Food Bank Friday! May 1, 2009!

[ColbertWatcher]

Food Bank Friday! May 1, 2009!

Needs your immediate attention ...

The people at the http://friendsofpineridgereservation.org/projects/">Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota are asking for donations. Please check out their link to see how you can help.

In people of Emmonak, Alaska (as well as other rural Alaskan villages) are planning a summer food bank drive, in the mean time, please consider helping now any way that you can. Here is their shopping list for donations.

I didn't get any replies regarding any help needed in North Dakota but, if I missed anything, please post in reply!.

Why is this posted every week?

Many media outlets are http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&tab=wn&ned=us&nolr=1&q=food+banks+demand+up&btnG=Search">reporting that many food banks across the country are running out of food.

Nearly 30 million people are receiving food stamps in the U.S. (http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&tab=wn&ned=us&nolr=1&q=food+stamps+30+million&btnG=Search">Google news search)

Food in the news

REMARKS BY THE FIRST LADY AND DR. BIDEN AT CAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK EVENT WITH CONGRESSIONAL SPOUSES
Best. Food. Bank. Photo-op. Ever!

<i>From left to right:
* Lynn Brantley, Executive Director Capitol Area Food Bank
* Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden
* First Lady Michelle Obama and
* Chief Executive Officer of Feed America Vicki Escarra

Some donation ideas

* donate money DUer peace13 reminds us that if a food bank accepts money, they can get food in bulk. Also consider donating office supplies to the organization that runs the food bank (old computers, phones, fax machines, paper, etc)

* "adopt" a food bank item and replenish it whenever it runs low (posted by DUer girl gone mad)

* donate birthday or holiday "kits" (DUer Rabrrrrrr)

* support Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) http://www.chiron-communications.com/farms.html

* donate to Second Harvest http://www.feedingamerica.org/?show_nce=1

* Find and donate "free after rebate" items offered by many stores http://www.salescircular.com/

* DUer peacebird found her household with a few extra dollars every month after paying off a car note, so now they donate that amount to food bank every month. (Way to go peacebird!)

Support your local cooperative extension service

* From the extension links in this section, donate all the items to complete one of the recipes (print out and donate copies of the recipe, too!)

* Donate recipe books (or other publications on nutrition) from your local cooperative extension service (Most states cooperative extensions services have all kinds of things available)

Also, after a quick google search for "cooperative extension service recipe," here are three of the top links:

* The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Recipe Central http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/recipe.shtml#basic">Basic Foods From Fridge, Freezer and Cupboard, including a single-page http://lancaster.unl.edu/FOOD/BasicFoodsforCupboard.pdf">list of ingredients (pdf) for all the recipes on the UNL site

* Cornell University Cooperative Extension-New York City's complete (http://nyc.cce.cornell.edu/nutrition/recipes/2008/NH%20Recipe%20Collection.pdf">Nutirion and Health Program Recipe Collection) (pdf)

* University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture's Cooperative Extension Service Departments Family and Consumer Sciences Programming
Recipes recipes for people with diabetes

DUer 1776Forever posted a link for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension in another thread.

More information about the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (Main website and Food, Nutrition and Health links)

The Cooperative Extension System is a nationwide, non-credit educational network. Each U.S. state and territory has a state office at its land-grant university and a network of local or regional offices. These offices are staffed by one or more experts who provide useful, practical, and research-based information to agricultural producers, small business owners, youth, consumers, and others in rural areas and communities of all sizes.

CSREES is the federal partner in the Cooperative Extension System. It provides federal funding to the system and, through program leadership, helps the system identify and address current issues and problems.

Food bank checklist

* Print out the flier below and make copies for your friends, family or co-workers to take with you when you go grocery shopping.

* surreptitiously leave copies at the grocery store!

(You don't have to pick up everything on the list, just remember to pick up something.)

If you're unable to donate at this time, but may need assistance yourself, please check out these ideas from your fellow DUers ...

