CoBank Fights Hunger Nationally

We are SO grateful to be partnered with the generous folks at CoBank.  Check out what they're doing to fight hunger on a national level!  Special thanks to our Board of Director Chair, Amy Diaz of CoBank, for her involvement in our mission of fighting hunger and feeding hope.   

 

 

Feeding America Announces $1M Donation From CoBank
09/2012, The Sacramento Bee

Feeding America, the nation's leading anti-hunger organization made up of over 200 food banks nationwide, is pleased to announce a $1,000,000 donation from CoBank, one of the nation's largest agribusiness lenders. The money will go to help food banks deal with the pending high food prices as a result of this summer's drought and help bring food to those in need in already devastated areas.

The CoBank funds will be distributed directly to food banks in areas where the bank and its affiliated Farm Credit associations have operations including rural communities. Rural communities are among the hardest hit when it comes to food insecurity. According to the US Department of Agriculture 15.4% of the food insecure households are in rural areas.  And for many of those residents, having access to affordable food can be difficult.

"For many people, any increase in the cost of food can have a devastating effect on the family budget," said Matt Knott, interim President and CEO of Feeding America. "And that's the same for many of our food banks - any increase in food prices can result in increased food costs for our food banks that could result in budgets being stretched."
The donation from CoBank will help improve the ability of the selected food banks to expand access to food for children, families and seniors in the communities that they serve.

"One of the unfortunate side effects of the drought has been a growing concern over increasing prices for a variety of food products at a time when unemployment remains stubbornly high," said Robert B. Engel, CoBank's president and chief executive officer. "We want to do our part to alleviate the downside effects of a weak economic recovery coupled with potentially higher food prices, particularly on the poor. We're pleased to be able to underwrite Feeding America with this contribution and support their work on behalf of needy people across the country."

The donation by CoBank is especially critical following the release of new food insecurity numbers released recently by the US Department of Agriculture that found 14.9 percent of Americans - or 1 in 6 - lives in a household that is at risk of hunger. Nationally, that's 50 million people, including nearly 17 million children.

CoBank is a $90 billion cooperative bank serving vital industries across rural America. The bank provides loans, leases, export financing and other financial services to agribusinesses and rural power, water and communications providers in all 50 states. The bank also provides wholesale loans and other financial services to affiliated Farm Credit associations serving more than 70,000 farmers, ranchers and other rural borrowers in 23 states around the country. CoBank is a member of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of banks and retail lending associations chartered to support the borrowing needs of U.S. agriculture and the nation's rural economy.

 

Our friends at CoBank have signed on as one of our presenting sponsors at the Joe and Debbie Sakic Bringing Hope to the Table Celebration for the past 3 years and have agreed to commit to this sponsorship level through 2015!  Pictured above is the CoBank team at last year's Sakic event.   

Kris and Jorden

Kris and Jorden are students at a local school in Denver.  What you wouldn’t know by looking at their beautiful smiles is that food isn’t easy to come by.  Their mom was in a car accident, injuring her arm.  She hasn’t been able to work, which has been hard on the family. 

Krist explains, "As long as I have my mom, dad and Jorden, that's all I really need.  It makes me sad not to have enough money to buy everything we need and it makes me want to help, but Mom tells me to focus on my education.  That's my most important job." 

Chris and Jorden go to a FBR sponsored meal site every day, knowing they’ll have a healthy, hot lunch waiting for them.  And they know they’ll receive a healthy snack after school, enabling them to focus on homework.  Their mom and dad have one less worry on their plate.   

Little Person Making a Big Difference

Cesar was having a birthday party and rather than accepting gifts for himself, he asked his friends to bring non-perishable food items to donate to his neighbors in need.  He and his mom delivered 93 pounds of food to us on a summer morning.  Cesar reminds us just how great an impact one little person can have.

Faces of Food Bank: Doyle

 

 

Doyle came out of retirement and joined the food bank family as the master of accounts receivable, reconciling donations and deposits and disbursement and reconciling the important petty cash fund.  Doyle didn’t envision himself as a numbers man growing up, but his Formula 1 racing dreams didn’t exactly pan out.  Some of Doyle’s very favorite things are Italian food, sleeping in and the beautiful Colorado climate.  You can find Doyle in his little corner on our first floor.     

A Message From Governor Hickenlooper

 

September 1, 2012

 

Throughout September, anti-hunger networks and community providers across the country will be urging people to speak out against hunger in our country.  There are currently around 49 million Americans who struggle with hunger and its vast implications.  The challenges that so many of these people face often go unheard and therefore unmet.  Speaking out against hunger is a powerful action that we can take to help out friends and neighbors who struggle with food insecurity. 

 

Here in Colorado, childhood hunger is a dire and growing problem.  One in every 4.5 families with children in Colorado reported difficulty in paying for food last year.  The lack of nutrition that these children struggle with affects not only their health but their ability to grow, learn, and succeed in school and elsewhere.  Hunger and malnutrition also leads to higher rates of chronic illness, depression, and emotional problems.  It leads to higher dropout rates and lessens children's ability to participate in sports and other health and enriching activities.  Malnutrition amongst children deeply affects their development.  Therefore, it demands our immediate concern and attention.

