Public Assistance Outreach

September was Amazing!

September was very busy doing outreaches at many of the schools in Lubbock. At Matthews Learning Center alone I was able to help many of the students with Medicaid and Foodstamps. We collected over 20 applications alone at that school.
Along with Matthews and Lubbock ISD, I continue to receive a lot of help and support from St. Johns/St Paul’s Churches. It is always amazing to go every Tuesday afternoon, and see all the wonderful people that work the voucher program. They have opened their arms and their hearts to not only me but also to the many, many people they help. It has truly been a blessing being part of such a wonderful program there.

In September we also received news that the Social Services Grant had been renewed so I look for to the next year being able to reach even more people that are in need of assistance! And try to do my part in trying to feed the Hungry.

I you would like more information on this outreach program please feel free to contact me at 806-763-3003 or email me at drudd@spfb.org.

New Volunteer Opportunities!

Come lend a hand with these upcoming volunteer opportunities! Call Becky Jennings at (806) 763-3003 to sign-up for any of these events!

Halloween Can Collection at the Science Spectrum
The South Plains Food Bank will be collecting food donations at the Science Spectrum on Wednesday, October 31, 2007. We are looking for volunteers to help collect donations! For more information, or to sign up for this opportunity, please contact Becky Jennings at (806) 763-3003.
When: Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Time: 5-7pm or 7-9pm
Location: Science Spectrum- 2579 S. Loop 289 # 250
(On the South Loop between Indiana and University)
Contact: Becky Jennings at (806) 763-3003 to sign-up!

Saturday Workdays
- December 15, 2007 (9am-12pm)
- December 22, 2007 (9am-12pm or 12-3pm)
Groups or individuals are welcome to sign-up for either of these dates!

Food Bank Farm

Volunteers are needed on Saturdays from 9am-12pm at the Food Bank farm, located at 76th and Ave B. Currently, the farm is preparing fields for winter and spring. Call Debbie at (806) 535-4563 for more information on this opportunity, or to sign up!

Become a Kids Cafe volunteer today!
Did you know that one out of every four children in the South Plains lives in poverty? Kids Cafe is an after-school feeding program designed to combat childhood hunger. The South Plains Kids Cafes provide children of Lubbock’s economically disadvantaged neighborhoods with nutritious evening meals in a safe environment.

The Kids Cafe Program is currently seeking dedicated volunteers, willing to help out a few hours a week on a continual basis.

Volunteers are needed to:
∗ Serve meals
∗ Plan and monitor after-school activities (ex. reading, games, mentoring)

For the safety of our staff and the children we serve, background checks are required for all Kids Cafe volunteers.

For more information, or to become a Kids Café volunteer, please contact
Tammy Hester at (806) 544-1332 or thester@spfb.org


Second Helping Soup Kitchen
The Bridge of Lubbock is in need of volunteers for the Second Helpings Soups Kitchen. Volunteers help serve meals at the soup kitchen and clean up afterward. Please contact Lisa Green to sign up for this opportunity.
When: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Location: The Bridge of Lubbock
1301 Redbud Lane, Lubbock, TX
Contact: Lisa Green at (806) 687-0772.

Stay tuned for volunteer opportunities with the 2007 U-Can Share Food Drive!

Unemployment down... hunger up

Recently, Texas Workforce announced that the unemployment rate for Lubbock and the region dipped to 3.5%. In spite of low unemployment, the South Plains Food Bank and our network of 230 agencies continues to feel the pressure of increased request for food assistnace.

Over the past two decades, The South Plains Food Bank, a Member of America's Second Harvest-The Nation's Food Bank Network, has witnessed a new and disturbing trend: employment is no longer a sufficient means to escape poverty. According to Hunger in America 2006, 36% of families served by the America's Second Harvest Network have one or more family member working. Additionally, nearly 18 million people live in working poor families.

