Olivera Egg Ranch and NuCal Foods donate over 100,000 eggs to Second Harvest

Staff members Christina and Rosanna with Eddie Olivera

With spring blossoming all around, Second Harvest Food Bank welcomed two bountiful egg donations this week.

Today we received a donation of over 84,000 eggs from NuCal Foods, and yesterday Olivera Egg Ranch of San Jose dropped off over 34,000! That's 14 pallets of eggs that will go right out to all of our direct service programs that feed mostly seniors and families with children.

One of our staff nutritionists, Alan Roth, explained that eggs are considered highly nutritious and an excellent protein source, coveted by our clients.

Eggs are one of the most expensive items we buy, and with these donations from Olivera and NuCal, our purchasing department will be able to allocate the money saved towards other foods - and ultimately feed more people.

NuCal Drops off 10 pallets of eggs!

Hunger and Obesity - Understanding the Paradox

Across the board, the waistline of America is growing. You can see it in every demographic, including those struggling with poverty.

Last month, the results of a national hunger study were released by Feeding America, and we highlighted local statistics on our blog. Around the same time, First Lady Michelle Obama and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced their campaigns against the childhood obesity epidemic, which is tied to food insecurity and poverty. Comparing the overlapping demographics of those who are hungry and those at risk for obesity, people across the nation are starting to ask, "How is this possible? How can someone be hungry and obese at the same time?"

We think this is an excellent question, and hopefully the following will shed some light on the matter.

Many wonder how people in low-income families—often living below the poverty line—seem to be suffering from an excessive intake of calories while struggling to put food on the table. As Lynn Crocker, the Food Bank's director of marketing and communications, is often heard saying, "In America, we don't have famine. We have food insecurity and food insecurity means that a large portion of our population does not have consistent access to a steady supply of healthy, nutritious food."

To sum it up, calories are cheap while nutrient-dense food is not.

FRAC (the Food Research and Action Council) has, for years now, been leading the way in dispelling the debilitating stigma that surrounds this issue. Their research proves an invaluable resource when trying to understand "food insecurity."

One of the most disturbing points they make is how poverty and obesity is cyclical in nature. Discrimination in the fields of education and employment against those who are obese leads to households that are more likely to be poor and food insecure. This highlights the importance of Vilsack and Michelle Obama's focus in this arena.

Studies have shown that children participating in Child Nutrition programs are less likely to be or become obese than those in the same income populations who do not participate because of their access to a regular source of food at school.

On the topic of nutrition in schools, the PTA cited studies that "poor nutrition, even in non-overweight children, can affect brain development and performance in school. Children without proper nutrition may have a shorter attention span, more irritability, and more suspensions." Combined with this, obese children tend to have higher absenteeism rates, the cost of which is higher than just their education. Some public school districts lose millions of dollars in school funding each year to absenteeism. Participating in the School Nutrition Programs has been "shown to improve standardized test scores, improve attendance, decrease tardiness, and improve participation in class." The School Breakfast Program provides students with at least one fourth of the recommended levels for key nutrients, and the School Lunch Program provides one third.

At Second Harvest, we recognized that low-income families need additional food on weekends and so developed the Kids NOW program. Working in partnership with Boys and Girls Clubs in low-income neighborhoods, this program distributes nutritious, easy-to-prepare foods on Friday afternoons. The food helps bridge the gap between lunch on Friday and breakfast Monday morning while children are out of school.

Making sure children in the at-risk populations are receiving consistent, nutritious food will help end the epidemic of obesity caused by food insecurity.

Food insecurity often leads to binge eating in both adults and children, and when finances don't allow for healthy food choices, the menu will be low-cost, high-calorie, and nutrient poor. This diagram of a supermarket helps illustrate the point:

COST PER CALORIE
Fresh produce has the highest cost per calorie, while foods with a high-glycemic index, including bread, pasta, cereal and snacks, cost the least.

CALORIES PER 100 GRAMS
The snack and cereal aisles pack the most calories by weight. A family of four will fill up on these items faster than on what they can buy for the same amount in the produce section.


Describing the reasons behind the correlation between food insecurity and obesity, FRAC includes the "lack of fruit and vegetable consumption due to their higher per calorie cost, lack of availability in low-income areas, and the decreased cost per calorie of added sugar and fats."

FRAC encourages health, nutrition and food programs to recognize that obese clients "may be, or were at some time, food insecure." Programs that support low-income individuals and families must strategize and work within their area of expertise to help break this cycle. Providing adults with the education and support needed to make healthy eating choices for themselves and their families is a key component in this struggle.

