ANNUAL REPORT 2015 HISTORY In 1982, Archbishop Philip Hannan, Bishop Roger Morin and Gregory Ben Johnson founded Second Harvest Food Bank to address the great need they saw in the faces of thousands of hungry men, women and children in our community. In 1985, Second Harvest joined America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network (now known as Feeding America), allowing it to receive food and funds from donors across the country. Thanks to generous support from donors like you, our service area and reach have expanded over the years to serve people in need in 23 parishes from the Mississippi state line to the Texas border. Every year, we secure millions of pounds of food that otherwise would have gone to waste, and ensure that these meals make it to the dinner tables of thousands of families struggling with hunger in South Louisiana. 1 IN 6 24 23 FAMILIES AT RISK MILLION MEALS PARISHES SERVED OF HUNGER PROVIDED Second Harvest has a mission to lead the fight against hunger and build MISSION food security in South Louisiana by providing food access, advocacy, education and disaster response. Second Harvest provides food to community members in need through 582 programs and partner agencies across a 23-parish service territory, from the Mississippi border to the Texas state line. Together, we make up the largest charitable anti-hunger network in the state. With your help, we can make food security a reality for every household in South Louisiana. Second Harvest is an affiliated ministry of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans and a member of Feeding America and United Way. 1 From the Board Chair and President/CEO Second Harvest is the food and nutrition hub where all South Louisiana comes together to fight hunger. In 2015, more than 24,000 individuals and 750 corporations helped to fund our efforts. Volunteers contributed more than 56,000 hours of their time to help us prepare meals, sort food and run our operations. Four hundred seventy-five food industry donors, including 265 retail grocery stores and the USDA, donated more than 26 million pounds of food that would otherwise end up in landfills. Together, our community provided 24 million meals to more than 210,000 of our neighbors at risk of hunger, including 2.8 million meals that we made available to people through our community wellness team and more than 400,000 meals cooked in our community kitchen for vulnerable children and seniors. To distribute food, we worked with more than 500 partners, from schools to faith-based organizations and neighborhood associations. We measure our efforts not only through these large numbers but through the stories of every individual whose life we have touched – the child telling us the apple we have given him is “grammalicious,” the mother who came to us for help while she was between jobs, the senior who does not have to cut his pills in half to afford food, and the oil and gas worker who has been laid off and does not know what the future holds. We measure ourselves by the experiences of our volunteers and the stewardship of every food and fund donation you give us. Thank you for all the ways you make our mission happen, and for giving us your trust so that together we can end hunger in South Louisiana. Patricia Weeks Natalie Jayroe Board Chair President and CEO 2 2015 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Patricia E. Weeks, Chair TABLE OF Nick Karl, Vice Chair Amy V. Bowman, Treasurer CONTENTS Skye Sturlese Fantaci, Secretary Andrew Favret, Past Chair From the Board Chair & President/CEO.....2 Kathlyn Bethune Stephen H. Boh Board of Directors.....3 James Carter Fighting Childhood Hunger.....6 Karl J. Connor, JD, LL.M. Rick Crozier Helping Local Seniors.....7 Dane Dickson Health Fairs.....10 John L. Eckholdt Frances Fayard Fruit Tree Project & Aquaponics.....11 Alex P. Gershanik Phillip R. May Community Wellness.....14 H. Michael Morse Volunteers.....15 Minh Tranh Nguyen William S. Rippner Partner Agencies.....18 Sheila Sanderford Advocacy & Public Policy.....19 Elicia Broussard Sheridan Bruce L. Soltis Statements of Financial Position.....20 Susu Stall Veronica Torres Statement of Activities.....21 D. Ashbrooke Tullis Honor Roll of Food Donors.....22 Joel Vilmenay Bruce Wainer Honor Roll of Monetary Donors.....23 Mary Leach Werner Roy Zuppardo Natalie A. Jayroe, President and CEO All data and statistics are for the period President Emeritus July 1, 2014 - June 30, 2015 except where Bishop Roger Morin, noted otherwise. Anne Milling, Board Emeritus Leann Moses, Board Emeritus 3 FISCAL YEAR 2015: 25+ MILLION POUNDS OF FOOD DISTRIBUTED ACROSS 23 PARISHES 4 2,447 CHILDREN SERVED DAILY AT 34 AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS 5 FIGHTING CHILDHOOD HUNGER Every day, thousands of South Louisiana in several parishes across South Louisiana. students head straight from school to after- school programs, safe places where they Summer Feeding is a similar program, can study and learn new skills. Thanks to the providing breakfast, lunch and snacks to Second Harvest Kids Cafe program, many thousands of local children every day during of these students receive a hot meal while the long summer break. Second Harvest engaged in everything from music education volunteers and staff members arrive before to algebra. 