The same study indicates the number of working families served by SPFB is in line with national averages with 33% of families served having one or more familiy members working. This fragile existence forces many people to make choices between paying rent or mortgage and putting food on the table. It forces some to choose between paying for utilities and buying food, while others struggle to choose between healthcare and a meal.

The South Plains Food Bank and soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters and other hunger-relief organizations across the South Plains are seeing drastic increases in the number of working families in need of our services, children with working parents living in poverty, and people struggling to make ends meet.

When you volunteer at the South Plains Food Bank or one of our agencies, when you donate funds, and when you tell others about hunger and the South Plains Food Bank, you are making a difference in the lives of the hungry.

For more information on the South Plains Food Bank, visit http://www.spfb.org/.

Public Assistance Outreach

July was AWESOME!

With the summer flying by us, I have stayed very busy with
outreaches, and referrals from our agencies. Thank you to them!!
I was able to outreach some of our rural agencies this month like Loaves & Fishes- Morton, Kent Co. Food Bank-Jayton, Aspermont Food Bank-Aspermont, and Hamlin Food Bank-Hamlin. I was able to outreach and help many people in those counties and help them with the application process, or just answer the many questions/myths that they had about the Foodstamp/Mediciad/CHIP Process. It was very successful.

With summer rapidly ending and school about to start I look forward to August and working with several other agencies with their Back to School Fairs that are going on, and reaching even more people.

YTD Monthly FOODSTAMP allotment: $28,505
This amount is from the foodstamp applications that the SPFB has turned in.

Agencies that I did outreach with/or referred potential clients to me:
Catholic Family Sevices Lubbock Meals on Wheels
Across the Street Ministries-Lubbock MHMR-Lubbock
Matthews Learning Center-Lubbock Bayless Elementary-Lubbock
Hutchinson Middle School-Lubbock Tubbs Elementary-Lubbock
Children’s Protective Services-Lubbock The Bridge-Lubbock
Neighborhood House-Lubbock Family Promise-Lubbock
Covenant Counseling-Lubbock Loaves & Fishes-Morton
Buckner’s-Lubbock Parenting Cottage-Lubbock
St John’s United Methodist Church-Lubbock Hope Community of Shalom
Community Health Center of Lubbock Superior Health Plan
Salvation Army Aspermont Food Bank
Hamlin Food Bank Kent Co. Food Bank
Early Learning Centers of Lubbock Hope Community of Shalom

Non-Agencies that I did outreach at/or referred potential clients to me:
Slaton Housing Authority
Nurscare-Slaton & Tahoka

If you or someone you know needs assistance with Foodstamps, Medicaid, or CHIP please call me at 763-3003 or 438-8194.

Fall 2007 Volunteer Opportunites

As the school year starts this fall, we begin another busy season at the South Plains Food Bank! We have several upcoming events and volunteer opportunities at the food bank, farm, and orchard. Here is the fall schedule for Saturday workdays at the food bank (9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.):


- Saturday, September, 2007


- Saturday, October 6, 2007


- Saturday, November 3, 2007


- Saturday, November 10, 2007


- Saturday, November 17, 2007


- Saturday, December 1, 2007


- Saturday, December 8, 2007


- Saturday, December 15, 2007


- Saturday, December 22, 2007 (9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.)





If you or your organization is interested in volunteering on a Saturday workday at the food bank, please contact Becky Jennings at 806-763-3003.





Here are the Saturday workdays for the farm and orchard (9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.):


- Saturday, August 25, 2007 (Orchard)


- Saturday, September 8, 2007 (Farm)


- Saturday, September 15, 2007 (Orchard)


- Saturday, September 29, 2007 (Farm)





If you or your organization is interested in volunteering at the farm or orchard, please contact Jenifer Smith at 806-535-4470.

Thank you to all of our incredible volunteers last year!

Feeding Summer Fun!

