NOURISHING Fall 2008 News G. Vogelzang

FBR wants to get at the heart of the issue of hunger by introducing those on the frontlines in Colorado. No sugar coating. Just real people. Real faces. And a very real problem happening in our own backyard. Visit www.frontlinesofhunger.blogspot.com to meet more individuals who benefit from your time & support.

olerez came to the United States 26 years ago in hopes of providing a better life for her 5 children. And that she D did. One child is currently in law school and one is in the midst of obtaining a degree in social work. Between her 5 children, Dolorez has 8 grandchildren who spend time with her while their parents work and go to school. She volunteers weekly at a local food pantry and offers free transportation to neighbors in need.

Dolorez understands what it’s like to rely on others for daily needs. She too uses the local food pantry in order to feed herself and her family. “I can’t afford fresh vegetables and fruits, so I’m so grateful to get them through my weekly food box.

Says granddaughter Naomi as her brother Max runs around carrying a loaf of bread , “If somebody falls down, we need to pick them up.”

FBR is proudly launching the first issue of Nourishing News, an updated and revamped version of “Lifeline.” By changing the format, we are able to provide our readers with more information about what happens behind the scenes at FBR as well as in the lives of those directly affected by our work. In efforts to minimize costs, we will distribute this new format three times per year. It is our hope that you’ll find “Nourishing News” to be a valuable resource for staying in touch with our mission of fighting hunger and feeding hope! unprecedentedDEMAND

A A Message From: Kevin Seggelke President & CEO

Does the slogan “More Month than Money” apply to someone you know? Unfortunately, for many in our service area, it’s a harsh but true statement. Talking with our partner agencies, over and over again, I hear stories with the same theme. More and more people - about 20% more - are asking for help. These are new faces, people who have never needed help before. Most are hard workers who don’t earn quite enough and must make tough choices on whether to pay for transportation, housing, healthcare or food.

We’ve all felt the sting of higher costs as we put gas in our tanks and groceries in our pantries. According to the U.S.D.A., Americans spent 4.2% more on groceries in 2007 and another 4.5% increase is expected in 2008. Certain staples have spiked dramatically over the past year. The price of eggs surged nearly 30%, while milk and flour jumped more than 13% and rice rose nearly 10%, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. These are just a few reasons our agencies are reporting this unprecedented increase in demand for food assistance.

How will we meet this growing demand? Fortunately, we have some good news and some great friends and neighbors. We’ll be finding more efficient ways to organize our truck routes and save fuel costs, thanks to software donations coming soon from UPS and Feeding America. We’re adding more retailers to our food donation pick-up schedule, thanks to King Soopers, Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart. We’re receiving new funds to purchase more food and feed more people, thanks to companies like Co-Bank, Ameristar Casino Black Hawk and many others.`

For this generosity, we are grateful. These are challenging times for non-profits, including Food Bank of the Rockies, but we have faith in our community. Donations of food, funds and time help us feed those hard working people with “more month than money.” We depend on the sharing spirit of those businesses and individuals who are doing well in these tough times and we trust you’ll be there for us. Now, more than ever, we need your help. Together, we can fight hunger. Together, we will feed hope. W H A T w a s BEN Excitement levels were high around FBR on August 27th. And for good reason. Our parent organization, Feeding America, worked with the powers that be at the Democratic National Convention in organizing an event hosted by FBR that ended up drawing celebrities, politicians and over 70 members of national and local media. The main draw...Mr. Ben Affleck. Not the only draw however! We were also graced with the presence of Vicki Escarra, President of Feeding America, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, Congressman Jim McGovern and actors Justin Bartha, Alicia Witt and Director Ben Younger. G. Vogelzang BLOGGING

FBR staffers sat down recently and asked ourselves, “How can we let our FBR family know what’s happening behind the scenes...how can we put a face to hunger in our service area...how can we connect high school students for the common goal of fighting hunger? The answer was clear. Blogging. It’s a beautiful free technology and we’re taking full advantage of the “blogging craze” that’s captivating people around the globe. In fact, we now have three blogs all our own. Blogs are websites - they don’t cost anything to maintain and don’t require visitors to sign in. They’re out there in cyberspace just waiting to be discovered. We’d love to add you to our list of “blog stalkers!” Check them out, leave comments and tell your family and friends to do the same!

