focus on food

1www.northeastiowafoodbank.org

Spring 2016

Let’s Fix Dinner MissionThe mission of the Northeast Iowa Food Bank is to provide nutritious

food and grocery products to nonprofit organizations and

individuals in Northeast Iowa, while offering hunger education

programs to the community and those in need.

Serving the Counties of:

Allamakee Black Hawk

BremerBuchanan

ButlerChickasaw

ClaytonDelawareFayetteFloyd

GrundyHowardMitchell

PoweshiekTama

Winneshiek

Vision The Northeast Iowa Food Bank envisions a community in which

hunger is alleviated and all persons have adequate access

to nutritional food. We will strive to accomplish our mission so that food security is ultimately achieved for all households.

Focus on Food

Cedar Valley North Central Iowa Waverly-Shell RockWinneshiek County

Since 1981, the Northeast Iowa Food Bank has been helping individuals and families out of the Meal Gap. This Meal Gap is a representation of missing meals in households where food budgets fall too short to secure adequate, nutritious food. Factors such as poverty and food costs are just a

few of the factors that determine just how big this Meal Gap is.

To date, there are an estimated 48,000 food insecure people in our 16 county service area. We are now distributing over 8 million meals annually, leaving us with an additional 2 million meals to distribute before we can catch up to the cycles of poverty and food costs that make up the ever-changing Meal Gap. Make no mistake, we are closer than we have ever been.

What this means is that we need a plan, a recipe, to come up with these additional 2 million meals. We have been working on what this would look like for over a year now and we are ready to begin making this recipe a reality. But we can’t do it alone.

Every recipe is comprised of ingredients. Your donations, your time volunteering, and your continuous support will be the foundation of this recipe. Our utensils, the rules and tools we use to complete this recipe, will be heavily relied upon to ensure that this recipe can be prepared properly and that the ingredients will have the most impact that they can. All of these things will determine how quickly this 2 million meal serving size can be sustainably implemented into our annual distribution cycle.

A recipe is a story that ends in a good meal and every good meal first begins by saying “Let’s Fix Dinner.”

Online: www.northeastiowafoodbank.org

www.northeastiowafoodbank.org2

StaffBarbara Prather Executive Director

Michelle Winkey Director of Compliance & Operations

Mike Knipp Director of Development

Alisha Rulapaugh Director of Community Engagement

Susan Kraus Director of Network Relations

Bobbi Jacobs Grant & Contracts Coordinator

Brent Groomes Warehouse Worker

Bryan Helleso Marketing & Creative Communications Coordinator

Caren Rhoads Custodian

Chris MadiganTalent Recruiter

Dan Derr Warehouse Assistant/Driver

Freddie Williams Warehouse

James Clay Custodian/Warehouse

Jim Flood Warehouse Foreman

Kirk Mahood Receiving & Inventory Control Coordinator

Leigh Ann Moyer Food Handling Coordinator

Leo White Food Room Supervisor

Lisa Spitler Pantry Intake Assistant

Melissa Hicok Accounting & Human Resources Manager

Rhianna Galema Talent Coordinator

Rhonda McBride Pantry Services Manager

Shauna Herold Kids Cafe Coordinator

Sheri Huber-Otting Food Solicitor

Tammy Morrison Administrative Assistant

Kevin Winstead Driver

From the Director, Barbara PratherIn my 17 years at the Food Bank, I have seen change happen in many ways. From making due with a building that needed a great deal of work, adding new programs to reach different populations, dealing with changes in our food supply, keeping and retaining staff, reaching new goals, educating the community on hunger, asking for more resources, seeing resources cut, growing our volunteer pool, supporting increased costs, meeting new compliance requirements and ensuring we can serve our community-meaning northeast Iowa.

Cleary, nothing stays the same. If it had, we would have been out of business years ago-which wouldn’t be a bad thing-but hunger would still exist and food would be wasted. Both core to our mission. We have to change with time, which means we ask you to change and grow with those times.

