A Member of Feeding America Thanks for sticking it to hunger. 2010 ANNUAL REPORT CLOSE THE GAP YEAR 2 OF 3 2010 AnnuA l RepoR t : Close the GA p Ye AR 2 of 3 2 Imagine...A World Without Hunger. 2010 AnnuA l RepoR t : Close the GA p Ye AR 2 of 3 2010 AnnuA l RepoR t : Close the GA p Ye AR 2 of 3 A MESSAGE FROM OUR BOARD PRESIDENT Dear North Texas Food Bank Friends and Supporters, It’s hard to summarize the second year of the North Texas Food Bank’s Close the Gap campaign. With the shifting economic climate, changing unemployment rate and ever- growing number of North Texans at risk of going hungry, it’s easy to simply focus on the overwhelming need. Indeed, the need is great. The unemployment rate in Texas jumped to the highest it’s ever been – 8.6 percent – in January. Thousands of hard-working North Texans have been forced out of jobs they’ve had for years and are now unable to provide for their families. Seniors citizens who have worked hard their whole lives now have only a meager Social Security check on which to live. Children, through no fault of their own, are going to bed hungry because their parents can’t afford to buy groceries. So many of our neighbors are struggling – but the North Texas Food Bank is doing everything in its power to provide food to those who need it most. Thanks to the generous support of corporations, foundations, faith groups and friends like you, we distributed an incredible 43.7 million meals to hungry people during the second year of our Close the Gap campaign. We also acquired more than 13,400 new donors during the holiday season, and a remarkably dedicated 22,000 volunteers served 63,000 hours in our warehouse to help feed those in need. This community-wide effort – this incredible success story – is what I’ll remember when I reflect on this year. As we look ahead to the third and final year of our Close the Gap campaign, I’m more encouraged than ever by the support of our generous community. I know we can achieve the goals we’ve set before us – to provide our hungry neighbors with increased access to the food they need – and I’m grateful that you’ve joined us in this effort. Thank you, on behalf of all those we serve, for your partnership. SInc.erely,SInc.erely, Charlie Morrison Chairman of the Board Imagine...A World Without Hunger. 3 2010 AnnuA l RepoR t : Close the GA p Ye AR 2 of 3 “Every day, whether or not we think anyone is paying attention, our actions, our decisions, our choice to stand up and lead or blindly follow does change lives.” - Jan Pruitt, North Texas Food Bank President & CEO It’s truly overwhelming to consider how many lives have been changed here in North Texas because of our community’s willingness to stand up and be leaders in the fight against hunger. The support and leadership of this community enabled the North Texas Food Bank to distribute an incredible 43.7 million meals to those in need during the second year of our campaign to Close the Gap on hunger. The word “gap” is defined as a break; an interruption in continuity; a wide divergence or difference, perceived as creating a problem. This definition couldn’t be more appropriate to describe the gap we’re working to close through this unique three-year initiative. There is a gap between the number of hungry people in North Texas and the food they so desperately need. We don’t want to simply narrow this gap – we want to close it completely. The recession continues to affect North Texans everywhere, bringing new faces of hunger to our Member Agencies for help with food every day. With the goal of distributing 50 million meals annually by 2011, the Food Bank is doing everything in its power to ensure that those in need have increased access to nutritious food and that no food goes to waste. Rebecca and her husband, Juan, never thought they’d need help to feed their son. But a year ago, Rebecca suffered a fall at work, leaving her permanently disabled and unable to return to her job. Shortly after her accident, Juan became very ill and had to take significant time off work without pay. Between this loss of income and mounting medical bills, the couple just hasn’t been able to afford rent, utility bills and food. Fortunately, Rebecca has found the help she needs at Baptist Benevolent Irving, a Member Agency of the North Texas Food Bank. “I’m very appreciative,” says Rebecca. “You have helped us.” 4 Imagine...A World Without Hunger. 2010 AnnuA l RepoR t : Close the GA p Ye AR 2 of 3 2010 AnnuA l RepoR t : Close the GA p Ye AR 2 of 3 For Barbara, the unrelenting pangs of hunger aren’t anything new. Though she spent her entire adult life working tirelessly to provide for her son as a single mom – sometimes even working two jobs to make ends meet – she just doesn’t always get enough to eat. With several chronic health conditions, most of her small fixed income goes toward prescriptions and doctor’s bills rather than food. “I know what it’s like to go without food,” she says. Thanks to the generosity of this community, Barbara doesn’t have to choose between buying medicine or food anymore. She can come to the White Rock Center of Hope, a North Texas Food Bank Member Agency, for nutritious groceries when she really needs them. “This food makes the difference between giving up and going on,” she says. Senior citizens like Mavis are also struggling to make ends meet. For most of her life, she lived comfortably as a middle school math teacher in Bombay, India with her husband and four children. But years later when she moved to Dallas, she found she didn’t have the credentials she needed to teach in the United States. Re-certification was expensive, and she didn’t have the money. She was forced to work odd jobs which paid very little and were hard on her aging body. Now at age 70, her only Inc.ome is in the form of Social Security and food stamps – and with rent, utility bills and medications, she rarely has enough money left over to buy food. That’s why Mavis is so glad she can take home groceries from the food pantry at Lake Cities United Methodist Church, a Food Bank Member Agency. “Thank you very much!” says Mavis. “I appreciate what you’re doing. You are a blessing and a help to me.” North Texans in need like Rebecca and Juan, Barbara and Mavis no longer have to live with the pain of hunger. Full stomachs are a reality for them, thanks to the generous donations of foundations, corporations, faith groups and individuals in our community like you. Thank you for helping to Close the Gap on hunger in North Texas. Imagine...A World Without Hunger. 5 2010 AnnuA l RepoR t : Close the GA p Ye AR 2 of 3 A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT & CEO Dear Friends, Over the last two years, you’ve likely become familiar with the North Texas Food Bank’s Close the Gap campaign, a three-year initiative to feed all of our hungry neighbors by Inc.reasing our food distribution to 50 million meals annually by 2011. When the campaign first launched in 2008, the year 2011 seemed so far away. It’s hard to believe that it’s now just around the corner. And thanks to the support of friends in the community like you, we’re closer than ever to achieving our goals. It’s true that the second year of our Close the Gap campaign has not been without its challenges. Tough economic conditions have affected us all. With high unemployment and “new faces” of hunger emerging every day, we’ve seen an unprecedented need. I’ll never forget the story of a man who was laid off from his six-figure job as an engineer this past year. He lost his home, his savings – everything. I’m sure he never in his wildest dreams imagined he’d have to apply for food stamp assistance just to get by. This has been a difficult season, but we’ve come out of it even stronger than when we started – and that’s only because of our supporters. Thanks to friends in the community like you, we were able to surpass our distribution goals by an incredible 1.1 million meals! When I think about the thousands of families and individuals who had food on the table because of those meals, I am truly overwhelmed. Now, as we look ahead to the final year of our Close the Gap campaign, our goals are even bigger and we need your help even more. We’re counting on the support of this community to help us build the solution to our North Texas neighborhood’s chronic problem of hunger. It is my continued hope that our united force against hunger resounds clearly and effectively across America to inspire everyone to reach out a hand for our hungry neighbors. We simply couldn’t feed those in need without the generosity of foundations, corporations, faith groups and individuals like you. Thank you for your partnership! WithWith gratitude, Jan Pruitt President & CEO 6 Imagine...A World Without Hunger.