The carefree days of summer days of lemonade, swimming pools and backyard cookouts are finally upon us. For too many of Lubbock's children, however, summer is a season of hunger. When school doors close for vacation, two key safeguards against childhood hunger the School Breakfast Program and the national School Lunch program are no longer available. To help bridge the nutrition gap during the summer months, the South Plains Food Bank is once again sponsoring the federally-funded Summer Food Service Program.

Tammy Hester is the Executive Chef and Program Director for the Food Bank's Summer Food Service Program. She says the program serves and average of 400-500 breakfasts and 500-600 lunches every day. Hester says the Summer Food Service Program provided at total of 15,975 meals in the month of June alone.

The South Plains Food Bank offers 12 summer food sites. They are :

Mae Simmons Community Center
Phea Boys and Girls Club
Copper Rawlings Community Center
Vandelia Church
Parkway/Guadalupe Neighborhood Center
Wilson Boy and Girls Club
Optimist Boys and Girls Club
Maggie Trejo Community Center
Asbury United Methodist Church
Central Church of Christ
GRUB
Bridge 2 Success

It is not too late to get involved with the Summer Food Service program. Anyone who comes to a participating site will be fed, though food is provided on a “first come first served” basis. Meal times at participating sties vary, but breakfast is generally from 8 to 9am and lunch is generally served around noon. The last day of the Summer Food program will be August 17th. Classes in LISD resume on August 29th.

In the future, SPFB hopes to sponsor even more sites, working towards the day when no child in Lubbock faces an empty stomach when the school bell rings for the last time.

"Food Banks Go Hungry"

That’s the headline for an article by writer Lauren Etter appearing in the today's edition of the Wall Street Journal on page B1. Food Banks, like the South Plains Food Bank, have seen a decline in the pounds of donated food given to us by grocers and food manufacturers.

The culprit? Better supply chain management and a drive for greater efficiency by food manufacturers have combined to reduce overproduction. That translates into less food available to donate to charities such as Food Banks and pantries. It’s a trend the South Plains Food Bank has been seeing first hand for the past several years.

Food manufacturers like Kraft, Kellogs and others continue to donate significant amounts of food to America’s Second Harvest some of which winds up serving the hungry here in West Texas. But the quantity of food coming through national donors has declined. To their credit, national companies and their foundations are supporting Food Banks in new ways through monetary donations.

While food donations are down, the number of hungry people in our country and in our region is increasing. It would be easy say that since food donations are down we’ll just cut back on the amount of food we put in food boxes or reduce the number of people we serve. To do so would be a disservice to both the hungry and to the volunteers and donors who join with us to feed the hungry. The mission of SPFB isn’t to just distribute what we have. It’s to feed the hungry. In a broader sense, it is to end hunger.

As food manufacturers and grocers have improved their ways of doing business, food banks have responded in new and innovative ways. SPFB is no exception. We are handling more fresh produce and dairy product, we are raising funds to purchase food for programs like the Kids Cafe, and we are growing, distributing and, through Breedlove, manufacturing, our own food.

All this to say that local food drives like the just completed Letter Carrier Food Drive (which brought in over 65,000 pounds) take on new significance as we work to insure we have enough food to meet the needs of the hungry. Working through our network of agencies, SPFB is providing food for more than 19,000 folks each week. That’s a lot of groceries!

Getting Ahead vs. Getting Fed

Grace, my soon to be thirteen year old daughter, is looking forward to the end of school and the beginning of Summer! She has a busy schedule planned. So it was with some interest that I read, an article by Sue Shellenbarger in yesterday's Wall Street Journal, "Helping overbooked kids cutback."

The story focused on the stress and anxiety children are feeling because their lives are becoming so busy with camps, music lessons, and all kinds of activities. The idea is that all these extra curricular activities give our children an advantage as the grow up and prepare for their life's vocation. I won't argue the fact.

At the same time, the end of school has a different impact for nearly 1 in 4 of the children across the South Plains. The end of school means the end of school breakfast and lunch programs that serve many of these youngsters. The meals they receive at school gives them the energy to learn, to play, and to develop into productive members of our community.

