Together

We Can!

A What, Why, and How

Handbook for Working To End

Hunger in Your Community

United States Department of Agriculture

Food and Nutrition Service

January 2000

FNS-315

Together

We Can!
2 Together We Can!

United States Department of Agriculture

Food and Nutrition Service

December 1999

FNS-315

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits

discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of

race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability,

political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status.

(Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs). Persons with

disabilities who require alternative means for communication of

program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should

contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and

TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director,

Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and

Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call

202-720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity

provider and employer.
Welcome ............................................................................................................................................... 4

Chapter 1: So You Want To Fight Hunger: How To Use This Handbook ........................................... 5

Chapter 2: What They Do and Why They Need You: USDA’s Food and Nutrition Programs ........... 6

Chapter 3: Filling the Hunger Gaps: All Kinds of Projects for All Kinds of People ......................... 10

WHAT: Support Nutrition Education .................................................................................................. 11

WHAT: “Adopt” an Elderly Person or Shut-In .................................................................................... 13

WHAT: Hold a Food Drive ................................................................................................................ 14

WHAT: Hold a 5-Mile Walkathon...................................................................................................... 17

WHAT: Organize a Gleaning Event ................................................................................................... 20

WHAT: Grow a Community Garden................................................................................................... 23

WHAT: Bring the Summer Food Service Program to Needy Children in Your Community ..................... 25

Chapter 4: What Next? Putting It All Together ................................................................................. 27

Chapter 5: Resources.......................................................................................................................... 32

Media Plan ...................................................................................................................................... 32

The Emerson Good Samaritan Act, Summarized ................................................................................ 33

Names and Numbers........................................................................................................................ 34

Contents

Special Note

This document has been prepared to be Internet

friendly. It has been designed with a minimum of

graphics and formatting so that additional copies

may be downloaded from USDA’s web site as easily

as possible.

Table of Contents 3
4 Together We Can!

s Secretary of Agriculture, I’ve been troubled

by the fact that although we live in the most

prosperous nation in the world, there is

hunger amid plenty. And while USDA’s

Welcome

nutrition assistance programs—food stamps, WIC,

school lunch and breakfast, and food distribution—

play a major role in combating the problem of

hunger in America, wiping out hunger is something

the government cannot do alone. Everyone, including you, can and should play a role.

That is why USDA created the Community Food

Security Initiative. This initiative creates and expands grassroots partnerships that build local food

security systems and reduce hunger. We are bringing together citizens, States, municipalities, tribes,

nonprofit groups, and the private sector. These

partnerships are building on the best practices of

existing efforts to catalyze new community commitA ments to fight hunger. By helping communities help

themselves at the local level, we can help weed out

hunger.

That is what this handbook is all about. It’s about

finding common sense approaches to helping those

in need. It’s about bringing together what each of us

does best and recognizing that each of us has

something important and unique to contribute.

Every effort moves us closer to our goal of a hunger-free America where everyone has the opportunity to live a life of self-sufficiency and dignity.

Together we can!

DAN GLICKMAN

Secretary
◗ Between 1995 and 1998—a period marked by

the strongest U.S. economy in a generation—the

number of hungry people in America did not

decline significantly.

◗ Food Stamp Program participation has fallen five

times faster than the number of people in poverty.

Between 1995 and 1999, the number of people

participating in the Food Stamp Program dropped

4.4 million, while the number of people in poverty fell by only 900,000.

◗ Charitable organizations report major increases in

demands for food at food banks and feeding

centers serving the hungry.

◗ Almost one-third of Americans eligible for food

stamps do not obtain them.

These are the facts. And these facts paint a disturbing picture of hunger in America. But fighting

hunger is not a hopeless cause. By bringing together

the resources of Federal nutrition programs and

private anti-hunger efforts with those of local and

community organizations, hunger in the United

States can be eradicated.

This handbook, Together We Can!, offers step-bystep plans for combating hunger, whether as an

individual volunteer, a member of a community

organization, or an experienced anti-hunger advocate. It outlines volunteer opportunities within

existing Federal nutrition programs, provides action

plans for specific anti-hunger activities, and catalogs

resources available to fight hunger at the community, State, and national levels.

CHAPTER 1:

So You Want To Fight Hunger:

How To Use This Handbook

This chapter outlines the resources you will find in

the pages ahead:

CHAPTER 2 describes USDA’s Federal nutrition

programs, and it explains how grassroots groups

can play a critical role in improving the effectiveness

of these programs at the local level.

CHAPTER 3 provides a variety of action plans for

specific anti-hunger activities. These activities are

varied in both time commitment and complexity.

