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Saturday, January 28, 2012

Meet Our Members: NW Harvest Focus Group report


From Northwest Harvest

Annual Focus Groups

For the past five years, we’ve conducted focus groups with hundreds of food bank clients in different communities across Washington and shared their stories with our coalitions, legislators and others who can help fight hunger through policy work. We seek to amplify the voices of those we serve through our annual focus group reports.
This year Northwest Harvest completed our annual focus groups in five distinct communities around the state. We visited Hoquiam Food Bank, Okanogan Food Bank, Yakima Food Bank, Thurston County Food Bank in Olympia and Skagit Valley Neighbors in Need in Mt. Vernon.
Clients joined our facilitators for conversation about their experiences of hunger and securing enough food to feed themselves and their families. In each community, the value of people talking together about their common struggles was evident. Participants were able to learn from each other’s stories and share information about community resources.
We learned a great deal from them; we hope you will also learn from the first-hand experiences of these neighbors and constituents when the complete report is released in January. We will share the results with our coalitions, legislators and others who can help fight hunger through policy work.

View previous reports:
2012 Focus Groups (PDF)
2011 Focus Groups (PDF)
2010 Focus Groups (PDF)
2009 Focus Groups (PDF)
2008 Focus Groups (PDF)

We also work to raise consciousness about the extent of hunger in Washington through our quarterly newsletter, our broad volunteer work, our Speakers Bureau and our frequent food drives and other events.
For more information on our Annual Focus Groups, contact Elise DeGooyer at elised@northwestharvest.org  or (206) 923-7423.

For more information on how to get involved with Northwest Harvest’s advocacy work, please contact Christina Wong, Public Policy Manager, at 206-923-7465 or christinaw@northwestharvest.org. You can also sign up to receive email alerts below.

Join Our Email List
Email:               

Friday, January 27, 2012

Important Info for Food Lost in Power Outage


Current recipients of the Basic Food supplement could be eligible for replacement benefits if food was destroyed by recent power outages
DSHS can replace EBT benefits for recipients of Washington’s Basic Food program if food was lost due to a household disaster or misfortune, including events such as a house fire, long-term power outage, or other weather-related mishaps that were beyond the customer’s control.
For DSHS to replace the benefits, the customer must report the loss within 10 days from the date the loss occurred.   DSHS will replace the value of the amount of food lost in the disaster, up to the total amount of the customer’s monthly allotment of Basic Food.

To report a loss and request benefit replacement, customers can visit their nearest Community Services Office or call the toll-free Customer Service Center at 1-877-501-2233.
For program questions, contact Community Services Division Customer Relations at: (360) 725-4763 or 1-800-865-7801.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Public Policy Brief from Washington Nonprofits


 



 
 
Public Policy Brief - 1/23/12
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Building a strong, collaborative network of nonprofits serving Washington communities.
 
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This Week in the Legislature
Article 1

Week 3 - Bills in Committee

This past week the Legislature battled snow, ice, and even loss of electricity but committee action continued mostly uninterrupted.  Read below to find out about bills affecting the nonprofit community that are now in committee.  

Nonprofit Contracting & Governance 

HB 2264 - Requires the DSHS to execute a new procurement for performance-based contracts.  The bill clarifies that procurement for services not is subject to certain competitive bidding processes.
HB 2293 - Expands consumer cooperative provisions and establishes new meeting notice and other requirements under the Nonprofit Miscellaneous and Mutual Corporations Act.
HB 2239 – Creates a new type of organization known as a social purpose corporation in which board members cannot be held liable for losses due to the pursuit of a stated social purpose.   This bill is up for executive session this week.
SB 6076 - Creates a new retail liquor license for nonprofit organizations whose primary service is providing recreational and social activities for seniors on the licensed premises (senior centers).
SB 6125 – Authorizes Port districts to contract with service groups without conforming with competitive bidding procedures, under certain circumstances.

