WINTER 2015

Generous donations from organizations are helping FeedMore with its goal to distribute more fresh produce to needy people in Central Virginia.

During the previous fiscal year, FeedMore distributed 4.5 million pounds of produce, which was 15 percent of all food distributed. The long term goal is 40 percent, and to do so, FeedMore’s distribution partner agencies must have the capability to distribute perishable food. Those agencies say refrigeration is their most critical need for reaching the goal.

A FeedMore dollar will buy more fresh produce than such long-time staples as peanut butter and tuna. A truckload of peanut butter can cost $40,000 and that will buy seven truckloads of potatoes, said Norm Gold, chief operations officer for FeedMore.

Of course, when it comes to food drives, the most needed canned items are: peanut butter, canned tuna and chicken, low-sodium vegetables, fruits packed in juice, spaghetti sauce in plastic containers, canned or dry beans, hot and cold cereal and whole grain snacks.

FeedMore is always glad to receive donations of protein in the form of meat. Martin’s Super Markets donated 1,000 turkeys in time for Thanksgiving and Perdue Farms donated an entire truckload of protein in mid-December.

Another big reason for moving toward distributing more fresh

produce is that farmers sometimes overproduce vegetables or can’t sell them fast enough. So those farmers wind up plowing under some produce to get the field ready for the next crop. Some farmers donate the produce and some sell it at a fraction of the market value.

The main challenge in distributing more fresh produce is finding enough cold storage units in the 31 counties and five cities served by FeedMore. But individuals, corporations and organizations are stepping forward and providing some of the necessary funds for cold storage units.

The Robins Foundation and The Cameron Foundation both joined FeedMore in making significant investments in the Chesterfield Food Bank (CFB) to help them buy a commercial freezer and refrigerator to improve regional distribution efforts.

“The Cameron Foundation’s grant for FeedMore to establish its first regional food distribution hub aligns well with our vision for a healthy community in the Tri-Cities region,” said The Cameron Foundation President, J. Todd Graham.

The Chesterfield Food Bank in Chester serves as a hub of distribution in FeedMore’s service area. Northern Neck Food Bank, which is in Warsaw, serves as a redistribution organization. Fortunately, the Chesterfield Food Bank, which serves Dinwiddie, Prince George, Surry and Sussex counties, has a refrigerated vehicle for delivering produce to its service area. The Chesterfield food pantry serves 6,000 meals to 1,200 people each week.

Donations help FeedMore agencies distribute fresh produce

continued on page 2

WORKING TOGETHER

Another recent donation from BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc. will help the Hands Across Middlesex Food Pantry distribute fresh produce to twice as many residents within two years, said the pantry’s director, Dave Cryer.

“We have purchased a walk-in freezer and refrigerator and we’ve ordered a refrigerated walk-in trailer, and that will more than triple our capability to store food and deliver it,” Cryer said.

BJ’s grant also makes it possible for the pantry to store dairy products for several days. In the past, when dairy products were donated, the pantry had to distribute them on the same day due to a lack of cold storage space, he noted.

The 7.5-foot by 16-foot trailer, known as a “mobile pantry,” will be towed behind a truck and will allow the pantry to distribute produce to recipients who might have no transportation to the pantry in Saluda, Cryer said.

Tremendous need exists for free food distribution in Middlesex, which has a population of 11,000, Cryer said, noting, “Over half of our children are on free or reduced lunches at school.”

Agreements with local grocery stores “provide us with their excess produce, bakery and other food product that must be correctly stored to ensure the best use and least waste,” Cryer said. “With this grant, we will be able to ensure an effective and a longer-term supply of much needed food for our pantry. This is especially true with bakery and meats that can be immediately frozen for almost indefinite use,” Cryer said.

The cold storage utility trailer will benefit Middlesex and the other five counties served by Northern Neck Food Bank, including Lancaster, Northumberland, Westmoreland, Richmond and Essex, said Lance Barton, chief executive officer of the local pantry.

Fresh produce, such as broccoli, can be harvested up until Christmas, and the 2014 broccoli crop was the best in 40 years, Barton said. During cold months, kale and collards are available from local farms. During the summer, grain producers “will grow corn for us and none of these growers charges us,” Barton said. “They may have $200 to $300 invested in the production of each acre of crop,” he noted.

