2017 FALL NEWSLETTER

A FOOD BANK OF IOWA NEWSLETTER

Mission We provide food for Iowa The children, families, and seniors to lead full and active lives, Foundation strengthening the communities where they live. of our Vision Future A hunger free Iowa. Our service area

Last January, Food Bank of Iowa staff gathered in the “This year marks Food Bank of Iowa Distribution Center Service Area Des Moines warmth of our office to celebrate a milestone. For the Redistribution Organization Ottumwa first time ever, we had distributed more than 1 million Food Bank of Food Bank of Iowa distributes lbs. of food in one month. Just as we recognized this Iowa’s 35th to approximately 500 partners accomplishment, though, we also recognized that 1 in 55 counties. million lbs. is not enough. Anniversary, but Despite the truckloads of food leaving our warehouse we haven’t spent Efficient is Effective each day, hundreds of thousands of Iowans are still struggling with hunger. In order to fully serve the a moment of After our renovation, we’ll be hardworking Iowans who struggle with food insecurity, able to store more than twice it dwelling on we need to double our distribution. Over the past 12 as much food as we can today, months at Food Bank of Iowa, one word has been the where we’ve without adding a single inch to focus: more. our warehouse! been.” We have been working on important initiatives to build our capacity and allow us to do more: renovating our facility and adding the right staff to make the most of it.

continued on page 2 The Foundation of our Future continued from page 1

If you visited the Food Bank this summer, you know that our facility is as much a construction site as a food warehouse. The total overhaul of our facility, which began in March, will transform our warehouse from one designed for a beer distributor into one that fits the needs of our state’s largest anti-hunger organization. This project is independently funded through an ongoing capital campaign.

A new racking system with an intelligently designed layout will provide a 300 percent improvement on our previous storage capacity. Massive new coolers and freezers, with full racking inside, will allow us to accept much larger donations of frozen meat, fresh produce, dairy, and eggs – the most nutritious products we distribute. Improvements to the warehouse layout will help keep our staff, partners, and visitors safe.

An on-site pantry will allow us to serve our immediate neighbors for the first time ever, learn the challenges that our partners face, and pilot new techniques in food distribution. Volunteers will be able to come in during evenings and weekends to help us sort food, break down bulk packages, and more, thanks to our new volunteer center and clean room.

Finally, our office space, which suffered from inefficient insulation, windows, and HVAC, not to mention mold and asbestos issues, has been remade with the benefits of modern materials and techniques.

New staff will help us to make the best of our overhauled facility. We have added two food sourcers: a food acquisition coordinator, who solicits bulk donations and handles purchase orders, and a retail donation coordinator, who connects our partners with local retail stores like Hy-Vee, Wal-Mart, Fareway Stores, and Kum & Go.

New regional partnership coordinators, who manage the partnerships we have with food pantries, soup kitchens, schools, and other community organizations, have helped us build our network and feed more Iowans in need. Two new warehouse staff members are already making a difference in keeping food flowing smoothly in and out of the Food Bank, and both are working on their commercial drivers licenses.

This year marks Food Bank of Iowa’s 35th Anniversary, but we haven’t spent a moment of it dwelling on where we’ve been. Our eyes are focused on the road ahead.

Our vision has always been a hunger free Iowa. Together, we’ll get there.

2 | FOOD BANK OF IOWA | fall 2017 A Note From Our CEO Dear Friends, Our 35th anniversary is a bittersweet milestone: Thirty-five years from our founding, Iowans are still struggling to get access to food they need to thrive. Over the past three and a half decades, however, this organization has grown from Karen Ford’s heartfelt dream into our state’s largest anti-hunger organization.

This year, while we reflect on where we’ve been, we’re laser-focused on where we’re going. Big changes are happening all around us – literally! Our office team moved back into a renovated work space in October, and our warehouse team is soldiering through the total overhaul of 48,000 square feet of warehouse space.

In Ottumwa, a new team member is managing the transformation of Food Bank of Southern Iowa, which has been our redistribution organization for years, into a full branch of Food Bank of Iowa.