* DUer readmoreoften has some great advice for where to find inexpensive food in your area

* DUer ProgrezivIndie compiled several links on one webpage (for help finding a job, medical care, food, etc) and what to do to keep your food edible after a disaster!

* DUer Missy Vixen found a webpage to help people receive free or low-cost medication!

* Please support candidates and policies that guarantee livable wages.

[annabanana]

1. EXCELLENT info here! K&R and BOOKMARK. .

And take it to heart...

We can make a real difference.

[ColbertWatcher]

2. I think we are! n/t

[mdmc]

3. YES!

[annabanana]

4. kick. . . . .This shouldn't sink until EVERYONE gets it into their bookmarks.. .n/t

[Omaha Steve]

5. The Letter Carriers will be picking up at your mailbox next week Sat. the 9th

On Saturday, May 9, 2009 letter carriers in more than 10,000 cities and towns across America will deliver much more than mail when they walk and drive along their postal routes. They will also gather the generosity of their postal customers participating in the 17th annual NALC National Food Drive, the largest one-day food drive in the nation.

K&R!

[ColbertWatcher]

6. (I was going to put that in next week's thread!) n/t

[turmeric]

7. Rush mentioned that Michelle was wearing $500 gym shoes while feeding the poor the other day

I wondering if those are said shoes?

While I would never spend more than $15-20 on canvas tennis shoes, I don't give a rat's behind what she wears. She is a great advocate for everything I stand for, and who knows? Perhaps a designer gave her the shoes for free. She is known for wearing affordable fashions so it doesn't sound like her to go out and buy such extravagant shoes.

One quibble on the food list: where are dried beans in the staples column? They are cheap, nutricious and filling.

[ColbertWatcher]

11. I believe those are the same shoes.

Read about it here: http://www.daylife.com/photo/091H7XZ7CFe4S

[ColbertWatcher]

12. Re: dried beans in staples.

I believe beans are considered a "staple" (4 a: a commodity for which the demand is constant^{http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/staple%5B3%5D">m-w.com})

[ColbertWatcher]

14. Here is a link confirming the type of shoes & their cost ...

... http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2009/04/michelle-obamas-shoes-love-em-or-shove-em/

[ColbertWatcher]

23. I misunderstood what you posted about dried beans.

I thought they were already in there, but they weren't so I added them.

Thank you, and welcome to DU.

[Triana]

8. K & R!! n/t

[rhett o rick]

9. Food banks need to have an emergency plan for food distribution in an emergency

like significant flu outbreak.

Ideas to consider:
Increase cleanliness standards.
Ask staff, volunteers and clients to stay home if sick
Reduce numbers of volunteers as much as practical to maintain operation.
Consider use of protective gloves and masks.
Reduce contact between individuals, e.g. have pre-made up food boxes staged that clients can pickup with minimal contact with staff and volunteers.

The steps above to be taken are to be determined based on seriousness of outbreak.

Currently we need to proceed like other flu outbreaks. But be prepared if the outbreak worsens.

The goal is to continue to serve the community with the least exposure of individuals.

[ColbertWatcher]

15. I think they do. Although, you can always call and ask! n/t

[rhett o rick]

18. I am closely involved with one and helping develop the emergency plan.

I was only trying to identify the situation to others that might be involved.

[ColbertWatcher]

20. OK. n/t

[ColbertWatcher]

10. Countdown kick. n/t

[JeffR]

13. K & R!

:kick:

[blaze]

16. Thanks CW!!

I think one of your posts prompted me to sign up for an automatic, monthly donation.

For those able and so inclined:

http://www.foodbankrockies.org/site/PageServer?pagename=home

[ColbertWatcher]

17. Great idea! n/t

[rhett o rick]

19. Check out our website at bremertonfoodline.org.

bremertonfoodline.org

[EFerrari]

21. Thank you, ColbertWatcher.

:kick:

[ColbertWatcher]

22. You're welcome. n/t