israel & Ohavay Zion Synagogue
Transylvania’s Alpha Omicron Pi & Alumnae
Transylvania’s Alternative Spring Break
Transylvania’s Pi Kappa Alpha
UK’s Alpha Phi Omega
UK’s Community Nutrition Class
UK’s Public Health Class for Nurses
UK’s Student Dietetics Association

…plus all of the individuals who participated in our Family Night and Teen Nights!

Volunteer Drivers Needed

We are looking for volunteer truck drivers to assist with a new program we have recently begun. Drivers would volunteer one day a month to take a pre-loaded truck to one of our underserved counties. There the volunteer would help site volunteers unload product. The driver would remain at the site during distribution and then load up any leftover product and drive back to our warehouse. Drivers could bring a friend to ride along.

Drivers must be 18 years or older and be responsible. A background and driving record check will be conducted for all volunteer drivers. Volunteers will need to lift up to 50 pounds.

Volunteers are needed on the following days and times:

The second Friday of every month (total time commitment is 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.)
The fourth Friday of every month (total time commitment is 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.)
The third Tuesday of every month (total time commitment is 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.)

We are also looking for drivers to serve as backups to our regular drivers. Regular routes include those listed above and ones on the third and fourth Thursdays , the fourth Tuesday and the fourth Wednesday of every month.

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Danielle Tussey at 859-288-5326 or danielle@godspantry.org.

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God’s Pantry Food Bank would like to congratulate our volunteers from St. Luke United Methodist Church for receiving the group award at the United Way of the Bluegrass’s 2010 Central Kentucky Volunteer Awards. Community Services Coordinator Linda Lancaster attended the awards ceremony on Tuesday, April 20 along with volunteers Lorraine Waun, Gil and Connie Rouse, Lonnie and Betty Yates, and Richard Rousseau.

God’s Pantry nominated St. Luke because of their indispensable support of our mission to reduce hunger in Central and Eastern Kentucky. St. Luke hosts one of our six emergency food distribution sites in Lexington, supported by approximately 35 volunteers from the church and community. The pantry is open every weekday and served approximately 3,500 households last year. St. Luke is in the process of becoming our newest distribution site for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program for senior citizens and the Kids Cafe program. Additionally, a dedicated group of volunteers from the church comes to our warehouse several times a month, sorting food donations that are to be distributed to each of the Fayette County pantries.

The volunteers from St. Luke have devoted innumerable hours to making a difference in the lives of those at risk of hunger. They represent the very heart and soul of our organization and we are grateful for their time, energy, and support.

You don’t have to be big to make a big impact. A group of nine children from Waco, Ky., ages 2-8, recently learned firsthand about hunger and took some steps in the fight against it. The “Live Big” Kids all attend College Hill United Methodist Church in Madison County. After seeing television coverage that detailed the latest hunger statistics—like the fact that more than 41% of the households served by God’s Pantry Food Bank include children—they held a “Noisy Bucket” campaign at their church to raise money.

More than $200 later the group wanted to see where their money was going, so they visited God’s Pantry Food Bank on April 23, toured the facility, and presented Development Coordinator Kristin Ingwell Goode with a check. Group organizer Shirley Dezarn said they were particularly impressed with the fact that the food bank is so efficient with donations that it can distribute $10 worth of food for every $1 donation. Thanks to these children and their supportive church members for a great fundraising effort!

The “Live Big" kids from left to right: Dalton Henson, Hayden Haselwood, Samuel Arthur, Austin Henson, Erin Linn, Zack Haselwood, Abby Hill, Emma Haselwood, and Karli Hill.

You can help make a big impact Thursday and Friday by helping the Christian Broadcasting Group’s Radiothon to support God’s Pantry Food Bank. The goal is to send at least four truckloads of fresh produce to God’s Pantry Food Bank to distribute to the more than 211,000 hungry men, women and children living in our service area.

By partnering with other concerned listeners, 10 donations of $350 will send 40,000 pounds of produce – that’s one semi-truck loaded with vegetables – to God’s Pantry Food Bank. Or make a monthly commitment of just $29 for the next 12 months and you can help fill another truckload to send to the food bank! It’s that easy.

