Heather King, PhD’s Post

Food drives are important and help bring in an excellent variety of food to anti-hunger organizations, but they are also a LOT of work. It's important to keep this mind if you're organizing one this holiday season, to make sure you're not adding too much to the plate of your local food pantry. Read more on the Who Deserves to Eat Blog: https://lnkd.in/gQKbi5-y #whodeservestoeat #foodjustice #endhunger #fooddrive

Chobani is making a powerful impact in the fight against hunger in the Magic Valley, partnering with local organizations to ensure families have access to healthy, nutritious food. Their latest project, "Lola," is a 28-foot refrigerated trailer stationed at St. Luke’s Magic Valley, housing perishable items like eggs, dairy and fresh produce. Working alongside St. Luke's Health System, Glanbia Nutritionals and the Idaho Food Bank, Chobani aims to provide 2,500 healthy meals to families in need each week. Food insecurity in the Twin Falls and Jerome areas has risen sharply, with hunger increasing by 40% since the pandemic. Chobani’s chief impact officer, Nishant Roy, highlighted the urgent need, stating, "Access to nutrient-dense food is a basic human right, and we want to ensure our community is getting the nutritious meals they deserve." With a shortfall of nearly one million pounds of food in the region, Lola is a much-needed resource for families. The trailer, powered by St. Luke’s and managed in partnership with the Idaho Food Bank, is already making a difference. Local food pantries are working hard to distribute these essential food items, and the response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive. Just one week after launching, food is reaching the families who need it most. This initiative highlights the importance of collaboration across sectors—healthcare, food production and nonprofit organizations—coming together to tackle hunger head-on. Chobani and its partners are committed to creating lasting change and ensuring no family in the Magic Valley goes hungry. 🔗 Read more at https://bit.ly/4dCktny. #EndHunger #FightFoodInsecurity #MagicValley #DairyDoesGood #AgNews

🌱 Fighting the Stigma Around Food Insecurity: Sara's Story of Resilience 🌱 Did you know that one in six Americans is affected by food insecurity? At HelloFresh, we are committed to changing this statistic and ensuring fresh food is available and accessible to anyone in need. That's why we created LimeAid, a program designed to help individuals and families experiencing hardship or lack of food security. LimeAid allows neighbors, friends, or family members to nominate loved ones in need for a chance to win six months of free HelloFresh meals. One inspiring recipient of the LimeAid program is Sara Ariss, a Wisconsin native who unexpectedly faced food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, Sara shared her story on GMA3 to discuss the stigma around food insecurity and how her own struggles inspired her to give back to her community. Despite the challenges she faced, Sara innovated the operations of local food pantries to better serve families like hers. Join us in applauding Sara's resilience and ongoing commitment to fighting food insecurity. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of those in need. To read more about Sara's journey, click here: https://lnkd.in/gV9BpQMR #FoodInsecurity #LimeAid #CommunitySupport #HelloFreshImpact

Feeding the Other: Whiteness, Privilege, and Neoliberal Stigma in Food Pantries - PDF: https://lnkd.in/g_Q8iBWD How food pantries stigmatize their clients through a discourse that emphasizes hard work, self help, and economic productivity rather than food justice and equity. The United States has one of the highest rates of hunger and food insecurity in the industrialized world, with poor households, single parents, and communities of color disproportionately affected. Food pantries--run by charitable and faith-based organizations--rather than legal entitlements have become a cornerstone of the government's efforts to end hunger. In Feeding the Other, Rebecca de Souza argues that food pantries stigmatize their clients through a discourse that emphasizes hard work, self help, and economic productivity rather than food justice and equity. De Souza describes this "framing, blaming, and shaming" as "neoliberal stigma" that recasts the structural issue of hunger as a problem for the individual hungry person. De Souza shows how neoliberal stigma plays out in practice through a comparative case analysis of two food pantries in Duluth, Minnesota. Doing so, she documents the seldom-acknowledged voices, experiences, and realities of people living with hunger. She describes the failure of public institutions to protect citizens from poverty and hunger; the white privilege of pantry volunteers caught between neoliberal narratives and social justice concerns; the evangelical conviction that food assistance should be "a hand up, not a handout"; the culture of suspicion in food pantry spaces; and the constraints on food choice. It is only by rejecting the neoliberal narrative and giving voice to the hungry rather than the privileged, de Souza argues, that food pantries can become agents of food justice.