Second Harvest is well aware of the struggle our low-income population faces to provide adequate nutrition to their families on ever-shrinking budgets. Over the years, we have made significant improvements to the quality of food we distribute, continually striving to provide the most nutrient-dense options when available. The California Association of Food Banks' "Farm to Families" program has helped immensely, and we are proud to be #1 on the list for distributing the highest number of pounds of produce last year in California. To address the issue of "food deserts" - areas without adequate food resources including grocery stores - we launched the Mobile Pantry. This program delivers food to identified, isolated communities such as Pescadero on the San Mateo Coast and the Santee neighborhood in San Jose. One of our newer programs, the Produce Mobile, is dedicated purely to fresh fruits and vegetables. Its specialized trailer with awnings and roll-up doors makes distribution in areas without facilities a snap. Our Share Your Lunch summer campaign raises funds to provide food to families during the months when children are not receiving meals through the school nutrition programs. The Food Bank continues to work on innovative ways to provide consistent, nourishing food to our clients.

Living in such an affluent area, in such an affluent nation, it can be hard to look around at all the swelling waistlines and see hunger. But when you change your perspective and look beyond the calorie, you begin to understand that the choices being made to fill a belly on a budget can have devastating consequences in the long run.

This post is just the tip of the iceberg, and we look forward to engaging our community in the discussion. Please feel free to leave your thoughts and questions below.

Backyard Produce Nourishes the Hungry

We are thrilled that the California Department of Food and Agriculture has finally lifted most of their restrictions and we can once again accept donations of backyard produce. For several years, we have been under quarantine due to the northern California discovery of the light brown apple moth in 2007, a leaf-destroying pest native to Australia.

Fruits and vegetables grown in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties may be donated to the Food Bank without inspection as long as the produce is donated within the county it was grown. Gardeners cannot donate fruits and vegetables with small holes, leaf material, or signs of feeding damage caused by a caterpillar. This exemption from inspection only applies to fruits and vegetables, including leafy green vegetables.

With the year-round growing season we have here, our gardening community is in a position to have a major impact, and help close the hunger gap in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. We already have seen countless boxes of backyard citrus fruits this winter, and hope that as your gardens are laid out this spring, you will keep the Food Bank in mind.

• Learn how to donate fresh produce on our website. 
• Don’t have a garden? Check out the American Community Garden Association for info that will get your hands in the dirt!
• Join Our New Flickr Group! We just set up a Flickr group for photos of your Edible Gardens! Please join and post your inspiring photos:
  Fruit and Vegetable Gardens of the Bay Area
• Get support and join a network of like-minded supporters!. Check out our blog post about the Plant A Row program.

Let’s nourish those in need with freshly grown fruits, vegetables and herbs from our own backyards!

Plant A Row for the Hungry provides support to local gardeners working to end hunger

Second Harvest Food Bank is committed to providing foods that nourish to those in need. Fruits and vegetables fresh from the garden can have a profound impact on the health and well-being of our clients. If you are a gardener or produce more fruit than you and your family can eat, please familiarize yourself with our Backyard Donations page.

We would like to introduce you to the Plant A Row for the Hungry program, which although run outside the Food Bank, can provide support and a network of like-minded supporters to engage with. In addition, the local committees set up special harvest donation sites and coordinate delivery.

The program has been around since 1994, when Jeff Lowenfels, a garden columnist from Anchorage, Alaska, pitched the idea to the Garden Writers of America Association. He had been trying the idea out with moderate success for a few years in his hometown, but thought it was time for a national movement.

A few years later, Joan Jackson, garden columnist at the San Jose Mercury News at the time, got involved and really championed the cause. She encouraged local gardeners to sign a pledge to grow and donate fresh produce. Within the first year, readers had donated over 34,000 pounds of fruit, vegetables and herbs through the program.

According to Jackson, the program works so well because it’s “carried out in a way that requires no governmental funds and no big cuts or donations from businesses or organizations.” In essence, anyone with access to a plot of dirt can participate.

The Garden Writers Association has many resources available to encourage success. See the links below to find local campaigns or learn more about setting up a new Plant A Row campaign.

• Garden Writers Association – Plant A Row
• Find a local Plant A Row committee and donation site
• Learn how to set up a Plant A Row campaign

We lost our backyard produce Champion when Joan Jackson retired from the Mercury News, and will be relying on the local gardening community to spread the word. If you are passionate about ending hunger, gardening, and making a difference in your local community, please consider speaking out about the cause through your blog, social networks, gardening club or place or worship, etc. If you are interested in participating but don’t have a garden, the American Community Garden Association is a resource that can help you get your hands in the dirt.

Do you Flickr? Join Our New Flickr Group! We just set up a group for photos of your Edible Gardens! Please join and post your inspiring photos:
Fruit and Vegetable Gardens of the Bay Area

Nearly 2 Million Californians Lost Health Insurance During Recession

Breaking news out of UCLA's Center for Health Policy Research: nearly one quarter of all Californians now lack health insurance.

According to the study released today, numbers have been rising across all sectors, and California's working adults were hit the hardest. To make matters worse, the cost of insurance skyrocketed with the unemployment rate.