Health & Human Services

HB 2289 - Authorizes the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) to establish at least two sites to begin implementing Family Assessment Response (FAR) within Child Protective Services.  Requires the DSHS to develop an implementation plan in collaboration with stakeholders.
SB 6051– Allows for the donation and redistribution of unused prescription drugs under certain circumstances.
SB 6309 – Requires hospitals to provide uninterrupted periods for meals and rest breaks.
HB 2341 – Requires nonprofit and public hospital district hospitals to complete a community health needs assessment every three years and a community benefit implementation strategy within a year of the community health needs assessment.  Establishes three standards that a nonprofit hospital must use to demonstrate that it is meeting its community benefit obligations to maintain its nonprofit status.

Elections

HB 2204- Allows a person to participate in an election by registering to vote on Election Day.
HB 2205 - Authorizes persons who are at least 16 years of age, and who meet all other voter registration requirements, to register to vote with the office of the Secretary of State. This bill does not change the minimum voting age of 18 years.

Economic Development & Energy

HB 2374 - Requires Associate Development Organizations (ADOs,  which include nonprofit Economic Development Commissions) to meet and share best practices with each other at least twice annually.  Adds data and reporting requirements to ADOs, the Washington Economic Development Commission, and the Department of Commerce.
HB 2198 - Expands the Renewable Energy Investment Cost-recovery Incentive Program to include energy storage facilities.  Community solar projects are eligible for the incentive program.

 
 
Session Resources

 
Next Week's Committee Schedule
The weekly meeting schedule provides committee information on all work sessions and public hearings scheduled for next week.
 
Make Your Voice Heard
The Legislature maintains a Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000 (TTY for Hearing 1-800-635-9993).  Call to leave a message to your legislator  about a bill or legislative topic.
 
Operating Budget Primer
The House Office of Program Research has written a 2011 Budget Briefing Book that provides an excellent overview and specific topical information relating the state’s operating budget.  This is a great reference for those who want to dig a little deeper into the budget issues.  
 
 
  calendar of events:
 
Join Washington Nonprofits, local board members and staff from nearby communities to engage in this critical thinking symposium designed to provide new perspectives and stimulate new thinking about leadership in the nonprofit sector.  Cathy Trower, a senior research associate at Harvard Graduate School of Education will provide a videotaped keynote. She has studied nonprofit board governance, faculty employment issues, policieis and practicies since 1996. Cathy provides governance consulting services to independent schools, colleges, universities, foundation, and community service organizations.  Symposium locations throughout the State will be announced in the near future. For more information contact Genia Seghetti at 509-688-4568.
 
presented by WN in partnership with Grays Harbor Community Foundation
January 25, 2012
8:30-12 PST
South Shore Mall - Community Room 
1017 South Boone Street
Aberdeen, WA   
 
February 27, 2012
12:00pm PST
Pacific Contental Bank - Seattle office
1100 Olive Way Suite 102
Seattle, WA
Join Pacific Continental Bank for a noon time chat  with Pamela Block, an influential officer and management executive for MissionWise® of Seattle. She is responsible for the organization's fiscal and strategic direction.
 
February 16, 2012
Spokane Masonic Temple
1108 W Riverside Avenue 
Spokane, WA
The 2nd annual Inland Northwest Nonprofit Conference will be hosted Thursday, February 16th, 2012. The one day event is an educational conference offered solely for the advancement and resource enhancement of area nonprofits. Several class presentations by area experts will cover topics such as grants, marketing, financial, and other current topical issues. Several networking opportunities and an exhibitor space are available throughout the event as well as lunch with keynote speaker, Deanna Davis, Ph.D., MPH.
 
March 30, 2012
Spokane Davenport Hotel
10 S Post Street  
Spokane, WA
This year's annual conference will be held on March 30, 2012, at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane, Washington.  Mark your calendar and come and enjoy a day of learning and collaborating with other nonprofit leaders. Not an NPIP client? See www.npip.org.
 
