Letter From Our President & CEO – AUGUST 9, 2021
So it has been a while since I bragged on any of the Eikenbabies. The Eikengirls, Stella and Hattie never cease to make me a proud Pops. The most recent moment came when the family gathered to spend the evening with out of town relatives when Hattie greeted me with “Poppy, we have a surprise for you.” Being somewhat cautious, I said “really what is it?” She proceeded to give me a baggie full of coins and crumpled up bills which was the money they made from a lemonade stand for the Food Bank. Their project resulted in providing about 500 meals and, as I said earlier, made for one proud Pops.
I typically try to share positive antidotes in my monthly column. For the most part I try to live my life looking at the glass half full. However, it is hard for me to put a positive spin on this. After much consideration and in order to provide the safest work environment for our staff and volunteers, we have instituted some new guidelines for volunteers. Our complete volunteer policy is available on our website, but here are the highlights:
• All volunteers must confirm they are fully vaccinated, and must wear a mask at all times they are in the warehouse. We will continue to limit the number of volunteers to 10. No volunteers under the age of 13 will be accepted.
We also have had to adjust the way we process neighbors at mobile pantry.
• Effective July 26, 2021, we will only be able to load product in the car trunk or truck bed due to COVID restrictions. If there is not enough room in the trunk or truck bed, we will kindly place the items on a table for the client to load themselves.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!
It is important to remember that these precautions are taken to protect you, your families, and the thousands of people we serve every day and are not intended to be punitive. Thank you for your understanding.
Man is it hot outside or what? I want to give a shout out to our staff and volunteers who are working hard in trying conditions every time we have a mobile pantry. Each month, our team and volunteers make 16 stops handing out food boxes, frozen protein and fresh produce to our neighbors who, for one reason or another, need to drive through and receive our help. If you are interested in volunteering to help at the truck or aiding in collecting data, please check out the volunteer tab on our website. In the meantime, if you happen to stop by one of the mobile pantries, let the folks know how much you appreciate their efforts.
Speaking of hot. Please be careful out there. Stay hydrated and take care of yourself. Have a great month…Remember September is Hunger Action Month. We have lots planned so stay tuned.
I can never thank you all enough but will always appreciate what you do.
Because of you, someone will eat today.
Kent
Employee Spotlight Meet two valued members of the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank!
IN THE GARDEN
HOW WE ARE PUTTING YOUR DOLLARS TO WORK https://www.nwafoodbank.org/donate
In the second quarter of 2021, we had a total of 333 partner agency reports (119 unique agencies), 40 mobile pantries (13 unique locations), 28 school pantries (12 unique locations) and 9 Tyson sponsored mobile pantries (4 unique locations).
Through the hard work of our staff, volunteers, partner agencies and community partners, together we fed 99,805 households & 272,034 individuals! (3.68% decrease in households and .008% decrease in individuals served compared to Q1 2021)
From a total of 201,255 responses to the race/ethnicity questions:
• 56.85% identified as White
• 29.90% identified as Hispanic
• 5.28% identified as Marshallese
• 3.54% identified as Black/African American
• 1.31% identified as Native American
• 1.11% identified as Multiracial
• 2.01% identified as "Other"
From a total of 218,115 responses to the age group questions:
• 33.38% were children under the age of 18
• 11.38% were children 6 years or younger
• 22% were children 7 to 17 years old
• 21.87% were seniors 61 years or older
From a total of 196,439 responses to the county questions:
• 47.74% live in Washington County
• 42.03% live in Benton County
• 6.89% live in Carroll County
• 2.02% live in Madison County
• 1.29% live outside of our service area
Every dollar you donate helps provide up to 8 meals to those in need right here in our region. To make a secure donation, please visit www.nwafoodbank.org/donate. We appreciate you helping us feed your neighbors in need!
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDINGMOBILE PANTRIES!
Effective July 26, 2021, we will only be able to load product in the car trunk or truck bed due to COVID restrictions. If there is not room in the car trunk or truck bed, we will kindly place the items on a table for the client to load in their vehicle. We are doing this to help keep everyone as safe as possible.
