I know it is August because the calendar says so. However, you would not know it during my early morning walks. Temperatures the past few days have ranged from the low to upper 60’s, making my time on the trail system of Rogers much more pleasant. What does my renewed commitment to walking and the temperature have to do with food insecurity you might ask? I’m really not sure ☺ I do know that when I walk, I have 40-45 minutes of quiet time to reflect, usually much of that time is spent thinking about how blessed I am to live and work in Northwest Arkansas; how thankful I am to work at the Food Bank supporting a mission I believe wholeheartedly in; and how important each and every one of you is in the fight against hunger. I try to say it a lot, but I don’t say it enough: Thank you for all you do to allow us to help our friends and neighbors.

While we are on the topic of the calendar, when we flip over the page it will be September. September used to be important to me because college football started in September. This year who knows if it will start at all, but I digress. September is Hunger Action Month. Two hundred Food Banks all over the United States work together to spread the message of Hunger Awareness. Proudly we are part of that group. While we cannot physically bring people together this year as we have in years past, we do have ways of encouraging people to stop and think about hunger. Each of these ideas is designed to bring Hunger awareness to the front of your mind; using an old newspaper term, TOMA, Top of Mind Awareness. Here are just a couple of examples of our initiatives. I encourage you to follow these, and/or think of some on your own.

*Swing by Northwest Arkansas Florist on North College in Fayetteville. You cannot miss the Orange Horse out front. Take a selfie and post it on social media or send it to Julie Damer, our marketing and communications manager, julie.damer@nwafoodbank.org.

*Look for the stand-up displays of four young people in local retailers. Again, take a selfie and send it to us.

*If you have the ability to change the color of your outside lighting, please make it Orange in September.

*Please wear Orange to work every day. Even if you are working from home, wear some Orange and share that you are.

In case you have missed it, Orange is the color chosen by Feeding America to represent Hunger Action Month. Thank you all for helping spread the word. Recognizing there is a problem is the first step to solving it.

One final thought about Hunger Action month. Each of you have your own network of family, friends or business associates. More than likely you have an email address for each of them. Please forward this month’s newsletter to them. In doing so you will help spread the mission. Working together we will make a difference. Thanks again for all you do. I’d love to show you around the Food Bank if you are interested. Just be prepared to have your temperature taken and wear a mask. Until next month remember: Because of you someone will eat today.

- Kent Eikenberry

Hunger Action Month, which takes place each September, is a time when people all over America stand with the Feeding America nationwide network of food banks, including the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, to fight hunger.Alongside all 200 Feeding America network food banks, we commemorate Hunger Action Month by spreading the word about hunger in our communities, volunteering, advocating, donating and helping raise awareness about hunger.

We are asking our community partners here in NWA to join us during the month of September to raise awareness of this issue in our region by changing anything at their business – from their outdoor lighting to the water in their fountains – to the color orange, the color recognized by Feeding America as the color to represent hunger. We can’t wait to see how creative our community gets with this fun opportunity!

The Cutting Board of NWA is the NWA Food Bank’s newest effort to keep you connected to healthy foods. On the site you will find step-by-step videos and recipes, submitted by our own employees and volunteers, that will help teach you how to turn ordinary foods and ingredients into delicious meals in simple, easy steps and learn some new techniques to use in the kitchen, too! Be sure to check all of them out on our website. New videos will continue to be posted as we receive them – so check back often!

Here’s a new twist to pancakes you just have to try!

Sweet Potato Pancakes

By Miranda K. of Springdale, Arkansas

You Will Need: baking sheet, large bowl, medium bowl, liquid measuring cup, oven, fork, skillet

Ingredients:

1 cup baking or pancake mix

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup mashed sweet potato (1 cup = 1 medium sweet potato)

1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + 1 Tbsp vinegar)

Your choice of toppings, sweet or savory!

Recipe :

Mashed Sweet Potato

1. Poke holes in the sweet potato and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 1 hour.

2. Let cool, cut in half, and peel the potato. Mash with a fork.

Pancakes

1. Combine baking mix, cinnamon, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Mix until fully combined.

2. Combine eggs, sweet potato, and buttermilk in a medium bowl. Mix until fully combined.

3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold until combined but lumpy, careful not to overmix.

4. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and pour a spoonful of batter into the pan when hot. Allow to cook until bubbles form on the top of the pancake and the sides begin to brown, approximately 2 minutes. Flip the pancake and cook on the other side for around 30 seconds to 1 minute.

