| January 23, 2008 |
Greetings from Colleen
Welcome to the first issue of Nourishing News, e-news for friends of HSM. Look for this in your email box monthly. We will also send our action alerts and other updates in this e-format. Thank you for your work to end hunger in Minnesota. In 2008 HSM will focus on expanding the conversation about the relationship between Hunger and Poverty. Did you know in Minnesota, 23% of people live in working families with incomes below a basic family budget? As jobs are cut, wages remain stagnant, home foreclosures reach record highs and food prices skyrocket, food shelves are the first to witness the realities of a stressed economy. There has been a 50% statewide increase in food shelf visits over the last 6 years. HSM and all hunger fighters need to help create the political will to end hunger and the worst aspects of poverty through active citizen participation. Look for ways you can help in upcoming issues. Thanks, Colleen A voice for economic justice
The Legislative Commission to End Poverty in Minnesota is an official commission of the Minnesota State Legislators. Eighteen legislators and two citizens serve on the Commission. The state statute that created the Commission requires the Commission to make recommendations on how to end poverty to the full legislature by December 15, 2008. Key themes emerging in the Commission’s listening sessions include:
Arrowhead food shelves receive unexpected gift
Local corporations and individuals organized a fund-drive on behalf of struggling food shelves in Minnesota’s Arrowhead region. $50,000 was raised in less than one week after an employee from Lockridge Grindal Nauen read the headlines about a stressed food shelf in Hibbing. Lydia Bohn, who was the mastermind for the event, is familiar with the hunger relief movement in Minnesota. She lived for a week this past summer on the food stamp diet. Hunger Solutions Minnesota organized a statewide challenge so citizens and leaders could learn about hunger through the lens of a limited budget. Bohn ate for a week with only $3/day for food. Minnesota Vikings and Vikings Children’s Fund Transform Childhood Hunger Into A Nourishing Childhood
More than 1,200 guests, sponsors and media personalities filled the Minnesota Vikings practice field on October 1 for the 15th Annual Minnesota Vikings Taste of the NFL Celebrity Gala. A record $153,000 was raised for Hunger Solutions Minnesota (HSM) through the Vikings Children’s Fund as guests mingled with alumni and current Vikings players, sampled food from 21 restaurants, participated in a raffle for a Mini Cooper and bid on silent and live auction items. The Minnesota Vikikngs support Hunger Solutions through the team’s charitable arm, the Vikings Children’s Fund. “Giving back to the community is a major focus of the Vikings’ organization,” said Vikings owner and president Mark Wilf. “Hunger Solutions Minnesota does wonderful things for children’s health and well-being. We are proud to part of that effort.” Voter Education Guide on Hunger Issues
This guide was created in collaboration with Drake University Law School and the Congressional Hunger Center. Today, hunger is a pressing issue on the minds of many American voters. A recent poll conducted by the Alliance To End Hunger found that “most respondents ranked hunger as the biggest moral issue. RECENT HUNGER RESEARCH
8.2 Percent of Minnesota Residents Struggling with Hunger Minnesota Ranks 43rd among all states for Participation in School Nutrition What is a TEFAP?
HSM manages TEFAP in Minnesota. TEFAP is the USDA’s, Emergency Food Assistance Program, which guides products from food producers to those in need throughout the country. Minnesota currently procures approximately $1.5 million dollars of products on an annual basis that are ordered through the USDA. We distributed 3,596,067 pounds of food in 2007. These are all highly desired and rarely donated items like ground beef, peanut butter, canned fruits and vegetables. Additionally, the USDA provides, on occasion, “bonus” products that are distributed through the same distribution channels as the regular TEFAP products. These bonus items are made available by the USDA for two reasons: either they are released to support commodity prices or they are available because of a surplus in the marketplace. In 2007 Minnesota received about $600,000 worth of bonus commodities. Thank You Hunt Electric
Hunt Electric and employees have conducted a fund campaign for HSM over the past 6 years and have donated over $60,000. “We want to have a broad impact on the community says Mark Hansen, president of Hunt Electric. I think it is very important that we give back to our community. We are a successful company and have been very fortunate, but very few of us get through life without needed a little help at some point in our lives. I feel that part of what makes us a successful company is that we do give back to our community.” |
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