Call 859-288-5323 and make your commitment today!

On Saturday, May 8, Campbell Soup Company will join forces with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) to Stamp Out Hunger! across America in order to provide assistance to the rapidly increasing number of Americans who are struggling with hunger.

Now in its 18th year, the Stamp Out Hunger! effort is the nation’s largest single-day food drive. In 2010, drive organizers hope to exceed last year’s record-setting total of 73.4 million pounds of donated food, as well as surpass one billion pounds of food collected over the history of the drive.

Unfortunately, despite the generosity of millions of Americans who have supported the letter carriers’ food drive in previous years, the need for food assistance has never been greater. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual study measuring food security in the United States, the number of Americans living in food insecure homes increased from 36.2 million in 2007, to 49.1 million in 2008. Perhaps most alarming, of this total, approximately one in four is a child (16.7 million).

To help Stamp Out Hunger! this year, simply leave a sturdy bag containing non-perishable foods, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, pasta, rice or cereal next to your mailbox prior to the time of regular mail delivery on Saturday, May 8. Food items should be in non-breakable containers, such as boxes and cans. The nation’s 230,000 letter carriers will then collect the donations as they deliver the mail and take them to food banks and other hunger relief organizations in more than 10,000 local communities.

For more information about the annual Stamp Out Hunger! effort in your community, ask your letter carrier, contact your local post office, visit either www.helpstampouthunger.com or www.facebook.com/StampOutHunger, or follow the drive at www.twitter.com/StampOutHunger.

Employees from Valvoline’s global products department stopped by on April 16 to sort food donations that were to be distributed to our six emergency food pantries in Lexington. This enthusiastic, high-energy group worked so fast that we actually asked them to slow down so the next few volunteer groups would still have work to do!

A few of the volunteers also donned gloves to clean hundreds of cans of vegetables that were “rescued” after a recent traffic accident involving an overturned tractor trailer. Food banks like God’s Pantry are in a unique position to accept cosmetically imperfect food products that would otherwise be discarded. However, we can do so only with the help of volunteers like these from Valvoline who improve the condition of the cans before distribution to clients.

Todd Graybeal, vice president of global products, explained why he spearheaded this volunteer project.

“It’s always good to get a couple of hours away from the office together as a team,” Graybeal said.

“We have a great time and it’s good for our team building," Anne Fitch added. "We’re supporting a great cause and making a difference.”

William Lyons shared that his interest in volunteering is rooted in his desire to “help others in need and the feeling of giving back.”

Mark Koenig, director of global products, left knowing more about God’s Pantry Food Bank than he did when he arrived.

“I learned that food donations are down in the spring and summer," Koenig said. "Unfortunately, this is also the time when demand goes up, in part because kids who would normally get free or reduced lunch aren’t in school [and have to rely on programs like Kids Cafe].”

And some of the most interesting items they came across while sorting food? Cottage cheese dumplings, nutritional supplements, cookie mix, canned Indian dessert gulab tamun.

Thank you to the following volunteer groups for giving of your time and energy in April! Altogether, 167 people served 344 hours in our warehouse alone, at a total value of $7.172 to the food bank. The time spent in our warehouse is an essential part of our operation and we couldn’t do it without our dedicated volunteers!

Central Baptist Church’s Barnabas Class

Christian Student Fellowship

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP

Frankfort-Lexington Association of Ghanaians

Lafayette High School’s Teen Board

SAI Center

St. Luke United Methodist Church

St. Martha’s Episcopal Church

Temple Adath Israel & Ohavay Zion Synagogue

UK’s Advising Network

UK’s Alpha Phi Omega

UK’s History Graduate Student Association

UK’s Student Dietetics Association

Valvoline Employees

…plus all of the local high school students who participated in our Teen Nights!

Tickets for the 30th annual Taste of the Bluegrass are on sale now at all Lexington Liquor Barn, Kroger, Central Bank and Joseph-Beth Booksellers locations. The event is Friday, May 21 at 7 p.m. at Keeneland’s Keene Barn and Entertainment Center. And new this year is the option to buy your Taste of the Bluegrass tickets online!!