The Northern Neck Food Bank works with 27 farmers, and some do charge, but it’s either at a break-even or tiny profit margin, Barton said. When sweet corn arrives at the pantry, it will quickly go in the refrigeration unit and be stored at 35 degrees. It will last for about 14 days at that temperature.

--Eric Miller

continued from page 1

Donations help FeedMore agencies distribute fresh produce

CEO Lance Barton of the Northern Neck Food Bank picking broccoli, gearing up to distribute more and more fresh produce to six counties.

2 | WORKING TOGETHER | Winter 2015

On a regular basis, Meals on Wheels (MOW) recipients tell staff and volunteers how much the nutritious meals and visits from the volunteers mean to them.

Some recipients called Meals on Wheels “a life saver,” while others commented on their improved kidney (renal) function and overall health and well-being. “Thank you for the renal meals and for caring about me!” one recipient wrote.

Another Meals on Wheels recipient was down to a weight of just 86 pounds and wrote that she gained 10 pounds after receiving the meals for a month.

With changes in health care and support services, individuals with chronic health issues are living longer, fuller lives. They seek community support to help them remain in their homes, avoiding or postponing admission to a long-term care facility.

Fifty-four percent of MOW recipients live alone, and 11 percent require assistance from the volunteers to heat their meals.

Meals on Wheels is more than just a meal; it’s a friendly visit and a daily safety and security check by a volunteer, who may be the only person a recipient sees all day or all week. Occasionally, a volunteer will report that something didn’t seem right at a home where a meal was delivered. Maybe no one answered the door, which is what happened at one home when the paid in-home caregiver didn’t show up for work. An elderly woman confined to a bed had no one to look after her that day. When the MOW volunteer discovered this, a call was placed to MOW Client Services staff members, who then alerted the family.

Last year, FeedMore’s Meals on Wheels provided more than 350,000 meals to 1,652 homebound seniors and disabled individuals who had no reliable means for maintaining a healthy diet.

With meal sponsorship through local Area Agencies on Aging and the support of generous individuals, corporations and foundations, Meals on Wheels strives to keep individuals in their homes safely and independently, supporting the Meals on Wheels Association of America’s vision of seniors living nourished lives with independence and dignity.

While the program receives no direct state or federal funding, Mary Penet, director of FeedMore’s Senior Feeding Programs, said that Meals on Wheels relies on partial funding provided by the Older Americans Act through meal sponsorship through the Area Agencies on Aging. Federal sequestration and budget cuts can present a challenge to maintain services without the implementation of a waiting list.FeedMore operates Meals on Wheels in 10 counties and four cities in Central Virginia. Volunteers spend up to two hours on each of the 92 routes, delivering 1,000 meals each weekday, with extra weekend meals delivered on Friday. Providing nutritious meals since 1967, Meals on Wheels anticipates delivering its 7 millionth meal in the spring of 2015.

Fresh, delicious meals are prepared in FeedMore’s Community Kitchen, and delivered to 10 satellite sites from which meals are dispatched at 10:45 a.m. each day. All meals must be delivered within 90 minutes, as required by Virginia Department of Aging food safety guidelines. The day before Thanksgiving, volunteers were proud to deliver a traditional Thanksgiving meal to 745 homebound neighbors. The meal featured fresh, thick sliced roasted turkey breast, herbed bread dressing, green beans, candied sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, whole wheat dinner roll and sweet potato pie.

While partial meal sponsorship by partner agencies is provided for 55 percent of Meals on Wheels clients, another 45 percent receive their meals based on a sliding scale, with 35 percent of these receiving meals fully sponsored by Meals on Wheels. This leaves an annual gap of $1.3 million needed to subsidize the remaining cost of the meals. The outpouring of generosity by a supportive community over the past 47 years has allowed the program to evolve to meet the needs of the increasing numbers of the “Silent Generation” and “Baby Boomers” who now join them.

Financial support is strengthened by a highly diverse and engaged Meals on Wheels volunteer corps. Volunteers say they feel a certain satisfaction in knowing they are helping someone in need.

