Woodmen Tower Lit Orange for Hunger Action Month

The Dish
FALL 2014
Woodmen Tower Lit Orange for Hunger Action Month
A staple in downtown Omaha’s skyline was illuminated in the color of hunger relief the first week of
September for Hunger Action Month. Woodmen of the World lit its headquarters orange to promote
hunger awareness in the community.
“Hunger is something each of us can understand, even if we’ve never personally experienced
the emptiness and fear of not knowing where our next meal will come from. Our charitable efforts
in Omaha and our presence around the country have enabled Woodmen of the World to shine a
light on hunger, and our dedication to this cause will only increase when it becomes our national
charitable focus in 2015. No one can turn a blind eye to hunger, and we are proud to show our
support of Food Bank for the Heartland’s efforts by lighting the iconic Woodmen Tower orange
during Hunger Action Month,” said Larry King, Woodmen of the World President and CEO.
More than 217,000 people in Food Bank for the Heartland’s 93-county service area in Nebraska
and western Iowa are considered food insecure. These children, single parents and seniors may
not know from where their next meal is coming. They need help.
You can promote hunger awareness throughout the month by getting involved with the
Food Bank: visit the new William and Ruth Scott Volunteer Center, donate $10 and provide
30 meals, live a day on a SNAP budget or spread the message through social media. Go to
www.FoodBankHeartland.org for more information about how to support the Food Bank
during Hunger Action Month and throughout the year.
William and Ruth Scott
Volunteer Center Opens at
Food Bank for the Heartland
The William and Ruth Scott Volunteer Center
is 3,600 square feet of space for individuals
and groups to volunteer their time sorting
donated food, packing food bags for children
in the BackPack program and helping with
other tasks that support Food Bank for the
Heartland’s mission.
The William and Ruth Scott Family
Foundation generously provided the lead gift
for the new Volunteer Center. The ConAgra
Foods Foundation and the Mammel Family
Foundation also made contributions to the
project.
“We wanted an attractive, welcoming place
in which our volunteers would be safe and
productive,” said Susan E. Ogborn, president
and CEO of Food Bank for the Heartland.
“Our generous donors have made that
possible, and we are most grateful.”
Work to enclose existing space in the
distribution center began May 1 and was
completed July 15. In addition to the floorto-ceiling walls, the William and Ruth Scott
Volunteer Center has two sliding barn
doors, wainscoting panels, air conditioning,
televisions and custom-designed artwork.
Letter from the President & CEO
As I write this letter, Israel and Hamas are bombing each
other hourly; Iran and Iraq are once again indistinguishable
in their hatred for the West; Southern Sudan is experiencing
the chaos and terror involved in creating self-government;
thousands of children have arrived in this country alone and
seeking asylum while our elected leaders argue about how
fast they should be sent back to where they came from.
Sometimes the world seems bent upon self-destruction,
and I wonder why God puts up with us.
Then I meet a woman named Gina. Gina has five children
under the age of 7, including two sets of twins. When the
second set of twins was born, their father took off saying
this was more than he’d signed up for and more than he
could handle. Gina works full-time in the evenings; her
mother comes over to put the kids to bed and stay with
them while Gina is at work. This day Gina and her kids
came to lunch at one of our Kids Cruisin’ Kitchen sites, all
five children holding hands, standing quietly in line to be
served. Gina remained a few feet away watching them. I
encouraged her to have lunch also, but she passed saying
it was more important that the children eat. As we chatted
she told me her story, without complaint, without self-pity.
Last summer when the children were out of school, she let
them choose whether they would eat lunch or dinner as
she could only afford one meal a day. This year, she joyfully
reported, they were able to have lunch and dinner because
of the KCK meals and she had gotten a raise that allowed
them to have two meals a day on the weekend.
Gina is why God doesn’t give up on us.
Regardless of our propensity to make bad decisions, to
put our health, wellness and safety at risk, to wage verbal
and physical war on those we identify as dangerous or
different, God loves us and expects us to be better. Better
than our baseless fears, better than our need for immediate
gratification, better than our need to be right
and righteous. God expects us to help one
another, to see the good in each creation,
and to reach beyond ourselves to make the
world a better place.
Thank you for your support, for making
this corner of the world a better place.
Thank you for seeing the needs of
the world beyond yourself and your
immediate family. Thank you for
helping Gina feed her children.
Foodies Appoint Executive
Committee for 2014-2015 Year
Foodies outgoing president
and current advisor, Jayne
Timmerman, with current
president, Shelley Siemers
Food Bank for the
Heartland Friends,
the Foodies, is
an organization
dedicated to the
support of Food Bank
for the Heartland
through volunteerism,
fundraising and
the promotion
of community
awareness.
The Foodies’ 2014-2015 Executive Committee
is Shelley Siemers, President; Ann Tjaden,
President-Elect; Julie Fritz, Treasurer; Nola
Schettler, Secretary; Jayne Timmerman, Advisor;
and Joani Mullin, Staff Liaison.
Thank you to the Executive Committee, Board
of Directors and all 175 members for supporting
the Food Bank. If you are interested in joining the
Foodies, please contact Joani Mullin at JMullin@
FoodBankHeartland.org or 402.905.4810.