To place an event on our events calendar, please contact Genia Seghetti, Communications and Memership Manager.  Email: genia@washingtonnonprofits.org  Phone: 509-688-4568 

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Great Resources in Clearinghouse Connection from WhyHunger


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NEWS

Stories from the National Hunger Hotline: Helping Those Who Serve

The National Hunger Hotline (NHH), a service of WhyHunger's National Hunger Clearinghouse, provides real-time referrals for people in need across the U.S. to emergency food and assistance programs. Receiving an average of 700 calls per month, the NHH is a portal to information, assistance, and resources, ultimately empowering families and individuals to meet their vital needs including fresh, healthy food. In Stories from the Hotline, we share some of the experiences of callers and our efforts to support them.

An administrator from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Boston, MA recently called the National Hunger Hotline after noticing a flyer inside a local community center. The administrator was interested in starting a meal program that would provide food for low-income children during their winter and spring breaks. Students who are in need of food are guaranteed breakfast and lunch through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and National School Breakfast Program (NSBP), but these programs do not run when school is not in session.

The advocate was able to assist the caller by sending her the information for the At-Risk Afterschool Meal Program run by the USDA and now offered in Massachusetts. The program works to provide dinner and snacks to children in need year round. The advocate also provided the number to the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), which helps community-based programs and public institutions provide summer meals, breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner for children who are under the age of 18. With these two resources, the NAACP Administrator will be able to set up both programs in her area to help with the hunger children face when school is not in session.

The National Hunger Hotline 1-866-3 HUNGRY and 1-877-8 HAMBRE (1-866-348-6479 and 1-877-842-6273) refers people in need of emergency food assistance to food pantries, government programs, and model grassroots organizations that work to improve access to healthy, nutritious food, and build self-reliance. Help is available on Monday through Friday from 9am-6pm EST. Hablamos español. The Hotline is funded in part by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service.   
 

STATE OF AFFAIRS 

Education, Accessibility and Healthy Foods:  Keys to giving infants a good nutritious start

By India Rodgers, Program Assistant, National Hunger Clearinghouse 

 

The National Hunger Hotline works to provide those in need with food resources in their local area, with a focus on providing healthy alternatives in the context of a highly processed, unhealthy food supply. Over the past few months, advocates at the call center have noticed an increase in calls requesting infant formula.

 
Infant formula is one of the most difficult items to have donated at food pantries, and most food banks have very limited supplies. Formula does not have the same shelf life as other canned items and requires a well-trained staff: nutritional content degrades and clumping can occur after the "use by" date. In some cases, pantries may not even be aware that there is a demand for formula or how to handle an infant food drive.
 
At the Orange County Food Bank in California, the Executive Director has also seen an increase in the demand for infant formula. Due to budget constraints, however, the food bank is not able to increase the amount of formula available to clients, ultimately turning away 500 infants yearly due to the shortage. Other institutions such as the Pierce County Food Bank in Florida rely on mothers/caregivers to meet their infant formula needs through the Women, Infant and Children's program (WIC), a government nutrition program that is not always able to deliver on demand. And while applications are being completed for WIC, there are still children in need. Worse still are instances in which children are not able to receive any benefits because their parents make as little as three dollars over the limit.
 
This article explores the underpinnings of the infant food system- from its role in government nutrition programs, to alternatives including breastfeeding and innovative programs that are providing education and breaking down access barriers.
  
Who Uses Infant Formula 

Makers of infant formula have specifically targeted women in lower socio-economic classes; women who do not have the same access to information, health care, and transportation by providing free gifts of formula to new mothers at hospitals and clinics. Women may be too trusting when a medical authority gives them a gift and encourages both its use and health benefits. WIC currently distributes over half of the infant formula sold in the U.S. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that mothers on WIC are less likely to breastfeed. 

