Serving Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee Counties
COMING UP! Rev up Your Team For WINK News Hunger Walk! Now’s the time to pull together your team for the WINK News Feeds Families Hunger Walk on Saturday, January 16! We’re aiming to surpass the more than 1,000 participants in last year’s event and a goal of $330,000 — which provides $1.98 million in food. Register now online at harrychapinfoodbank.org, and bring your family, your friends and even your pets to “Fight Hunger and Feed Hope.”
An array of bowls from last year’s event
Become a ‘Friend Of Empty Bowls’ For just a $50 donation, you can become a Friend of Empty Bowls! You’ll get admission to the Naples event on Saturday, January 23, your choice of a handcrafted ceramic bowl from the exclusive “Friends” table, a commemorative miniature bowl, name recognition at the event, and invitations to all Empty Bowls workshops. Sign on at www.emptybowlsnaples.org!
See page 5 for photos!
Fall 2015 / Vol. XV, No. 4
Multi-service Mobile Pantries Assist With Food...and Health The Harry Chapin Food Bank mobile pantry distributions are lifelines for children, parents and seniors — especially in summer, when so many children miss their school breakfasts and lunches. Between June and September, these mobile pantries distributed 300,000 pounds of food, much of it fresh produce, to those in need. But food is only one important component of an increasingly “holistic” approach. At least one mobile pantry each month also delivers multiple services right into the neighborood, reaching 200 to 300 households at one time. Set up alongside the food tables are diabetic screening, blood pressure testing, Goodwill Job-Link, outreach for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps), AIDS screening, and even ways to sign up for classes in English as a second language and financial literacy. At one mobile pantry, almost 25 percent of those tested had abnormal levels of sugar and blood pressure. Sponsors of summer pantries included the United Way of Lee, Hendry, Glades and Okeechobee Counties; Naples Children & Education Foundation; The Mosaic Company; Wawa; Wells Fargo Bank; Walmart; and CarMax. Mobile pantries are efficient. Food Bank drivers can even set up and drop off 10,000 pounds of food in fewer than 30 minutes,
Smiles on these girls’ faces show the value of fresh produce at a mobile pantry distribution.
letting partner agencies handle the on-site distribution, and quickly move on. Depending on what’s in season, clients can take home four to six bags of fresh produce — from watermelon to cucumbers, apples to cabbages. “Agriculture in Florida provides our state great abundance, and mobile pantries offer another avenue for food banks to distribute fresh, locally grown products to families in need, allowing greater access to nutritious food,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam. Jose Soto-Cruz, the Food Bank’s mobile pantry coordinator, was especially “touched” by a woman who worked at a school that was a mobile pantry site. “She said, ‘I paid all my bills this weekend, but I don’t know how I’m going to buy food. The bread and meat and potatoes for my kids are a blessing to receive.’”
A Place to Go When She’s Struggling Sheyla, a client and volunteer at Daniels Road Baptist Church pantry:
“My 20-year-old daughter is autistic. When my father was dying of cancer, it was hard struggling to take care of her and him, too, and that’s when I needed help. I’ve received much more than
food over the years — friendship and hope. And the need is greater now. If we didn’t have the Harry Chapin Food Bank, we couldn’t feed children home from school this summer. Sometimes, they don’t have breakfast and lunch. At least they can have dinner at home.”
Staff Spotlight: Collier County A new team at our Naples location is busy serving our partner agencies: FORT MYERS: 3760 Fowler St., Fort Myers, Florida 33901 NAPLES: 2221 Corporation Blvd. Naples, Florida 34109 Phone: (239) 334-7007 www.harrychapinfoodbank.org
Board of Directors Chairperson P. KEITH SCOGGINS, Jr. Farm Credit System Vice Chairperson MAURA MATZKO Treasurer ANNE ROSE Lee Memorial Health System
A 25-year resident of Naples, Karole Davis, Collier County manager, comes to the Food Bank with a strong background in nonprofit development, strategic planning, donor relations and community engagement. With the Food Bank since January 2013, Todd Lewis transitioned to his new posi-
Welcome to the Board C. Robert (Bob) Leadbetter brings a 40-year career in human resources and significant experience in social services volunteering.