This year’s Taste is presented by Quantrell Auto Group, with sponsorship from Central Bank, Kentucky Proud, Kentucky Utilities, Dinsmore &Shohl, Forcht Bank, Kroger and M&M Sanitation.

The longtime Lexington tradition again features extended hours (7-11 p.m.) and the entertainment of local band Caught Red Handed in the Kentucky Proud Pavilion. Taste of the Bluegrass annually features great local restaurants and beverage distributors sharing their signature dishes and beverages and a silent auction. The event is co-hosted by God’s Pantry Food Bank and the Bluegrass Chapter of the Kentucky Restaurant Association.

Restaurants participating in this year’s event are:
Abuelo’s Mexican Food Embassy; American Culinary Federation; Baby Cakes Cupcakes; bd’s Mongolian Grill; Blue Bell Creameries; Dad’s Favorites; deSha’s Restaurant; The Fresh Market; Furlong’s; Good Foods; Great Harvest Bread Company; Guiseppe’s Ristorante Italiano; Hilton Suites of Lexington Green; Historic Boone Tavern; Holly Hill Inn; Jewel’s Southern Comfort; JW’s Steakhouse; Kern’s Kitchen; Kroger; Louisiana Passion; The Melting Pot; Nova’s Gourmet; Old Talbott Tavern; The Pub; Rossi’s; Sapori D’Italia; The Sugar Forest; Three Suns Bistro; Tinker’s Cake Shop; Triangle Grille and Turf Catering.

Beverage distributors lined up for the event are:
Acres of Land Winery; Alltech’s Lexington Brewing Company; Buffalo Trace Distillery; Chrisman Mill Vineyards; Clark Distributing; Coca-Cola; Elk Creek Vineyards; Equus Run Vineyard; Four Roses Bourbon; Heidelberg Distributing; john conti Coffee; Kentucky Eagle Beer; Lover’s Leap Winery; Maker’s Mark; MonTea; Pepsi Cola of Lexington; Rooibee Red Tea; and Southern Wine & Spirits.

The event includes a large silent auction with packages sure to appeal to everyone.

A limited number of reserved tables with seating for 10 people are available for $1000. For more information, contact Susie Basham at 859-288-5332.

Tickets are $65 per person ($40 of which is tax deductible and the price includes alcoholic beverages.) Tickets must be purchased in advance. Please call God’s Pantry Food Bank at 859-255-6592 for more information.

Give Blood!
Save Lives and Help God’s Pantry Food Bank!

S&S Tire is giving away $15,000 to motivate charities to recruit blood donors in May! We’re competing to get the most donors. Help us win! Mention God’s Pantry Food Bank when you
register to donate.

Find a donation location near you and/or make an appointment to donate by visiting:“kybloodcenter.org/schedule.php”

The finest food and drinks in Central Kentucky were represented this past weekend at the 30th annual Taste of the Bluegrass, presented by God’s Pantry Food Bank and the Kentucky Restaurant Association’s Bluegrass Chapter. Winners were selected in nine categories in both a Judges’ Best and a People’s Choice vote.
This year’s Judges’ Best winners included a Best Entrée win for Giuseppe’s Ristorante Italiano’s Lobster Gnocchi Gratin. Louisiana Passion took home Best Appetizer/Soup for its Crawfish and Corn Bisque. Great Harvest Bread’s Flax Oat Bran Bread was picked as Best Bread and Three Suns Bistro took home Best Salad honors for its Summer Salad with Fruit and Honey Vinaigrette.

This year’s Best Dessert was The Sugar Forest’s Champagne Cake with Hazelnut Filling and Best Non-Alcoholic Beverage went to Rooibee Red Tea for its Watermelon Mint Tea. The Best Beer was given to Kentucky Eagle, Inc. for the Erie Brewing Company Railbender and Buffalo Trace Distillery took home Best Liquor for its Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Lovers Leap Winery took home Best Wine for its Blanc-a-Rita in the judges’ vote.

