CHOW receives donation from Weis, customers

TOWN OF CHENANGO — The generosity of a supermarket chain and its customers will help feed the needy in the community this holiday season.

Weis Markets’ customers donated $10,346 during the grocery’s September “Fight Hunger” program. Weis added its own $15,000 to the donation, for a total of $25,346 to be given to the Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse.

The money is given to the charity in the form of gift cards. CHOW gets a 20 percent discount off retail grocery prices at Weis to purchase food for its pantry.

“Their continued support is very important, especially during the holiday season,” said Mike Leahey, director of CHOW.

Weis District Manager Mike Umstead said food banks do a wonderful job.

“We are proud to support the Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse and their much-needed work in the Southern Tier,” he said.

Weis has several programs that help feed the region’s hungry.

It participates in Broome Bounty, which donates perishable food that is near its expiration for immediate use by CHOW, Leahey said. The company also has its Round Up For CHOW program that runs throughout the year.

Written by:  Debbie Swartz
@PSBDebbie

Guest Viewpoint: Tier groups unite to fight hunger

On Thanksgiving, I read an article in the Press & Sun-Bulletin on “Hunger in The Southern Tier.” Raising awareness on the changing demographics of who hungry people are and how agencies are working to meet their needs is an important discussion for us to have at this time.

In many ways, the article mirrors the experience of the Broome County Council of Churches as we distribute food through our Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse (CHOW) program. Currently, we are serving more than 8,000 people per month and are on pace to distribute nearly 2 million pounds of food this year.

A major change we have seen is the prevalence of working families that are seeking food for the first time. It is heartbreaking to learn that the children in these families do not look forward to holiday breaks because at home they do not have the school meal program and will go without food when school is in recess.

Recently the hunger needs in our community have been the catalyst for increased cooperation between CHOW and The Food Bank of the Southern Tier. There was realization that while we were distributing a combined 3 million pounds of food, the needs in our community demanded increased effort. Using statistics generated from Feeding America that are based on the population and poverty demographics in Broome County, we have determined that the current need is nearly 7 million pounds. We are not even meeting half of that.

The board of directors of both organizations realized the situation requires a commitment to a mutual mission of meeting the hunger needs in our area. In October, the Broome County Council of Churches signed an agreement with the Food Bank of the Southern Tier to be a redistribution organization. This will allow us to purchase food at a reduced rate and will assure the Food Bank that we are adopting best practices.

Further, through their national connections to resources, the Food Bank of the Southern Tier will bring with them connections that local organizations, such as our CHOW program, do not have. By utilizing the strengths of both of our organizations, we can begin to connect national resources from the Feeding America Network, with local people in our neighborhoods more efficiently and at lower cost.

It is our hope that increased accountability, cooperation, and transparency will lead us to increased services and more food for hungry people. Next year, we will begin developing a mutually accepted strategic plan for meeting the hunger needs in Broome County. We are excited to see how this partnership will evolve.

The times that we live in demand that we change how we look at hunger. There is no way that we can meet the challenges that we face alone. When we learn to trust we can begin to meet needs in new and surprising ways. We can always do better, together.

Sellepack is the executive director of the Broome County Council of Churches.

Written by

Rev. Joseph Sellepack

CHOW, Food Bank team up to fight Broome hunger

BINGHAMTON — A new partnership between the Food Bank of the Southern Tier and Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse was formed with the hopes of reducing the thousands of Broome County residents facing hunger and food insecurity.

CHOW has become the Food Bank’s first and only re-distribution organization, an affiliation that will improve the program’s access to local, state and federal resources to distribute more food across Broome, said the Rev. Joseph Sellepack, executive director of Broome County Council of Churches that administers CHOW.

Although currently distributing a combined 3.1 million pounds of food annually in Broome, CHOW and Food Bank officials said during a news conference Thursday an additional 4.3 million pounds is needed to meet demand in the county.

“We still are nowhere near meeting the need that exists,” said Natasha Thompson, president and CEO of the Food Bank.

The Food Bank distributed more than 1.57 million pounds of food in 2011, reaching 31,984 residents in poverty, according to a news release, adding CHOW provided about 40,000 meals.

Among the benefits of the partnership is that CHOW will see its cost to purchase items from the Food Bank reduced by half, dropping to 9 cents per pound, Sellepack said.

CHOW, which operates a warehouse on Otseningo Street in Binghamton, distributes food through it’s network of more than 30 food pantries, 35 soup kitchens and several community meal programs.