Secretary WILLIAM M. DILLON Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney and Fowler White Boggs Members at Large CRAIG FOLK Miller, Helms and Folk, P.A. DAVID FRY Dwell Florida JAN-ERIK HUSTRULID Owen-Ames-Kimball Company C. ROBERT LEADBETTER NOELLE MELANSON Attorney, Melanson Law RAY PAVELKA Mariner Properties Development BIANCA ROSS U.S. Sugar BRIAN SCHWARTZ, M.D. 21st Century Oncology, and Florida Urology Physicians Emeritus Board JOHN B. McCLAY (deceased) JOHN POELKER (Emeritus chair)
tion as Collier County volunteer coordinator at the Naples warehouse. He and his wife, Kathleen, love their “kids” — two rescue dogs. Roger Redfield, Collier County driver/ warehouse associate, moved a year ago from Indiana, where he owned a commercial cleaning company. He still rides a 1979 Suzuki motorcycle that he bought in high school after saving up for two years.
Good-bye and Hello...
We send a heartfelt good-bye to our friend Abby Bettencourt, who retires from the United Way of Lee, Hendry, Glades and Okeechobee Counties, and a warm hello to Lisa Sands, who takes over as Hendry/Glades manager.
GRANTS AND DONATIONS • Campbell Soup Company: $2,509 • CarMax Foundation: $10,000 • CenturyLink Clarke M. Williams Foundation: $3,448 • CENTURYTEL Inc. Controller’s Group: $5,000 • Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate Cares: $3,000 • ConAgra Foods: $3,405 • Enterprise Holdings Foundation: $3,500 • Florida Gulf Coast University
Foundation: $5,000 • Garden Street Iron & Metal, Inc.: $16,309 • General Mills: $8,778 • JPMorgan & Chase: $2,550 • Kraft Foods Group: $4,750 • Manhattan Construction: $50,000 • Target: $2,500 • Unilever: $4,265 • Walmart: $29,713 • Wawa Foundation Inc.: $20,000 • Wright Interior Group: $3,800
Our Mission Al Brislain President and CEO Miriam Pereira Development Joyce Jacobs Communications Marta Hodson Special Events Tanya Phillips Volunteers
Maxine Golding Newsletter Editor
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To overcome hunger in Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee counties through education and by working in a cooperative effort with affiliated agencies in the procurement and distribution of food, equitably and without discrimination.
CONTACT US TO DONATE, VOLUNTEER or SCHEDULE A TOUR: (239) 334-7007
A member of Partner Agency
Look for us on: A copy of the Food Bank’s official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling toll-free within the state. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by the state. For more information, contact the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs at 1-800-435-7352 or visit freshfromflorida.com.
Donate easily and securely at harrychapinfoodbank.org.
Gartner Gives Food Bank Corporate and Individual Support After Allison Crooker and her husband, Paul, participated in Harry Chapin Food Bank mobile pantry distributions, she began to see how “a little can go a long way.” She was “very impressed with the Food Bank’s ability to stretch dollars to feed families,” and wanted to do more to help. She turned to her colleagues — the education/healthcare team at Gartner (called Gartner Illuminati) to help raise the money to sponsor their own mobile pantry and provide volunteers at the event, along with other Gartner employees within the SMB channel. “The experience was incredible!” she said. “I wish we could do it every day.” The pantry distributed 11,865 pounds of food (9,890 meals) to 478 adults, 219 children and 88 seniors (246 households in all). “Through the time, resources and commitment of our associates, Gartner is proud to support the vital service that Harry Chapin Food Bank provides to the community where we live and work,” said Andrew Spender, group vice president, corporate communications.
Amazing September Hunger Month!
Here are highlights of special events that benefited the Food Bank last month.
(Above) A food packaging event held by Gartner at the United Way. (Right) A child attending a mobile pantry expresses gratitude by writing this message on a paper plate.
