September is Hunger Action Month. It is a time when food banks across the Feeding America network work together to tell the story of food insecurity. I also think it is an appropriate time to share that our staff is dedicated to making Northwest Arkansas a better place to live by their involvement in activities outside of the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank. Here is a partial list of things we are involved in:

*Leadership roles in our respective churches, including serving as an usher, on the church council, youth leaders, small group leaders

*Mentor to young ladies and young men

*Active in Alumni Associations from a variety of colleges and universities

*Active in the National Charity League

*Active in our homeowner associations

*Provide a dog to the VA as a support animal

*Sign up voters

*Leadership roles in several other 501c3 organizations; Ozark Literacy Council, Salvation Army, Network of Executive Women, Rotary International, Association of Fundraising Professionals, Special Olympics, Miss Amazing

*Volunteer with SOAR

*Volunteer youth sports coaches

*Washington County Master Gardeners

*Blood donors

*Swim coaches

*Language coaches

*CASA volunteers

*Adopt a trail

*Horses for Healing

*Miracle League

*Arkansas Children’s Hospital volunteer

*Support staff of other not for profit organizations

*Active in all area chambers of commerce

*Circle of Life

*Local Humane Societies

*After school programs

*Komen Ozark

I’m sure there are more, but this list gives you an idea of the depth that our staff is involved in everyday life.

There are several activities going on locally for Hunger Action Month. Please be sure to check out our website or follow us on social media to learn more details of how you can support us through third party events.

In case you have forgotten, I have, since 2018, established my “orange challenge.” To restate, orange is the color representing food insecurity. Our logo, No Kids Hungry, The Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance and Feeding America all have orange as an integral color. Any opportunity I get to bring attention to the need is a success. Monetary donations help pay the bills. Money helps put food on the tables of those in need. Advocacy is equally as important. Too many people are hungry and too few people realize the need is a great as it is. I have been proud to wear orange every September and encourage you to do likewise. You might also keep an eye out when you watch the local news stations. You will see some orange pop up.

Thank you all for your continued support of the Food Bank and our mission. We could not and can not serve our neighbors without your help.

Because of you, someone will eat today.

K

August 16, 2021

The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank announces plans to open FEED ROGERS, a full service, client choice food pantry at 212 South 13th. Following renovations, the pantry will open in late 2021 or early 2022. FEED ROGERS will emulate the normal shopping experience allowing the food insecure individual to choose with dignity the food his or her family will use.

“When we allow our neighbors to choose their own food, we're giving them the power to write their own story. We're encouraging a dignified experience where neighbors feel respected by staff and volunteers, and hopefully breaking down the barrier of giver and receiver,” Sabrina Thiede, director of programs for the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank said.

FEED ROGERS will be open extended days and hours to accommodate those neighbors who are working but still need some help putting food on the table, eventually operating 5 days per week. The location was chosen specifically due to it’s proximity to the Center for Non-profits and the Community Clinic, both existing partners of the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank who offer services to enhance the entire life of the neighbors who will use the pantry.

“The main idea behind Feed Rogers is to change the food pantry model from transitional to transformational. People who are living in poverty and that are food insecure often feel isolated and full of stress and anxiety. By working with other community partners, we can work closely with our neighbors to create a safe environment where help and healing coexist and our neighbors are on a path to self-empowerment,” Thiede added.

The pantry will open with a combination of paid staff and volunteers. The St. Vincent de Paul Society of the St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church is a founding partner in this venture and will provide many of the volunteers, but volunteering is open to anyone interested.

“We are really excited about this joint venture between the food bank and St. Vincent de Paul. They are a strong partner agency, and are enthusiastic about the potential FEED ROGERS has.” Kent Eikenberry, President and CEO of the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank said.

According to Thiede, “Opening this pantry will give us an opportunity to test out ways to make the pantry experience better for the neighbor which can be implemented in our other 135 partner food pantries.”

“Having a food bank operated pantry has been part of our strategic plan since we saw what our sister food banks in Oklahoma City and Dallas were doing with their “teaching pantries.” I do want to assure our other partner agencies in Rogers that we will continue to work together and support them as they continue their mission to help feed our neighbors. Unfortunately, as Northwest Arkansas continues to grow, more and more individuals are food insecure. FEED ROGERS will be a great way to test ways to better serve our community.” Eikenberry added.

Northwest Arkansas Food Bank (a 501c3 organization) was estab lished in 1988 by a group of concerned citizens who saw the need for hunger assistance in Benton, Washington, Madison and Carroll counties. In 2020 the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank distributed more than 13.25 million meals. Together with more than 130partner agencies, we are able to reach out to those in need; providing nutritious food to children, the working poor and senior citizens. The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank is an affiliate of Feeding America and a founding member of the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance.

The Saint Vincent de Paul Food Pantry in Rogers was started about 12 years ago by a man named Tony. The pantry is a chapter of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul Mother Teresa Conference, an international conference.

Pete Metzger operates the food pantry, and he said the chapter has the responsibility for helping people that come to them if they can’t pay a utility bill, for example. After a prayer and a home visit they most likely will pay that bill.