The best example of change is 11 years ago, General Mills and Quaker Oats gave us 1.5 million pounds of food a year or the equivalent of 1.25 million meals. That is now around 250K pounds of food, annually, or about 208K meals. Because of this, we have had to find different food resources, which we have done through expanded retail pick up (Walmart and Kwik Star), through produce from gardens, farmers, Feeding America and retail stores and through the Target Distribution Center. Many of these donors did not exist 10 years ago.

So with all this change, we too, must change how we do business. “Let’s Fix Dinner” is our new Strategic Plan that addresses this very thing. This plan will enable us to close the Meal Gap by 2025. The Meal Gap is the estimated missing meals that the community needs to provide, beyond government programs. Map the Meal Gap maps the food shortfall to the county level and shows what the community’s response needs to be to ensure that all people have access to and adequate supply of food.

This where we come in, filling that gap-or fixing dinner. We need to continue look at what we do differently. We need to find new food resources, find new ways of working with the community so that we can take the food much faster, find more volunteers, and help our agencies build their capacity.

“Let’s Fix Dinner” is a recipe to close the Meal Gap. It is about ensuring that those who need food will have access to it. It is about providing Ingredients (volunteers, staff, donations); the Serving Size (the food); and the Utensils (Compliance and Infrastructure).

Thank you for what you do to help northeast Iowans fix dinner.


Just as the seasons change and bring about new weather, we too find ourselves in stages of life that are sometimes more vulnerable to change than we would like. For Betty, a mother, grand-mother and former Cedar Valley Food Pantry client, this sentiment was true in more ways than one.

Betty hasn’t visited the Cedar Valley Food Pantry since the mid 2000’s. During this time she was working various jobs, supporting her children on what was little

more than minimum wage. Working for minimum wage is hard to do with children as single parent. Luckily, her education degree allowed her to find employment where her children would attend school. Not only did this give her more time with her kids, it provided her with meaningful employment that helped pay some of the bills. But bills change, children grow up, and life happens. All which fluctuate far more often than corresponding increases in a paycheck. She needed to supplement this gap that was created from her additional expenses, but she couldn’t give herself a raise and she couldn’t stop her children from growing up.

What many people don’t understand is how important supplemental services like the Cedar Valley Food Pantry mean to someone like Betty who didn’t always need to use the Cedar Valley Food Pantry, but when she did, she really did. Betty’s story is not unlike other stories across northeast Iowa. We have found that on average, most of our clients use our services only 7 months out of the year, as opposed to all 12 months. Statistically this shows us something that we all know too well, and that is that some months are certainly tougher than others.

Betty’s story doesn’t end there. Betty stopped coming into the Cedar Valley Food Pantry to get help supplementing her grocery bill. Her kids grew up and as that stage ended she no longer needed to supplement anything. However, just as Betty’s kids grew older, so did she. As the years have separated her from our services, things haven’t gotten easier just because she has fewer mouths to feed. As we heard Betty’s story we soon began to realize that she was in a new stage of her life. Instead of focusing on her past, we saw quickly saw Betty’s future taking precedence. This moment was not about receiving information from Betty anymore, in fact, it was just the opposite. This short time we had with her was in fact an opportunity to give Betty information.

Soon we said goodbye to Betty with the shake of a hand, and in the other, an application for the Cedar Valley Food Pantry reminding her that we are still here if she needs us. You see, seasons can change and so can hunger. What doesn’t change is our need to be aware of it or how we can become aware of it. This is why we are asking you to become an ingredient of this recipe. So let’s get started and Let’s Fix Dinner.