Become a corporate partner! Call (239) 334-7007
• The 2nd Annual Collier County United Stand Against Hunger. In this single-day event on Sunday, September 13, the United Way of Collier County, Harry Chapin Food Bank, Collier Area Transit (CAT) and Publix Super Markets came together to spearhead the “Stuff the Bus” Food Drive. Collier residents helped fill empty pantry shelves when they shopped at six participating Publix stores between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. that day. CAT buses were on hand to receive donations and “stuff the bus.” • On Sunday, September 20, Publix Super Markets partnered with LeeTran on the Lee County “Fill Our Fleet” Food Drive, now in its seventh year. Lee County residents shopped at Publix stores from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to help replenish agency pantries at the end of summer.
The Mosaic Company Helps Recover Food at the Source What does a $100,000 grant from The Mosaic Company to the Florida Association of Food Banks (FAFB) mean to the Harry Chapin Food Bank? Plenty. The funds will help FAFB recapture unmarketable produce at the farm source, and many pounds of that food will find their way to the Food Bank warehouse and on to partner agencies. This is the fourth year Mosaic has made such a grant to FAFB. And the company also has supported local mobile food pantry distributions of fresh, healthy food and produce. This supplements smaller pantries — like Baker Center, which serves low-income families in Punta Gorda — that may only have non-perishable packaged and canned foods. “As a Charlotte County resident, I hear feedback from all walks of life about the positive difference Harry Chapin’s food
distributions is making for families in the area,” said Kaley Miller, Mosaic’s manager of communications. “Fresh produce is often missing from the diets of our clients,” added Gail Starratt, FAFB’s regional fresh produce sourcer. “This grant adds essential nutrition as it helps farmers reduce waste and costs.”
The Mosaic Company volunteers packing food
‘Why I Support the Food Bank...’
Diana “Dee” McClay and her late husband, Speed, became involved with the Harry Chapin Food Bank almost 20 years ago when they retired and moved to Southwest Florida from Pittsburgh. “One of the most basic needs we have is nourishing our families,” she said. “There’s no way a child should go hungry.” She has continued to support the Food Bank and has seen it respond to community emergencies such as Hurricane Wilma and the Great Recession. “Being able to give is such a good feeling,” she said. “I guess you’d like people to know that you care.” 3
Hope Healthcare and Food Bank Use CSFP Food to Fight Senior Hunger For 10 years, Hope Connections — a program of food and nutrition, socialization activities and healthcare from Hope Healthcare Services — has truly been a “beacon of hope” for seniors who wish to remain in their homes as they age. Committed to fighting senior hunger, Hope Healthcare is now participating with the Harry Chapin Food Bank in Community Partners Feeding Seniors. Central to this effort is the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides CSFP food to the Food Bank, which then packages and distributes it through Hope Healthcare and other partners in Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Hendry and Glades counties. “We were thrilled that the Food Bank thought of our outreach to people in need of meals in Hendry and Glades,” said Samira Beckwith, Hope Healthcare’s president and CEO. “What we’re most excited about is that this is food seniors can take into their homes for other meals. That gives them so much more security.” The organization’s four activity centers in the two counties serve 300 seniors a day
Food Bank volunteers pack CSFP food, which then goes to Hope Healthcare Services and other seniors in need in Southwest Florida.
five days a week, and home delivery is offered to seniors who can’t get out. “It’s so difficult for many people to ask for help, which is why senior hunger is hidden,” Beckwith added. “We love this program, because it matches the needs of older adults. Plus, it gives people more independence, when so many lose the ability to make their own choices. And it strengthens our ability to keep people at home and out of nursing homes if they don’t need to be there.”
