The Latest Information on Summer Meals

March 28, 2011 Spring is in the air – and summer is fast approaching! Last year only 11% of Washington kids who counted on free/reduced price meals during the school year had summer meals. Please help kids get healthy meals every day, all year round, by expanding the federal Summer Food Service Program in your community. Know the Summer Meals experts in your community If you want to support or start a Summer Meals program, click here and get to know which schools and organizations sponsored sites in your community last year. Contact them now to learn what works and how to work together this summer. To learn more about bringing a new sponsor or site to your community, please contact our favorite experts at OSPI Child Nutrition Services: Nancy Van’t Hul (360) 725-6222 or Donna Parsons (360) 725-6220 Starting new Summer Meal sites in your community Eligible summer meal sites are in areas where more than half the kids are enrolled in free or reduced-price meals at school or where more than half an area’s residents are low-income. Click here to find out which schools can qualify as a Summer Meal site in your community this summer. To learn more about being a sponsor or a site, check out Food Lifeline’s 2011 Washington Summer Meals Guide. Mark your calendars! Summer Meals grant opportunities - Deadlines are soon! Review the guidelines and timelines for funding to start, support, or expand your summer program. Feed Your Brain grants (School’s Out Washington): For rural communities with literacy programs; closes April 1 2011 Summer Food Support Grants (Partners for Hunger-Free Oregon) : For Clark County only; please contact them for more information before submitting application. Closes April 22. City of Seattle application to be a Summer Meals site – If you are in or near the city of Seattle, applications to become a site are due on April 1. Click here for application information or contact Javier Pulido (206) 386-1140 Yakima Summer Meals Community Meeting (Wed., April 6, 11am – 12:30pm) - Join a community discussion about expanding and supporting Summer Meals in the Yakima area. Meeting will be at: Yakima School District Conference Rm - 104 North 4th Ave., Yakima, WA. Brown Bag lunch; drinks and dessert will be provided. Please RSVP to Elise DeGooyer, Northwest Harvest: or call (206) 923-7423. OSPI’s sponsor training dates and Letter of Intent to Participate - If you plan to sponsor a Summer Meals Program, you must attend one of OSPI’s Simplified Summer Food Program (Summer Meals) trainings AND complete a 2011 Letter of Intent to initiate the application process. Learn more from OSPI about being a sponsor Required Training for Summer Meals Sponsors - dates & locations Letter of Intent to Participate as a Summer Meals Sponsor For more information, contact Nancy Van’t Hul at OSPI (360) 725-6222 The WA Summer Meals Partnership sends periodic newsletters to keep statewide partners up-to-date on the latest information about the Summer Meals Program.

Press Release from Food Lifeline on New Meal Gap Study

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UNPRECEDENTED NEW STUDY PAINTS A DETAILED PORTRAIT OF FOOD INSECURITY IN WESTERN WASHINGTON

Western Washington cost per meal 8 cents higher than national average

{Seattle--- March 23, 2011}--- Food Lifeline and Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, today released a landmark study, “Map the Meal Gap,” providing the first county by county look at key factors affecting hungry families in Western Washington.

Map the Meal Gap provides the following data for every county and congressional district in Western Washington and in the United States in an interactive map format:

ü The percentage of the Western Washington population by county who is food insecure, meaning that they are unsure of where their next meal will come from.

ü The percentage of the food insecure population in Western Washington by county who do not qualify for federal nutrition programs and often must rely on assistance of organizations like Food Lifeline and who also need better wages and employment opportunities to help them meet their families’ basic needs.

ü The average price per meal in Western Washington by county based on new research by The Nielsen Company.

“In Western Washington, an estimated 44 percent of the food insecure population, or more than 657,000 people, do not qualify for food stamps or other government programs.” said Linda Nageotte President & CEO of Food Lifeline. “To put that in perspective, a family of four earning just over $44,112 would not be eligible for assistance and might need to rely on an organization like Food Lifeline to consistently put food on the table.”

‘“Map the Meal Gap” also reveals that food costs vary significantly from county to county in Western Washington with Jefferson County showing the highest food costs, and Pacific and Wahkiakum Counties having the lowest food costs. Also, Western Washington’s average food cost was eight cents higher per meal than the national average, which creates an additional challenge for those struggling with hunger.