“It’s a wonderful conference,” Pete said, “and we are proud to be a part of them.”

Over the years, the pantry has grown from a shed on a property to a full house. This growth has allowed the Saint Vincent de Paul Food Pantry to serve about 40 to 60 people per day before COVID-19, and around 20 per day now according to Pete.

When COVID-19 hit, the pantry moved from allowing clients inside the building, to a pre-bagging and drive-through/pick-up system. With the surge in cases and the Delta variant making a comeback in Arkansas, Pete said they have decided to stick to that system for now.

Although the number of neighbors coming to the pantry dwindled amidst COVID-19, Pete says people are starting to come back.

With the drive-through system, Pete said those picking up the food come by in their cars and form a line to check-in. If they are not registered with the pantry, a volunteer will collect their information and, if applicable, get them registered for USDA food as well as registered with the pantry itself. Then the pre-bagged food is brought out to the waiting cars.

The USDA food is given out once a month, and the St. Vincent de Paul pantry allows less fortunate neighbors to come twice a month.

Pete said there is a bank of about 109 volunteers for the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry. They do a range of jobs on the different days and times the pantry is open. Some of these jobs include restocking, packing food bags, driving to collect donations and purchases, and making food purchases.

“You know, it's a wonderful job as far as I'm concerned,” Pete said. “It's feeding the poor. And that's what we are here to do. And all the people, all my volunteers are very dedicated to that.”

Anyone interested in volunteering fills out a form for the pantry with their name, address, telephone number, email, and the days of the week on which they would like to volunteer. There are several volunteer shifts throughout the week that interested individuals can sign up for.

Pete said bout 85-90% of the food the pantry passes out is from the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank. The rest of the food comes from donations made by stores and vendors in the area as well as the St. Vincent de Paul School donates once a month.

Individuals are also welcome to make donations to the pantry. Pete said if they call ahead, they can schedule a time to drop off the donations.

Pete said the pantry also has Sharing and Caring weekend on the last weekend of the month. The week before, the church bulletin posts a list of needs and wants for the food pantry, and the Saturday of Sharing and Caring weekend the donations are brought to the church. And on Sunday, the pantry brings a van and collects the donations.

The St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry gives out food on Monday from 4:30pm to 6:30pm, Tuesday from 10am to 12pm, Thursday from 9am to 11am, and Saturday from 9am to 11am. They are located at 1413 W Poplar Street, across from the main entrance to the church.

*ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF PETE METZGER*

During the month of August, we were thrilled to have 87 individuals volunteer with us for a total of 424 hours. We love and appreciate each and every person that comes out and helps us in our warehouse, in our garden, or at one of our Mobile Pantries. We couldn’t do what we do without you! If you are interested in getting involved in our volunteer program, please visit www.nwafoodbank.org/volunteer. We have a variety of days and times available to fit your schedule.

Thank you for helping us feed those who are food insecure in our region.

- We will be hosting our Harvest of the Month event on Saturday, September 11 from 8:30-10am at our Teaching Garden. This event is open to the public, and the focus of this month’s workshop will be composting.

- Starting this month, we will be constructing a caterpillar tunnel in the Teaching Garden. This structure is like a greenhouse and will allow us to grow crops later into the fall/winter and start crops earlier in the spring.

- We have garden volunteer shifts available every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8-10am. Individuals and groups can register; all volunteers must be vaccinated.

For any questions regarding our garden programs or to register for an event, please contact nena.evans@nwafoodbank.org. You can also register online via our Facebook page under Events.

We have made the difficult decision to cancel our Jewels of Giving Gala that was scheduled for September 18, 2021. We decided to take this action to do our part to help keep everyone safe during this pandemic. Please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

We have continued to see an increase in the amount of food we are needing to purchase. To date, we have spent $1,249,850 compared to $888,960 this date last year. We are dedicated to feeding our neighbors and have added four Mobile Pantry distributions for a total of sixteen and have also added nine new School Pantries for a total of fifteen. We are still dedicated as ever to combatting hunger in our community.

We look forward to seeing you at the Jewels of Giving Gala in 2022!

We would like to thank the following businesses for their sponsorship of our Gala.

We are thankful for each and every one of you and your commitment to us and our to helping those we serve.

2021 JOG SPONSORS

Presenting Sponsor- Unilever

Platter Sponsor- Campbell’s, KraftHeinz

Dinner Plate Sponsor- The Bottle Crew

Lunch Plate Sponsor- Cargill and Sam’s Furniture

Salad Plate Sponsor- Juanita’s Foods

Dessert Plate Sponsor-

3W

Amfund

AT&T

Bailey & Oliver

Celebrate Arkansas

Central States Manufacturing

Crystal Farms Dairy

Devereux Real Estate Investments

First Security Bank

Great Southern Bank

Harps

HFA

Nabholz

Nestle Nutrition

NWA Democrat Gazette

Pepper Source

Reynolds Consumer Products

Shirley’s Flower Studio

Spectrum Brands

Whataburger