These big changes are focused on big goals: we are determined to meet 100 percent of the needs of food insecure Iowans in the 55 counties we serve. It’s a mountain of a challenge, but we’re ready for it. Last January, we surpassed distribution of 1 million lbs. of food per month for the first time ever. With our newly renovated warehouse, we’ll be set to double that distribution.

Feeding America CEO Diana Aviv joined us for a celebration of our projects last month, and she confirmed what we at Food Bank of Iowa already knew: when your work is as important as ours, big changes can reap big rewards.

Thank you for joining us on this 35-year journey in food banking. Now, let’s see where the next decades take us!

Sincerely,

Michelle Book President & CEO Food Bank of Iowa

www.foodbankiowa.org

FOOD BANK OF IOWA | fall 2017 | 3 FACES OF HUNGER

RACHELLE & MARKOS, Creston, Iowa Raising three kids is a challenge for any couple, but Rachelle manages a local sandwich shop, and when an unexpected injury sidelines a parent, an began her relationship with the Creston Area Food uphill climb becomes a mountain trek. Rachelle, Pantry as a donor, donating loaves of unused bread from Creston, Iowa, is faced with just that. to the pantry. Rachelle and her son Markos started volunteering, and got to know the folks who run About a year ago, Rachelle’s husband—a the pantry. Now, the tables have turned. construction worker—ruptured a disc in his back while not at work. He’s been out of commission “The longer he’s out of work, the more our bills pile for nearly a year, suffering through batteries of up,” Rachelle said. “When you have one income, tests, consultations, and surgery. Recently, he three kids, and your husband’s sick… that’s what began physical therapy to get back to full strength brought me down to the pantry.” and mobility. Without workers compensation assistance, the family has relied on Rachelle’s income to stay afloat. Food Bank of Iowa staff gathered these stories and portraits from real clients at Food Bank of Iowa partners.

4 | FOOD BANK OF IOWA | 2017 annual report GORDON, Des Moines, Iowa Gordon is a pay it forward kind of guy. A few years ago, when he worked for a vending machine company restocking snacks, he made sure that no food went to waste. Gordon would deliver snack cakes, crackers, and all sorts of food that was near its expiration date to a local shelter, where it would be used immediately.

Now, Gordon’s the one who needs a hand.

“Right now, I’m temporarily laid off from my job,” Gordon said. “I have to have surgery, so I’m going to be out of work for a month. I’ve come to the pantry to get some help.”

Luckily, Gordon will return to work once he’s regained his health. But for now, he’s glad he can get help at a local food pantry.

“If you can get some help in one area, that gives you less stress in another area,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about where your next meal is coming from.”

SUE ELLEN, Ames, Iowa Sue Ellen calls herself a stereotype buster. She holds a master’s degree and had a solid career in communications, working on publications and websites at Iowa State University. She also struggles with food insecurity.

Over the past two years, Sue Ellen has visited Ames’ Food At First pantry once or more each week.

“In the beginning, you’re hoarding because you’re so afraid,” Sue Ellen said. “When you calm down, you’re more able to see that, you know, you’re going to be taken care of.”

After separating from the university due to mental illness, Sue Ellen now subsists on Social Security Disability benefits. Her current income provides enough money to pay all her bills—but leaves no money for groceries. Food At First makes the difference.

“I would rather not have to be here,” she said. “But I know that these people are volunteering and doing the best that they can... it means that somebody cares.” HUNGER Hunger doesn’t take a break, so neither do we. Last year, we provided more than 11 million meals to Iowa children, families, and seniors.

PARTNERS We distributed 7,326,156 lbs. of food through food pantries and meal providers within our network of partners.

MOBILE PANTRIES Through 40 mobile pantry distribution sites, we provided 1,440,363 lbs. of food to 52,119 individuals Year in Review last year.

DONATIONS VOLUNTEERS Last year, we received 5,471,375 lbs. of food, or about 48 percent Over the past year, volunteers provided of our total food intake, through donations from food producers, 12,609 hours of their time to help us distributors, retailers, and individuals. feed Iowans in need. That translates to $280,550.25 worth of staff time.

TEFAP BACKPACK ™ We received 3,553,502 lbs. of peanut butter, spaghetti We served 207,328 sacks of food to kids in need sauce, orange juice, and other foods through the USDA’s The weekly through our BackPackTM Program at 162 Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). schools in 76 school districts.