Highlights HighlightsAgency Spotlight

At the NEIFB we are proud to be associated with people whose devotion makes a difference in the daily lives of so many people. The Greater Area Food Pantry-Calmar, led by Joanne Roney, is one of these outstanding pantries, staffed with caring volunteers who love what they do. On a weekly basis, Calmar provides its clients with a welcoming experience that includes a comfortable waiting room and children’s corner filled with books and drawing supplies. They offer a selection of personal care products – including laundry detergent the volunteers make themselves—and a wide selection of healthy, wholesome food. Recently Calmar expanded their client service to include a wider selection of perishable products every

week, including whole fruits and vegetables, milk and special bakery treats. Thanks, Joanne and everyone at Greater Area Food Pantry-Calmar – and the rest of our terrific member agencies – for all you do to help close the Meal Gap in our communities!

Volunteer HighlightWill Breu has been a volunteer for the NEIFB since January of 2016, donating over 720 hours to our mission. Will volunteers on our trucks multiple times a week, sometimes spending full days helping with both food rescue and BackPack deliveries. He isn’t only known for his amazing work ethic, but his infectious smile and positive attitude is a highlight for many of the people he works with. What we do at the Food Bank is truly a community effort, and Will’s contribution to the community helps feed thousands of people. He truly is a community member who exemplifies the spirit of volunteerism and how a giving nature can help thousands. and a wide selection of healthy, wholesome food. Recently Calmar expanded their client service to include a wider selection of perishable products every week, including whole fruits and vegetables, milk and special bakery treats. Thanks, Joanne and everyone at Greater Area Food Pantry-Calmar – and the rest of our terrific member agencies – for all you do to help close the Meal Gap in our communities!

Resource FairAs a donor or volunteer of the, you may be familiar with the difficulty clients of the Cedar Valley Food Pantry experience in filling all of the gaps in their needs. Some of our clients spend half of one day travelling from one social service agency to another for a variety of appointments with the use of the county’s public transportation system. If those individuals are working full-time or have children to care for this may not be feasible. In response to this, the NEIFB will be hosting a series of resource fairs taking place Wednesday, April 5th, Thursday, April 6th, and Wednesday, April 19th. Each day a number of organizations will be present, sharing resources and information about the social services they provide. If you

would like to receive our flyer for this event – for yourself or to share – please email Abbey Jenkins at [email protected] College preparing Barb with the tools that she needed help guide the Northeast Iowa Food Bank to fufill our mission to provide nutritious food and grocery products to nonprofit organizations and individuals in northeast Iowa, while offering hunger education programs to the area and those in need.


HighlightsMore Time = More Food

The Cedar Valley Food Pantry has been looking at ways to better serve our clients by expanding our hours of operation We saw that there was a benefit to have later hours in the evening for those whose schedule needed it or for those who might work during our normal daytime hours Our new pantry hours are Monday – Wednesday from 8:15AM – 4:15PM, Thursdays from 10:15AM – 2:30PM and 5:15PM – 6:15PM, and Fridays from 8:15AM – 11:15AM.

Intern SpotlightI get really riled up about rural food deserts. If you understand the makeup of the sixteen counties the Northeast Iowa Food Bank serves, you understand that many of those we serve live in areas that could be identified as such. Food deserts are areas in which individuals do not have easy access to fresh and healthy foods. Not surprisingly, difficulty to access these foods also stems from a lack of adequate transportation and a family’s socioeconomic status. A lack of nutritional meals can have quite the impact in some communities, including high rates of diabetes and obesity among the elderly and Native populations and malnourishment among young children. While the Northeast Iowa Food Bank and our partners work to fill the meal gap

in both urban and rural food deserts, it is the latter that originally attracted me to the opportunity to intern at the Food Bank. Assisting with our mobile food pantry site visits, I am able to see how valuable the meals we provide in rural communities are to those receiving them. Similarly, working in the food pantry at our location on Lafayette has allowed me to see the value in the meals provided here in the Cedar Valley, as well. Of course, I find myself asking, “What else can we do?” This year, we have been requesting that each of our mobile food pantry partners share SNAP benefits with their constituency. We want those we serve to be aware of all of their options in filling the gaps of their needs. That’s one of the reasons we’re also hosting a resource fair for those in need of further assistance in Black Hawk County. In putting together the resource fair, I have learned that it’s not just access to fresh produce that people in urban areas struggle to fulfill, it’s access to anything – everything. Perhaps urban and rural areas have more in common than we think. Certainly we can argue that there is still plenty we can do to assist our neighbors in each region. I know my short time serving as an intern for the Food Bank has turned me into an advocate for each of these populations.