 

In combating this grim situation, we at the Colorado State Capitol, in partnership with Hunger Free Colorado and Share Our Strength, are more than half way into the No Kid Hungry Colorado Campaign.  This campaign seeks to end childhood hunger in Colorado by 2015.  Colorado communities have local champions at several levels; organizations like Food Bank of the Rockies play a vital role in addressing these issues and helping to connect families with several avenues to ensure healthy and nutritious foods are accessible.  Much has been accomplished and many milestones have been met throughout this campaign.  But more must be done. 

 

No Kid Hungry Colorado has made enormous strides in connecting children to sources of nutritious meals at schools, libraries, churches, summer camps, community centers, and elsewhere.  We are serving a growing number of healthy meals to children year round as well as educating them and their families on how to eat healthier.  Furthermore, we have engaged several layers of outreach to provide easier access to federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).  No Kid Hungry Colorado is actively striving to make it easier on families to obtain a healthy meal for their children and improve the well-being of their entire family. 

 

We in Colorado firmly understand the notion that one cannot look at the three issues of hunger, housing, and literacy separately.  These three issues are interconnected and inseparable.  Therefore, for the first time this past summer, we sent trained volunteers to various summer food sites to serve as a resource guide for families that may be eligible for federal and state benefits.  Our volunteers were able to assist families by making them aware of certain benefits, directing them towards applications, and in some cases, even sitting down with them to help begin an online application.  By connecting people with housing and food assistance, we are simultaneously stimulating the economy as well.  The Food Resource and Action Center reports that for every one dollar a SNAP recipient spends, there is an economic benefit of $1.73.  We are very proud of the successes that this new program was able to achieve and look forward to building on these successes in the future. 

 

Although our efforts have been fruitful, there is still much more that needs to be accomplished.  Participating in Hunger Action Month is one of the many ways that we can keep this conversation going so that communities can come together to address the issue.  By committing our voices to this cause throughout the month of September, we can unite to create positive change surrounding this critical problem.  

 

Governor John W. Hickenlooper  

Put On Your Running Shoes!

Panera Bread's sixth annual Panerathon 5K and 10K to Fight Hunger is coming up quickly! On Sunday, September 16 the event will take place at the Panera Bread in the Shops at Walnut Creek, located at 10450 Towncenter Drive in Westminster, Colorado. Races include a 5K walk/run and 10K run starting at 8:00 a.m. that wind through the Westminster Trail System, as well as an eighth-mile Panera Bread Kids Fun Run at 7:45 a.m. All proceeds will benefit us!

Last year nearly 900 runners participated in the Westminster Panerathon and raised $11,746, yielding more nearly 47,000 meals for Coloradans in need of food. This year’s event aims to raise $15,000-$20,000 for our hungry neighbors.

“With so many of our neighbors seeking food assistance, Colorado’s hunger relief programs rely on support from Food Bank of the Rockies and the community,” said Kevin Seggelke, President and CEO, Food Bank of the Rockies. “Hunger relief is a year-round struggle and we appreciate Panera Bread’s partnership and commitment to fighting hunger and feeding hope through its annual Panerathon.”

Participants will receive an event t-shirt, goody bag, and timing chip on race day. Custom certificates and gift cards from Panera Bread and Road Runner Sports will be given to the top overall male and female finishers in the 5K and 10K. Participants and their families are invited to enjoy the post-race expo, including activities for the entire family and Panera’s complimentary freshly baked bagels, pastries and sandwiches.

“Panera Bread is committed to supporting our local communities and the fight against hunger,” said Craig Flom, President of Breads of the World, LLC, franchisee of Panera Bread in Colorado.“We encourage runners and walkers of all ages and abilities to join us for the Panerathon 5K/10K and help support Food Bank of the Rockies.”

The 5K and 10K registration fee for an individual is $30 pre-race and $40 on race day. The youth (17 years old and younger) and senior (60 years old and over) registration fees are $25 pre-race and $35 on race day. The pre-race registration fee is $20/person for teams of 10 or more, and $30/person for teams of 10 or more on race day. For more information and to register, visit www.Panerathon.com.

Hope to see you and your family (and even your dog) there!

 

 

 

Produce, Produce, Produce!

The United States Department of Agriculture recently awarded a Senior Farmer's Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) grant to the Colorado Department of Human Services to provide fresh produce for 1,000 low-income seniors.  These groups teamed up with FBR on August 18 to distribute locally grown fruit stand vegetables from local growers to Colorado seniors as a result of this first time grant.  In 2011, 51 State agencies received grants to operate the SFMNP. We were thrilled to be added as a recipient this year.  Nutrition education and information was also provided to senior recipients, encouraging seniors to improve and expand their diets through produce items.  

 

Included in each box was watermelon, cantaloupe, two cucumbers, yellow squash, green peppers, head of cabbage, three one pound bags of carrots, one three pound bag of onions, six ears of corn, one acorn squash, a five pound bag of potatoes, six peaches and one bundle each of green leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce and fresh spinach.     

 

It was awesome to see so many of our neighbors in need being provided with healthy produce that is so often too expensive to purchase!  We hope to receive this grant again next year!