Judges for this year’s contest included WDKY-TV’s Marvin Bartlett and Jennifer Palumbo, WLEX-TV’s Jackie Congedo, Stacy Ellison from WKYT-TV and Cate Slattery from WTVQ-TV. Radio personalities “Dead Air” Dennis Dillon (WKQQ), Traci James (Mix 94.5), Dave “Kruser” Krusenklaus (WVLK), DeAnn Stephens (98.1 The Bull), Twitch (Z Rock 103.3) and John Wells (Central Kentucky’s Christian Radio) were on hand tasting and rating. Mike Doyle and Gene Guinn from Clear Channel Radio, and Linda Hinchcliffe from Business Lexington rounded out the panel. The threat of serious weather kept away WKYT-TV weatherman TG Shuck and WLEX-TV’s Bill Meck.

In the People’s Choice vote, the Crowne Plaza Campbell House won for Best Appetizer/Soup for its Cream of Duck Confit, while Three Suns Bistro took home Best Salad for its Summer Salad with Fruit and Honey Vinaigrette. Great Harvest Bread again took home Best Bread honors for its Flax Out Bran Bread and Abuelo’s Mexican Food Embassy claimed Best Entrée for its Los Mejores del la Casa, an award it has previously won in 2007 and 2008.
Blue Bell Creameries was voted Best Dessert by attendees and Pepsi-Cola was named Best Non-Alcoholic Beverage this year. The Four Roses Distillery Rose-a-Rita was named Best Alcoholic Beverage with previous wins in 2007 and 2008. Turf Catering was named the Best Decorated Food Booth and Four Roses took home another win for Best Decorated Beverage Booth.

This year’s event included the addition of two new people’s choice awards – the Best Kentucky Proud Food Award and the Best Kentucky Proud Beverage Award. The selection list included items from Kentucky Proud partners who entered a menu item in the category. This year’s Best Kentucky Proud Food Award was the Asiago with Sun-Dried Tomato Spread from Dad’s Favorites and the Best Kentucky Proud Beverage Award went to Lover’s Leap Winery for its Peach Bellini.

Denile Hill of Lexington was the winner of the door prize drawing this year, receiving gift certificates for dinner at Lexington’s best restaurants.

More than 1,600 people attended this year’s event, held at the Keene Barn and Entertainment Center at Keeneland.

God’s Pantry Food Bank like to send a very special thank you out to the “Acts in Life” life group from Southland Christian Church for volunteering with us at the beginning of May. Their group also has volunteered with a number of other nonprofit organizations in the community such as Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Bluegrass, Habitat for Humanity, and the Epilepsy Foundation of Kentuckiana.

One of the volunteers, Dan Sullivan, told us why they came out to volunteer. “God’s Pantry Food Bank is an awesome ministry that we want to support and we’re always looking for good organizations to give our time and energy to,” Sullivan said.

Gary Overall shared that his favorite part about volunteering was spending time with the life group. “I really liked working with our group – getting to enjoy some fellowship together," Overall said. "Plus, the activity was organized really well so there was no idle time. We really felt like we accomplished a lot as a group.”

But before getting started with their volunteer time, the life group learned more about the history and mission of God’s Pantry Food Bank. Some of this information proved surprising to a few people in the group.

Mark Bowling said, "I didn’t know that [GPFB] serves so many hundreds of smaller agencies and programs. This is really more of a distribution center, compared to what most people probably think of as a small food pantry.”

Sheri Sullivan added that she didn’t realize that the six emergency food pantries in Fayette County run very low on food during the summer months. Concerned citizens can help increase the supply of food to the pantries by organizing food drives or simply depositing food in the donation barrels at all area Kroger stores. All food donations made in Lexington go to the Lexington pantries.