Welcome To The Team Tom!Tom Swalin joined the staff at the NEIFB January of this year as the new Operations Manager. With his background in manufacturing, he brings with him years of experience working with plant management, production, inventory, maintenance, safety, and training.Tom moved from northwest Iowa with his wife, Kim, a few years ago to be closer to their children. He enjoys working in his yard, growing a large garden, and multiple types of remodeling projects. He loves spending time with his family and teaching his grandchildren to enjoy nature with all it has to offer. Tom and Kim are members of Orchard Hill Church in Cedar Falls and continue to look for ways to become more involved in the community. He is very excited to be a part of the team and help reach the goals of the NEIFB.


HonorariumsLee Lindgren by Tony DietzDennis Brandt by Gene LeonhartLyle Schneider by Gene LeonhartBette Wubbena by Gene LeonhartThe Bernard Family by Dr.Scott MooreThe Kids & Winston by Thomas G. SchmitzHarold & Marilyn Wente 65th Anniversary by Marilyn WenteAdam Johnson’s efforts in the Worlds Toughest Mudder Competition by Sons of Norway Lodge #1-547Rev. John Janssen’s Ordination by David FeltmanSt. Pauls U.M. Church Waterloo by Merrill L. SilerHudson United Methodist Church by Edward SmithBernadette McCoy by John McCoyMarvin C & Joan Webster Vore by Norma R. WeberMegan Kugler by Uof I Communty Credit Union Scott Parkhurst by Uof I Communty Credit Union Paul Barnett by Phillis & James BarnettH.R. & Joy Thorson by Keith & Martha ThorsonDave & Phoebe Drape by Larry & Lois TrachteDiane Lyman by Dwight & Beverly DiercksDr. E. Anthony Otoadese by Allyson & Ronald LandphairMary & Dave Dutton by Nancy ShireyRita & Larry Durchenwald by Evelyn SilverLee & Amy Lindgren by Rocco & Jeanine ScaturroDr. Judith Finkelstein by Linda May FitzgeraldDon Benson by Letha & Don PetersenBill & Kathy Sinnott by Steven M. SinnottThe Federspiel Family by Peter & Cindy ReinertsenCraig & Nancy Shirey by David & Mary DuttonOur Grandsons, Mikey and Davey by Lois Morse Dr Roger Cadieux by Jonathan Eastman Lee & Amy Lindgren by Rachel Evans Peter Martin by Kayla Hazelton Lonna Christie by Megan Harms Gregory Christensen by Kevin Kiewiet Jim & Sasha Wohlpart by Brenda Bartz Pauline Hillman by Jodi FogtGarold and Bernice Foulk by Jodi Fogt Judy Halverson by Jodi FogtJim and Sasha Wohlpart by Tim McKenna Alan and Karen Orr by Jill Orr Mary McGee Light by The Brightons Merlin Harbaugh by Kelly Wells Sittig Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative by Wheeler, Van Sickle, & Anderson, S.C. Hawkeye REC by Wheeler, Van Sickle, & Anderson, S.C. Heartland Power Supply by Wheeler, Van Sickle, & Anderson, S.C.

