Thursday, October 23, 2008

Halloween Party to Benefit Second Harvest Food Bank

Friday, October 31 - 8:30 pm
Zephyr at 2277 Alameda St., San Francisco
Hosted by Journey Productions and benefiting Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, this night of fun will feature dance performances by Ronnie Reddick’s La Femme Panache & City Slam and an array of tasty hors d’oeuvres and liquid refreshments. This promises to be a night of musical enjoyment! Each ticket is $50 and includes all entertainment, food, and fun. And 10% of each ticket is being donated directly to Second Harvest Food Bank.

To purchase tickets for this party, click here.

For more information, view the flyer.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Hunger a Rising Concern Among Americans as Economy Falters

Public Wants Issue Discussed in Campaign; Recent Polling Shows Need for Political Leadership on Hunger and Poverty

American families are increasingly worried about being able to afford enough food for their families and a substantial majority believes eliminating hunger should be a priority of the federal government and the next administration, according to a new review of recent public opinion research.

The review, commissioned by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) and conducted by Peter D. Hart Associates and McLaughlin & Associates, also concluded that Americans believe that the nation is not doing enough to combat hunger-related problems and that candidates for public office need to speak about solutions to hunger.

“As the economy continues its downward trend, concerns about hunger will only intensify,” said Jim Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center. “This is an issue that candidates have not focused on, but one that needs to be part of the political debate for President, for Congress, for Governorships and for state legislatures. Voters deserve to hear exactly where candidates stand and their plans to address the problem.”

The review looked at the past eight years of public opinion research on nutrition, food insecurity, hunger and federal spending on domestic programs to combat these problems.

Download the summary of findings | Download the full report

Visit the Food Research and Action Center's website for more information: www.frac.org

Monday, October 13, 2008

2008 Holiday Food & Fund Drive Kicks Off For Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties

Economic Climate Has Food Bank Concerned as They Strive to Meet Increasing Need

San Jose, CA – October 13, 2008 – Second Harvest Food Bank, the main source of food for nonprofit agencies serving the hungry in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, announced today the kick off of its 2008 Holiday Food & Fund Drive. This year’s goal to collect $8 million in financial donations and 1.7 million pounds in food donations reflects the highest ever for the organization.

“In these tough economic times, we are seeing an unprecedented number of people seeking food assistance – some for the very first time,” said Michelle Sklar, Senior Director of Development for Second Harvest Food Bank. “Now, more than ever, our services are needed to ensure that those being negatively affected by the economic downturn, layoffs and high food prices have access to the healthy food they need to feed themselves and their families. We are working hard to meet the rise in demand and need the public’s help to achieve our mission.”

Every year over 1,800 organizations participate in the annual drive making it one of the largest in the country. This year’s Food & Fund Drive is being co-chaired by John W. Thompson, Chairman and CEO of Symantec Corporation and Bill Watkins, CEO of Seagate. These high profile executives are taking time out of their busy schedules to support the drive because they are passionate about the work the Food Bank does.

“This holiday season is a critical time. No donation is too big or too small,” said Keith Flagler, CEO at Second Harvest. “We are asking everyone to give what they can. Because 96 cents of every dollar donated to the Food Bank is used to feed hungry people in our community, donors can be assured their contribution will be put to its intended use.”

The kick off celebration takes place:
Tuesday, October 14th
11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Second Harvest Food Bank’s San Carlos Distribution Center
1051 Bing Street, San Carlos

Event Highlights include:
  • Hors d'oeuvres prepared from food reflective of the items distributed to our clients
  • Welcome addresses from food drive chairs: John W. Thompson, Chairman and CEO of Symantec and Bill Watkins, CEO Seagate
  • Hunger Index Project: An Overview of Hunger in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties - Presentation Cindy McCown, Senior Director of Programs and Services at Second Harvest
  • Voices of Hunger photo DVD – see hunger through the eyes of children
  • Warehouse Tours
Because of the high cost of living in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, people often have to choose between paying for housing, utilities, transportation, medical expenses and buying enough nutritious food to feed themselves and their families. Second Harvest Food Bank provides the people need to sustain their lives so they don’t have to make that choice. Last year alone, Second Harvest distributed 34.6 million pounds of food to 176,000 low-income individuals each month; 67% are families with children and 12% are seniors.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Bills signed by Governor Schwarzenegger to assist the hungry in California


Governor Schwarzenegger signed three bills that will have positive impacts on people receiving public food benefits.  They are:

AB 433 (Beall)  Allows for “categorical” eligibility for Medi-Cal recipients to access Food Stamps without another application.  It also renames the Food Stamp Program.  Basically, reduces an application barrier. 
Approx. 2 years ago our Food Bank and California Food Policy Advocates met with Assembly Member Jim Beall.  We asked him to sponsor this legislation for us.  Below is a communication from the Governor about this bill.

AB 2300 (Laird) Automatically allows enrollment for children into free school meal program if their family receives Medi-Cal benefits.  Basically reduces application barrier. 

AB 2726 (Leno) Allows for the healthy Purchase Pilot Program which will provide more fresh produce. 

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am signing Assembly Bill 433 because I believe it is important to provide food and nutrition benefits to hungry families in our struggling economic times. In California, there are currently more than 2 million people that are eligible for federal food stamp benefits, but for many reasons, these individuals do not apply. This bill will help an additional 32,000 households receive federal food stamp benefits, avoid hunger and stimulate our economy through enhanced federal funds.

Food policy experts and the Department of Social Services have worked hard to design this bill to provide the greatest number of families with benefits at the lowest possible administrative cost. A $4.5 million investment will result in more than $110 million in federal food stamp benefits for California families and an increase of more than $2.5 million in state tax revenues.

In signing this bill, I am mindful of our state’s ongoing fiscal challenges. Therefore, I direct my Administration to fund this new program expansion with existing federal reimbursements that have already been received for the Food Stamp Nutrition and Education program. This will eliminate any potential General Fund impacts. For these reasons, I am pleased to sign this bill.

Sincerely,
Arnold Schwarzenegger