Some of the most interesting items they came across while sorting food included salsa, coconut water, and lots of chocolates and candy. We can’t really explain the coconut water, but the candy isn’t all too surprising around this time of year. Thanks to our retail store program with participating Kroger and Wal-Mart stores, God’s Pantry Food Bank is in a unique position to accept leftover/excess food product that has been marketed toward specific holidays, movies, etc. So when the Southland Life Group was here, there was a lot of Easter candy floating around our warehouse. They were good sports about it, though it did seem to make them pretty hungry!

Senior Citizen Distribution Volunteers

We are looking for volunteers to distribute Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) boxes at the Emerson Center in Lexington one day each month (The distribution is during working hours on a weekday.). We need 2-3 people to assist with a small distribution of 48 boxes. The labor is light and the total time commitment is approximately two hours every month. If you are interested, please contact Sarah Hart at 859-288-5331.

Broadway Christian Church Pantry Volunteers

Date: Once a week commitment (long-term) needed, beginning June 1.
Time: 12:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Location: Broadway Christian Church, 185 N. Broadway, Lexington.
Number of Volunteers Needed: At least 10
Minimum Age Requirement: 18 years old and up
Specific Requirements: We are currently looking to staff a new afternoon pantry shift at our Broadway Christian church emergency food pantry. We are looking for individuals who can make a long-term commitment to a particular shift as consistency in staffing the pantries is important. Must provide own transportation to the pantry site; may require lifting up to 40 lb. boxes.

Volunteers will check clients in at pantry, guide clients in their food selections, shelf food and do regular cleanup and trash removal at the pantry.

For more information, contact Linda Lancaster at 859-288-5319.

Thank you to the following volunteer groups for giving of your time and energy in May! Altogether, 126 people served 288 hours in our warehouse alone, at a total value of $6,005 to the food bank. The time spent in our warehouse is an essential part of our operation and we couldn’t do it without our dedicated volunteers.

Central Baptist Church’s Barnabas Class

Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP

Lafayette High School’s Teen Board

Lexington South Lions Club

Southland Christian Church’s “Acts in Life” Life Group

St. Luke United Methodist Church

St. Martha’s Episcopal Church

St. Peter & St. Paul School’s Y Club

Temple Adath Israel & Ohavay Zion Synagogue

Young Life

…plus all of the volunteers with this month’s Family Night and the final Teen Night of the school year!

School may be taking a summer holiday but hunger doesn’t. God’s Pantry Food Bank is working to make sure that no children in Fayette County go hungry while school is closed this summer by participating in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).

The Summer Food Service Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is the largest federal resource available for local programs that combine mealtime with recreational and educational activities.

“Many school – aged children who receive free and reduced price meals during the school year do not get enough to eat when school is out,” said Marian Guinn, chief executive officer for God’s Pantry Food Bank. “Through participation in the Summer Food Service Program, God’s Pantry Food Bank can expand the free meals offered at our Kids Cafe sites in order to make sure children have access to nutritious meals through the summer months.”

Children 18 years and younger can get free meals at any of these locations:

West End Community Empowerment Project
498 Georgetown St. Lexington, Ky. 40508
6/7/2010 – 8/9/2010
Monday – Friday
Breakfast: 7:30am – 8:30am
Lunch: 12:00pm – 1:00pm

The Rock LaRoca United Methodist Church
1015 North Limestone Lexington, Ky. 40508
6/15/2010 – 8/9/2010
Tuesday, Thursday – lunch – 12:00pm – 12:30pm
Wednesday – supper – 5:30pm – 6:30pm

East Seventh St. Community Center
240 East Seventh St. Lexington, Ky. 40508
6/7/2010 – 8/9/2010
Monday – Friday
Supper: 4:00pm – 6:00pm

Shiloh Baptist Church VBS Program
237 E. Fifth St. Lexington, Ky. 40508
6/14/2010 – 6/18/2010
Monday – Friday
Supper 5:00pm – 6:00pm

Consolidated Baptist Church
1625 Russell Cave Rd. Lexington, Ky. 40505
6/21/2010 – 8/6/2010
Monday – Friday
Breakfast – 7:30am – 8:15am
Lunch – 12:00 pm – 1:35pm

Manchester Center
522 Patterson St. Lexington, Ky. 40508
6/7/2010 – 8/10/2010
Monday – Friday
Breakfast – 8:00am – 9:00am
Lunch – 12:00pm – 1:30pm

God’s Pantry expects to serve more than 10,000 meals through our SFSP sponsored programs this summer.

