Tag Archives: Freestore Foodbank

June 28, 2012 · 3:01 pm

Cincinnati Freestore Foodbank Summer Feeding Sites for Children

When summer comes children are at an increased risk of hunger since they lose access to the free or reduced price meals available at school. Summer feeding programs need to be established to fill in the gaps. In Hamilton County last year there were 45,950 needy students who took part in the federal lunch program during the school year while only 3,990 children received summer feeding. (Feeding America photo)

The Cincinnati Freestore Foodbank, with the help of a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has announced the summer food service program. From June 11 through Aug. 10 (closed July 4th) children ages 1-18 will be able to receive lunches at eight sites throughout the city. The Freestore Foodbanks’s Cincinnati Cooks students will prepare the meals which will include sandwiches and tuna salad.

During the school year children from lower income families have access to free or reduced price meals via the federal school lunch program. When school closes, children often lose access to these meals unless summer feeding is sponsored.

The Children’s Hunger Alliance of Ohio reports that in Hamilton County last year 45,950 eligible children took part in the free/reduced price lunch program. In the summer though only 3,990 eligible children received meals because of the difficulty distributing food with school closed.

Governor John Kasich recently issued an executive order which would provide $1 million to help increase summer feeding coverage in parts of the state. More funding will be needed though to help Cincinnati and other areas provide more summer meals.

Jessica Shelly, the food service director of Cincinnati Public Schools, says that free breakfast will be served at school sites during the summer. This will be a continuation of the free breakfast program offered when school is in session.

A recent report from Feeding America showed that 18 percent of the population of Hamilton County is suffering from hunger or “food insecurity.” The availability of free or reduced price meals is vital to fighting a child hunger crisis in the Tri-State area.

The eight locations for Freestore Foodbank summer lunches beginning June 11 include:

Deer Park Public Library (3970 E. Galbraith Rd. Cincinnati OH 45236, M-F 12:00-12:30pm) 513-369-4450

Elmwood Place Public Library (6120 Vine St. Cincinnati OH 45216, M-F 1:00-1:30pm) 513-369-4452

Forest Park Public Library (655 Waycross Rd. Cincinnati OH 45240, M-F 12:00-12:30pm) 513-369-4478

Groesbeck Public Library (2994 W. Galbraith Rd. Cincinnati OH 45239 M-F 12:00-12:30pm) 513-369-4454

North Central Public Library (11109 Hamilton Ave. Cincinnati OH 45231 M-F 12:00-12:30pm) 513-369-6068

Reading Public Library (9001 Reading Rd. Cincinnati OH 45215 M-F 12:00-1:00pm) 513-369-4465

Sharonville Public Library (10980 Thornview Dr. Cincinnati, OH 45241 M-F 12:00-12:30pm) 513-369-6049

Skyline Community Center (8500 Pippin Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45251 M-F 12:00-1:00pm) (513) 729-0757

Read about more summer feeding sites run by Cincinnati Public Schools.

article originally published May 24th at Cincinnati.com

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May 9, 2012 · 6:51 pm

The Stamp Out Hunger Drive: Helping to End Hunger in America

This Saturday provides an opportunity to end hunger in America, and it all starts at your mailbox. The National Association of Letter Carriers and the Campbell Soup Company are sponsoring the Stamp Out Hunger Drive. This Saturday, May 12th, citizens are asked to put out canned goods (non-perishable items) by their mailbox. The food will be collected by their mail carrier and then distributed to foodbanks.

The charity Feeding America says the Stamp Out Hunger Drive is the largest single food drive in the country. The event provides a significant boost to Feeding America’s network of emergency foodbanks across the country.

Sarah Cook of the Cincinnati Freestore Foodbank says that last year Stamp Out Hunger donations produced enough food for 80,000 meals provided to the area’s hungry. Denise Gibson of the Ozarks Food Harvest said 131,000 pounds of food were donated by citizens of Southwest Missouri via Stamp Out Hunger.

Terry Shannon, the President of the St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance in Arizona says Stamp Out Hunger raises “Between 350,000 and 400,000 pounds (of food). It is the largest one day food drive for the food bank.” St. Mary’s provides aid throughout Arizona including supporting summer feeding for children in Maricopa County. The agency also assists Apache County, which has a 28% food insecurity rate, one of the highest in the country.