Unprepared for Aging From the 2015 United States of Aging Survey, by the National Council on Aging: • Older adults are far more confident that they are prepared for the aging process (86%), while only 10% of professionals who serve them feel that older Americans are “very prepared” to age. • Only 47% of older adults and 37% of professionals say their community is doing enough to prepare for an aging population. • The top 3 concerns of older adults: maintaining their physical health (40%); memory loss (35%); maintaining their mental health (32%). Find the survey at ncoa.org/UnitedStatesofAging
A Great Holiday That’s ‘For the Birds’ Without our help, too many families will miss out on the holiday meal: a golden bird surrounded by all the delicious fixings. That’s where the Harry Chapin Food Bank and its great partners — like the Publix Super Markets food drive and all of you — come in. The Food Bank can access sweet potatoes, green beans and bread, but we rely on you for the birds. Each year, your generous
donations are overwhelming. And while turkeys are the center of attention for some, lots of families in need very much appreciate donations of chickens. So if your group is considering a fundraising project, why not hold a turkey drive and specifically earmark the dollars for birds? Our goal this year is to distribute 15,000 turkeys and chickens for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
THANK YOU! ‘Giving Challenge’ Big Success In Just 24 Hours
In 24 hours — from September 1 to 2 — the 2015 Giving Challenge brought in almost $22,000, thanks to the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and the Patterson Foundation, with support from the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Manatee Community Foundation and the Herald-Tribune Media Group. And the Patterson Foundation matched gifts (up to $250) from new donors to the Giving Challenge.
Walmart Campaign Raises $42,500
Walmart’s “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” campaign in 2015 raised $42,500 for the Food Bank from public posts to social media sites Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. “With 49 million Americans struggling with hunger today, we are dedicated to helping families access affordable, nutritious and sustainably grown food,” said Karrie Dennison, director of hunger and nutrition for Walmart and the Walmart Foundation.
Join the TweetChat At #HarryLivesOn Our 11th TweetChat took place on September 17 and brought together two members of Feeding America that share a legacy — Long Island Cares, the Harry Chapin Food Bank, and our own Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida. You, too, can follow and respond to these fun and informative chats. Check our website and Facebook page for future dates.
How can your group help? Call Tanya Phillips at (239) 334-7007, x141.
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Food Bank Photo Gallery: Busy Summer For Volunteers at Packing Events Find more photos at harrychapinfoodbank.org
DUNKIN’ DONUTS AND BASKIN ROBBINS: Lots of sorting goin’ on!
COMCAST CARES DAY AT THE UNITED WAY: So many young helpers!
MORGAN STANLEY: We’re here to help our community.
MAURICE CARES: We want you... 5
PRODUCE PICK-UP: 53 agencies weekly
AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL: Great packing day!
Remember the Harry Chapin Food Bank in your estate planning.
Donor Funds from Capital Campaign Already Make Big Improvements The Harry Chapin Food Bank has surpassed 60 percent of its $5.1 million goal for the Fighting Hunger, Feeding Hope Capital Campaign. The money from the campaign, which ends next spring, will save the Food Bank more than $15,000 every month and enable us to distribute $1 million worth of additional food per year. A $100,000 donation from the Southwest Florida Community Foundation gave the campaign a big boost. “Acting in the community’s trust, the Southwest Florida Community Foundation played an important role in nurturing funds intended
to fight hunger in Southwest Florida that were given years ago by donors of another nonprofit organization with a similar mission,” said foundation president and CEO Sarah Owen. Capital improvements from donor contributions are already making a big difference. At the Fort Myers warehouse, freezer space has doubled from 1,800 to 3,700 square feet, adding food storage for 21 pallets — 42,000 more
Dan McGrory, warehouse associate, rides a new electric pallet jack; expanded freezer is at right.
Make a direct donation to the Capital Campaign at its web page and help us meet our goal: harrychapinfoodbank.org/capital-campaign/
pounds of food per month! Meanwhile, new electric pallet jacks, forklifts and produce bins are getting a workout moving tomatoes, watermelons, squash, peppers and fresh produce donated by farmers and packing houses.
Plan a Food Bank Gift Another way to express your commitment to the goals of the Harry Chapin Food Bank is through a planned gift. Once you have provided for loved ones in your will, you may want to include a gift of money, stock or property to the Food Bank. Your gift will be a lasting tribute to your concern for providing food for those less fortunate, while guaranteeing the Food Bank’s long-term future. For further information on how to include the Harry Chapin Food Bank in your charitable giving plans, please contact Kelli King at (239) 334-7007 x202.
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The Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida 3760 Fowler Street Fort Myers, Florida 33901
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