God’s Pantry Food Bank is seeking a Development Coordinator to oversee the Major Gifts Program and to work as an integral part of the development team. This person must be highly motivated and outgoing. Exceptional people and relationship skills are necessary. Proficiency in Microsoft applications, good communication skills, attention to detail is critical. Flexibility and ability to juggle multiple tasks is a must. This person must work well in a team atmosphere and be dedicated to the mission of God’s Pantry Food Bank; and share a concern for the issues of hunger and poverty and their solutions. The position involves light to moderate lifting. Access to vehicle and good driving record is required. Must be available some evenings and weekends.

Interested persons should mail or email their resume to:
Rebecca Wallace
Development Director
God’s Pantry Food Bank
1685 Jaggie Fox Way
Lexington, KY 40511

rwallace@godspantry.org

View the complete job description here. (PDF)

More than 20 percent of children in Kentucky are experiencing food insecurity, according to new research released today by Feeding America and funded by the ConAgra Foods Foundation, Feeding America’s Leadership Partner in the Fight to End Child Hunger.

Child Food Insecurity in the United States: 2006-2008 reveals more than 201,000 Kentucky children are food insecure, a number which ranks 16th nationally.

“The numbers from this report are startling to many,” said Marian Guinn, the food bank’s chief executive officer. “Sadly, though, this news comes as no surprise to the countless people working in our industry, including thousands of volunteers in our service area working with our nonprofit partner agencies. We know that more than 41% of client households served by our food bank include a child. In a country as rich as America, it is astounding that a child could go to bed at night hungry.”

The study also reveals regional data on food insecurity for children under the age of 5. In the South, more than one in five children or nearly 22 percent of young children are food insecure – the highest rate in the nation. The Western region of the country has the second highest rate of young child food insecurity at nearly one in five, or 19.6 percent. The Midwest has a rate of more than one in six, or 18.6 percent; and the Northeast has a rate of nearly one in seven, or 13.7 percent.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) releases an annual report on the state of food insecurity in the United States, which focuses on the general population in each state. This new report delves deeper into the data in order to bring the child hunger statistics to the forefront.

While the recent 2009 USDA food insecurity report revealed that nationally, nearly one in four children is food insecure, determining detailed, state-level estimates on child food insecurity requires looking at a three-year average to increase accuracy and reliability. Though high, these estimates are expected to rise over the coming years as the full impact of the economic downturn is taken into account.

Through the support of the ConAgra Foods Foundation, Feeding America contracted nationally-recognized researcher John Cook, Ph.D. to analyze the USDA’s food insecurity raw data in order to provide state-level child food insecurity estimates.

“Research over the past 12 years shows conclusively that food insecurity and hunger are serious threats to children’s health, growth and development, and may even harm young children’s brain architecture,” Cook said.

“This report demonstrates the crisis that our country continues to face at the local level,” said Vicki Escarra, President and CEO of Feeding America. “The fight against hunger is more important than ever. We thank our longtime partners at the ConAgra Foods Foundation for their ongoing support in the fight against child hunger and their commitment to funding critical research, such as this study by Dr. Cook. The data underscores the critical importance of passing the new Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act. We are committed to putting an end to child hunger.”

The ConAgra Foods Foundation has been a dedicated partner of Feeding America for more than 15 years, providing both food and funds in the fight against hunger. ConAgra Foods recently committed $10 million over five years to fight child hunger with Feeding America. This is the largest donation in Feeding America’s history specifically designated to support the fight against child hunger.

“We’re dedicated to helping solve childhood hunger, but to do so we must first understand the need. That’s why the ConAgra Foods Foundation funded this study with Feeding America and Dr. Cook,” said Kori Reed, Executive Director, ConAgra Foods Foundation. “Knowing where children are most in need of our support will allow us to better direct our funding and resources to provide the most relief. It will also bring all of us one step closer to ending child hunger in America.”