#1 www.frontlinesofhunger.blogspot.com It’s not difficult to find statistics about hunger and poverty. We can easily tell you how many people are food insecure in our service area or how manyINVISIBLE of those served through our agencies have to choose between paying utilities and buying food each month.

What’s difficult to find are the people on the frontlines of hunger. Those who have stories to tell and who are so often left voiceless. This blog introduces real people who struggle with the invisible problem of hunger. If you want to see where your donations of time, money and food go, take a moment to get to know a few of our neighbors who directly benefit from your generosity.

www.hungerbytes.blogspot.com

#2 to fight hunger. When we’re asked what it is that people around our service area to do fight hunger, we don’t know where to start. There’s no end to the ideas, programs, events etc. that people pull together on our behalf. In addition to that, folks want to know what happens behind the scenes in FBR’s world. The Hunger Bytes blog gives viewers a taste of the exciting, creative and interesting HUNGERevents happening in our worldBYTES to fight hunger and feed hope. #3 www.pennythepig.blogspot.com Food Bank of the Rockies, FOX 31 & The Colorado Rapids Community Care Foundation recently designed a program specifically for Colorado High Schools to fight hunger. The motivation...Penny the Pig, FBR’s 500 pound, metal piggy bank mascot. Penny’s blog explains the background for the new program and is an outlet for us to share stories and photos from each school! PENNY the PIG

BEN D O I N G a t F B R ?

Feeding America organized a competition between the celebs and the politicians to determine who could pack the highest number of food boxes in an allotted amount of time. Ben and the celebs prevailed! Vicki, Senator Durbin & Ben Affleck spoke of the importance of fighting hunger for our neighbors in need, the media took countless pictures and videos and we called it a day! A very exciting, action packed day to boot.

Special thanks to Feeding America for including FBR in such a wonderful event! Visit www.hungerbytes.blogspot for a video from the event. G. Vogelzang Miss Shonnetta Henry...One in a Million. through our feeding programs. The availability of food enhances the effectiveness of after school programs and allows children to focus, retain information and enjoy learning.

Shonnetta Henry, a member of the George M. Wilfley Boys and Girls Club, is one example of the potential in these children. She is a beacon of hope for the future of kids who have to overcome issues that many of us will never have to face. Shonnetta was recently named National Youth of the Year at a Congressional Breakfast in Washington, D.C. More than one million youth Shonnetta (second from left) with President Bush and the 4 finalists. began the Youth of the Year process, before it was narrowed down to five regional winners who In Metro Denver, nearly 200,000 children worry about where their next competed for the national title. The Youth of the meal will come from. In response to the heartbreaking issue, FBR & Boys Year program recognizes outstanding and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver joined forces in the 1990’s to combat contributions to a member’s family, school, childhood hunger. Both organizations knew that great things would community and Boys and Girls Club; academic come from the partnership. Indeed they have. Each day, thousands excellence and personal challenges and of children receive nutritious hot meals & snacks in safe environments obstacles overcome. At the Wilfley Boys & Girls

2nd Annual Panerathon... Web Savvy Giving Having a Birthday and Want Friends to Donate to FBR in Lieu of Gifts? Looking for a Way to Honor a Loved One Who Cares About Hunger?

Holding a Company Contest to Raise Money for way a Worthy to give. Cause? new If so, you need newa Feeding website Hope with Fund! a Food Bank of the Rockies has a You can quickly and easily set up your very own Feeding customized web page to benefit FBR! Visit our

homepage at foodbankrockies.org, click on the Vogelzang G.

