IMAGINE what it feels like to be hungry. what it feels like to see everyone around you have food but you. the pain of not eating for a week. being powerless to help your situation. telling your children you don’t have anything for them to eat. introduction 4 North Texas Food Bank Annual Report 2006 attention to anything except his empty shelter by the generosity of this community Let your stomach. But now that he receives a and the Food Bank provided food to help backpack of nutritious food each weekend them get back on their feet. They were just imagination through the North Texas Food Bank’s Food one of the many families the Food Bank had wander for 4 Kids program at his elementary school, the privilege of helping in the wake of the his teacher says he has really blossomed and Katrina and Rita disasters. a moment. participates more in class. Imagine a lonely senior citizen who has “[Being fed regularly] affects their found both food and fellowship from Picture how different our community would education, which affects their entire future,” The Brady Center, a Food Bank Member be if hunger did not exist. If children did she says. Agency. not have to go to bed without dinner. If over-worked parents did not have to wait in Imagine a single mother who evacuated her Eugene has been married twice and has line for food stamps. If lonely senior citizens hometown of New Orleans with her young lost both wives to cancer. He has cancer did not have to wonder where their next son after Hurricane Katrina. himself, so he knows just how painful the meal would come from. disease can be. At age 70, he’s on a limited fixed income, so he needs a little extra help Imagine…North Texas without hunger. with food. He’s so thankful for the food he It’s difficult to envision what our receives and the friends he’s made through community would be like without as The Brady Center. prevalent an issue as hunger. In our 13- county service area, 13 percent of the “I don’t know what I’d do if there wasn’t a population lives below the poverty level and place like this,” he says gratefully. more than 43 percent of these are children. Hunger affects everyone – from elementary Those in need like Michael, Jasmine and school students to working parents to senior Eugene no longer have to imagine what citizens. it would be like to have full stomachs. Jasmine lost nearly everything she owned Nourishing meals are a reality for them Imagine a child who was once unable to and faced the daunting task of starting a because of the generous donations of concentrate in class because of constant new life in Dallas. foundations, corporations, faith groups and hunger but loves school now that he receives individuals who care. food each weekend through the Food 4 Kids “My school is gone, my work is gone, my program. car is gone,” she said of the destruction. Thank you for taking part in our passionate pursuit of a hunger-free community. Michael always found it hard to pay But Jasmine and her young son were given 5 president’s letter North Texas Food Bank Annual Report 2006 Dear North Texas Food Bank Friends and Supporters: Eating dinner together may feel routine for some families. Others find it challenging to get everyone together at the same time with such busy schedules. Either way, many of us take our meals for granted – it’s easy to do. But there are thousands of North Texas families who don’t get to eat dinner together every night. In fact, they don’t get to eat dinner at all. A USDA study released in October 2005 revealed that Texas leads the nation in the number of hungry families. An astonishing 1.3 million Texas households are food insecure, meaning these families don’t have adequate access to food resources during the year. More North Texans need our help than ever before. These families need nutritious groceries from our Member Agency food pantries. Their children need healthy after-school snacks from our Kids Cafes. Their grandparents need nourishing meals from our Member Agency soup kitchens. There is a great need. But the generosity of foundations, corporations and individuals like you ensure that we are one step closer to fulfilling this need. In 2006 the Food Bank was able to distribute an incredible 37 million pounds of food for hungry North Texans – a significant increase from last year. The gracious support of friends like you truly make it possible to “Imagine...North Texas without Hunger.” Thank you for being a part of this vision. Sincerely, Larry Lavine President disaster response 6 North Texas Food Bank Annual Report 2006 The North Texas Food Bank had the unique We were overwhelmed by the outpouring privilege of helping to meet the needs of of compassion from the North Texas hundreds of survivors of Hurricanes Katrina community in the wake of this disaster. and Rita in the fall of 2005. The Food Bank In addition to the time and effort our opened its arms to countless individuals volunteers provided, the Food Bank and families who had suddenly found received more than $1 million in donations Testimonial: themselves homeless, as well as hundreds of designated for our disaster relief efforts, Robert agencies and community volunteers. which continued for 45 consecutive days. We are still serving hurricane evacuees who Beginning with the day after Hurricane have had trouble getting back on their feet. Katrina hit, the Food Bank remained open Robert is one of the many Hurricane 17 days straight. Over the Labor Day One of the most generous donations to Katrina survivors whom the Food weekend 832 volunteers helped box disaster relief efforts came Bank had the privilege of helping. and sort food donations. With the from Oprah Winfrey’s Robert was rescued by helicopter help of these invaluable workers, we Angel Network, which two days after the storm from the were able to distribute an incredible donated $1 million to roof of his family’s apartment. He 5,092,836 pounds of food to America’s Second Harvest was reunited with his wife and hurricane evacuees, ensuring that – The Nation’s Food Bank two children in Dallas, but with evacuees had hot meals and groceries. Network. This gracious everything lost in the hurricane, the gift allowed America’s Second Harvest family wasn’t sure where to turn. The Food Bank offered more than just – The Nation’s Food Bank Network to food to hurricane evacuees. In an effort to purchase enough food to support relief “For a couple of days get families and individuals who survived efforts at five member food banks impacted after the hurricaine, the hurricanes back on their feet, the Food by the hurricanes, including the North we were without food Bank helped them find temporary housing Texas Food Bank. Actor Jamie Foxx helped and water,” he says. through those of our 400 Member Agencies deliver $200,000 worth of food to the Food that provide shelter. Bank and then to Katrina evacuees at the But through the help of the Red Dallas Convention Center, which Oprah Cross and the North Texas Food To aid with disaster relief in the hardest featured in her September 9, 2005 show. Bank, Robert and his family were hit areas, the North Texas Food Bank sent given nutritious food and temporary trucks of food to six other Texas food banks The North Texas Food Bank is grateful housing to help start a new life in and the Food Bank of Louisiana in St. to the many foundations, faith and Dallas. Charles. The surplus food donations we educational groups, corporations and received that we could not use went out individuals who extended a helping hand to many other food banks in the America’s in the disaster relief efforts. Your gifts have Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank changed countless lives. Thank you. Network. IMAGINE what it feels like to be hungry. what it feels like to see everyone around you have food but you. the pain of not eating for a week. being powerless to help your situation. telling your children you don’t have anything for them to eat. events 10 North Texas Food Bank Annual Report 2006 The Interfaith Gathering brought Our sincerest thanks to this year’s talented Slam Dunk Hunger made a big impact on people from many different faith groups participants: The Beck Group, BOKA hunger relief in North Texas this year. At and denominations together to express Powell, CCRD Partners, Gensler, Gresham the Dallas Mavericks home game November their collective passion for a hunger-free Smith & Partners, HDR, Inc., HKS, James 21, Mavs players Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry community on June 6. Hindus, Jews, Harwick & Partners, Jonathan Bailey, and Marquis Daniels teamed up with Dave Muslims, Catholics and Protestants all LA Fuess Partners, Merriman Associates, & Busters, CBS-11, UPN-21 and the Food joined together for an evening of special Page Southerland Page, three, and Tarrant Bank to bring in $51,762 for hungry North music, sacred readings and uplifting County Community College. Texans! Dave & Busters, Nowitzki, Terry, interfaith messages. Four Food Bank and Daniels each generously matched all fan Member Agencies participated in the event, It’s a Fair Deal at the State Fair of Texas donations from this event. Thank you to all and Jan Pruitt gave a poignant message and sponsored by Kroger proved to be who participated.