Food Bank for the Heartland Annual Report
Year Ended June 30, 2014 Preliminary & Unaudited
$ in 000s
2013/2014
unaudited
Support & Transfers
Public Contributions
Food$15,524
Monetary
5,324 USDA Commodities
2,274
State Reimbursement
859 Special Events (net)
150
Agency Handling Fees
493 Purchased Product
167 Investment Income
397 25,190 Expenses & Transfers
FY 2012- 2013 Food Sourcing
Misc. - 1.9%
Processor - 7.5%
TEFAP - 19.1%
Purchased - 22.6%
Produce - .1%
Retail - 46.6%
Food Drives - 2.1%
FY 2012- 2013 Donated Revenue
Civic Organizations - 4%
Program Services & Purchased Food 24,226 School Groups - Less than 1%
Supporting Services
Management and General
385 Foundations - 36%
Fund-Raising
745 Church Groups - 2%
Individuals - 35%
25,356 Change in Total Net Assets
Net Assets at Beginning of Year
(166)
11,962
Net Assets at End of Year
$11,796
Program Provides Critical
Summer Meals for Kids
For the families who rely on free or reduced school
lunches for their kids, the summer months are not a time
of carefree fun. More than 95,000 children in Nebraska
are worried about finding their next meal. Only 10 percent
of these children have access to regular meals when
school is out of session.
To combat the epidemic of childhood hunger in
Nebraska, The Omaha Salvation Army, Hunger Free
Heartland and Food Bank for the Heartland collaborated
again for the Kids Cruisin’ Kitchen program that operated
June 2 through August 8 in 13 sites across the Omaha
metro area.
In its fourth year, Kids Cruisin’ Kitchen provided hot,
nutritious meals free of charge to the places where
children live and play such as pools, parks, libraries
and apartment complexes. ConAgra Foods generously
funded two new food trucks to increase the number of
meals served to more than 30,000. Mutual of Omaha
employees donated more than 1,200 volunteer hours
assisting in the distribution of the meals.
Corporations - 23%
Upcoming Events
September 4 Agency Partner Conference for Central Nebraska in Kearney
Food Bank for the Heartland
10525 J Street • Omaha, NE 68127
www.FoodBankHeartland.org
(402) 331-1213
September 11
Agency Partner Conference for Western Nebraska in Alliance
September 12-21
STAFF
Susan Ogborn, President & CEO
[email protected]
Jack Round, Director of Finance & Accounting
[email protected]
Brian Barks, Director of Development & Communications
[email protected]
Ericka Smrcka, Director of Programs & Advocacy
[email protected]
Amy Wackerhagen, Director of Agency Relations
[email protected]
Sarah Grobbelaar, Director of Talent
[email protected]
Dave Love, Distribution Center Director
[email protected]
Kevin Hood, Sourcing Specialist
[email protected]
Angie Grote, Assistant Director,
Communications & Brand Management
[email protected]
Joani Mullin, Event Planning Specialist
[email protected]
Michelle Sause, Child Hunger Program Manager
[email protected]
Jason Moucka, Agency Relations Manager
[email protected]
Dennis Thomas, Commercial Food Manager
[email protected]
BOARD
Thomas M. Burke, Chairman
EMC Corporation
Tara Stingley, Vice-Chairman
Cline Williams
Sally Christensen, Secretary
First National Bank
Rod Anderson , Treasurer
Masimore, Magnuson and Associates
Susan E. Ogborn, President and CEO
Food Bank for the Heartland
Mary Balluff, Douglas County Health Department
Stephen J. Ciesielski, Javlin Ventures
Richard Gregory
Jeffrey P. Hoffman , Bank of the West
Kathy Kimball, American National Bank
Tarna K. Kidder, Kiewit Building Group
Michael P. Kubasik, Travel and Transport
William Larson, First Data Output Services
Todd Moeller, Holland Basham Architects
Jeff Olson, Mi Mamas Tortillas
Julie Schultz Self, Koley Jessen
Nina Swanson, PayPal
Nancy Todd, Midlands Cold Carrier
David Ulferts, UNL Extension
Carol Dahl Williams, Mutual of Omaha
Bradley Wright, Black Hills Energy
Father Damian Zuerlein , St. Columbkille Church
Stephen E. Gehring, Legal Counsel, Cline Williams
Omaha Restaurant Week
Omaha Restaurant Week is a celebration of
the culinary scene in the Omaha metro. During
the promotion, participating restaurants offer
an exclusive multi-course meal at a fixed
price. Five percent of the price of each meal
purchased during Restaurant Week will be
donated to Food Bank for the Heartland.
September 21 Attempting a Guinness World Record for the most people served in one meal
We are the Power of O.NE is hosting a city-wide spaghetti feed in
Omaha to raise hunger awareness and funds for Food Bank for the
Heartland. The goal is to feed 20,000 people at various sites in the
community from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and break the world record. Visit
www.wearethepowerofone.org for more information.
October 1 Agency Partner Conference for Eastern Nebraska and Southwest Iowa in
Omaha
November
Woodhouse Challenge
Employees and customers of
the Woodhouse Auto Family
will raise money for the Food
Bank’s BackPack program and encourage the community to
participate too. Last year the Woodhouse Challenge raised more
than $800,000!
November 27
Shine the Light on Hunger kick-off
Part of Omaha’s annual Holiday Lights Festival,
Shine the Light on Hunger is sponsored by
ConAgra Foods. Proceeds from ConAgra Foods
Ice Skating Rink, which opens later in December,
will be donated to the Food Bank.
March 12 Celebrity Chef featuring Geoffrey Zakarian
Award-winning chef and television
personality Geoffrey Zakarian will showcase
his gastronomic skills at the Food Bank’s
annual fundraising event at the Embassy
Suites in La Vista. Guests will enjoy cocktails,
appetizers and a culinary demonstration
by Chef Zakarian during dinner. Guest
tickets are $150. Patron tickets are $300.
Contact Joani Mullin for more information at
402.905.4810.