“Donate Funds”. You link can to uploadthe left aand photo, look explainfor the why Hope Fund you’d like to collect donations, even customize appeal and thank-you emails. Special thanks to Panera Bread for another This is a fun, creative and easy way to make a outstanding event! In addition, we want to thank big difference. If you have a great idea for your event sponsors Road Runner Sports, Broomfield own Feeding Hope Fund, please visit Event Center, KOSI 101.1, Vitaminwater, Patterson foodbankrockies.org to learn“THANK more! YOU” & Company, Cliff Bar, Pepperdine’s Marketing Products, The City of Westminster & the Fire FBR would like to extend a formal Deptartment, Angie Buckley Photography, to Reaction Web, our former web developer & host Fineline Graphics, Robinson Dairy & Face Painter company for donating 10 years of dedicated service! Laura Barkley! Miss Shonnetta Henry...One in a Million. Club, Henry was a Junior Staff member, president of the Keystone Club (a leadership group for teen members), a teacher for the Words Can Heal program (teaching members the power of language), and a participant in the Ink About It Congratulations! poetry writing and performance group. She also enjoyed helping younger members with their Jeanne Downes, Food Bank of homework. Henry is currently a freshman at the the Rockies’ Nutrition Network University of New Mexico, majoring in psychology. Director recently received 2008 ESP Recognition from Colorado In honor of this award, Shonnetta recently spent a State University for her few days meeting President Bush in the Oval leadership with our children’s Office, visiting Senators McCain and Obama’s programs. offices, doing a press event with Denzel Washington and meeting Colorado legislators. Congratulations to Jeanne for We’re thrilled to recognize this young lady and all her hard work and dedication of her accomplishments! Thank you to Boys and in the fight against childhood Girls Clubs in Denver for an amazing partnership. hunger! It’s our honor to provide meals to so many outstanding children.

2nd Annual Panerathon... Hitting the Pavement for Hunger! When you combine a dedicated donor, beautiful weather, 450+ community members, delicious food, local sports mascots, a scenic walk/run through Westminster’s trail system and much more, you’re bound to have a good day! On Sunday, September 28th, Panera Bread hosted their 2nd Annual Panerathon to fight hunger. That mission was accomplished! And then some!

Folks of all age groups joined at the Westminster Panera Bread to support Panera Bread’s partnership with Food Bank of the Rockies. Last year we drew approximately 320 runners, which was an excellent turn out. This year, with the addition of a 10K, we were able to grow that number substantially!

The morning was a perfect blend of adults, children and canines. Participants watched the kids run their little legs off in the Broomfield Event Center’s Kids Fun Run and then geared up to begin their 5K or 10K. At the conclusion of the run, participants enjoyed complimentary eats from Panera Bread, milled around the expo area, had photos taken with mascots from the Rapids and the Rocky Mountain Rage, visited the face painter and massage therapists and hopped aboard a Westminster Fire Department truck.

We appreciate all of those who contributed to making this event a great success! We couldn’t fight hunger and feed hope without you! Visit www.hungerbytes.blogspot.com for additional

event photos! G. Vogelzang Joe &Debbie Sakic to the bringingHopetable

Through the Generosity of People like Joe & Debbie Sakic, our

Mission of Fighting Childhood Hunger is Made Possible.

Food Bank of the Rockies could not feed our hungry neighbors without support from countless donors, volunteers and

advocates of our cause. Over the course of the last 11 years, Joe and Debbie Sakic have become like family to FBR. On Friday, August 22nd, Joe & Debbie hosted their 11th annual event benefiting FBR. This year’s event took on a fresh look and feel & raised more funds than ever before! Guests enjoyed a cocktail reception, followed by a three course seated dinner and entertainment by the one and only Josh Blue, winner of LastS Comic Standing. A live and silent auction topped off the evening and guests went home with smiles on their faces.

Special thanks to the Sakics & all our sponsors....Title Sponsor RBC Wealth Management, 9NEWS, emcees Susie Wargin & Marc Moser, Denver Magazine, 104.3 The Fan, Ahbe Capital Management, Ameristar Casino, Butler Rents, CoBank, Colorado Casualty, EnCana Oil & Gas, Farrell-Roeh Group, FirstBank, Inverness, MicroMotion, NSO Press, Pure Energy, RE/MAX International, Starz, Subaru, The Ahbe Croup, The Motor Sport Country Club, Wells Fargo, Katherine’s French Bakery & Whiting Petroleum. It was a remarkable success!

