Hey Partner Agencies! Would you like to get re-warded for submitting your reports on time, conducting nutrition training, or par-ticipating in a conference call? Starting this month you will be able to do just that. The Programs and Agency Relations Depart-ment has implemented a merit scale for MFBN Part-ner Agencies to help deter-mine which agencies are most qualified to receive additional resources as they become available. We will tally these points throughout the fiscal year as more opportunities arise for Partner Agencies to shine and, when we are able to provide mini grants and various awards, they will be received by those Partner

Agencies whose scores best represent the ideal. Differ-ent activities will be worth different amounts. You can view the complete break down of the Merit Scale on www.insidemfbn.org/library. The MFBN wants to reward your hard work, dili-gence, and accuracy! Not all of these points are available just yet but we will keep you posted as more possible points come along, so be sure to read The Affiliate each month and check out the announcements section of www.insidemfbn.org to stay in the loop. If you have any questions about the Partner Agency merit scale, contact Megan or Jeff in the Agency Relations Depart-ment.

MFBN to Reward Partner Agencies Based on Merit

Do you serve families with young children or diabetics? Our warehouse is packed with extremely generous amounts of baby food and bulk popcorn ready to help. We have Gerber’s sweet potato/corn baby food avail-able for order 1 case get 3 free! It is in cases of 12 jars and there is 1 year remaining on its shelf life so now is the time to stock up! We also have 50-pound bags of bulk popcorn avail-able – order 1 get one free! This is a great diabetic friendly snack that is perfect for in-house repack. Take advantage of these great offers while they are available! You can find them listed on your Inven-tory Request Form, item I4674 for Gerber’s baby food and item I5036 for popcorn.

March 2010 Volume 10, Issue III

Points of Interest: ♦ Support Child Nutri-

tion Reauthorization

♦ New Partner Con-tracts

♦ 2010 Partner Agency Surveys Coming March 12th

♦ Diabetic Foods for Your Pantry

♦ March’s Network Connection

Inside this issue:

New MFBN Staff 2

FRAC’s Letter for Child Nutrition Reauthorization

2

Partner Contracts and Applications

3

2010 Partner Agency Survey

3

Best Foods for Diabetic Clients

3

SNAP and GRASP Updates

5

Inside MFBN To Get a Facelift

5

March’s Recipe: Southwest Easy Oven Chicken

6

March Product Specials—Baby Food and Popcorn

Say Good Bye to Paper Statements! To help us keep postage costs to a minimum, we have

decided to make all statements paper-

less. You will no longer receive paper

statements in the mail. To view your

monthly statements, log on to

www.insidemfbn.org, and click “My

Statement.” We apologize if this cre-

ates any inconvenience for your organi-

zation. If you have any questions,

please call Gina at 406-721-3825 ext 239.

Montana. While complet-ing his M.A. in Rural and Environmental Sociology, he also found a Montana girl and a new home he didn’t want to leave. In his mind, working at

MFBN was the final piece of the puzzle: a meaning-ful job that allows him to use his skills to provide real help to people in need locally and statewide. In his personal time, Jeff en-joys hiking and backpack-

Jeff Gutierrez, Agency relations & Volunteer Co-ordinator Jeff is originally from California, where he worked in the nonprofit and municipal government sectors. He made his over-due escape to Missoula four years ago to attend graduate school at the University of

Page 2 The Affiliate

ing, spending time with his dogs, reading, and cooking.

Kathryn McCleerey, Development Manager

Kathryn is a third gen-eration Montanan who, other than a brief stint for college in Portland, has lived in the western part of the state her en-tire life. She is especially grateful to have been able to raise her three sons – two of high school age, one in college - in the Bitterroot Valley. Kath-ryn keeps busy as the Children’s Ministry Di-rector in her faith com-munity and is attending UM to earn her Profes-sional Certificate in Non-profit Administration. In her free time she also en-

Hundreds of organiza-tions are adding their name to FRAC's sign-on letter for Child Nutrition Reau-thorization - and it's be-cause of the great work you are doing to encourage your networks and colleagues to sign on. We need even more organi-zations to sign on! Help FRAC keep the mo-mentum going - and sign on to the letter urging Con-gress and the Administra-tion to take swift action supporting child nutrition legislation. Specifically, this letter identifies expanding program access as a top pri-ority for the reauthoriza-tion effort, especially for low-income children. Go to www.frac.org to sign on! A groundswell of signa-

tures will help us as we bring this letter to Capitol Hill on March 9th in con-junction with the Na-tional Anti-Hunger Policy Conference's Legislative Action Day! Together, we can ensure that the nutritional needs of low-income children are a top priority for Con-gress. President Obama has included in his budget $1 billion a year in new funding for the reauthori-zation effort. Let's tell Congress and Administra-tion to work together to identify funding sources that will allow millions more children the oppor-tunity to participate in the child nutrition programs.