The state of Rhode Island has become the first to prohibit this practice of distributing free formula unless the mother has difficulties with breastfeeding. As an alternative, there are educational courses at local community centers and lactation counselors to guide women through the process of breastfeeding. The public health commissioner stated that free infant formula decreases breastfeeding and often uses vulnerable women. In the scientific journal Pediatrics, a study showed that even though most hospitals in America still use freebie bags, hospitals that have removed the bags had better health outcomes for the child.

The Mocha Manual and La Leche League attempt to educate and empower women about the advantages of breastfeeding.     

Price of Formula     

The price of formula has steadily risen since 1980 and can cost a mother almost 150 dollars a month. WIC is a service that provides low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and infants as well as children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk, access to supplemental foods, including formula. Though on the surface this seems like it is helping to close the gap of health in America, when it comes to the issue of infant formula, WIC could be even more helpful if it partnered with lactation specialists and encouraged its pregnant clients to breastfeed while focusing on boosting their own health through proper nutrition to provide the best start for their babies.     

The Process     

Anyone who has gone through the process to apply for SNAP (formerly, known as food stamps) knows that this is often a time consuming and arduous process. Applying for WIC is no easier. Getting an appointment can take many calls to the office. And once she has an appointment, a woman may have to take off work to make the time slot provided, risking pay loss. She will also be required to take the child to the physician and then wait for the system to process the application and send the check. WIC checks limit the items that can be purchased, come with a deadline, and cannot be replaced if lost or stolen.      

Additional Barriers (or: Conflicting Programs)     

WIC's services are restricted to individuals that live at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level which is around $45,000 or less per year for a family of four. Many food banks participate in the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), another federal food program that services woman in need of infant formula. However, food bank clients may find that they are not able to access CSFP while receiving WIC benefits. And, as stated above, many food pantries face barriers to offering infant formula, requiring a woman to call many clinics or pantries in an attempt to feed her infant.      

Conclusion     

At its core, the system which makes infant formula readily available to low-income women is politically-charged. Ensuring that women have access to proper education, tools, and resources in order to make an informed decision that's in the best interest of their children is critical. When industry pushes products on individuals, freedom of choice is limited. Whether shortages at food pantries, inefficiencies with WIC or the lack of popular education, ensuring infants get the most nutritious start possible is an issue that deserves immediate dialogue and resolution.

 
RESOURCES

Capacity Building Guides

As a result of research and interviews with Emergency Food Providers across the country about unmet needs, the National Hunger Clearinghouse will release two capacity building guides in late February. The first is a guide to food sourcing, which inventories exciting projects and strategies in sourcing that connect food pantries with local farms and source higher quality animal protein. Emergency food programs are an important part of the food system and have the potential to help revitalize local and regional food economies while better serving their customers. The guide will include model program profiles, best practices, and additional resources.

The second guide will be a literature review on nutrition education resources. It will include best practices, an annotated program guide, other resources, and a gap analysis of existing programs.

Both of these guides will be available to Clearinghouse Connection subscribers and by emailing nhc@whyhunger.org   and will be used to promote further conversation among providers at conferences and webinars. There are innovative programs out there and we want to connect new audiences to those ideas and initiatives so they can invigorate their own work.
 

USDA Updates  

SFSP 

Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Introductory Webinars!

USDA provides a free or reduced-priced lunch to 22 million children during the school year. But once school lets out for summer break, only about 2.5 million children receive a meal (about 1 in 10). Children are at a higher risk of going hungry during the summer months. There is work to be done to help feed more kids nutritious meals during the summer and you can help.

The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) can help to fill the summer meal gap for low-income children. Faith-based, community and private non-profit organizations can make a difference in the lives of hungry children by serving meals with SFSP, a federally funded program administered by States that reimburses organizations for meals served to children during the summer. Schools, churches, recreation centers, playgrounds, parks, and camps can serve meals in neighborhoods with high percentages of low-income families. These are safe and familiar locations where children naturally congregate during the summer.