Lee & Amy Lindgren by Carolyn DietzJim Erb by James & Cheryl ErbJudy Hauser by James & Cheryl ErbJim Erb & Judy Hauser Birthday by Dale & Helen Bond by Paul & Anna Burnham by Janet & Warren Dunkel by Bruce & Christine Eldridge by Liz Firmstone by Euclides & Mary Wandro Fortunato by Brenda & Dean Holzer by Luella Hutchins by Maurice & Pam Johnson by James & Judy Koenig by Diane & Andy Melrose by Marilee S. Monroe by Dr. Curtis & Gayle Opp by Barb & Jim Prather by Doug & Linn Sinclair by Scott & Lisa Soifer by Keith & Joann Starr by Larry & Donna Stewart by Karl Theis by Judy Thornton by William & Barbara Wohlers by Art & MaryAnn ZanottiRosemary Kriener by Anne K. BlockerAnastasia Kriener by Anne K. BlockerValeria Herold by Anne K. BlockerDustin & Emily Leifker & Family by Jane or Randall Daniel / StanislavLyle & Karen Schmitt by Thomas & Diane EachusPastor Larry & Eleanor Stumme by Marty OlsenPaula Steimel by Mark & Berdell SchaulsM. Bernadette McCoy by John T. McCoyJudy Hauser by Scott BlankenbakerJackie Bacs by Patricia GeadelmannMarie Fernan by Patricia GeadelmannTaemin Han by Patricia GeadelmannMichelle Kaiser by David & Cynthia KaiserMatthew & Elizabeth Swanson by Chad SwansonAndrea Urrutia by Mitra SadeghpourDeb & John Gahn by Rebecca MitchellAnne Sophia Christensen Doyle by C David ChristensenJim & Sasha Wohlpart by Kyle FogtBarb Lyman Kluck by Megan KluckOur Grandsons, Mikey and Davey by Lois Morse Dr. Roger Cadieux by Jonathan EastmanLee & Amy Lindgren by Rachel Evans Kayla Hazelton by Peter MartinBeth Kuehl and Family by Carissa YauslinLonna Christie by Megan Harms Jim & Sasha Wohlpart by Brenda Bartz Mike Messerer by Jordan KettnerThe Waldron District by Tom WaldronMary McGee Light by Mary McGee LightOur Parents by Charles Adelman & Wayne FauchierDr. Linda Allen by Denise DunnDr. Linda Allen by Donna McNulty

Board of DirectorsLinda Allen Kirsten Arnold, Secretary Bob BrokawHouston CampbellKen Cutts Cheryl Erb Grant Gubbrud, Vice ChairDarren D. Herum, Chair Phil Jones, TreasurerPaul Jungen IIAlly CrutcherJustin KasuskeBarbara Kramer Corey LorenzenMike Messerer Jeanne MillerReggie Schmitt Louise ScottCraig WhiteSheila Wilson Rick Jaacks

Board Member BioBarbara Kramer

Barbara Kramer is retired from Covenant Medical Center where she was employed in the accounting department. She has been on the board since 2007. She and her husband live in Hudson and have four grown children living across the States, and one granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy eating out and going to movies with friends.


Evelyn Silver by Sean SilverAlan and Karen Orr by Kirk Orr Leo & Mildred Koliska by David KobliskaMy deceased family members and those here with me by Karon GramRichard Thedens by Mark ThedensRenee Swanjord by Heather SchoenbergerFlorence & Arthur Bradley by Larry CardamonHudson United Methodist Church by Mr & Mrs. Edward SmithDelza J. Van Arsdale Brown by Redonna J. ParkerGary M. Lane by Mary Martin LaneRobert by Nancy SeeryOur Country by Tony & Carolyn DietzSt. Pauls U.M. Church Youth by Merrill L & Claudia K SilerRev. Dan Voigt Installation by David & Susan FeltmanLee Nicholas by First Presbyterian Church Stacy Robinson by First Presbyterian Church Marcia Braley’s 88th Birthday by Bradford BraleyDennis Bass by Amy WilesDavid Kabel by Amy WilesMary Mumm by Amy WilesNancy Newhoff by Amy WilesStacy Robinson by Amy WilesCraig Sage by Amy WilesFlorence & Arthur Bradley by Larry Cardamon