Meals on Wheels improves health

Volunteers working in the kitchen to prepare Thanksgiving meals

WORKING TOGETHER | Winter 2015 | 3

Churchpartners with

FeedMoreto launch

giant programWhy does a church in the middle of an affluent part of the Richmond Metro area need a food pantry?

In September alone, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church gave food to 790 individuals, providing them with bags of food, said Deb Lawrence, director of outreach for the church. But it was FeedMore that helped the church organize its food distribution program and provide a place where the church could buy canned and boxed food at a significant discount.

When the U.S. economy began sagging in 2008, financially-strapped individuals looked for help at the stately church along Grove Avenue in the city’s west end. St. Stephen’s has 4,200 members and has a half dozen services throughout the day on Sundays. The average Sunday attendance is 1,000.

A Sunday night event features a modestly-priced hot meal for members, but any needy person can walk in off the street and get the meal for free, said Lawrence a member of St. Stephen’s for 22 years.

In 2009, St. Stephen’s kept three or four bags of groceries in a closet at the church to give to individuals in need. Church staffers saw an increase in need, and inquiries rose from a few every other week to several people coming in for food each week.“We knew we needed to get more

organized and have a system and a set time where we could serve these folks,” Lawrence said.

Warren Hammonds, program manager for FeedMore, visited the church and explained options and guidelines to the staff and clergy. “Some churches had soup kitchens and hot meals,” Lawrence said. “We didn’t think we could do meals. But we wanted to continue with bags of groceries in a bigger fashion.”

After organizing its food distribution program with guidelines from FeedMore, St. Stephen’s gave two bags of food to a family. It was enough food for three or four days and often consisted of spaghetti and sauce, bread and peanut butter or tuna with supplements of canned vegetables. For children, the bag might contain macaroni and cheese, ravioli, snack bars and even low-cost noodles. This might supplement a family’s food stamps.

The St. Stephen’s staff and clergy regularly promote food drives within the church. Some food drives are tied to sporting events, such as the Super Bowl or the NCAA Final Four college basketball tournaments. During the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, church members drop canned food into one of two soup kettles. Last year, they had a kettle for the Broncos and one for the Sea Hawks.

As part of the food drive, the staff provides grocery bags, and stapled to each bag is a list of items needed. The food drives are promoted through an electronic newsletter and notices in the weekly bulletin.

Fresh produce from local organic farmers also goes in the refrigeration unit. This produce is donated by vendors at the Farmers Market at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. It’s a pure farmer’s market with standard prices and it is held in the church parking lot every Saturday, April through November, and then indoors at the church, December through March. “Whatever doesn’t sell usually goes in our pantry or at least whatever the farmers don’t want to take back with them and then it is given away on Monday to our pantry clients,” Lawrence said.

The church pays a processing fee to FeedMore of 19 cents a pound for canned vegetables, soup and boxed pasta and this works out to be pennies on the dollar compared to the price in a grocery store. FeedMore volunteers pack the items in boxes at the food bank.

“I’d love to say we sustain our needs with our members bringing in canned food,” Lawrence said. But the need for food is so great in the community that “members alone will not cover our needs.” That’s why St. Stephen’s became a partner agency with FeedMore, and that has made all the difference.”

4 | WORKING TOGETHER | Winter 2015

Over 250 Richmond residents showed up at FeedMore’s Mobile Pantry a week before Thanksgiving, and many were delighted to learn they were about to receive a frozen turkey.

“They’ll save it for Thanksgiving,” Sonia of Richmond said of those standing in line near Whitcomb Court.

FeedMore’s Mobile Pantry Program takes food directly to neighborhoods of high need with the use of a specially designed, refrigerated vehicle that can transport food and serve as an on-site pantry. The program provides hunger relief to neighbors who live in areas with limited access to healthy and affordable food options, also known as “food deserts.”

Recipients received food on a first-come, first-served basis, which meant some stood in line as early as 8 a.m. for the 11:30 a.m. distribution. Each family received a turkey, potatoes, two bundles of asparagus, bananas, two cans of chili beans, a box of cookies, pack of egg noodles, box of macaroni and cheese, cereal, crackers, five bottles of water, box of muffin mix and box of stuffing.