Other Steps You Can Take

Help Sign On More Organizations to FRAC's Letter for Child Nutrition Reauthorization

MFBN Welcomes a New Agency Relations & Volunteer Coordinator and Development Manager

1) Widely distribute the letter to your net-works and colleagues to demonstrate groundswell grassroots support. En-courage others in your network to do like-wise. It is important to demonstrate to your Members of Congress that no Congressional District is immune from food hardship. 2) Urge your Mem-ber of Congress to co-sponsor legislation that would expand access to nutritious meals and snacks provided by the child nutrition programs. If your Member isn't supporting a priority bill, give them a call (Capitol Switchboard, 202-225-3121), and urge them to co-sponsor the bill.

Background Recent data released by FRAC reveals for the first time that Americans

in every Congressional District in the country are struggling to afford enough food to feed their households. Proposals to alleviate food hardship for children in every Congressional District have been, and continue to be, introduced in the House and the Senate. Additionally, Congress must support President Barack Obama's commit-ment to fund the reau-thorization effort, as a step towards eliminat-ing child hunger by 2015. If Congress fails to identify available funding sources to sufficiently finance the reauthoriza-tion effort, access to these critical child nutrition programs will continue to evade millions of children in need.

joys hiking and playing the piano. Kathryn brings to the MFBN her extensive marketing & promotions experience with NBC Western Montana and development work with the St. Patrick’s Founda-tion. Because she consid-ers helping people an im-portant part of her life’s mission Kathryn is look-ing forward to making good use of her skills to help advance the mission of the MFBN.

MFBN sifted through their inventory to identify dia-betic-friendly foods avail-able to Partner Agencies. Currently we have follow-ing items readily available for Partner Agencies to add to their inventory: canned beans, dried beans, pow-dered milk, game meat, poultry, whole grain bread and rolls, fresh fruits and vegetables, popcorn, salsa, ketchup, taco sauce, coffee, sugar-free sodas, and vege-table oil for cooking. Please note that some of these foods may only be available to pantries participating in

Page 3 Volume 10, Issue III

day, April 30th. We will also be sending out new applications to any Part-ner Agency that has an application on file with the MFBN dating back more than 5 years. Please help the MFBN help you, by participating in this month’s conference call and by returning your signed contracts and com-pleted applications to us by April 30th. We greatly value our Partners and want to ensure that we have the most up-to-date information for your or-ganization and that you are knowledgeable about the fine-print details of your partnership. Thank you, in advance, for your support and cooperation of our efforts to improve our services to you.

2010 Partner Agency Survey Will Help the MFBN, Help You!

New Contracts and Applications for All Partner Agencies As we mentioned in last month’s Affiliate, the MFBN is working to im-prove services to Partner Agencies. One of our first steps was to update the Partner Agency Contract and Application to reflect changes that have occurred over the past few years, and to make the details of our partnership clear to everyone. The contracts are subject to revision every two years. The con-tract includes new lan-guage about food safety, TEFAP guidelines, and

annual partnership dues. To review all items in-cluded in the new con-tracts, answer questions, and receive feedback about the new contracts, please call into the March 17th

Network Connection. The new contracts will be sent to all Partner Agencies on Monday, March 22nd and will be due back to the MFBN no later than, Fri-

TEFAP. If you are not already do-ing so, the MFBN urges you to take the needs of your diabetic clients into consideration and begin identifying diabetic-friendly food items in your inventory. We want to thank everyone that participated in the call for their questions, ideas, and feedback. If you missed the call, you can listen to the recording online at www.insidemfbn.org. Please take a moment to review the food list for...

The MFBN wants to hear what you have to say. On March 12th we will release the MFBN Partner Agency Survey on www.insidemfbn.org. The survey will only be available online. This is a great opportu-nity for Partner Agen-cies to give feedback on our partnership for 2009 to help us better serve you in 2010, as well as to earn more merit points by partici-pating. The deadline for Partner Agency Sur-veys is April 9th so be sure to take a few min-utes to sign in to let us know what is working well and what we can do to improve our ser-vices.