5. Serve with your favorite toppings. Check out our video for inspiration!

T he Goshen United Methodist Church in Goshen, Arkansas, has one goal according to their pastor, Brother John Humphries: focus on what they are supposed to be doing as a congregation, rather than what they are not supposed to be doing. To fulfill this goal, Pastor John looked to the Bible.

“And so I said, ‘All right. What we’re supposed to do is: Feed hungry people, clothe the naked people, and heal the sick.”

Near the end of 2019, Goshen UMC decided to open a 24-hour food pantry stocked with essentials such as peanut butter, jelly, canned goods, and other staples. They also had a free medical clinic on Tuesdays but decided to stop for now amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, when it became apparent that there was more need than they originally thought, Goshen UMC reached out to the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank and applied to become an official partner and food pantry.

They were accepted, and on December 3, 2019 opened the Goshen United Methodist Church Food Pantry. They are funded primarily by church dollars, about $400 per week, but also receive donations from members of the congregation and community that go toward the weekly order from the food bank.

Neil Carey is a member of the Goshen UMC congregation and a huge part of the food pantry’s success. He places the weekly order to the Food Bank using the allocated budget and then, with his wife Raija, drives to the NWA Food Bank to pick it up the following Tuesday, typically as early as 6:30 a.m.

After returning to Goshen with the food, it is sorted and inventoried before being packed into boxes to pass out to those in need. Typically, Goshen UMC tries to give each car boxes of meat, canned goods, dry goods, and dairy if possible.

“Some of these families have absolutely nothing,” Raija Carey said, “so we try and give them a variety of things that could be used.”

Each car is asked to fill out an application before accepting food, but it’s primarily given so the church has a way of knowing how many cars they typically serve and who they are serving too, rather than deciding whether or not a person can receive food from the pantry.

“You’ve already passed the test,” Neil Carey said with a laugh. “You got an A.”

Neil Carey said the pantry typically gives food to around 35 to 44 families per week, and that about 25 of these families are weekly regulars. He also said not every family they give food to is a part of the United Methodist Church. Anyone in the community is welcome to come to the food pantry.

They are located at 122 E. Bowen Avenue in Goshen and are open every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for those in need to pick up their food. The 24-hour pantry is also open, and the medical clinic has plans to reopen once it is safe.

We hosted another pop-up mobile pantry in Green Forest on Friday, July 31st. At the event, we served 254 households with 1,000 individuals. The last time we hosted one in this area, we served 177 households with 678 individuals. Although we hate to see our numbers increase with the number of people needing assistance, we are so grateful for the continued financial support we receive from our community that allows us to be able to supply these families with the food they need.

You can make a one-time donation by visiting our Donate page, it's super easy !

All donations stay right here in Northwest Arkansas and help us feed your neighbors that need a little extra help these days.

On Wednesday, August 5th, Goodwill and The Pack Shack partnered with us to host a pop-up pantry at Goodwill in Rogers. The event started at 8 a.m. with the first car in line by 4:45am. We were able to serve a total of 242 households and 1,038 individuals at the event.

We are able to serve so many people each week because of the generous support of our community.

Thank you for helping us feed those in need in our region.

As the walls close in on them, there is hope. Your support will provide a timely boost to our mission to ensure no one in Northwest Arkansas goes without a meal. Your gift helps them have a future that does not include worrying about food.

Please visit our COVID-19 Response Fund Giving Portal to make a gift and help support our neighbors in need.

We received a nice check last month from our friends at the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Cal Chambers with the organization presented the check to NWA Food Bank President/CEO Kent Eikenberry.

We so appreciate the support we receive from our community!

Volunteer of the Month: Marilu Torres (pictured)

Volunteers: Scott Blackwell, Mark Boyd, Kendall Christian, Gage Colvin, Rhiannon Colvin, Karla Cope, Miranda Kohout, Mai Mang, Mary Ochs, Glenda Patterson, Teresa Prince, Audrey Romero, Cara Salvatore, Ellie Slaba, Candi & Robert Stickney, Ever Villalobos To sign up to volunteer, please pre-register online on our Volunteers page!

| By Paul Morello | You may have seen the numbers: food banks are feeding nearly 60 percent more people during the COVID-19 pandemic than they were this time last year. At the same time, many food banks are seeing decreased donations from the grocery stores and manufacturers that helped them in the past.

With so many families visiting food banks for the first time, you may be wondering what food banks need. Should you start a food drive? Should you donate cash? We’ve got some do’s and don’ts about what food banks need right now (and what’s best to avoid) as they ensure our neighbors have enough food to eat during the pandemic and beyond.