Photo captions from left to right: Mary Pat Link , Debbie & Joe Sakic, Kristin Reid, Board Member John Strohm & Adam Reid; Emcees Marc Moser & Susie Wargin; Comedian Josh Blue; FBR staff with Josh Blue. Joe Sakic’s 11th Annual Celebrity Classic at Sanctuary Provides

for A Picture Perfect Day of Golf & Hundreds of Thousands of Meals for Children in Need. In addition to the Sakic’s dinner event, Joe hosted his annual golf tournament at the acclaimed Sanctuary. This sold out

tournamant drew Avalanche players, coaches & executives, Susie Wargin, Marc Moser, Jake Schroeder & many other generous supporters of Food Bank of the Rockies. Golfers enjoyed a gourmet breakfast before hitting the links, followed by dinner & an award presentation after the conclusion of a beautiful day on the course. Special thanks to RE/MAX International & Sanctuary once again for presenting S this awesome event! And of course, heartfelt thanks to Joe & Debbie, RBC Wealth Management, 104.3 The Fan, 9News, Altitude Sports & Entertainment, Birchwood Resources, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Casualty, Coors Brewing Company, EnCana Oil & Gas, FirstBank, Frederic Printing, Halliburton, Inverness, Pure Energy, Starz, Subaru, The Motor Sport Country Club, Total Transportation & Wells Fargo for making it all possible! Nearly $214,000 was raised through this year’s events. For that, we can’t thank you enough!

Photo captions from left to right: FBR President Kevin Seggelke with Rudy Zupetz, Head Golf Professional at Sanctuary; Av’s players Marek Svatos, John-Michael Liles, Paul Stastny, Peter Budaj, Ian Lapperriere, & Scott Hannan; Carla Ayers, Lauren Sveen, Janet Anderson & Debbie Sakic; Nick Alfino, Susie Wargin, Marc Moser, & Jake Shroeder. Photo at bottom of page from left to right - 1st Place Winners with Joe Sakic - Diana Mueller, Paul Stastny, Dave Mueller & Michel Goulet. table Joe Sakic Celebrity classic calendar of events October 17 Murder Mystery Dinner Curtis Hotel, Denver Through December 31 Macy’s Thanks 4 Sharing November 1 - December 31 Check Out Hunger Promotion G. Vogelzang Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage FBR was honored to host a press conference with Senator Salazar and November 11 representatives from the Colorado Food Bank Assocation in July. The 15th Annual Network for the Needy Senator spoke about the importance of the Farm Bill and spoke very highly Denver Merchandise Mart of the work done through FBR and our sister food banks in Colorado. Kevin November 22 Seggelke joined Senator Salazar in packing a food box to highlight the value of the government feeding program. Our deepest appreciation for Macy’s Shop for a Cause the Senator’s work in supporting our efforts! November 22 Dave & Busters Mystery Dinner Theatre LEAVING a LEGACY...... One hundred years from now no one will Dave & Busters, Denver remember what house you lived in, what car you drove, maybe not even what you did for a living. What will be remembered is the legacy For more details on the events listed above, YOU left for generations to come. visit www.foodbankrockies.org and click on the Events Page. Help us Fight Hunger & Feed Hope for future generations! Please remember Food Bank of the Rockies in your will! Gift Cards of Hope Now you can purchase gift cards from hundreds of your favorite name brand stores – grocery, gas, retail, restaurant – and a percentage of the purchase is donated to FBR. No shipping and secure on-line shopping make this an easy way to share your generous spirit, not only with your friends and family, but also with us. Gifts cards are great for everyday purchases too! Visit foodbankrockies.org for more information.

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FBR’s mission is to end hunger by efficiently procuring & distributing food & essentials to people in need through our partner agencies in Northern Colorado & Wyoming.