The full report, including a complete list of all 50 states, is available here.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will join forces with Lexington Residents to collect non-perishable food items for God’s Pantry Food Bank, Friday, July 9th from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. outside the Rupp Arena box office on High Street.

Everyone who donates at least five (5) non-perishable food items to God’s Pantry will receive one FREE pass (limit two passes per family) to the performance of their choice during the August 27 – 29 event. Patrons are encouraged to exchange vouchers early for best seat availability.

While the summer brings sounds of carefree children playing in the neighborhood, for many children and low-income families, the summer brings stress and uncertainty. For many Kentucky families relying on free and reduced lunches at school, the close of the school year means another stress on an already tight budget. When coupled with the fact that food donations are typically down in the summer months, it’s easy to see the strain that local food banks go through during the summertime.

In an effort to support the community and God’s Pantry, which serves needy families in 50 counties of central and eastern Kentucky, Ringling Bros. wants to reward families for helping others.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents ZING ZANG ZOOM opens Friday, August 27th and plays through Sunday, August 29th at Rupp Arena. Tickets go on sale at the Rupp Arena Box Office and All Ticketmaster locations on Friday, July 9 at 10 a.m.

Stella Parks and her husband, John, were already financial supporters of God’s Pantry Food Bank when they received a pot of mums in gratitude of their contributions. But the flowers weren’t the only things blossoming. So was a friendship between Stella and the flower delivery person: development coordinator Kristin Ingwell Goode.When some free time opened up in Stella’s schedule a few months ago, she asked Kristin about volunteering and soon thereafter was coming in every Wednesday afternoon to work in Central Intake.

Stella keeps busy by answering phone calls from social workers and representatives of human service organizations around Lexington who arrange food assistance for their clients. Most clients visit one of the five emergency food pantries the same day as they receive their referral, so it is important that ample central intake volunteers be on hand during referral hours.

“It’s very simple work,” Stella says, “but all of those phone calls would fall into the busy laps of others at the food bank if there weren’t extra people to answer the phone. So by just sitting at a desk for two hours and taking a few calls, I feel like I’m freeing up others to have that uninterrupted time.”

Stella even goes above and beyond what is asked of her as a volunteer. It is well-known throughout the office that when Stella is not volunteering in Central Intake, she’s working as a pastry chef at Holly Hill Inn (dearly loved by Taste of the Bluegrass aficionados). Stella jokes that her first “mistake” was bringing in cookies or cupcakes to share with the staff. Now, people routinely remind her that “if I have any ‘extras,’ I shouldn’t forget to bring them with me on Wednesdays. I won’t name names, but some people have discreetly reminded me of their favorite flavors for ‘next time.’”

Nonetheless, the value of volunteering doesn’t stop with benefits to the food bank. Stella explains that volunteering “makes me feel connected to a larger community of people in Central Kentucky. It has been very sobering to gain some insight into some of the people who need food assistance – especially to see how many people are not ‘regulars’ and have only received food assistance a few times before, if at all.”

Individuals interested in volunteering in central intake may e-mail Linda@godspantry.org. With any luck, you might get to sample some of Stella’s sweet treats, too! To schedule a volunteer opportunity for your group, family, or teenager, please e-mail mandy@godspantry.org.

Thank You to our June Volunteers!

Thank you to the following volunteer groups for giving of your time and energy during the very hot month of June! Altogether, 176 people served 394 hours in our warehouse alone, at a total value of $8,215 to the food bank. The time spent in our warehouse is an essential part of our operation and we couldn’t do it without our dedicated volunteers.

BCTC’s Educational Talent Search Camp

Central Baptist Church’s Barnabas Class

Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP

Eastland Church of God

Lexington Clinic’s “Helping Hands” Team

Maxwell Street Presbyterian Church’s Urban Work Camp

Rosemont Baptist Church’s VBS Youth

SAI Center

St. Luke United Methodist Church

Temple Adath Israel & Ohavay Zion Synagogue

Word of Hope Lutheran Church Youth

Young Life