It was the first time FeedMore teamed up with Bon Secours Virginia Health System for the Mobile Pantry Program. Representatives with Bon Secours prepared “leftover turkey Mexican soup” and this was served in paper cups on a tray to those standing in line. It was made of bite-sized turkey, black beans, kidney beans, corn and cheddar cheese and a half-dozen spices. It was so tasty that one gentleman consumed five cups of the treat while waiting in line.

Bon Secours had on hand its Class-a-Roll vehicle, which is a mobile learning kitchen where visitors can learn to prepare healthy meals. It has two large roll-up demonstration windows and a demonstration counter.

Standing in line, Barbara of Richmond said many of those around her stretch the buying power of their food stamps by eating low-cost packages of noodles. “That’s what you purchase with your food stamps, and you cook it every day, and you get tired of it, but it’s something to eat,” she noted. “From the 14th of the month to the end of the month, this will be her family’s only good meal, other than going to churches.”

The Mobile Pantry Program “is a valuable thing,” Annette of Richmond said while in line. It’s a big help for those living in government-subsidized housing because some don’t have quite enough money to buy nutritious food once they pay their rent and electric bill.

Sonia said it was her first time to stand in a line for free food. She had a good job with a bank, but was laid off. Later, she learned she had a heart condition like her mother and brother, who died at age 41. “I appreciate what FeedMore and Bon Secours are doing here. The soup was so good, and it warmed me up.”

It was a good Thanksgiving

WORKING TOGETHER | Winter 2015 | 5

Zest

What’s Cookin’?

Fest

2015

Featuring local chefs, Virginia wineries and craft brewers • Music provided by KOS feedmore.org/zestfest • Order your tickets today!

Benefiting FEEDMORE • February 28, 2015 • 6-10 p.m.

You’ll have a chance to savor some of the best food in Richmond, select from local craft beers and Virginia wines and hear some of your favorite songs performed by the KOS, a band that’s performed at presidential balls in Washington. And best of all, you’ll be helping hungry folks in Central Virginia by participating in FeedMore’s annual gala event from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

You’ll sample specialties from chefs from Richmond’s award-winning restaurants for a unique dining experience. The charity event will also include raffles and a live auction that offers exciting trips.

Voted by the readers of Richmond Magazine as the “the best band in Richmond,” the KOS (Kings of Swing) band is billed as Virginia’s most versatile dance and show band, playing beach music, Motown and plenty of other favorites from the 1970s to the 1990s. Individual tickets are $140 before Feb. 1, and $150 after Feb. 1. Tables of 10 are $1,400 before Feb. 1 and $1,500 after Feb. 1.

To purchase tickets and view current live auction and raffle items, go to www.feedmore.org. Contact Christy Dalton at: 804.549.5668 or cdalton@feedmore.org.

Zest Fest 2015 is set for Saturday night, Feb. 28, and it promises to be a fun night to remember at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.

Zest Fest 2015 will be a night to

remember

6 | WORKING TOGETHER | Winter 2015

FeedMore marks 15-year partnership with Perdue

FeedMore received a 10,000-pound donation of fresh chicken on Dec. 17 to mark its 15-year partnership with Perdue Farms.

In December alone, Perdue donated 58,000 pounds of poultry products to FeedMore, which serves neighbors in need across Central Virginia’s 31 counties and five cities, ranging from rural and suburban to urban localities. In fiscal year 2014, Perdue gave 2.3 million pounds of protein to FeedMore for distribution through FeedMore’s Meals on Wheels, Mobile Pantry, Kids Café and 350 partner food pantries and soup kitchens.

Through volunteerism and generous donations like Perdue’s, “we are able to meet the needs of more than 213,000 seniors, families and children each year,” Doug Pick, FeedMore’s

CEO and president, said during a news conference inside FeedMore’s warehouse in Richmond.

“We will continue to donate to FeedMore as part of our commitment to help fight hunger,” said Sam Rascona, facility manager for Perdue’s Mid-Atlantic Replenishment Center in Prince George, from where the chicken was delivered.

The Perdue-FeedMore partnership has endured for 15 years because Perdue officials can trust FeedMore for the “safe distribution of the products we donate,” Rascona said. He noted that nationwide, Perdue has donated 46 million pounds of poultry products over the past 15 years through Feeding America, a national network of 200 food banks. “That’s two tractor-trailer loads each week,” he added.