The Food Bank, which serves six area counties including Broome, distributes food through more than 160 member agencies, which range from shelters to partnerships with other nonprofit agencies.

Before becoming the Food Bank’s first re-distribution organization, CHOW purchased food from the Food Bank and other sources such as grocery stores providing discounts, Sellepack said.

“Access to food is certainly a challenge,” Sellepack said, noting the reduced Food Bank price should help.

Thompson said the price dropped because the new partnership requires CHOW to improve its operation. For example, there is better inventory oversight, which eliminates food safety liabilities that drive up costs for organizations.

The partnership also allows CHOW to access resources through Feeding America, the federal network of food banks that provides funding and other aid.

Written by

David Robinson

Local food banks to benefit from Weis Markets drive

Hunger visits the homes of hundreds of Southern Tier families and Weis Markets is looking to do something about it.

Through the end of the month, the grocery chain will host its fifth annual Fight Hunger Food Drive at all of its locations. Weis will donate $200,000, and customers can donate food to local food banks, including the Food Bank of the Southern Tier in Elmira and the Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse in Broome County.

In addition to food donations, the stores’ customers will also have the option of donating $3, $5 and $10 vouchers that can be purchased at any Weis Markets cash register.

All of the proceeds will be given to area food banks in the form of gift cards, so they fulfill any gaps in their food supplies, according to Weis.

“Food banks and pantries continue to tell us their demand has grown significantly in recent years and that they expect it to continue to grow in the months ahead,” said David J. Hepfinger, Weis Markets president and chief executive officer.

“Our combined goal is to generate 1 million meals for the 12 food banks and 100 emergency food providers who are working with our stores.”

Items that can be donated include cereal, apple sauce, pasta, granola bars, canned beans, 100 percent fruit juice, canned fruit, grated cheese, rice, boxed macaroni and cheese, peanut butter, soups, canned sauces, instant potatoes, canned chicken and fish, canned vegetables and boxed skillet dinners.

In addition to the Food Bank of the Southern Tier and CHOW, Weis Markets will donate to food banks near its 162 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and West Virginia.

Written by

Debbie Swartz

 

Weis Markets launches month long fight hunger program

Weis Markets today announced the launch of its fifth annual Fight Hunger Food Drive, a month-long program offering customers an opportunity to donate to local food banks and emergency food providers.

The program, which begins on Sunday, September 2 and runs through September 30, will run in all Weis Markets' stores. Weis Markets will supplement its customer donations with a $200,000 corporate donation. Customers also have the option of donating $3, $5 and $10 vouchers, which can be purchased at any Weis Markets' cash register. One hundred percent of the proceeds will be given to area food banks in the form of gift card donations so they can easily fill in any gaps in their food supplies.

The Fight Hunger Food Drive will benefit: The Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and Northeast, Pa.; The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank (Harrisburg); The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank (Williamsport); The Maryland Food Bank; The Commission on Economic Opportunity/The Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton); Greater Berks Food Bank (Reading); Philabundance (Montgomery County, Pa.); Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse (CHOW)/Broome County Council of Churches; Food Bank of the Southern Tier (Elmira); Philabundance; Northwest Community Action Program NORWESCAP Food Bank (Phillipsburg, N.J.); and Mountaineer Food Bank (W.Va.).

These agencies will collect donations at some locations and coordinate local food pantry pick-ups at other Weis Markets' stores. Customers can donate shelf-stable items including cereal, apple sauce, pasta, granola bars, canned beans, 100% fruit juice, canned fruit, grated cheese, rice, boxed mac and cheese, peanut butter, soups, canned sauces, instant potatoes, canned chicken and fish, canned vegetables and boxed skillet dinners.

For more information about the Fight Hunger Food Donation Program and its partner food banks, please click HERE or call Weis Markets Customer Service at (866) 999-WEIS.

Guest Viewpoint: Sowing seeds for a bountiful Broome

Growing food on rooftops and patios, community gardening, food recovery programs and food waste reduction have become increasingly popular among urbanites in cities all over the country, including here in Binghamton. There is a growing desire among many consumers to get back to nature and to make their ecological impact as small as possible.

This growing trend has become essential in picking up where our failing food system has left off. In the United States, more than 40 percent of the food produced is never eaten, while 14 percent — or some 50 million Americans — go hungry. Our agricultural lands require large inputs of fossil fuels, pesticides and fertilizers that eventually make their way into our bodies of water. And now, 30 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to these wasteful, high-input agricultural practices.

