Second Helpings Newsletter - Westmoreland County Food Bank

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WCFB Program Updates “There’s something wonderfully rewarding in being part of an effort that does make a difference.” ‐ Brian O’Connell SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM (SFSP) Even though the snow is flying and there are a few more weeks of winter, it’s not too early to talk about sun, fun, and the Summer Food Service Program. Westmoreland County Food Bank is gearing up for another year of providing free breakfasts and lunches to needy children throughout Westmoreland County. 2012 will mark the 30 th year for the Food Bank to provide sponsorship of the Summer Food Service Program. Funding is provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) with administra�on through the Pennsylvania Department of Educa�on (PDA). Feeding sites will operate at various loca�ons where eligible children gather for programs and other ac�vi�es. This year’s program will run from mid-June through early August. Par�cipa�ng children will be able to not only eat delicious meals but also meet new friends and maybe even see some of their school friends before the bells ring again. Sites can choose to serve hot foods such as walking tacos, sloppy joes, and hot turkey sandwiches, or cold meals, such as chicken salad and cold cut sandwiches. All meals are fully balanced, complete with fruit and milk. This year the program will run from June 11—August 3. The deadline for applica�on submission is April 27 th . Apply online today. To find out more informa�on on how to open a Summer Food Service Program site in your area or to locate a site for your children to a�end please contact Michelle Heller/ Program Coordinator at 724.468.8660 ext 25 or michelle@westmorelandfoodbank.org. OPERATION FRESH EXPRESS (OFE) The popularity of the Opera�on Fresh Express program con�nues to grow. By July of 2011, we were already completely booked for 2012. In 2012, over 10, 800 people were helped by this program. We have recently opened the calendar for 2013 dates and they are going fast! If your group is interested in sponsoring an Opera�on Fresh Express Distribu�on, please contact Deana at 724.468.8660 ext 29 or email her at deana@westmorelandfoodbank.org. A look at OFE from Norwin Chris�an Church. WEEKEND BACKPACK PROGRAM We are approaching the comple�on of another year of the Weekend Backpack Program for our 4 sites in Westmoreland County. Unfortunately the program will not be resuming in the fall of 2012 for various reasons. This decision was made with input from our sites and it was determined that it is not feasible to con�nue with this program. This was a very difficult decision for all involved. The 155 children enrolled in the program will receive referral informa�on to our Food Pantry Distribu�on Program which provides a monthly food package to all eligible households. Each month, nearly 9,000 families throughout Westmoreland County receive food assistance. These families are comprised of over 4,000 children. Westmoreland County Food Bank would like to thank everyone who assisted with dona�ng and assembling the backpack packages during the 4 years of the program’s opera�on. The program will con�nue to operate through the end of May, 2012. SENIOR FOOD BOX PROGRAM (CSFP) This past year has been financially tough on many people, and it seems that there is no quick recovery from it. Many of our seniors are in need now more than ever. Whether they live alone, or with their families, Westmoreland County Food Bank is hearing that they are hungry and are in need of assistance. The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) or “Senior Box Program” may be able to provide a supplemental food box to seniors leaving them more money for the basic necessi�es such as prescrip�ons, gasoline and hea�ng for their homes. The CSFP Senior Box Program is a federal program funded through the United States Department of Agriculture with administra�on through Hunger-Free Pennsylvania, a Network of Food Banks, and Charitable Organiza�ons. The program currently provides food assistance for over 1500 seniors age 60 or over in Westmoreland County. Through Westmoreland County Food Bank’s pantry distribu�on program, each pantry has a designated date and �me each month for the distribu�on of the senior boxes. These boxes contain USDA commodi�es such as cereal, shelf stable milk, canned fruits and vegetables, canned meat items, juice, cheese and pasta. To qualify, a person must be 60 years or older and meet the income guidelines. A household size of one person can earn up to $1,180 per month, while a household of two can earn up to $1,594 per month. If you think you may qualify, or have addi�onal ques�ons about the program, please contact Michelle Heller/ Program Coordinator at 724.468.8660 ext 25 or email her at michelle@westmorelandfoodbank.org. 4
