Outstanding Community Service and a gold medalist...

This afternoon, the Lubbock Chapter of the Association for Women in Communications held their annual Celebrity Luncheon to celebrate the positive contributions and achievements of those people who make Lubbock and the South Plains such a great place to live. Breedlove Dehydrated Foods received the Louise Allen Award for outstanding community service in recognition of our response to hurricane victims last fall. In accepting the award, David Fish reminded the audience that Breedlove can respond because of the outstanding staff, volunteers, and donors who are dedicated to feeding the hungry at home and around the world.

Donna Chandler, the President of the South Plains Food Bank Board of Directors, was named a "Gold Medalist" for 2006. Gold Medalists are people who have worked over the years to improve the quality of life for a broad spectrum of people living in Lubbock. Donna personifies that description.

Donna is a great story teller. When she was recognized, she used a story to frame her accomplishments:

When I was a young girl I was fascinated by the Olympics. My dream was to be an Olympic diver and win a gold medal. But the facilities at the Idalou swimming pool were lacking for an Olympic hopeful. So, I moved on to other dreams. Maybe my 6th grade basketball team could be district champs. Well we weren't but we did beat Petersburg the last game of the year, and that was the next best thing to winning district.

As you can probably tell I have always been a very competitive person. I always strive to be the best and I never give up. Little did I know at that time that winning and being the best was not where I would find real happiness?

The real gold would be found in other things in my life. The unconditional love and support of my family, my relationship with God, and the opportunities that I have had working with others to make a difference in the community we live in. Whether it was sharing our story of adoption, serving on the PTA, teaching our 3year old Sunday school class, or working with the U Can Share Food Drive I have always loved being involved.

This is my 16th year to serve on the South Plains food Bank Board. It has been such a joy. The staff, board members, and volunteers are my inspiration. They all have an undying faith that things can be better for everyone. If they see a need, they try to find a solution.

Not only do they distribute food, they started Second Helpings so that hungry people could have a hot meal every day of the week, Produce for the Plains helps families have fresh fruits and vegetables. There are 13 Kids Cafes that make sure 100's of children don't go home hungry after school. The Grub Program teaches at risk teens responsibility and respect. Breedlove is simply feeding the world. Every time I enter the doors I am amazed at the volume of work that is being done, yet everyone takes the time to be compassionate and caring to those in need. Who wouldn't want to be a part of an organization like this?

Working as a volunteer has made me realize that God has given each one of us a gift, a talent. What we decide to do with that gift is our choice. I have found that investing my talent with others can make a difference in this community.

So, from the 8 year old little girl on the high diving board back in Idalou, feet together, hands together, knees shaking, dreaming of gold, I would like to say thank you to The Association for Women in Communication for this wonderful honor.

Sculptor Eddie Dixon summed up the day when he received his gold medal. "This is nice. All my friends tell me I have to be dead before I can receive any recognition as an artist." Fortunately, Eddie, Donna, Breedlove, and all the other honorees looked pretty healthy. Congratulationsions to all.

Lend a hand to support the Good Sam Act

The story of the good Samaritan tells of the kindness of a stranger to a man in need. The volunteers and donors who give time, talent, food and money are modern day good Samaritans. Last year, the Good Samaritan Hunger Relief Tax Incentive Act (Senate Bill 94) was introduced in Congress as a way to encourage the good Samaritians in our midst to donate food to agencies -- such as the South Plains Food Bank and Breedlove Dehydrated Foods -- that are feeding the hungry. If passed this bill will be of great benefit to the farmers and food manufacturers who are already such generous donors. If would allow them to deduct some of the fair market value of the fresh produce and processed foods they donate rather than the actual cost of the goods. Under the Good Sam law, they might afford to do more!

How do you know when people need food?

Over 150 people representing 65 of our partner organizations who feed the hungry throughout the South Plains attended the South Plains Food Bank's agency conference yesterday. Most of the folks who attended are volunteers with their churches and agencies. First United Methodist Church graciously allowed us to take advantage of their wonderful new facilities.

Along with topics such as Food Safety, Pest Control, and Nutrition, we hosted a session on Customer Service. Representatives from United Supermarkets, NTS Communications, and Concho Valley Regional Food Bank talked about their approaches to customer care. The bottom line is to treat people the way you would like to be treated. Since so many of our partners are faith based, it seems they should have a leg up on treating people with respect and dignity.

Our partners do a great job of taking care of the hungry in the communities they serve. That's the strength of our network. Of course the question always comes up, do these people really need help or are they just scamming the system? A gentlemen from summed up his attitude with a comment I can identify with. " Then the husband comes in to ask for help, you know they need help." More times than not, I've heard men say something to the effect of if I didn't have children to feed, I would do without.

getting the job Done

Hollis Lynch called me early last year to tell me about his plans to move his real estate business from Las Vegas to Lubbock. His plans included giving back to the community by donating 5% of his sales to the South Plains Food Bank. It is a promise he made.

Hollis made the move to Lubbock last October and has been getting established. Hollis is as good as his word. He stopped by today to make his first donation to the South Plains Food Bank.

We visited about the South Plains Food Bank, our partnerships with other churches and hunger agencies in the region, and Food Bank programs. The South Plains Food Bank and our agencies serve over 18,000 people each week. We can only do that because people like Hollis care about others and are willing to combine action with compassion. Hollis is getting the job done for his clients and he is getting the job done for the hungry across the South Plains.

Thanks!

A new year blooms

The orchard crew is wrapping up their pruning at the George Elle Rotary District 5730 South Plains Food Bank Apple Orchard just in time. Spring has arrived and 2,500 trees are leafing out and putting on blooms. It's a beautiful time at the orchard.

Since January Tommy Durham and volunteers from the TDCJ Montford Unit have been working to get the orchard ready for this years growing season.

Poet John Leax summed it up:


"A small orchard gracing a hillside, pruned to bear, is a sign of man's caring.
It fits into a scheme of many hills and many orchards, a scheme of many men caring."



Well, maybe our orchard isn't on a hill side, but it is a scheme of many people caring starting with George Elle, Howard Mercer, Cliff Breaud and a host of Rotarians and others who asked the question, "Wouldn't it be great if we could provide fresh apples to the hungry."

George is no longer with us, but what a wonderful legacy he left behind. Barring hail storms, which we had last year, we could have 200,000 pounds of apples to help feed the hungry throughout the South Plains. Harvest starts in late July!