PARTNER AGENCY SPOTLIGHT! WINSLOW COMMUNITY MEALS, INC.
The Winslow Community Meals, Inc. is known today by many Arkansas citizens, but had very humble and honorable beginnings. In the early 1980’s, a group of women realized that there were no restaurants nearby in which to cook a hot meal. They decided to put together a lunch kitchen.
Over time, the operation continued to grow and serve more people in more ways. They connected with the AR Choice Program and started delivering the hot meals to homebound seniors, people with disabilities, and others who for one reason or another could not get out of the house to pick up the meals themselves.
“And we've been serving meals continuously here ever since then,” said Facility Manager Sandra Burton.
Sandra has worked with Winslow Community Meals, Inc. for over 15 years. She said she is proud that there are some individuals who have not ever needed to leave their home to receive food.
“It’s just so important to some of these people to be able to stay home,” Sandra said. “And, you know, to not have to go into assisted living and those types of situations. It’s just been so gratifying knowing that we helped make that happen.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic was ramping up, the pantry turned to a completely take-out procedure, Sandra said. They pre-packaged the meals using bags and Tupperware and passed it out to those waiting in their cars or outside. The pantry continued to encourage as much choice as possible, allowing the clients to pick their salad dressing and other parts of the meals if possible.
Now, however, Winslow Community Meals is continuing their take-out option, but also once again allowing in-person dining. The capacity for the indoor dining is 12 people, and it is done using the first come, first served basis.
Although the official serving time in 11:30am to 12:30pm on Monday through Friday, Sandra said if diners arrive early or late they will serve them if they can.
Sandra said all of the staff at Winslow has been vaccinated, and they alert the diners of this when they come in. They ask that unvaccinated individuals keep their masks on, but the diners who have been vaccinated may remove them.
In return for the meals, the Winslow pantry asks for a $5 donation if the client is able.
“Maybe three fourths of the people give us something each day,” Sandra said. “But we do have some people that just can't afford it. We just give them their meals for free.”
All of the cooking, serving, and delivery driving done at the Winslow Community Meals building is done by volunteers. In fact, there is only one paid position – the cook, Tina.
Those interested in volunteering can serve in a few different positions. There are the drivers who deliver the meals to those who cannot leave their homes, volunteers to help chop vegetables, dishwashers, and other kitchen-related tasks.
While during COVID-19 Winslow Community Meals stopped allowing outside volunteers to come in, they are now welcomed to come back and serve. Sandra said they ask that the volunteers be vaccinated, and when they come in ensure that they are showing no signs of illness.
“Right now, our most critical need is people to come in and actually take the meals from the kitchen to the diners and then clean up the dining room afterwards,” Sandra said.
Winslow also helps out at the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank Mobile Pantry every third Saturday of the month. Those picking up boxes from the pantry simply drive through and pick up the food.
Winslow Community Meals, Inc. is located at 1057 Ella Road in Winslow. They are open on Monday through Friday from 9am to 2pm, and serve their take-out or dine-in meals from 11:30am to 12:30pm on those days.
We Love Our Volunteers!
During the month of July, we had 130 volunteers serve a total of 589 hours. We couldn’t do what we do without our volunteers! If you would like to sign up to help feed your neighbors in need, please visit www.nwafoodbank.org/volunteer
to find a day and time that will work with your schedule.
We appreciate you!
COVID UPDATE TO OUR VOLUNTEER POLICY:
In order to keep everyone in our warehouse as safe as possible, the following is effective as of July 26, 2021.
*All volunteers must be fully vaccinated to volunteer with us
*Minimum age to volunteer with an adult is 13 years old
*Minimum age to volunteer alone is 16 years old
*All volunteers will be required to wear a mask while they are volunteering with us
*We will maintain a 6 -foot distance requirement for all volunteers while working in the warehouse
*The maximum number of volunteers at one time is limited to 10
*Special dates and times will be available for those with younger children who want to volunteer
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation! We appreciate you!