Memorials Al Dittmer by Dittmer Family Revocable Trust by Carol J. HazelAlex Reed Etringer by Kenny & Robin EtringerAnne M. Melick by R.C. MelickArdie Miszner by Richard BechtholdBecky Bruce by Gary Dlask by Clair & Marilyn BruceBernhard & Mary Jacobson by Mary J. RittgersBetty Knudsen by Betty A. Knudsen by Judith Ann Knudsen by Kevin & Lorraine O’Connor by Suzanne TodeyBeverly Oltman by Rick OltmanBob Delagardelle by Patricia DelagardelleBob Sloan by Cedar Valley Cyclists Bob D by Patricia DelagardelleBobbie Lorenz by Gary GooderBuck Fisher by John & Delberta FisherCecelia Berding by Helene BenitezClarence Mixdorf by Kathy Dunlevy by Michael & Nan QuesinberryClayton Wangsness by Clayton WangsnessCraig Halleck by Merry HalleckDan Harrington by Rita HarringtonDave Wiegmann by Jann Wiegmann

Dawn Recker by Rick & Jan MadsonDelbert & Gladys Timion by Tom or Connie Cain by John & Delberta FisherDelores Kroeger by D. KroegerDelza J Von Arsdael Brown by Redonna J ParkerDenes Sullivan by Joe & Mary BoutottDick Garthoff by LM & Beverly McColloughDon Bell by Steve BellDonald Cunningham by Robert M. ParkhurstDonald Knipp by Avis & Darwin Smith by Avis SmithDonald Cunningham by Robert M. or Mary Sue ParkhurstDoris R Van Arkel by James Van ArkelDoug Pagel by Jane M. PagelDr. John McCoy by M. Bernadette McCoy by Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC Dr. Phil Rohrbaugh by Winifred M RohrbaughEarl Bellis by Mary BellisElaine Brejcha by Scot & Karen MichelsonElsie Magnusson-Irons by Ric & Betty ZarwellGary M. Lane by Mary LaneGene Condon by Carmen D. Condon by Debbie & Walter BrotenGeorge Oluf Stokker by Kathleen M. StokkerGeorge Hartman by Jean HartmanGlen & Meredith Willig by Denise WilligHarm & Esther Krull by Sahn & Tami McLeanHelen Thoms by Stanley ThomsHelen Smith Estate by Jo Ann FinkenbinderHerbert Wendling, Jr. by the Hornbrooks Herman Voss Family by Regina M. BulsJames O’Brien, West Union by Vicki J. RowlandJames Anderson by Michael & Nan QuesinberryJane & Red Dargan, Harry & Charlotte Patten by Cherie DarganJanice Brown by Paul A. BrownJerald Lybbert by Elaine LybbertJessie Wubbena by Jimmy & Eileen LupkesJim Girsch by Roswell JohnstonJim Grandon by James & Marilyn Rae GrandonJohn O’Hara by John P. O’HaraJohn & Mary Hines by Janell ScottJohn & Sally Schmit by Richard BeckerJohn A. Meyer by Katheryn E. MeyerJudith Crow by Steve CrowJudy Chelle by Jon & Wendy FooteJudy & Linda Hackenmiller by Mary MauerKaren Engelhardt by Doreen SteilKenny Hudspeth by Joyce Hudspeth