As Gary Yates, CEO of the California Wellness Foundation, puts it, "Do they pay their rent or buy an individual policy? Few out of work Californians can afford to do both. As a result, many unemployed Californians may go without essential health coverage, increasing the health risk to themselves and their families and the costs of our emergency care system."

Between 2007 and 2009, the number of uninsured in California rose 25%. During the same time period, the Food Bank has witnessed a 45% increase in number of people served.

At the end of 2009, our fiscal year average was 236,560 people served per month, up from 163,184 in 2007. Many of the new faces were those whose unemployment benefits had run out and were seeking help for the first time in their lives.

There are many factors that lead up to the decision to seek food assistance, and at this point in history, the factors seem to be overpowering the safety-net. Day in and day out, we're providing nutritious food to people from all walks of life in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties who have been hit by this recession, and with your help, we'll continue to do it, despite whatever happens on Capitol Hill.


Easy ways to make a difference: 

• Sign up for our Enewsletter and stay informed
• Volunteer
• Make a donation
• Advocate - become a Hunger Fighter

Report from the 2010 National Anti-Hunger Conference

On March 7, our Senior Director of Programs and Services Cindy McCown, along with hundreds of other hunger advocates, converged on Washington D.C. for the 2010 National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference. Co-sponsored by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) and Feeding America, the conference provided three days of innovative training, networking and advocacy.

Cindy found herself inspired by the personal stories and conviction of the speakers, who included

• Congresswomen Donna Edwards (D-Maryland)
• Kevin Concannon – Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services
• Tom Vilsack – Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Senator Richard Lugar (R-Indiana)
• Representative Jim McGovern (D-Massachusetts)
• Senator Robert Casey, Jr. (D-Pennsylvania

Key Messages:

• Hunger is a bi-partisan issue
• Federal nutrition programs such as SNAP/Food Stamps, school based feeding, after school snacks, summer meals and WIC are critical to combating hunger in our communities.
• We need a strong Child Nutrition Reauthorization Bill if we are to achieve the President’s goal of ending child hunger by 2015.
• We need a significant level of increased funding in the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Bill – no less than the President’s request of one billion dollars per year over the next ten years to meet this need.

Meetings were held with representatives of Senators Boxer and Feinstein and Congress Members Anna Eshoo, Mike Honda, Zoe Lofgren, Jackie Speier and Jerry McNerney to apprise them of hunger issues impacting our local communities.

For a deeper dive into the issues, see the following links:

• (PDF) Ending Childhood Hunger by 2015: The Essential Strategies for Achieving the President's Goal
• (PDF) Reading, Writing and Hungry: The Consequences of Food Insecurity on Children, and On Our Nation’s Economic Success
• (PDF) Obesity, Food Insecurity and the Federal Nutrition Programs: Understanding the Linkages
• (PDF) Proceedings of the Roundtable on Understanding the Paradox of Hunger and Obesity
• (PDF) Hunger and Obesity? Making the Connections (Fact Sheet)
• (E-publication) FRAC Focuses: Obesity and Poverty: a periodical review of research and action

Yelp Love for the Food Bank!

Yelp is definitely a force to be reckoned with these days. Seems like every time I look up a business, their Yelp page is right at the top of the search results, and difficult to ignore. That's why it puts a huge grin on my face to see our supporters writing about their positive experiences at Second Harvest Food Bank - some people have even posted pictures!

Photos uploaded to Yelp by Anya R.

In January, we had an all-staff meeting followed by a group food sort - just the kind our volunteers are used to. Many of us had never done this before, so I can commiserate with the Yelpers who say they were surprised by what a good workout we gave them. It was my job to put 4 cans of sliced pears (packed in juice—not syrup—I'm happy to report) into each food box as it came down the line. Not too long into it, I started looked at the people with the box-building job with envy! As they say, the grass is always greener... But honestly, there's something about hearing from the team leaders how many families we're feeding that gets the competitive spirit ramped up - my team boxed up 12,000 pounds that afternoon!

Volunteering can be hard work but it's FUN! Staff member Tometrius Paxton gets in the spirit.

Be an advocate for the work we do - Yelp about us!
We have two Yelp pages - and we'd love your review at the location where you volunteered or had your interaction with us. Don't forget, your review doesn't have to be about volunteering - any reason you support us is worthy of a post!

Yelp San Jose | Yelp San Carlos

Users like Flor D. have used Yelp Events to gather volunteer groups to better our community. Check out her recent Food Sort event to see how it works. (If you'd like to do this too, don't forget to set up your event with Volunteer Services before posting.) Thanks for your support, Flor!

I'll finish up with a quote from Anya R.:

It was so inspiring to see people of all ages too- coming together and working together for one cause- and that is to help out others because we can.  There were students all the way to an old man with a walker!  If he can volunteer- so can you!

The two hours were really organized and time just flew.  It was nice to see people in such good moods willing to help.  I am going to look into volunteering for Second Harvest directly and get more people to come join me. 

Thank you, Yelpers!