This summer, their focus won't be on activities to help them get ahead. Instead, they are looking for place to get fed. The South Plains Food Bank begins its Summer Lunch Program as soon as school lets out. In addition, we will start seeing more children showing up at our community soup kitchens.

Hopefully, getting fed this summer will help these children get ahead when school begins this fall.

My First U-Can Share Food Drive

I have been the volunteer coordinator at the South Plains Food Bank since May. This week I was able to experience the U-Can Share food drive for the first time. I was amazed as to how much preparation went into the event. Since October, I have helped plan every detail of the food drive with the U-Can Share committee. I was so excited when it finally kicked off this week. Every night at six and ten o'clock, I would tune in to KCBD 11 to watch the live broadcast at United Supermarket to see how many pounds of food had been collected.
On Wednesday, I finally got to go out to the site. When we got there, my husband and I helped organize the groups of schoolchildren for the six o'clock news broadcast. All of the kids were so excited to be on the news and proudly annouced how many pound of food their school had collected. After the broadcast, Donna Chandler explained to us how everything was done at the collection site. As the sun went down and it got colder out, we huddled by the space heater and waited for donations. I was suprised by how few donations came in, but it was probably due to the cold weather! Overall, it was fun to be a part of the U-Can Share food drive. I was amazed by how the community came together and got involved.
Back at the food bank, its been pretty busy. Groups have been calling me every single day wanting to volunteer. Everyone wants to get involved, not only with the U-Can Share food drive, but also at the food bank. We have had school groups, church groups, and businesses out here volunteering every day, helping us prepare for Christmas. It has been a fun experience for me, and it is wonderful that so many people are willing to help out the food bank at such an important time of year!

A Thanksgiving Wish

In this morning's mail was a Thanksgiving card from Marlena, a sweet lady in our community who cares about the hungry.

I was sitting in my living room looking out the door when I seen a man walking the alley. He would stop at each dumpster along his way and see if there was something he could sell for money. But what broke my heart was when he emptied a trash bag and put something in his mouth.

I went to the kitchen and fixed up a plate. I walked up to him and said, "Here, I want you to have this." He said, "Thank you" and went on his way.

I hope and pray that one day NOBODY will have to go hungry.

Marlena

The note on the card read "May this Thanksgiving bring you a harvest of happiness!"

Volunteers to the Rescue!

If you have come to the South Plains Food Bank lately, you probably noticed it looks a little different. The past few weeks we have been remodelling our front office. We painted the walls, put down new tile, and even got new furniture. All this remodelling meant one thing- lots of moving to do. When we put in the new tile, every bit of furtinute had to be removed from the front office. We weren't sure how we were going to get it all done until Alpha Tao Omega, a fraternity at Texas Tech University, gave me a call. As luck would have it, they wanted to volunteer on the afternoon we were scheduled to begin moving out. That Friday afternoon, a group of fifteen eager college guys came to the food bank to help out. In less than an hour, the entire front office was bare. They moved every inch of furniture out for us, but they weren't done yet. Still wanting to volunteer for another hour, the group made a pallet of hygiene boxes and helped clean out the back warehouse. At one point I even saw a few guys helping to rip up the old flooring! They were a huge help to us. It was amazing to see how much a group of motivated and eager volunteers could accomplish in two hours. We truely appreiate volunteers like Alpha Tao Omega.

Target's "Day of Giving"

On Thursday, Target stores celebrated their annual "Day of Giving." Each year, Target stores across the nation spend their "Day of Giving" volunteering at local organizations to give back to the community.

Our Lubbock Target store decided to volunteer with the South Plains Food Bank. Six Target employees spent three hours at the food bank making freezer boxes and dry food boxes that will be distributed to the Lubbock community. They showed up Thursday morning ready to work hard, and proved to be a huge help to the food bank. They were able to make three full pallets of freezer boxes in three hours. This is approximately 216 boxes to be distributed. On average, the food bank is able to finish three pallets in a day.