Kim Speed by David & Judith HalbmaierLarry Daniels by Craig DanielsLaurel T. Whitcome by Scott WhitcomeLewis Hanna by Opal HannaLoren Eick by Mildred HenningsLori L. Wilson by William E. WilsonLowell Lentzkow by Harlan & Marlys HughesMarlys Bolin by Richard & Dorothy GrosseMary Alter by M.D. ScarbroughMathew Ryan Caughron by Suzanne BembridgeMel Valentine by Linda ValentineMerle Picht by Walter BrandtMichael Adams by Barbara AdamsMiriam Lentzkow by Lowell J. LentzkowMitch Miller by Kenneth W. CavanaughMr. George Curtis by Mark GuentherMy Family by Dorothy A. KeithMy Parents by L Geissler-ThompsonNicolas Scott Remfrey by Dwayne Johnson Norma Dahlstrom by Joseph & Julie ConnollyOrville C. Mauer by Mary L. MauerOscar & Geneva Gingrich by James & Theresa MahoneyOur Parents by Dean PayneOur Parents by T.J. or Oralene HicksPane Meyermann by Priscilla A. MeyermannPatricia Hehr by Erhart HehrPaul Buenneke by Anne T. BuennekeRalph Campbell by Marilyn CampbellRichard Garthoff by Marlys Timmer by Bruce & Julie EhlersRichard A. “Dick” Garthoff by Pat & Abbot GormanRobert A. Schukei by Suzanne BembridgeRobert W. Philips by Mary PhilipsSam Shaffer by Iris ShafferScott Eberling by Deb EberlingStephen “Hoss” Zbornik by Helen ZbornikSteve Sunderland by David & Susan FeltmanThelma Hedges by David FeltmanThomas Adamek by Shelly Montrone W.M. Schneider Family by Mary SchneiderWalter Bielefeld by Lenora BielefeldWalter, Terri, Kati, Brandt, Jessica, Lance, Berndt by Walter BrandtWarren & Dorothy Schlicht by Mary L. BucyWayne Crow by Merrill L. Siler

Mark Your Calendar

Focus on Food is a quarterly publication of the Northeast Iowa Food Bank and is partially underwritten by ColorFx.For more information, please contact 319-235-0507.

Letter Carrier’s Food Drive-Stamp Out HungerOn Saturday, May 13th, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) will collect food donations to provide assistance to the millions of Americans who are struggling with hunger. Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the Stamp Out Hunger food drive is the nation’s largest single-day food drive, having collected more than one billion pounds of food since its inception as a national food drive in 1993. The nation’s 180,000 letter carriers will collect food donations left at the mailboxes of Americans in more than 10,000 communities and deliver them to food banks and other hunger-relief organizations. In addition to the constant need of volunteers at the Food Bank, we will have volunteer opportunities on January 8th, from 1:00-4:00 PM at the Hearst Center in Cedar Falls. This volunteer opportunity will get you hands on with some clay, channeling your creative side as you help us create 200 bowls for our annual Empty Bowls fundraiser. There will also be another day of volunteering offered on February 24th, from 1:00-5:00 PM at the same location, as well. Please contact the Hearst Center at 319-273-8641 or visit www.thehearst.org.

National Volunteer WeekIn the past three months, the NEIFB has had over one hundred and fifty volunteer groups and almost one-thousand individual volunteers come in and help us alleviate hunger in northeast Iowa. Volunteers do a variety of tasks at the Food Bank including packing sacks of food for our BackPack and Elderly Nutrition programs, sorting through donations, stocking shelves, making deliveries, sorting through and bagging produce, picking up donations, and numerous other projects. You can be vital piece in fighting hunger in northeast Iowa by volunteering during National Volunteer Week, April 23rd – April 29th. Come and see for yourself what the impact of volunteering can do for you and your community. Contact Rhianna at [email protected] or call her at 319-235-0507 to sign up today!

And Finally…Keep an eye out for our June issue of this newsletter. Over the next few months, we will be working on redesigning this publication. During this time, we would greatly appreciate your feedback and suggestions. What would you like to see us talk more about? If you have any, please contact Bryan Helleso, Marketing and Creative Communications Coordinator at [email protected].

Kudos To:• Seed Money for the Community Garden donation • Waterloo Community Foundation for the Going Local & Ag Surplus Program donation• Master Gardeners SNAP Education Mini Grant for the Cedar Valley Arboretum Orchard (production for the FB) and Community Garden donation• Cohort + Feeding America for Disaster Relief Training• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for the Mobile Food Pantry donation• Black Hawk County Community Foundation/CFNEIA for the Cedar Valley Food Pantry donation• Floyd County Community Foundation for the BackPack Program donation• ILNorplex in Postville for their donation• The CBE Group for their Jeans Day donation• The TJX Foundation for their support

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