The USDA Food and Nutrition Service is offering free webinar sessions on the Summer Food Service Program, so you can learn more about the need, the program, and how you can help. The sessions will review the Summer Food Service Program, cover resources and tools available to help you get started, highlight successful programs and outreach practices from around the country, and will conclude with an open question and answer period with USDA FNS staff.

To learn more about the SFSP, please register to participate in an upcoming free webinar session:

Tuesday, 1/24, 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST - Public Session  Thursday, 2/2, 11:00am - 12:00pm EST - Public Session  Thursday, 2/23, 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST - Public Session

Click here, to learn more about the Summer Food Service Program.

My Plate Posters
   
"Make Half Your Plate Fruits and Vegetables" posters are now available for free and by request to schools and child care centers participating in FNS programs. Anyone can download the poster for free by clicking here. 

How to Get Food Help 
 
How To Get Food Help is a low literacy, clear language brochure targeted at consumers who may be new to navigating social services and assistance applications. The brochure clearly explains all FNS programs that consumers apply to directly, and it gives them basic information to identify which programs might be right for them.

Click on How To Get Food Help to order copies for free.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Fuel Up to Play 60 Funding 
 
Fuel Up to Play 60 is school nutrition and physical activity program founded by National Dairy Council and the National Football League, and in partnership with the USDA. Up to $4,000 per year is available to any qualifying K-12 school enrolled in Fuel Up to Play 60. The funding is to help schools create and sustain healthy nutrition and physical activity improvements. Any U.S. school can enroll in the free program and thus be eligible to apply for up to $4,000. Applications are due February 1st. For more information, please visit: Fuel Up to Play 60.
CONFERENCES

Just Food Conference 2012: Eat. Work. Grow the Movement (NY) 

 
 Just Food is a non-profit organization that connects communities and local farms with the resources and support they need to make fresh, locally grown food accessible to all New Yorkers. The Just Food Conference 2012: Eat. Work. Grow The Movement will be held on February 24 and 25, 2012. This Conference will feature a series of workshops along with an EXPO and Good Food Jobs Fair. To view the schedule, please visit Just Food.

National Hunger Free Communities Summit (DC) 

 

The Alliance to End Hunger will host its Second Annual National Hunger Free Communities Summit on Saturday, February 25, 2012 at the Capitol Hilton in Washington, D.C. This is a free event. To register, click here.  

National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference (DC) 

Registration is open for the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference from February 26-28, 2012 at the Capital Hilton, Washington, D.C. The event is co-sponsored by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) and Feeding America, in cooperation with the National CACFP Forum.

     
CONTACT US

Correction
 
In the November and December 2010 issues, we stated that there was a rolling deadline for WIC Mini-Grants through Cooking Matters. The deadline was December 31st, with all work to be completed by March 31st. Apologies for any confusion.
      
Sharing Your Story

Have you had any recent successes in food sourcing at your food pantry that you want to share? What challenges are you facing? Is there anything that you want to learn more about?

We want to hear from you! Email us at nhc@whyhunger
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In This Issue
NEWS
Stories from the National Hunger Hotline
STATE OF AFFAIRS
Are We Addicted to Infant Formula?
RESOURCES
Capacity Building Guides
USDA Updates
My Plate Posters
How to Get Food Help
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Fuel Up to Play 60 Funding
CONFERENCES
Just Food Conference
National Hunger Free Communities
National Anti-Hunger Conference
CONTACT US
Sharing Your Story

Harvest Against Hunger Area Summit - Seattle Area Meeting


Thursday, January 12, 2012

Meet Our Members: Bellingham Food Bank

Bellingham Food Bank
Bellingham Food Bank began in 1972, the year when several of our state's food banks began the organized fight against hunger. From its humble yet noble beginnings, it has now grown to an outstanding organization that provided 4.4 million pounds of food (1.4 million distributed through local organizations and 3 million directly distributed to hungry families) to its hungry neighbors last year.