Post-pandemic inflation leading to increased food prices, reductions in federal food assistance benefits, and demographic shifts, including the influx of migrants -- all of these factors collectively contribute to the unprecedented demand faced by essential organizations such as food pantries across Chicago. It is also important to recognize the human impact behind these numbers -- the emotional toll of having to choose between basic necessities (like housing and food) underscores the critical role food pantries play in providing support during difficult times. To grasp the importance of tackling food insecurity in our communities, we must first seek out and listen to these personal experiences. That’s what we do! Whether through corporate partnerships, volunteering efforts, or advocating for policy changes, there exist various avenues for meaningful engagement. For example, Good Hope Foundation, Inc. (goodhopefnd.com) and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. (Rho Gamma Gamma chapter) partner monthly with a local food pantry. Doing so helps raise awarenesssnd helps fill the void in regards to these key issues and support those most vulnerable in our underserved communities. #FoodPantries #CommunityEngagement #FoodInsecurity #ChicagoCommunity

TGIF...skipped this last week but back at it. It's another edition of a #feelgoodfriday news story. This time, we tackle hunger. Something that shouldn't be an issue in this world given the wonders of resources we have, the amount we waste and access to it. Yet, here we are. The other issue with hunger is that those that can't afford food also feel a loss of dignity because they've hit hard times. Well today, I bring to you a food bank that's not only feeding people, but also giving back dignity. The Regina Food Bank has created the first free grocery store! " The Food Hub will be stocked like any old grocery store, and unlike similar projects that operate out of churches or community centers, it will feature a produce section, floor-to-ceiling display fridges, and be open all week." “When you give choices, you give not just dignity, but actually, we figure we can feed about 25% more people.” David Froh, MA, CITP Give this story a quick read. In 3 min, this will help you walk into the weekend with a little hope for #humanity! Take a bow Regina Food Bank and may others follow your lead! https://lnkd.in/eQPiSDXb

So many things to post about today! Check out this story. Everyday, I'm working to elevate the voices of our communities. Food cost is too high. More and more people, many of which are children, are being priced out of healthy meals. Food banks have less resources yet are expected to feed more people. You can help by sharing this post! Our #PAsenate and #PAhouse can help by strengthening #SFPP and #PASS in the #PAbudget. Our #USCongress can help by strengthening #TEFAP and #SNAP in the #FarmBill. #NWPAfoodbank ***The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Second Harvest Food Bank.

As we wrap up Earth Month, take a moment to think about what happens to fresh, healthy food that doesn't get eaten following an event or other gathering. If you’re in Omaha and choosing where to eat this weekend or where to host an upcoming event, opt for a restaurant or food vendor that supports the work of Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue. Here’s why perishable food rescue is important: 🥦 Wasted Food: In the U.S, more than 30% of food available goes unsold or uneaten. While a very small portion of this is donated to those in need, the vast majority becomes “wasted food,” going straight to the landfill. 🥕 Food Insecurity: Food insecurity is about more than experiencing hunger. People often lack access to healthy foods, such as produce, meat, fresh milk and eggs – the exact types of food that make up most of the wasted food. 🌎 The Environment: Wasted food is bad for our environment. Not only is wasted food a drain on natural and economic resources, wasted food in the landfill creates harmful greenhouse gases adding to global climate change. I’m so proud to serve on the board of Saving Grace, Omaha’s only dedicated perishable food rescue service in our community that connects local food vendors to organizations that serve people in Omaha experiencing food insecurity. Check out the full list of our food vendor partners here: https://lnkd.in/g3R3wec8 Shout out to the awesome staff and my fellow board members for their dedication to the cause! Lenli Corbett Lonnie Michael Jr. Rita Clark Beth Ostdiek Smith Thomas Hall Andrew H. Wong Jack Holmes, CFA Anna Cramer Nathan Browne Ada W. Robert Kaminski, MBA, PMP

We work with many non-profits that in some form handle or distribute food, which can pose a significant risk of contamination making them liable. Learn 6 food safety best practices below 👇 https://lnkd.in/gx42CEnh

We are proud of our partners, SeaShare for the tremendous work they do to provide nutritious and sustainable seafood for those in need. Since 1994, SeaShare, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, has been providing high protein seafood to food banks throughout the U.S. SeaShare manages numerous programs across the country designed to turn its donations into nutritious seafood meals for the hungry. SeaShare receives donations of seafood products, processing services, transportation, packaging, and financial donations. They combine these donations to create seafood products that are readily usable by food banks, soup kitchens, and food pantries. SeaShare and the seafood industry have donated over 250 million seafood meals across our nation. The seafood industry, through SeaShare, is now one of the largest providers of high quality protein to food banks. Hunger and adequate nutrition continue to be a growing problem in our country. Seafood provides the high protein item that many people are missing in their diet due to cost or availability. Hunger hits children the hardest, affecting their health and ability to learn. Families that experience food insecurity often cannot afford the nutritious food that they need. Please follow SeaShare here: https://lnkd.in/gZK-PzaA