Nutrition is a priority - locally and nationally!

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and First Lady Michelle Obama know fresh produce is invaluable to good health, and are spreading the word. (See the slideshow of their recent shopping adventure in North Philadelphia on The Huffington Post.)

The support coming from the top to improve childhood nutrition is most welcome at Second Harvest. For several years now, we have put a lot of thought and effort into upgrading the nutritional density of food we distribute.  A Nutritional Indexing System developed in-house has enabled us to tag incoming food with a number according to certain guidelines that have been established, and then these numbers are tracked over time.

Thanks to the Farm to Families program, a large percentage of our food poundage gets the highest ranking as fresh produce. At a recent Family Harvest distribution, I watched children in their school uniforms on the grass working their way through bags of fresh, sweet oranges, rinds piling up next to them as their parents picked up the rest of their food allotment. The kids' bright smiles and laughter said it all.

We believe we have a responsibility to those we serve in our community to provide quality, nutritious food that will enable parents to instill healthy eating habits in their children despite their current financial status. The little girl on our holiday food drive poster is standing next to a cart of the actual food that was going out on the day we showed up. Check out that produce!

Second Harvest is pleased that a number of our key priorities for the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act—including improved access to fill the gaps in food assistance and the development of innovative ways to reach hungry children during out-of-school times—are included in the Obama Administration's priorities. We look forward to working with the Administration and Congress in the coming months to make legislative changes that will move the nation forward in the crusade to end childhood hunger in America. Check out a full list of Secretary Vilsack's administration priorities on our main website.

In addition to Secretary Vilsack's work, First Lady Michelle Obama will also be positively impacting our efforts with her "Let's Move" campaign and the new foundation she heads up called "Partnership for a Healthier America".

From their website: "The Partnership for a Healthier America will serve as a partner to the First Lady’s Let’s Move Initiative by linking and mobilizing the private sector, foundations, thought leaders, media, and local communities to action and further the goals of curbing childhood obesity within a generation."

Our Senior Director of Programs and Services Cindy McCown will be in Washington DC next week for the 2010 National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference. Stay tuned for info and actions to come! Be sure to get the news:  sign up for our email list here and help us end childhood hunger!

Further Info: 

• Learn about our Produce Mobile serving local food deserts and the Kids NOW program that sends food home with kids every Friday, filling the gap until they are back in school on Monday. These creative solutions to ending hunger are right in line with Vilsack's priority recomendations.
• Do you know someone or a family who could use assistance? Check out our Outreach Flyers and Handouts page. 

Recognizing Our San Carlos Volunteers!

On February 12, 2010, Second Harvest hosted a party for volunteers and Partners in Need (PIN) members at our San Carlos location. This party let us show our appreciation for our volunteers, who are vital in our operations. Volunteers help us fill positions in the front office, warehouse office, and food sort room (including team leaders).

Nearly 50 guests were present, including Kris Sulpizio, Director of Volunteer Services and Kathy Jackson, our CEO. BJ's Restaurant in Foster City donated all the food. Gina Futrell and her daughter Heidi Lowery donated and gift-wrapped the majority of the prizes. All volunteers took home a gift.

Thank you, volunteers!

Learn about available volunteer opportunities

CEO Kathy Jackson and long-time volunteer Tom Maples

National Hunger Study Results Confirm Need For Food is Up in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties

A landmark research study just released by Feeding America captures the undeniable connection between the economic downturn and an increased need for emergency food assistance. The study depicts U.S. hunger through both a national and regional lens. Data was collected from February to June 2009 using interviews and agency surveys. The findings mirror what Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties has been seeing in our day-to-day operations.

Hunger is running rampant throughout our two-county service area. The Food Bank estimates that 1 in 4 people in its two-county service area are at risk for hunger. In the first six months of our fiscal year, we fed 17% more people than the same time period last year. This equates to serving an average of 236,560 people each month with a total of 17.5 million meals.

The unprecedented increase in requests for food assistance is primarily seen in programs that serve families with children, and 54% of surveyed households included at least one working adult. One third of those surveyed had to choose between buying food and paying for medicine or medical care.

"Over the next month, we plan to analyze the numbers and utilize them to create a more comprehensive profile of who is hungry in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties and why. Moving forward, Second Harvest will use this information to grow food assistance programs and to support public policies that will reduce food insecurity in our two-county service area," said Cindy McCown, Senior Director of Programs and Services.


For more information, please see our press release, and stay tuned for the release of a fully localized report in March.

To find ways to help end hunger in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, visit www.SHFB.org.