Hunger Relief in the Form of California Almonds

This morning, a truck pulled up at our warehouse with a donation that's about to have a huge impact on our children's programs. The hunger relief organization making the delivery, Give Back 2 God, was founded with the aim of providing nutritious almonds to food banks and disaster-relief groups.

The donation on the truck today was nine pallets of California almonds in 5.5oz bags  - that's 99,000 servings!

Almonds are one of the world's healthiest foods, high in protein and Omega 3's, plus a host of essential vitamins and minerals. These packets will make a healthy, easy-to-eat and tasty addition to our Kids NOW bags and other children's snack programs.

Susan Takalo, Director of Programs and Services at Second Harvest, was thrilled to get the news. "We are excited about this unique donation of healthy snacks for children. What is so special is that they are both delicious and in kid-friendly sizes. With so many children experiencing peanut allergies this will allow the Food Bank to provide these protein-rich snacks to thousands of low-income children."

Give Back 2 God is a 501.3c non-profit that was founded by Mike Kooyman, of Madi K’s Almonds, and his childhood friend Scott Brooks,  the head coach of the NBA Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team. They are currently distributing over 2 million servings of almonds throughout the country each month.

Stamp Out Hunger on Saturday, May 8th

Get an e-mail reminder!

The nation’s largest annual food drive to “Stamp Out Hunger” will be conducted Saturday, May 8. On that day, U.S. Postal Service letter carriers will collect non-perishable donations from homes as they deliver mail along their routes.

The annual National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Food Drive — held in conjunction with the Postal Service — is the largest one-day food drive in the nation. The effort will help feed families in all 50 states.

“With the commitment and dedication of thousands of letter carriers, rural letter carriers, and postal and community volunteers, plus the involvement of our corporate partners, we will make a difference in helping to feed America’s hungry and surpass the 2009 record of 73.4 million pounds of food collected,” said PMG Jack Potter. “The generosity of our customers and the determination of our employees have never been stronger.”

Donations from this year’s event are expected to push the overall total since the annual drive began 18 years ago to more than 1 billion pounds. The total currently is 982.7 million pounds.

NALC President Fredric Rolando said that as successful as the food drive has been in the past, it must be better this year due to the struggling economy.

“Millions and millions of families are suffering — struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table,” said Rolando. “Food banks, pantries and shelters need our help more than ever this year. As families count on them for support, they’re counting on us and we will not back off on our commitment.”

More than 125 million postcards — designed for the first time by the Postal Service and co-sponsored by the Campbell Soup Company — will be mailed to customers to remind them of the drive.

Other co-sponsors of the drive are the United Way Worldwide and its local United Ways, the AFL-CIO; Valpak; and the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association.

Visit the Stamp Out Hunger website for more information.

We're increasing access to fresh produce for our low-income neighbors.

A volunteer bags fresh corn for a Family Harvest distribution.

If you're having trouble making ends meet, chances are, fresh produce is not going to make it to the table.

For so many of our low-income neighbors, including fresh fruits and vegetables in their daily diet is an unaffordable luxury. Chain grocery stores have been moving out of lower-income neighborhoods, also decreasing access to produce. Fortunately, Second Harvest's refrigerated Produce Mobile has rolled into some of our most isolated neighborhoods, driving fresh fruits and vegetables to families in need.

The mobile distribution sites give clients a free farmer's market shopping experience and help families establish life-long, healthy eating habits. By incorporating fresh fruits and vegetables into their daily diet on a regular basis, not just when they can afford them, their bodies can reap the nutritional benefits and make a lasting impact on their health. In addition, children grow up with a taste and desire for fresh foods!

Have you been incorporating more fresh produce into your family's diet? Please share your experience—triumphs as well as difficulties— in the comment field below!

Second Harvest Wins Victory Against Hunger Award for Innovative Anti-Hunger Initiatives

For outstanding hunger-fighting efforts, Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties was recently selected as a recipient of the Victory Against Hunger Award by the Congressional Hunger Center, Victory Wholesale Group and Feeding America.  The selection committee felt that our nomination demonstrated innovative anti-hunger initiatives to assist families and children in our community.  The nomination was accompanied with a letter of support from United States Congressman Mike Honda.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has recently reported that 49 million people live in households at risk of hunger.  Nearly 17 million of these people are children.  The lifeline for these families and children in their daily battle against hunger and poverty are these Food Banks and the many others worthy members of the Feeding America network, stated Ed Cooney, Executive Director of the Congressional Hunger Centers. Established in 1993, the Congressional Hunger Center’s mission is to train and inspire leaders who work to end hunger, and advocate public policies that create a food secure world.

Inspiring national speaker Nancy Amidei to hold free advocacy trainings

Nancy Amidei

As part of our continued efforts to empower our community, we are pleased to announce free seminars for advocacy training. These seminars will be taught by a longtime ally of ours in the world of public policy, Nancy Amidei.

Ms. Amidei brings a wealth of personal experience to the trainings. She has been involved in social policy from both inside and outside government. She served as Director of the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC - a national anti-hunger group), and she also served in the Carter Administration in the Federal Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. She currently heads up the Civic Engagement Project, a group that offers advocacy training, speeches, and workshops for public policy change at a variety of levels of government. She is an inspiring speaker, and we are excited by this opportunity to benefit from her expertise.

This seminar will be offered three times:

April 19, 6:00-7:30 pm in San Carlos
Second Harvest facility
1051 Bing Street, San Carlos, CA 94070
Light dinner provided

April 20, 12:00-2:00 pm in San Jose
Second Harvest facility
750 Curtner Ave, San Jose, CA 95125
Lunch provided

April 20, 6:00-7:30 pm in San Jose
The Sobrato Center for Non-Profits
1400 Parkmoor Ave, San Jose, CA 95126
Light dinner provided

Goals of the seminar:

• Describe how advocacy relates not just to lawmaking, but also to day-to-day experiences
• Bring a human face to ongoing issues
• Provide insight on successful advocacy strategies
• Inform about public policy opportunities and constraints (i.e., when's the right time to push?)
• Identify how to take action on hunger and nutrition issues

These seminars are available to all who wish to attend. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis as space permits.  REGISTER NOW