Perdue’s employees also serve as volunteers at food distribution sites. They had volunteered just 24 hours earlier in Petersburg where FeedMore gave away 7,000 pounds of potatoes, Perdue chicken, eggs, chili with beans, milk, onions, cereal and apple juice in a low-income area through its Mobile Pantry, a refrigerated truck. Later on Dec. 16, Perdue’s chicken went to a Kids Cafe site in Petersburg, where 30 children received a nutritious meal. The children were served at First Baptist Church, which represents the longest continuing African-American

congregation in America.

“We hope this donation will be especially helpful during the holidays, but we know that hunger is not limited to the holidays, and that’s why we make year-long donations,” Rascona said.

Over the past 15 years, Perdue has donated annually an average of 1 million to 1.5 million pounds of fresh chicken to FeedMore. That’s more than 15 million pounds of protein, which translates into 12.5 million meals for needy children, families and seniors across Central Virginia.

Through Meals on Wheels, FeedMore feeds 1,000 individuals each weekday in Central Virginia. The Mobile Pantry goes to 14 food deserts in urban areas and feeds 5,000 individuals per month. Kids Cafe provides 2,200 snacks each day at 63 sites for children ages 5 to 18 and provides supper at 42 of those sites each weekday during the school year.

Doug Pick, (third from left) FeedMore’s CEO and president, thanks Perdue truck driver John Joe during a Dec. 17 celebration of Perdue’s partnership with FeedMore. Others with them are Sam Rascona of Perdue (left) and Norm Gold, FeedMore’s COO.

A FeedMore forklift operator unloads 10,000 pounds of chicken donated by Perdue during the Dec. 17 partnership celebration. In fiscal year 2014, Perdue donated 2.3 million pounds of poultry to FeedMore.

}{On Dec. 17, FeedMore celebrated 15 years of

donations of poultry products from Perdue

Farms when a tractor-trailer load of chicken

arrived at its Rhoadmiller Street facility in

Richmond. Perdue has donated annually an

average of 1 million to 1.5 million pounds

of fresh chicken to FeedMore during that

time. That’s more than 15 million pounds of

protein, which translates into 12.5 million

meals for needy children, families and seniors

across Central Virginia.

WORKING TOGETHER | Winter 2015 | 7

1415 Rhoadmiller Street Richmond, VA 23220 www.feedmore.org 804.521.2500

WINTER 2015

april

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

9 10 11 12 13 14

16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30 31

february

marchVisit

feedmore.orgor call

804.521.2500

FeedMore Tour10-11 am

FeedMore Tour10-11 am

1 2 3 4

FeedMore Tour10-11 am

FeedMore Tour10-11 am

FeedMore Tour10-11 am

FeedMore Tour10-11 am

Buy your tickets to Zest Fest at Feedmore.org/

zestfest

Restaurant Week begins thru 26th

Last day Restaurant Week

Make your reservations for

Restaurant Week

National Volunteer Week begins

Zest Fest Gala6-10pm

March for Meals begins thru 20th

Last dayMarch for Meals

Legal Food Frenzy Begins

Legal Food Frenzy Ends

Hookies vs Hoos Begins

Hookies vs Hoos Ends

Post this calendar at your office to get coworkers involved

See if your employer will match your donation:

feedmore.org/matchinggifts

Set up a recurring monthly donation:

$25/month = $300/year

Deliver Meals on Wheels to the homebound:

feedmore.org/volunteer

Find out aboutLegacy Gifts:

feedmore.org/legacygiving

Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/FeedMoreInc

Invite a FeedMore rep to speak at your

place of worship

Share FeedMore’s Facebook status

today

Be an advocate – write letters to

newspaper editors about hunger

Set an empty plate at your table as a reminder of those who are hungry

Have a Bake Sale – donate proceeds

to FeedMore

Shop two-for-one specials – use one and donate one

to FeedMore

Valentine’s Day

Good Friday

Easter

Passover Begins

Passover Ends

Start collecting change and donate

the sum to FeedMore

Like us on Facebook:facebook.com/FeedMore

Skip your morning coffee and donate the savings to FeedMore

Pick up peanut butter at the store to donate to FeedMore

Pick up tuna at the store to donate

to FeedMore