It was nice to see hard-working Target employees use their free time to volunteer. They were eager to participate and not only volunteered, but were happy to do so. They came ready to help and had an upbeat attitude that carried through the food bank. We enjoyed having them out for their "Day of Giving," and always appreciate our helpful volunteers.

Can Can Fun in the Sun Food Drive!

Covenant Community Outreach and KLBK-TV helped us host our 7th Annual Can Can Fun in the Sun Food Drive last week, capped off with the Too Hot to Run in the Sun Non-Run.

The Covenant Crew helped us raise around fifty-seven thousand pounds of food! KLBK followed us from parking lot to parking lot as our volunteers set up shop at three two United Stores, Market Street, Wal-Mart, and K-Mart. Bodyworks brought their rock climbing wall out for people who donated cans to the drive. I noticed that mostly a younger crowd took advantage of their offer. After the climb, Keva Juice volunteers were handing out healthy smoothes to rock climbers and others who were supporting the drive.

A large crowd was not on hand for our non-run. But on the other hand, a bunch of folks sent in donations to stay at home Saturday and support the South Plains Food Bank by enjoying a lazy morning...

Windy morning at the Farm

It was a windy Friday morning at the Carolyn Lanier South Plains Food Bank Youth Farm where our GRUB Kids were taking a break. I asked them to get together for a group picture. Then they asked Jenifer Smith, the Director of the Farm, Orchard, and Garden Division to join the photo... on the ground.

















In spite of blistering hot days, wind, and a lack of rain, the Farm and Orchard are looking good. The Grub team is working to make sure we have food for the clients served by the South Plains Food Bank and our network of agencies.
Here are a few shots of how the vegetables are growing.

If you would like to see more photos, you can find more at flickr.com page.

Nutty Update

Here are some photos from Just Plane Nutty at Kastman Park this morning. Everyone was having a great time and... collected a bunch of peanut butter. I know the people we serve at the South Plains Food Bank are going to appreciate everyone's hard work.

Southwest Airlines is Just Plane Nutty!

Southwest Airlines and their Peanut Fares first took off thirty-five years ago this month. In celebration of the event Southwest and America's Second Harvest, the Nations Food Bank Network, are teaming up to "Spread the Luv" with a virtual peanut butter drive benefiting food banks in communities served by Southwest, such as the South Plains Food Bank!

Beginning June 1, Southwest Airlines invites you to visit southwest.com and click on the Spread the Luv button to visit the Virtual Food Bank where you can purchase jars (or even cases) of peanut butter to benefit the South Plains Food Bank. Contributions made locally will help us feed hungry families this summer. Southwest is matching all contributions made up to $35,000.

Employees of the local Southwest team are hosting "Just Plane Nutty Day" at Kastman Park (Lynnhaven Drive and South Loop 289) from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Donate a jar of peanut butter and you are entered in a drawing to win two round trip tickets to any destination served by Southwest. In addition, the first 75 kids will get a free Ident-A-Kid card. There will also be activities for the kids such as a bounce house and games.

Kids Lend a Big Hand

Yesterday I saw first hand how eager kids are to help others. We have many church groups that come out to the food bank to lend a hand, and yesterday Lakeridge Methodist Church paid us a visit. Far more fifth and sixth grade children showed up than was expected, and I was a little worried that the food bank would be unable to accomadate that many children! However, we managed to find a job for each child, and the kids were able to accomplish a lot during their short visit to the food bank.

The kids were split into three different groups. One group bagged egg puffs for our freezer boxes we distribute. The second group sorted and boxed hygene products. The last group marked and sorted canned foods to go into food boxes. I was amazed at how hard the kids worked and how much was accomplished. When they first arrived, they were all very excited about the jobs they would be doing and dove right into their tasks. They moved so fast and there were so many kids helping, they were only able to stay and help for a short time because we ran out of things for them to do! In the end, they were a huge help. They sorted and boxed the entire stock of hygene products that had been donated to us throughout the past three weeks. They also sorted two full bins of canned food, as well as bagged half a pallet of egg puffs.