“We are hopeful that this new information will allow us to work with policy makers, state agencies, corporate partners and individual advocates to develop integrated strategies to fight hunger in Western Washington on a community by community level,” said Nageotte.

The findings of “Map the Meal Gap” are based on statistics collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Census Bureau, and food price data from The Nielsen Company. The study was supported by The Howard G. Buffett Foundation and Nielsen.

“Map the Meal Gap” was conducted using well-established, transparent methods. Data were analyzed by Feeding America in partnership with Dr. Craig Gundersen, Associate Professor of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois, Executive Director of the National Soybean Research Laboratory and member of Feeding America’s Technical Advisory Group.

A summary of the findings, an interactive map of the United States, and the full report are available on Feeding America's web site at www.feedingamerica.org

About Food Lifeline

Food Lifeline is a local hunger relief organization, efficiently serving the Western Washington area by using 96% of revenue to directly feed hungry people. Last year the organization delivered more than 24 million meals to hungry people through its network of nearly 300 food banks, meal programs and shelters. Food Lifeline is also a member of the national organization, Feeding America. For more information about Food Lifeline or to make a tax-deductible donation, visit www.foodlifeline.org or call 206-545-6600.

About Feeding America

Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to 37 million Americans each year, including nearly 14 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 61,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit http://www.feedingamerica.org. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or follow our news on Twitter at twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.

# # #

For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Ashley Gammell, Food Lifeline

206-545-6600 or AshleyG@fll.org

Free Seeds Available for Food Banks!

Harvest Against Hunger, a program of Rotary First Harvest, has received a surplus donation of seeds and is offering them to any interested food banks.

Ideally, these seeds won't be distributed directly to FB clients, but use the seeds for food bank gardens, etc. Below are the type of seeds available:

Onion	3 20lb buckets	60 lbs	6 lbs each
Beets	4 40 lbs bags	160 lbs	16 lbs each
Cabbage	20 2.5 bags	50 lbs	2 bags each
Broccoli	20 2.5 bags	50 lbs	2 bags each
Radishes	4 25 lbs bags	100 lbs	10 lbs each

Anyone interested should contact Benjamin Rasmus (benjamin@firstharvest.org) at Rotary First Harvest to claim seeds they are interested in.

*Note: these seeds have been treated with 42-S Thiram Fungacide and it is recommended to use gloves when handling them. The seeds are safe to use and grow.

About 42-S Thiram Fungacide:

Thiram is an fungicide and it's wise to wear gloves when seeding as a precaution. That seed should not be consumed directly by humans or animals and cannot be used in organically certified land (or land in transition).

It's on the seed because it prevents soil borne diseases during plant establishment and growth (i.e. damping off).

Hawaii Food Bank

Recently we were able to visit the Hawaii Food Bank on the island of Oahu. As always, it was incredibly interesting to compare and contrast the emergency food systems in a nearby state. The staff was incredibly helpful and friendly, and the work they are doing is impressive. Here's some of the facts we learned during our visit:

• They are currently running a 10 days supply of food in their warehouse (much lower than usual due to increase in demand)
• They supply 11 million pounds of food for Oahu per year
• As of recently, they now also run a bank in Kauai
• The Hawaii Food Bank network is part of the national Feeding America network
• They supply food for about 250 organizations
• A major ideal they work by is that they don't turn down anyone who needs food
• In recent years, they have taken on running summer meals for the island, with 6 sites and 400+ kids

More information about the Hawaii Food Bank:

"The people of Hawaii are one ohana. The Hawaii Foodbank provides food so that no one in
our family goes hungry. We work to gather food and support from our communities. We then
distribute food through charitable agencies to those in need. Our mission is from the heart,
and we will fulfill our mission with integrity, humanity and aloha."

The Hawaii Foodbank is the only nonprofit 501(c)3 agency in the state of Hawaii that collects, warehouses and distributes mass quantities of both perishable and non-perishable food to 250 member agencies as well as food banks on the Big Island, Maui and Kauai. The Hawaii Foodbank forms a vital link between the food donors and our member agencies by providing services in collecting, sorting, salvaging and distributing food. The Hawaii Foodbank also supports its member agencies through financial and educational assistance.

Here are some images from this enjoyable and educational visit:

Hunger Action Week - March 21-25, 2011

Consider this shocking national statistic: one out of every six adults and nearly one out of four children struggle with hunger. Here in King County, record numbers of people—our neighbors, co-workers and friends—don’t have enough to eat. People have to choose between paying rent and buying groceries, and children are going to bed hungry.