In 2007 they opened a brand new facility that now keeps up with a demand that has been increasing significantly since the beginning of the recession.

The many innovative programs that Bellingham Food Bank has taken on makes it a fascinating organization to visit and replicate across the state wherever possible.
Organized sorting areas where volunteers prepare food for distribution. 
Hard to believe, but this warehouse floor goes from being covered with stacks of pallets of delivered food and then sorted and cleaned within a matter of a couple hours.

These nearly indestructible bins are excellent for collecting and storing donated food.

Committed volunteers are essential to keep Bellingham Food Bank running. This is their schedule in the Volunteer Break Room.
One of the local agencies that Bellingham Food Bank supplies with food is Ferndale Food Bank. Six years ago they were able to build a small but incredibly efficient building to run their distribution from. They see 500 families a month on average. They serve these families with incredible joy, and are excited to also serve hungry kids by starting a summer meals program this year. They are also proud of their shopping method, which strives to maintain ultimate client dignity to those they serve.

They do admit, however, that they wish they had a better supply of cooking oil and protein, as those items fly off of the shelf as soon as they are in. The decrease in families receiving food stamps also creates greater stress on their services.
Front desk where clients check in at the Ferndale Food Bank.



Ferndale Food Bank is proud of how they allow clients to choose their own food by utilizing the shopping method, complete with shopping carts!

Baby food supplied by the local Kiwanis Club.

This empty freezer shows the efficiency of the Ferndale Food Bank to get food distributed quickly, but it also shows how close they are to being out of food after a distribution.

Suzanne Nevan, the Director of the Ferndale Food Bank, with Mike Cohen, the Executive Director of the Bellingham Food Bank. 

Clients wait outside the Ferndale Food Bank often in the cold. Recently, they were able to add this overhead heater to try to make it more comfortable. Often times, clients can wait 20 minutes to an hour and a half to receive food at Washington food banks due to increased demand.

More About Bellingham Food Bank from their website:

Bellingham Food Bank is Whatcom County's largest emergency food provider. Their mission is to reduce hunger in Bellingham by providing wholesome foods to those in need. They meet this mission by supplying groceries to tens of thousands of hungry Bellingham families every year.

This food bank is available to anyone living in Bellingham. They operate with a small staff and more than 200 volunteers who serve their neighbors with dignity and without judgment. Single individuals and families can visit once a week for as long as they need assistance, and folks typically leave the food bank with 50-70 pounds of nutritious food.
Food Distribution Hours

In addition to feeding Bellingham's hungry families, they serve as the main warehouse and distribution center for all Whatcom County food banks. They also coordinate the Food Bank Farm, Small Potatoes Gleaning Project and the Garden Project.  To learn more about Bellingham Food Bank's programs, please click on the links below.

Resource: HandsOn Tech Corps Seattle



    

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The HandsOn Tech Corps is a national program sponsored by Google, the HandsOn Network, and the Points of Light Foundation.  HOTC focuses on increasing the nonprofit sector's effective use of technology to increase community resources and improve outcomes for low-income communities and families in 7 cities.  24 AmeriCorps*VISTA members make up the HandsOn Tech Corps and are working full-time for one year.  HOTC started in September with a one-week training at Google headquarters in California, where we learned about nonprofit tools and cloud-based offerings from Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Salesforce.com and LinkedIn.  Throughout the rest of the year, we will be developing introductory seminars and in-person trainings for smaller nonprofits that are working to lift people out of poverty. 
 
HandsOn Tech Corps Seattle is hosted at NPower Northwest in the Central District neighborhood for the 2011-2012 service year.  

We provide free technology trainings to community members and nonprofit staff and will soon be starting a program to offer free consulting serivces to qualifying Seattle organizations.  

Check out our calendar, overview, and get involved sections to learn more about the program and to connect with low-cost computing resources!