At the end of their visit, the kids were all very excited about their accomplishment. I heard over and over again, "where does this food go to?" "who are we helping?" They wanted to have a sense of their purpose with their volunteer work. They all wanted to know exactly how many cans they had sorted, how many bags of egg puffs they had made, and how many hygene products they sorted. Kids are funny in the sense that they need a number to put with their efforts. They truely were a huge help to our food bank, and their hard work paid off!

Hunger Awareness Day 2006 in Lubbock

The South Plains Food Bank joined with America's Second Harvest Food Banks and hunger relief agencies across the country in honor of National Hunger Awareness Day 2006. The goal of the event is to increase awareness of the needs of the hungry in America. At the same time, it is an opportunity to recognize the partners and volunteers who serve the hungry in our community.

First United Methodist Church in Lubbock hosts the Second Helpings Soup Kitchen. Today we had a picnic complete with hot dogs, face painting, music and health screenings. Our local Albertson's stores provided hot dogs, chips, cookies and beverages for more than 250 people. In addition, 50 of their employees prepared and served the meal. They were joined by guest servers (and news anchors) from KLBK and KAMC. (I think they just liked the hair nets!)

Al Solis was our Chef for the Day, preparing 600 hot dogs. He told me he never wanted to see a hot dog again. Awesome enterainment was provided by "Rendition."

After it was all over, one of the "regulars" at the Second Helpings Soup Kitchen asked if she could say a few words. Speaking on behalf of the people who are served each day by Second Helpings and the South Plains Food Bank, she simply said, "Thank you. You have blessed our lives by making them better." Her comments touched us all.

Standing in Line to Help

This is Jack. He can stack. Which his grandmom thinks is very talented. Jack has ten grandparents- three full sets of grandparents and four great's. And all in the same town and all of us standing in line and taking a number to spend time with Stackin' Jack. And of course we see to it(along with his parents) that Jack has everything he needs and many other things he doesn't even know he wants.

Today I met with three women to discuss a new program for the South Plains Food Bank in partnership with the Junior League of Lubbock. It will be called Food 2 Kids and it will be about providing backpacks of non-perishable, healthy, easy to eat, no-cooking-needed foods. These backpacks will go home on the weekends and holidays with kids who are referred to us by school counselors, principals and teachers. No labels on the backpacks, just pick them up at school and bring them back to be filled again the following weekend.

Food 2 Kids is for children without the luxury of folks waiting their turn to provide them with food, clothes, and other necessities of life. Some have loving families, same as ours, some live in ways most of us can't imagine.

I am glad to have another way to give help to kids. As mentioned in a recent call to our offices by a school counselor, some kids are trying to take care of their families rather than the other way around. She told of three little girls saving half of their food from school lunches to take home to an out of work mom and a sick grandmother. That's not the right order of things, but it is what we hear and see in our community every day. Our kids need to stay kids not elementary-age caregivers.

They need people standing in line to help them and give them what they need.

A note from 2-1-1

Kendra Jackson, the Area Information Center Manager for 2-1-1 Texas South Plains, sent us the following note. 2-1-1 provides information and referrals to people in need across the South Plains.

I wanted to send on a call we just got from Gordon and Juanelle Smith. Both are elderly and disabled Juanelle is going through chemotherapy right now.

They received food from the Food Bank earlier this week. Gordon was SO thankful. He said they hadn't had a good meal in awhile and it was nice to have so much food. You could just hear the happiness in his voice!

It is rare that we (at least here at 2-1-1) hear how people were helped, or how thankful they are for the help. I had to pass it on... THIS is the reason we are here, and the reason we stay.

As the Summer begins, notes like this remind me of two things. First, the needs of the hungry remain constant during the Summer. Second, we could not meet those needs if it weren't for our network of donors, volunteers, and great partners like 2-1-1.