H-E-B/GFN Food Bank Leadership Institute
Food bank professionals from more than 25 countries spanning Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and Asia will gather to find out how to help fight global hunger during the 6th Annual H-E-B/GFN Food Bank Leadership Institute. The Institute begins today at the San Antonio Food Bank and runs through March 2.
In curriculum designed for beginners, intermediate and advanced leaders from government, civil society, and the private sector in developing and developed countries will learn the fundamentals of starting and sustaining a food bank, and share best practices in operations and logistics, food sourcing and fundraising to expand their capacity to feed their hungry neighbors.
While in San Antonio, H-E-B will share its best practices in fighting hunger in Texas and Mexico. Now in its 29th year, the H-E-B Food Bank Assistance Program has been recognized three times at a national level by Feeding America, at a local level by The Texas Food Bank Network and by AMBA – Mexico’s National Association of Food Bank, for the company’s contribution to help end hunger with food and financial contributions.
This year’s Institute is made possible by financial support from H-E-B, Kraft Foods Foundation, Kellogg’s Corporate Citizenship Fund, General Mills Foundation, Cargill, and Sodexo. H-E-B, the major retailer throughout Texas and Northern Mexico, has been the primary partner in the Institute since its inception in 2006.
Never Too Young to Fight Hunger
Hunter is twelve years-old and is in 7th grade. In December, she was given a school assignment to complete a service project and Hunter decided she wanted to help the hungry in her community.
Hunter took several approaches in her fight against hunger. For Christmas, instead of asking for gifts, she asked her family and friends to give her money so that it could be donated to the San Antonio Food Bank. She also visited The Kitchen Table, a program of the San Antonio Food Bank in New Braunfels, with her mother to volunteer. She helped with stocking pantry items, cleaning, filing and she volunteered with the Teens in Action program where she helped make healthy menus for the families that utilize The Kitchen Table. Hunter also worked at her families’ business to earn money that she could add to her donation.
Over the course of the month, she was able to collect $750 and presented a check to The Kitchen Table staff. Her donation equates to 5,859 meals that will go to help the hungry in the community. THANK YOU, HUNTER!
Hunter expressed that she really enjoyed the Teens in Action program and plans to continue helping her community.
If you’d like to join Hunter in the fight against hunger, visit our website to see how you can get involved.
Book Your Next Event with Catalyst Catering
When you think of the San Antonio Food Bank, do you think of catering services? You should!
Catalyst Catering is the social enterprise of the San Antonio Food Bank, generating funds by providing catering services to San Antonio and surrounding areas. The Catalyst Catering team, led by Executive Chef Joseph Dominguez, will work with you to customize your event and provide the highest quality of service to ensure success.
In the past few months, Catalyst Catering has showcased their work and taken home the top prize at several events.
• Winner – Slow Foods South Texas Harvest Gala
• Celebrity Judges’ Choice – Sonterra Chili Cook Off
• Throwdown Champions – Mac & Cheese, Max’s Wine Dive
When customers use Catalyst Catering, they are supporting San Antonio Food Bank and are giving back in a way that benefits everyone – you get a great catered meal and the San Antonio Food Bank gets much needed funds to support their innovative programs and services.
Catalyst Catering has a variety of menu choices for any type of event. View the menu on our website and call to schedule your next event today!
If you need additional information, contact Heather Roberts via e-mail or at 210-431-8401.
*Catalyst Catering only uses purchased product (not donated food) for meals.
Give Food, Time & Money to Fight Hunger
In November and December we saw an outpouring of generosity from our community in the form of food and monetary donations. Now that the holidays are behind us and as we settle into the New Year, let us not forget that hunger is an issue we see year-round.
Families, children, seniors and individuals continue to struggle to put food on the table. The food insecurity rate in our 16-county service area is 16.3% and for children it is even higher at 28.8% – meaning individuals lack access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members.
Consider giving food, time or money to help fight hunger. Visit our website to see how you can get involved.
Join us at HemisView Farmers’ Market
Happy New Year! Did you make a New Year’s resolution that included health and wellness? If you want to eat healthier this year, you should visit the HemisView Farmers’ Market today to shop for fresh produce.
Last year, the San Antonio Food Bank Farmers’ Market Association launched the HemisView Farmers’ Market in an effort to bring an open-air market with an urban harvest of fresh,
local produce, meats, artisan breads, free-range eggs and more to the downtown community. You are invited to attend the market every first Friday of the month from 4 – 7 p.m. at 800 E. Cesar Chavez. You will be able to shop the variety of vendor tents and watch a live cooking demonstration, using fresh produce from the vendors. Visit our website for a list of vendors.
We hope you will take the opportunity to visit the HemisView Farmers’ Market today – Friday, January 6 – and every first Friday of the month!
Help Us Collect 1 Million Pounds of Food
The San Antonio Food Bank has joined forces with Security Service Federal Credit Union (FCU), Tesoro, H-E-B, the San Antonio Express-News, News 4 WOAI and Magic 105.3 for its annual November food drive – the largest in the city. The goal: put a million pounds of food on the table for Southwest Texas’ most needy. The current economic environment makes this year’s drive even more critical.
“Nearly one out of every three children in Bexar County struggles with hunger and food insecurity,” says Eric Cooper, president and chief executive officer for the San Antonio Food Bank.
“San Antonio is an incredibly giving city, and we’re looking to exceed a million pounds of food this year,” says David Reynolds, president and chief executive officer for Security Service FCU, which has sponsored the food drive since its beginning. “Please donate food and money. With just a $10 donation, the Food Bank can buy 100 pounds of groceries. No one should go hungry in Texas…and you can help.”