Dan Getman of the Food Bank of South Jersey said the event last year produced 119,550 pounds for their agency to distribute. Getman adds that Campbell’s Soup is sending out collection bags to homes in South Jersey to encourage donations.

Foodbanks all across the country need help as there are nearly 49 million people suffering from hunger.

The collection of canned goods can provide some quick relief especially at a time of the year when donations are generally down as compared to the holidays.

There is one extra thing Americans can do via the Stamp Out Hunger Drive. You could send a letter or an e-mail this Saturday to your representative in Congress asking them to fight hunger. You can remind them of the need to support the nation’s foodbanks as you will be doing on Stamp Out Hunger Day.

Nora Balduff of the Second Harvest Foodbanks of Ohio says Stamp Out Hunger “comes at a lean time of year for emergency food relief, after the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.” The Mid-Ohio Foodbank, West Ohio Foodbank, Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, The Foodbank, Inc. (Dayton), and The Shared Harvest Foodbank (Fairfield) all benefit from Stamp Out Hunger.

Balduff adds that the event “also comes at a time when one of our federal partners in hunger relief, the U.S. House of Representatives, could vote on May 10th to cut SNAP/food stamp benefits by an average of $57.00 for a family of four by September 2012 (H.R. 4666)…Caring Ohioans do their part to end hunger, we need our federal partners to do the same.”

You can also ask your representative to take steps to improve the nation’s school feeding program, particularly during the summer months when many hungry children are not able to access school meals.

Ask your representative to pledge to fight hunger in America and also abroad where children are starving in Africa, Afghanistan, Yemen and other areas. Your elected officials can follow a tradition of Truman, Eisenhower and other leaders who supported ending hunger.

So this Saturday’s Stamp Out Hunger Drive can be a great success. By donating canned goods you can provide quick relief to our nation’s foodbanks as they struggle to keep up with the growing hunger crisis in America. Via a simple letter you can ask your elected officials in Congress to represent you and your desire to end hunger in America and all over the globe.

For more information visit Stamp Out Hunger.

Article first published as The Stamp Out Hunger Drive: Helping to End Hunger in America on Blogcritics.

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March 11, 2012 · 1:19 am

Cincinnati Freestore Foodbank Starts Tornado Relief Fund

A house leveled by the tornadoes that struck the Tri-State of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana (Freestore Foodbank photo)

The Cincinnati Freestore Foodbank has started a relief fund in response to the devastating tornadoes last week in Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio.

The Freestore, a member of the Feeding America network, is the largest food aid provider in the Greater Cincinnati area. Some of the member agencies the Freestore partners with were impacted by the storms.

The Freestore has been providing food aid to communities struck by the tornadoes, including a distribution yesterday in Moscow, Ohio. That town saw around 80 percent of its homes damaged in the storm.

You can donate to the relief fund at their web site. The Freestore says the donated funds “will be evenly distributed to our member agencies in devastated areas, and used to purchase items they need to bring comfort and stability back into the lives of the people in our communities.”

 

The Cincinnati Freestore Foodbank's Mobile Food Pantry is bringing food to families affected by the massive tornadoes in the Tri-State area of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. (Freestore Foodbank photo)

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March 10, 2012 · 3:36 pm

Freestore Foodbank Deploys Mobile Pantry for Tornado Relief

The Cincinnati Freestore Foodbank's Mobile Pantry

The Freestore Foodbank of Cincinnati is distributing relief supplies to tornado devastated communities in the Tri-State area of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.

Last Friday tornadoes ripped through numerous towns, destroying homes and leaving many people with a severe shortage of basic supplies.

The Freestore, a member of the Feeding America network, is using its Kraft Mobile Food Pantry to get supplies to storm victims. The Pantry was in Crittenden, Kentucky on Wednesday bringing food to the Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission disaster relief area.

On Friday, March 9th the pantry will be at the Grant Memorial Church in Moscow, Ohio, a town which saw around 80 percent of its homes damaged by the tornadoes. On March 13th the mobile pantry will bring food to Pendleton County storm victims at the Flower Creek Community Center. The Freestore is also helping distribute soap, toothpaste and other personal hygiene items.

Kelloggs is donating a truckload of cereal to the Freestore to use for this relief mission.

You can donate to the Freestore’s tornado relief fund at their web site. Spokesperson Anna Hogan says, “we will split the donated funds between our member agencies in the affected areas to purchase supplies.”

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