More WCFB Program Updates FEEDING MT. PLEASANT/SCOTTDALE PROJECT 2011 comes to a close with considerable progress to report on the 2 nd area of outreach through the Feeding Mt. Pleasant/Sco�dale Project. The 4 pantries located in this area are well-prepared to serve all new clients referred to them and have seen many seeking assistance for the very first �me in their lives. Informa�on on the services WCFB provides, including eligibility guidelines and pantry loca�ons, has been disseminated through various means including direct mail le�ers, posters and presenta�ons throughout the community. In order to prepare for the increased need, our dedicated coordinators have worked extremely hard to implement new processes to ensure their pantries are running efficiently and are staffed with the appropriate number of volunteers necessary to run their pantry’s opera�on. WCFB has provided much needed equipment such as dollies, refrigerators, freezers and rollers to assist with distribu�on set up and to ensure safe handling of items held for emergency need throughout the month.. The pantry coordinators and volunteers are deeply commi�ed to ensuring that all eligible households in their service area receive food boxes through their pantry and also receive informa�on on the many resources available to them. Outreach efforts will focus on the Mt. Pleasant/Sco�dale area through December 2012 with New Kensington selected as the next area of concentra�on. For more informa�on on the Feeding Mt. Pleasant/Sco�dale Project, please contact Project Manager, Texie Waddell at 724.468.8660 ext 20 or email her at texie@westmorelandfoodbank.org. THE SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA FOOD SECURITY PARTNERSHIP (Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Cambria, Faye�e, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Somerset, Washington, Westmoreland) The Southwestern Pennsylvania Food Security Partnership was established in 2010 in the belief that in a land of plenty there is no moral or prac�cal reason why hunger should be tolerated. All the data concerning hunger indicates that the problem is widespread – affec�ng all popula�ons and regions - and, if anything, has been growing over the past three years of economic downturn. The Partnership is founded on the idea that we have the knowledge and the capability of seeing that no one in Southwestern PA goes hungry. This does not mean that it will be easy. It does mean that if the community comes together, pooling its intelligence and commitment – and taking advantage of resources that are available –including some that may need work to unleash – we can make great strides in elimina�ng or greatly reducing hunger in the next five years. The key strategy lies in the word Partnership– including faith‐based and community organiza�ons; schools and health‐care organiza�ons; busi‐ nesses and labor organiza�ons – small and large; and governments – local, state and na�onal. The breadth and depth of the Partners is half of what will make the Partnership work. The other half of what will make the Partnership work is the uniqueness of a Partnership that does not hand its members a pre-packaged list of ac�ons to follow. Rather, a Partnership that asks its members to develop, in as collabora�ve a process as possible, the specific strategies they will pursue in each county to meet the goal of elimina�ng or drama�cally reducing hunger by 2015. The Partnership goal is to significantly reduce hunger by 2015. The work of the Partners is to design specific strategies to meet that goal, and, with the help of the Partnership, implement them. On June 2, 2011 a kickoff mee�ng was held at the Westmoreland County Community College. The task for that mee�ng was to start the design of the strategies in each of the 12 coun�es of our region that create and lead to mee�ng the goal of the Partnership. As a result of that ini�al mee�ng a group of dedicated people meet every other month to help accomplish the goals set forth to end hunger in our region. If you are interested in being a part of this group, please contact Texie Waddell at the Food Bank at 724.468.8660 x 20 or email her at texie@westmorelandfoodbank.org. TRAFFORD FARMER SHARES HARVEST Lee Shannon of Trafford almost single handedly maintained a farm that produced over 10,000 pounds of food over the last few years to donate to those in need in the community. As all farmers know, you must overcome many barriers in order to produce a good harvest. WCFB thanks Lee for his con�nued dedica�on in feeding the hungry by dona�ng corn, tomatoes and other produce. 5
Page 1 and 2: WCFB Announces PANO Cer�fica�on
Page 3: STAFF PROFILE TRAVIS HORNE Travis H
Page 7 and 8: In Other News... FRANKLIN REGIONAL
Page 9 and 10: Food Drives FALL FOODSHARE FOOD DRI
Page 11 and 12: We Couldn’t Do It Without YOU! We
Page 13 and 14: We Couldn’t Do It Without YOU! Br

Second Helpings Newsletter - Westmoreland County Food Bank

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