Donations can be made online at www.safoodbank.org. Progress can be tracked by following the food drive on Twitter at www.twitter.com/food4sa and www.facebook.com/food4sa.
Nonperishable food donations can be dropped off at any one of the 24 Security Service FCU service centers in San Antonio, Boerne, Pleasanton, Castroville and Schertz and at select H-E-B San Antonio stores during November. The most needed items are peanut butter, cereal, tuna, beans, rice, mac and cheese, chili, canned soup and lunch meat, pop top foods, full meals in a box or can.
We have several events in conjunction with Food 4 SA. Please visit our website to get all the details.
Water Harvesting Project at the San Antonio Food Bank
Water is our lifeblood and has been since the dawn of time. The birth of agriculture and urban settlement in the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East owed its viability to water.
The San Antonio Food Bank (SAFB) is fortunate to be the recipient of a Department of Energy Grant that provided two 65,000 gallon rainwater storage tanks that are designed to capture rainfall from one half of the SAFB warehouse roof and condensation from the refrigeration units. One inch of rain (when we get it) will generate approximately 31,000 gallons of water which will drain into tanks in the garden.
Upon completion of the project, the entire garden will be watered through a drip irrigation system fed by the rainwater harvesting system. Drip irrigation is the most efficient way to provide water to plants. The total amount of water needed to grow a crop is reduced, and the plant root system is more effectively watered using a drip system. Fertilizers can also be efficiently injected in to the drip irrigation system to maximize plant growth.
When completed, the rainwater harvesting project will continue to serve as an educational tool demonstrating an important method of water conservation that can be implemented on a broad scale. The project was a collaboration between the SAFB, Bexar County, the City of San Antonio and San Antonio Water System.
If you are interested in seeing the rain catchment system or would like a tour of the community garden, please contact Geoffrey Martin via e-mail or at 210-748-5400.
We Want You to “Clean the Shelves”
The San Antonio Food Bank is reaching out to consumers in an effort to “Clean the Shelves” of Good4Texas paper towels just hitting the shelves in Wal-Mart’s across the state of Texas.
For every Good4Texas paper towel package that’s purchased in Wal-Mart, a portion of the proceeds will go directly to the San Antonio Food Bank. These proceeds will then be used to provide kid friendly, non-perishable food for at risk children within the San Antonio Food Bank’s service area. The more paper towel packages purchased, the more meals distributed to hungry children.
“Clean the Shelves” is a project of the Texas Food Bank Network’s first statewide launch directed at consumers since the inception of Good4Texas paper towels. “Clean the Shelves” was created to increase awareness of the paper towels and show the difference that can be made by one small purchase of an everyday product.
The passion that goes into supplying these paper towels to the community, without a doubt, will help feed an increasing number of hungry children in Texas. “Paper towels are a staple in many households,” says, Barbara Anderson, State Director for the Texas Food Bank Network, “We encourage Texans to purchase Good4Texas paper towels as a way to give back to local communities and help feed hungry children. With an everyday household item you can make a difference in the lives of Texas kids.”
Good4Texas paper towels can be purchased immediately off the shelves of Wal-Mart across the state of Texas.
For more information on Good4Texas and their paper towel program, visit their website at www.good4texas.com or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
Help Us Feed Families This Holiday Season
Before you sit down on Thanksgiving Day to give thanks, grab the family and head over to The Great Turkey Challenge. Strap on your running or walking shoes and help us place turkeys on tables of families in need.
The Great Turkey Challenge is a 5K run/walk fundraising event, presented by H-E-B. Guests can register to participate in the event and support the San Antonio Food Bank’s efforts to place turkeys on the tables of needy families in our area this holiday season. For every $10 generated by the donations, the San Antonio Food Bank will provide one turkey to a needy family.
“Thanksgiving is the one meal of the year where families come together around the dinner table and make memories that last a lifetime. We are trying to create those memories for families in need in our community,” said Eric S. Cooper, President/CEO, San Antonio Food Bank.
Runners, walkers, corporate teams, community groups and families are encouraged to join us on Thursday, November 24. Check-in begins at 7:30 a.m. and a staggered race start begins at 8:30 a.m. at the H-E-B Arsenal. Register online today at www.thegreatturkeychallenge.org. Volunteer opportunities are also available.
New HemisView Farmers’ Market in Downtown San Antonio
The San Antonio Housing Authority, Communities Putting Prevention to Work and the San Antonio Food Bank celebrated the grand opening of a new downtown open-air farmers’ market offering healthy, locally-grown fruits and vegetables on September 2.
The HemisView Farmers’ Market is located at 800 E. Cesar Chavez and will be open every first Friday of the month from 4 – 7 p.m. The Market will offer an urban harvest of produce, meats, artisan breads, free-range eggs and more in the downtown area. HemisView Farmers’ Market will also feature local entertainment, fitness and nutrition education demonstrations. The Market is open to the public and is structured to serve low-income families. Produce vendors will accept EBT Lone Star cards.
We at the San Antonio Food Bank (SAFB) FM Association, continue to educate on the importance of purchasing from local farmers’ markets. Our mission statement is to support local farmers/ranchers to benefit local economies and provide fresh, local agricultural goods at a low cost while addressing Food Deserts in the areas we serve.
We hope to see you on Friday, October 7 at the next HemisView Farmers’ Market.