MFBN Works with Partners and Nutritionist to Uncover the Best Foods to Stock for Diabetic Clients This year the MFBN is turning its sights on nutri-tion. Last month, Minkie Medora, Board Member and retired nutritionist, hosted the Network Con-nection to discuss facts surrounding Diabetes in Montana and how emer-gency food providers can help. During the call, Minkie reviewed the causes and symptoms of all forms of Diabetes, and identified foods that should be distributed to individuals with Diabetes. In response to the infor-mation she provided, the Continued on Page 4

Dried fruit without added sugar 4. Other: Pudding mixes that are artificially sweetened – client can add skim milk to them Rice cakes Sugar free ice cream (can not ship) Pop corn Low fat mayonnaise Salsa Seasonings and condi-ments like Mrs. Dash, soy sauce, ketchup, chili sauce, taco sauce, spices Tea Coffee Sweeteners Sugar-free sodas Sugar free jams and jellies Vegetable oil for cooking

Page 4 The Affiliate

All distribution schedules and routes are subject to revision pending product availability, weather, trailer capacity, staff-ing, and other unforeseen circumstances. All Partner Agen-cies will be contacted 24 hours in advance to schedule a deliv-ery window. Partner Agencies serviced by our Miles City warehouse will be contacted by Laramie.

March 16 – BITTERROOT: Stevensville, Victor, Hamilton, Darby March 18 – CENTRAL: Gallatin Valley FB (GVFB, Gardiner, West Yellowstone, Three Forks, & Big Sky Youth

Center), Helena, Boulder March 18, 19 – SOUTH CENTRAL: Livingston, White Sulphur Springs, Lewistown, Roundup, Billings, Laurel,

Joliet, Columbus March 23 – SOUTH WEST: Dillon, Butte, Anaconda, Maxville March 24 – WEST: Thompson Falls, Heron, Noxon, Trout Creek, Troy, Libby March 25 – NORTH CENTRAL: Great Falls, Choteau, Conrad, Browning March 26 – PLAINS: Alberton, Superior, Plains (Plains AOG & Shekinah Kitchen, Hot Springs Food Pantry) March 30 – NORTH: St. Ignatius, Ronan, Polson, Lakeside, Columbia Falls, Whitefish, Eureka April 1 – FLATHEAD: Kalispell Mar. 31 - April 2 – EAST: Hardin, Miles City, Glendive, Sidney, Culbertson, Poplar, Wolfpoint, Glasgow, Malta,

Chinook, Havre After April 1 (contacted by Laramie) – MC: Wibaux, Center Pole, Lame Deer, Birney, Ekalaka, Colstrip April 2 – SEELEY: Seeley Swan Food Bank April 5 – MISSOULA: Missoula

March Delivery Schedule * PLEASE NOTE NEW ROUTE DESIGNATIONS *

“Diabetic Foods” continued from page 3...

2. Carbohydrate foods: Whole grain bread, rolls Whole grain pastas Whole wheat flour Cracked wheat – bulger Other grains like quinoa, whole wheat couscous

Whole grain cereals – ready-to-eat or for cook-ing. Whole grain, low salt crackers 3. Fruits and vegeta-bles: Canned, low salt vegeta-bles Canned fruit packed in

water or in juice (WP is better) Fresh fruits and vegetables Frozen fruits and vegeta-bles – no added sugar or salt 100% fruit juices

diabetics below. To learn more about Diabetes visit, www.diabetes.org.

SUGGESTED LIST OF FOODS FOR PEOPLE WITH DIABETES AT MFBN AGENCY PARTNER SITES 1. Protein foods: Low fat peanut butter Canned beans Dried beans Powdered milk Canned skim milk Frozen foods: lean meat, game, fish, poultry Refrigerated foods: Tofu, low fat cheeses, low fat cottage cheese, yogurt, low fat cream cheese (not feasi-ble due to short shelf life)

Please join the MFBN for the third Partner Agency conference call of 2010 on Wednesday, March 17th at 10:00 a.m.

Topic: “Newly Revised Partner Agency Contracts and Applications for 2010” This month, the MFBN would like to review the soon-to-be-released 2010 Partner Agency Contracts and Applications. The Contracts have been revised to include new language regard-ing food safety, TEFAP guidelines, reporting, and annual dues. Please join MFBN, as we re-view revisions to these documents, answer questions, and provide details about deadlines. We encourage everyone that can, to participate in the call. To participate in the conference call: Dial 866.740.1260 Enter your access code: 7213825

Upcoming Events/Updates

Page 5 Volume 10, Issue III

March17th @ 10:00 a.m.—The Network Connection

Important

Dates and

Reminders

ORDERS: Due March 12th!

MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORTS:

Due March15th!

Service providers, volunteers, and community members are invited to attend SNAP Outreach Meetings in Chester and Malta to learn more about SNAP, discuss the program’s importance for families and local economies, and brainstorm ways to increase participation.

Chester, MT: When: Monday, March 15th, 11:00am-12:30pm Where: Chester Assembly of God Church, 411 3rd St. W.