In Binghamton, there are several initiatives underway that are combating these food system deficiencies from different angles. Broome Bounty, for example, is one of Binghamton's food recovery programs that distributes rescued food to local soup kitchens, missions, shelters and community meal programs. They source this food from restaurants and major food suppliers such as Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Willow Run Foods and Maines Paper & Food, who used to throw this food away. Now Broome distributes these meals to approximately 10,000 needy individuals every month.

The City of Binghamton has had sustainability on its mind for some time. In 1991, the city adopted a pay-as-you-throw garbage-collection scheme, which provides strong incentive for consumers to divert materials from the trash and into the recycling bin or compost pile. Since more garbage means higher fees, this system encourages homeowners, restaurants and businesses to reduce unnecessary waste. Over the last two decades, the average volume of the waste stream has decreased by 48 percent, leading to a $300,000 reduction in landfill fees.

And recycling and composting have benefits for both people and the environment. First, this waste would otherwise go into the landfill where it would break down and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Second, compost from food scraps can be used on plant beds as a low-cost, healthy substitute for artificial fertilizers. To encourage this practice, the City of Binghamton sells Earth Machine composters right from City Hall.

Organizations like Volunteers Improving Neighborhood Environments (VINES) of Binghamton can use this compost in the five community gardens that they've created since 2007. The group started this project to revitalize vacant lots and turn them into flourishing community gardens. The garden plots not only give tenants produce for personal consumption, but also provide educational opportunities for students and residents in the area. Giving people the space and skills to grow their own produce is an indispensable tool in protecting access to safe, nutritious food. And it's also a lot of fun!

A venue for the sale of this fresh, locally grown food is also very important. Conveniently located right next to the Broome County Courthouse is the Binghamton Farmers' Market, which provides this venue for locals to buy and sell healthier foodstuffs. The market is every Tuesday and Friday from mid-June to October, and they even entertain with live music.

The Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition is planning to take the idea of local food venues even further, with the formation of a cooperative kitchen. Their aim is to support the growing interest in local foods by providing a place where community gardeners and local growers can process, package and distribute their goods. This initiative would bring Binghamton's food system improvement full circle.
Binghamton and other cities like it understand that taking back control of our food and the power to grow it not only protects the environment, but also saves money, improves health and protects food security. Through urban farming and food recovery programs, the people of Binghamton are working together to grow a healthier, and more sustainable community.

Written by

Danielle Nierenberg and Stephanie Buglione

 

'Flood the Tier' fundraiser features music and more

Since Tropical Storm Lee hit the region with flooding rains in September, plenty of fundraisers — large and small — have been held to help those affected get back on their feet.

But local musician and businessman Scott Freeman felt that something was missing.

"We all know how badly this community has been devastated by the flood, and the community has come up so wonderfully to try to support those affected and different organizations — you figure a million dollars has been raised just from that," Freeman said in an interview last week. "You had a lot of the taverns and bars and neighborhoods do fundraisers, too. But nobody stepped forward to do the big one."

So, he decided to use his experience organizing the Binghamton Jazz Festival for the past couple of years to put together Flood the Tier with the Sound of Music, set for Sunday afternoon at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton.

The event will feature not only music, but also a variety of entertainment such as dancers, jugglers, clowns, the Binghamton Zoo's Zoomobile, the Magic Paintbrush Project, holiday craft vendors, even a visit from Santa Claus himself. In addition, representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Broome County Mental Health Association, the Broome County Council of Churches and other support agencies will be on hand to offer information and assistance to those who have been hurt by the flooding.

Proceeds for the all-ages event — sponsored by Merrill Lynch, Wendy's and Southern Tier Harley Davidson — will go to the Council of Churches and its Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse food pantry. CHOW will collect nonperishable food items as well.

Freeman hopes the funds raised through the $10-per-person admission charge will help those who have fallen through the cracks. (Those whose lives have been affected by the flood can get in for free; call the council at 724-9130 for more information.)

"The churches are in all those neighborhoods, and they've really been on the forefront of all the recovery, mucking out basements and tearing out the damaged goods, because they know who the people are in those communities," he said. "One of the nice things about the Council of Churches is that it's not a large bureaucracy, so they can verify somebody in need and get money to that individual or family in a day or two."

The day's music lineup will include local favorites such as Zarni de Wet, Jared Campbell, Randy McStine's Lo-Fi Resistance project and Eric Ross, with headliner Shawn Gallaway.