5:00 a.m. throughout the summer to prepare the meals bound for libraries, vacation Ariska Everett is the Director of the Sojourner bible schools, recreational camps and other Truth Neighborhood Center, one of the after- community centers where children gather. school locations participating in this nutrition It’s no small task; by summer’s end, we cook program. “Many of these children haven’t and deliver over 100,000 meals to more than eaten since earlier in the day, so they’re very 3,500 children. hungry,” she said. “Even for the ones who go home first, many of them have working Our dedication to expanding assistance to parents and won’t get a hot meal otherwise.” children and families can also be seen in our innovative School Pantry program, which Every Kids Cafe meal prepared in brings fully stocked pantries into the school our Community Kitchen meets USDA setting. School officials and teachers oversee requirements for healthy standards, and the distribution of food provided by Second includes items such as whole grain and whole Harvest, at times that are more convenient wheat biscuits or rolls, protein, fat-free milk for working parents. This very successful and vegetables. On average, Second Harvest initiative provided the equivalent of 76,000 has cooked and delivered 1,800 meals per meals in fiscal year 2015. day to dozens of after-school program sites 6 HELPING LOCAL SENIORS Seniors represent 20% of the people served seniors. “It’s a very rewarding feeling to by Second Harvest. Many of those we serve prepare and deliver these meals to people have to get by on a very limited budget, who have done so much for others their often having to choose between food and whole lives,” said our Community Kitchen paying monthly bills. Director Gina Melita. “Seniors often have specific dietary restrictions, so we put in Patricia Valentine is one of thousands of extra time and effort to make sure their South Louisiana seniors who rely on local meals meet their particular needs.” food pantries supported by Second Harvest. Miss Valentine says she’s thankful for the She is pre-diabetic and on a fixed income, support that allows programs like these and buying the right food for her diet can to help thousands of retired and disabled be a challenge. “I do not want to join the seniors. “Every penny that’s given to the ‘Diabetic Club’ that’s in my family,” she told program is needed and we definitely us. “But once I pay my bills there is not a appreciate it. Thank you very much, whole lot left.” everyone!” Throughout the year, Second Harvest also provides nearly 30,000 hot meals to local 7 40,000+ SENIORS HELPED ANNUALLY EACH HEALTH FAIR REACHES 300 LOCAL FAMILIES 9 SUPPORTING HEALTHY LIVING WITH SECOND HARVEST HEALTH FAIRS Second Harvest health fairs are another past year and a half, I’ve been going through innovative way our staff and volunteers are Veterans health care. I can’t work, and bringing both nutrition and nutrition advice without the food bank, I’d be in trouble.” to thousands of local residents. These events In fiscal year 2015, we distributed almost brought food, medical screenings, and 15,000 pounds of fresh food at our health healthy living services to thousands of local fairs. Our mobile pantries at these events are residents. stocked with thousands of pounds of fresh “It’s an amazing opportunity to reach out produce, given to residents in areas where beyond our four walls and meet more of the the nearest grocery store may be miles away. people in our communities who struggle with And more health fairs are planned in the near hunger,” said Second Harvest Client Services future. Manager Melanie McGuire. “While these “We’re also looking for anyone who would health fairs have helped hundreds of people like to underwrite the cost of our health fairs, get the extra care they need, in addition so that we can reach even more people in to providing nutritious food, there is still so need,” McGuire said. much more to do.” Ninety-five cents of every dollar you donate One of the people who attended the Houma to Second Harvest goes directly to programs Health Fair was Vietnam veteran Kenneth like these. For more information about our Whalen. “This has been a real blessing,” health fairs, contact Melanie McGuire at he said, a Houma resident who now faces 504-729-6340, or at mmcguire1@ several major health challenges.