Malta, MT: When: 3/16/10, 12:30pm-2:00pm Where: MSU Extension Office, 10 ½ S. 4th St. E. (Basement of Malta Public Library)

SNAP Outreach Meetings in Liberty and Philips County!

Service providers, volunteers, and community members are in-vited to attend an introductory meeting in Choteau to learn more about both SNAP Outreach and GRASP, a program which aims to reduce hunger in Montana through county-level initiatives.

Choteau, MT: When: Wednesday, March 31st, 11:45am-2:00pm Where: (Call for meeting location)

For more information, contact

Lorianne Burhop at 1-800-809-

4752 Ext. 230 or Bernadette

Gunn at 800-809-4752 Ext. 227.

In an effort to make using www.insidemfbn.org as easy as possible, Agency Relations staff are busy working to update the look and functionality of the site.

We are aiming for easier naviga-tion and better ways to announce news, updates, features and events.

The entire look will be cleaner, brighter and hopefully more infor-mative for all of our great partner agencies.

If you haven’t signed up yet for Inside MFBN, be sure to do so to-day! As always, we’re happy to help.

Be on the Lookout for Inside MFBN’s Fresh New Facelift!

GRASP & SNAP Outreach Coming to Teton County.

Page 6 The Affiliate

MISSION

Working to eliminate hunger in Montana through food acquisi-tion and distribution, education,

and advocacy.

VISION Building a unified force to address hunger in Montana.

The Montana Food Bank Network

5625 Expressway Missoula, MT 59808

Phone: 406-721-3825

800-809-4752 Fax: 406-542-3770

agencyinfo@mfbn.org

Log on to our website!

www.insidemfbn.org

www.insidemfbn.org For the latest information and updates on new products, special offers, delivery schedules, shop-ping lists, Montana’s Pantry, Pio-neer Food Buying Service, grants, media featuring issues in food bank-ing today and current outreach pro-grams, log on to our website www.insidemfbn.org. You can even submit your monthly activity re-port and grocery rescue numbers

Find more recipes at www.insidemfbn.org/

recipes

Directions: 1. In a 13 x 9 inch baking pan, combined the broth, beans, salsa, and garlic. 2. Add the chicken and mix everything together. 3. Bake at 350˚F for 45 minutes, stirring after the first 20 minutes.

Ingredients: 1 cup low sodium chicken broth 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained 3/4 cup mild salsa 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

March’s Recipe - Southwest Easy Oven Chicken

Executive Director Peggy Grimes x225 Executive Assistant Gina McCrary x239 Director of Development Mark Brennan x228 Development Manager Kathryn McCleerey x244 Development Coordinator Sarah Black x229 Development Assistant Tirzah Juskalian x252 Director of Finance Paul Tripp x224 Accountant Clark Tower x223 Director of Operations Michael Gardner x233 Transportation Manager Rob Shipley x240 Food Resource Developer James Dodge x226 Purchasing & Inventory Control Manager Bob Spencer x251 Inventory Control Coordinator Stacey Grimes x222 Agency Relations Manager Megan Hill x235 Agency Relations & Volunteer Coordinator Jeff Gutierrez x232 Warehouse Manager Randy Neel x234 Warehouse Driver Ryan Long x237 Warehouse Staff Cory Simmons x237 Warehouse Staff Jerald White x237 Warehouse Driver Dale Dargitz x237 Miles City Warehouse Laramie McMillan 874- 5625 Director of Public Policy Kate Bradford x231 Public Policy Manager Bernadette Gunn x227 SNAP Outreach Coordinator Lorianne Burhop x230 Community Outreach Coordinator Emily Dunklee x250

MFBN S ta f fMFBN S ta f fMFBN S ta f fMFBN S ta f f

“Hunger: One of the few

cravings that cannot be ap-

peased with another solu-

tion”. ~Irwin Van Grove ”

“ Nutrition Facts Serving Size 1 (406g) Recipe makes 4

servings Calories 386

Calories from Fat 25 (6%)

Amount Per Serving %

DV Total Fat 2.8g 4%

Saturated Fat 0.7g 3%

Monounsaturated Fat 0.6g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.9g

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 65mg 21%

Sodium 386mg 16%

Potassium 1192mg 34%

Total Carbohydrate 46.7g 15%

Dietary Fiber 15.4g 61%

Sugars 1.9g

Protein 44.3g 88%

Vitamin A 170mcg 3%

Vitamin B6 0.9mg 45%

Vitamin B12 0.5mcg 8%

Vitamin C 4mg 6%

Vitamin E 0mcg 1%

Calcium 81mg 8% Iron 5mg 32%