"Shawn is flying in from Nashville on his own expense just to help out the community," Freeman said. "This guy plays all over the world. He's like a Harry Chapin or a James Taylor as a singer/songwriter, and he talks about positive energy and healing and getting through difficult phases of life."

In the weeks leading up to Flood the Tier, community support has been overwhelming, Freeman said: "I'm still getting five phone calls a day of people wanting to volunteer and help out for the event. I've never experienced this before."

While he clearly hopes that lots of folks turn out Sunday to give their neighbors a much-needed hand up, Freeman also sees the celebration in a larger context.

"It's not just about raising money — it's the big event where we can get 10,000 or 15,000 or 20,000 people together over the course of the afternoon into the Arena, all about music and crafts and food and information and some healing and maybe some spiritual health. Across the board, we'll have it all there," he said.

Main stage music
» Noon-12:45 p.m.: The Cheating Intention
» 12:45-1:15 p.m.: Zarni de Wet
» 1:15-1:30 p.m.: Broome County Pipe & Drum Band
» 1:45-2:30 p.m.: Shawn Gallaway
» 2:30-2:45 p.m.: GleePAC
» 2:45-3:30 p.m.: Scott Freeman Band & the Revival Horns
» 3:45-4:30 p.m.: Eric Ross
» 4:30-4:45 p.m.: Binghamton High School Steel Drum Band
» 4:45-5:25 p.m.: Lo-Fi Resistance
» 5:30-6 p.m.: Jared Campbell

State providing $1.6 million to food banks

ALBANY -- The state is giving $1 million in grants to eight New York food banks, as well as an additional $620,000 to food pantries in flood-hit areas such as Broome, Chemung and Delaware counties, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday.

Also Wednesday, the governor launched a statewide initiative called "Help Your Neighbor" to encourage New York residents and businesses to donate to regional food banks. The food banks distribute goods to 5,000 soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters and other emergency programs, reaching about three million people a year.

"The economy has been very difficult, as we all know. We're all suffering through it. Some people are suffering more than others," Cuomo told reporters during a conference call.
"The demand on food banks is very, very high, and I encourage all New Yorkers to remember that and think of that this Thanksgiving," he said.

The prolonged poor economy in New York has boosted requests for food assistance, Cuomo said. The need for help is particularly great in parts of the state that were damaged by tropical storms Irene and Lee in late August and early September. Some donors have pulled back on their contributions because of the tough times.

"We're especially cognizant of our fellow New Yorkers who are in communities that are still rebuilding from the flood and storm damage that we had," he said.

One of the emergency allocations announced by Cuomo on Wednesday will go to the Broome County Council of Churches, which gets $60,000 for a food recovery program that had faced possible cutbacks after losing a state grant.

"This is good news," said Deacon Ed Blaine, of the Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse. "This will give us time to look for other funding without threatening Broome Bounty."

Broome Bounty collects fresh food from restaurants, groceries and other suppliers that would otherwise go rotten. In turn, the food is distributed to local religious and other organizations for their soup kitchens and community meals.

In late June, the state Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program rejected an application from the Broome County Council of Churches for $70,000 a year -- one-third of its annual operating budget -- for the next five years to help fund the program. The loss of funding raised the possibility of cutbacks to the program, which the Council of Churches estimated feeds 10,000 people a month at 60 different soup kitchens and other locations.

The $1 million is from a federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Contingency Fund grant the state received in October. The $620,000 is from the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program in the current state budget, Cuomo said.

The funding is welcome, but it doesn't get to the crux of the hunger problem, said Mark Dunlea, executive director of Hunger Action Network.

"We certainly always appreciate more charity at Thanksgiving time and there's certainly a lot of need out there, so we appreciate the governor finding some extra money," he said. "I think many of us believe the solution to hunger remains economic justice and not charity."
Dunlea said the state should spend more money on hunger prevention. Hunger Action wants a $4 million increase in the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program.
Foodlink of Rochester found out Wednesday it would receive $107,000, said Julia Tedesco, director of development and strategic initiatives for the organization.
"It'll have a huge impact on the agencies and the individuals that they serve in our 10-county region," she said.

Soup kitchens in Monroe County that are member agencies are serving about 30 percent more meals than they did at this time last year, Tedesco said.
The growing need isn't isolated to urban areas, she said. Many people are turning to emergency-food providers for the first time in their lives.

Written by
Cara Matthews
Staff writer William Moyer contributed to this report.