YOU can help. Join United Way of King County for Hunger Action Week beginning March 21. Below, read about some of the many opportunities to get involved.

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Take the Hunger Challenge

Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner spending only $7 a day to get a sense of what people who rely on food stamps experience.

> Read More

Volunteer to end hunger

Plant a garden, serve a meal, deliver groceries, stock a food pantry. There are plenty of ways you can lend a hand.

> Read More

Learn more about the Hunger Relief Now! Plan

Find out what causes hunger, who is hungry and how you can get involved in solutions.

> Read More

Engage your friends, family and colleagues

Tell everyone you know about Hunger Action Week, and encourage them to get involved. Contact your legislators by phone or e-mail to ensure we have strong hunger relief programs for people in need.

> Read More

Nonprofit Practices Institute Summit Opportunity in North Central Washington

SAVE THE DATE!!!

Nonprofit Practices Institute Spring Summit - May 23, 2011

Greetings! We are so excited about this year's Nonprofit Practices Institute Summit happening Monday, May 23 from 8:30am - 4pm at Campbell's Resort in Chelan. We are finalizing the speakers, sessions and schedules and it's shaping up to be an amazing Summit. SAVE THE DATE or reserve your spot today with an email. Just reply to this email and tell us you're interested in registering. You'll be the first to know all the details!

Session Topics:

Some of the topics for this year's sessions include Meet the Funders, Working with Consultants, Government Grant Writing, Planned Giving, Nonprofit Legal Basics, Endowment Basics, Trouble-making issues for Nonprofits, and a new Expert Series where leaders in the areas of the Arts, Education, Environment, Homeless, Poverty, etc. explore latest trends and research for these popular topic areas. Registration will begin at 7:30am on Monday, May 23 with the first session beginning at 8:30am. Your $25 registration covers the cost of the lunch. Secure your spot today in the NPI May 2011 Summit!

The Nonprofit Practices Institute is the education arm of the Community Foundation of North Central Washington. NPI and the Community Foundation are working hard to embolden the strength, security, vitality and future of North Central Washington. For more information about the Community Foundation, click here to visit our website. Sincerely,

Sarah Wilkins Communications Associate Community Foundation of North Central Washington 9 S Wenatchee Ave / p. 509.663.7716 / e. sarah

It’s Time to Think About Summer Meals for Kids

There are hungry kids in every county in Washington during the summer 367,000 families in Washington face the threat of hunger every day; 452,076 schoolkids get free or reduced price meals during the school year. Many of them rely on the federal Summer Food Service Program (Summer Meals) that provides free meals and snacks to children and teens to ensure they have enough to eat when school is out.

Your organization or school can help feed kids through the Summer Meals program Summer meals programs are supported through OSPI by USDA funds to serve kids (18 yrs and younger) at Summer Meal sites in eligible schools, parks, summer activities, food banks, churches and more. Washington’s new “Summer Meals Guide” is filled with information, ideas and people to help you get started. 2011 Washington Summer Meals Guide Learn the basics about Summer Meals Schools and areas in your community eligible to serve Summer Meals

Summer Meal programs in your community - who has been feeding local kids? See which schools or organizations in your county hosted meal sites in 2010 – where they were, how long they operated and who to talk to in your community to get ready for Summer 2011. Check out 2010 Summer Meal sponsors and sites by county

Now is the time to plan for Summer Meals in 2011 Community partnerships make Summer Meal programs successful. The WA Summer Meals Statewide Partnership developed a resource Toolkit to help partners identify needs, gaps and ways to work together for a successful summer program. Washington's Summer Meal Resource Toolkit Funding opportunities for Summer Meal Programs

What's Next? Organizations that want to sponsor a Summer Meals program work with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to get training, information and support throughout the spring and summer. Here is what your local sponsor needs to know for summer 2011: Learn more from OSPI about being a sponsor Letter of Intent to Participate as a Summer Meals Sponsor Required Training for Summer Meals Sponsors - dates & locations For more information, contact Nancy Van’t Hul at OSPI (360) 725-6222

The WA Summer Meals Partnership sends periodic newsletters to keep statewide partners up-to-date on the latest information about the Summer Meals Program.