6 | FOOD BANK OF IOWA | 2017 annual report Getting Creative with Nothing Compares to Produce the Iowa State Fair

Fruits and vegetables are a vital part of proper nutrition, but they’re often priced out of our clients’ shopping carts. To ensure that we have plenty of these foods on hand for our partners, we’re cultivating every opportunity to increase our There’s nothing quite like the Iowa State Fair. A million- capacity for fresh produce. person celebration of what makes our home state unique – from children showing sheep and cattle to blue-ribbon Just this summer, two Des Moines-area corporations started photographers and artists, the State Fair truly showcases their very first giving gardens. DuPont Pioneer, already a the gamut of Iowa. This August, Iowa State Fair provided us haven of agricultural expertise, planted a garden on their with the incredible opportunity to begin a brand-new State Johnston test farm, and Nationwide created an innovative Fair tradition: Food Bank of Iowa Day at the Fair! container garden on the top of one of their downtown parking garages. These two new contributors joined the Early on the first morning of the Fair, our team arrived on ranks of John Deere, FBL Financial, and others to provide Grand Avenue with a Food Bank of Iowa truck. Thousands fresh garden produce for their neighbors in need. of Iowans stopped by throughout the day to learn about what we do, get a temporary tattoo of our logo, and leave Iowa sweet corn is a summer their mark on a fingerprint mural (check out our Volunteer tradition, but this delicious and “More fresh fruits Center to see it in person). nutritious vegetable can go bad and vegetables before we’re able to get it into Our friends at some of clients’ hands. This summer, we means healthier Iowa’s top food production “At the gate that worked with Marshalltown’s associations – the Iowa morning, volunteers Iowa Choice Harvest to process clients...” Pork Producers Association, and preserve sweet corn. Bins the Iowa Egg Council, the collected non- of corn fresh from the field were shucked, the kernels were Midwest Dairy Association, cut from the cob, blanched, frozen, and packaged. The 2-lb. and Cattleman’s Beef perishable food bags of frozen sweet corn were such a hit with partners Quarters – contributed items in exchange and clients, we’re exploring processing options for garden thousands of dollars from potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables. their first-day sales (plus for a discounted dozens of gallons of ice entry ticket.” Most importantly, we’re creating a vast new cooler space cream) to our work. Those through our warehouse renovation. New rack storage funds translate into tens within the cooler will allow us to stock many more cooled of thousands of meals for products, in much larger quantities. More fresh fruits and Iowans in need! vegetables means healthier clients, and it means we’re doing our work better. At the gate that morning, volunteers collected non-perishable food items in exchange for a discounted entry ticket. The seeds are planted – we can’t wait to see these initiatives grow! These initiatives help us to do our work. As more Iowans learn about food insecurity, the role that food banks play, Visit foodbankiowa.org to see a video of the Iowa Choice and the network of hunger heroes throughout Iowa, the Harvest corn preservation process! closer we get to meeting our challenge. JOIN US ON THE ROAD AHEAD Our goals are high, but the stakes are even higher. We cannot allow any child to go to bed hungry, any parent to choose between feeding their family or paying their bills. Every dollar you donate provides 4 meals for Iowans in need. Together, we can meet our goals. Together, we can end hunger in Iowa.

BY THE NUMBERS 19,340 lbs. of frozen 174,853 lbs. pasta of pasta donated by the donated by Barilla Pasta T. Marzetti Company over 12 months in August 14 Bins 17,573 lbs. of sweet of pork 22pallets of potatoes donated by frozen food Smithfield Foods donated by Loffredo Fresh and Hy-Vee in stored for free by Ankeny Cold Storage Produce, Inc. September (Bonus: 2 warehouse staff to assist with 2 volunteer events at their facility)

12 Months 10 Years free storage provided by of support from Variety – the 4 Meals 1 Person Des Moines Cold Storage Children’s Charity for our provided by every it takes to make a during our renovation childhood hunger programs dollar donated difference

PO Box 1517 Stay connected to Food Des Moines, IA 50305 Bank of Iowa 515-564-0330 Find us on www.foodbankiowa.org 15-FBIIA-1117-N