CHAPTER 4 is designed to inspire local organizations that are ready to do more than provide food

for the hungry. This chapter provides examples of

organizations that are attacking hunger at its

source—poverty—by combining food service programs with nontraditional and multi-faceted antihunger programs such as health care, child care

services, and job training.

CHAPTER 5 provides additional resources, including

a media plan, “Good Samaritan” law information,

and useful names and phone numbers.

Thank you for reading Together We Can! We hope

that you will find useful information on every page

of this handbook. And we hope you are ready to

use this information to take your first step in joining

USDA and thousands of caring people like yourself

who believe we must all work to ensure that no

child, no family, no individual goes hungry in this

land of plenty.

Chapter 1 • So You Want to Fight Hunger: How To Use This Handbook 5
6 Together We Can!

CHAPTER 2:

What They Do and Why They Need You:

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Programs

he U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and

Nutrition Programs are this Nation’s first and

most powerful line of defense against hunger.

They are helping about one in six people in

America every day. And because these programs

have the resources of the Federal Government

behind them, they can reach further and wider than

any local program or individual alone.

By working with these programs, you are putting

the entire force of the Federal Government to work.

More importantly, you can customize your efforts to

the very personal needs of the hungry in your

community. You know where the pockets of hunger

are in your own home town. You know your town’s

economic needs and its culture. You understand

your local customs and history. Either as an individual or as a member of a volunteer organization,

you can use this knowledge to help catch those who

are not easily reached by our national nutrition

safety net alone.

Individuals

Right now, individuals are working with USDA’s

food and nutrition programs to:

◗ Show participants how to safely store and handle

foods.

◗ Teach participants how to cook healthful meals

and to best use USDA commodities.

◗ Help participants and applicants fill out forms and

translate for those who do not speak or write

English.

◗ Provide transportation.

◗ Help out with children in the office and at food

distribution sites.

T Organizations

Organizations are also working with these programs

to ensure that their communities are making the

very best use of all available resources. Local community groups, religious organizations, even independent businesses can be found performing activities such as:

◗ Donating free space for food storage and distribution.

◗ Establishing food distribution sites accessible to

seniors and other individuals or families in need.

◗ Operating a Summer Food Service Program site in

a low-income area.

Everyone Has a Role

Even those who do not have the time to work

directly or consistently with a program can take on

very important volunteer work. It is critical that the

American public be educated—educated about the

resources available and the roles they play in

keeping this Nation one of the healthiest and least

hungry in the world. An education project is one of

the simplest, and yet most often overlooked ways to

help. Educating the public helps our programs reach

more people and is as simple as:

◗ Writing and distributing articles for print and

electronic media.

◗ Creating posters and pamphlets that can help

local agencies in education efforts.

◗ Talking to friends and family members.

Of course, the very first step is to educate yourself.

The list below gives a brief overview of all the food

and nutrition programs within USDA that are

available to assist eligible individuals in their time of

need. If you find yourself thinking, “I didn’t know

this much help was available,” you have just taken

that very first step toward helping USDA help

Americans in need.
Our National Food and

Nutrition Programs

The Food Stamp Program (FSP)

The Food Stamp Program is the cornerstone of the

USDA nutrition assistance programs. It provides

electronic benefits or coupons that can be exchanged for food at qualified retail food stores. This

translates into supporting millions of families going

through rough times until they can stand on their

own again. Thanks to food stamps, millions of

families are able to support themselves and maintain their health and dignity until they can once

again become self-sufficient.

Special Supplemental Nutrition

Program for Women, Infants, and

Children (WIC) and the WIC

Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program

(FMNP)

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for

Women, Infants, and Children is a very long name

for a program built on a very simple idea: by helping pregnant women and mothers and their very

young children, the Federal Government can improve nutrition and health, and reduce health care

costs. And it works. For every dollar taxpayers

invest in WIC, they save about $3 in future medical

costs.

On any given day in WIC clinics around the country,

participants receive healthcare services, referrals for

themselves and their children, and learn about

nutrition and food safety. They then apply these

lessons after receiving vouchers to redeem in their

local authorized food stores for healthful, nutritious

food.

Just seven years old, the WIC Farmers’ Market

Nutrition Program is one of the newest nutrition

assistance programs, and is quickly becoming one

of the most popular. In those areas with an FMNP,

in addition to receiving their food vouchers, WIC

moms and expectant moms also receive coupons for

fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmers’

markets. The program gives WIC families access to

fresh fruits and vegetables they might not find in

their local grocery stores and at the same time

supports local farmers by giving them additional

outlets for their fresh produce.

The National School Lunch

Program (NSLP) and School

Breakfast Program (SBP)

One nutrition program that almost every American

has participated in is the National School Lunch

Program. USDA is working hard so that our next

generation can say the same about the School

Breakfast Program. These two programs provide

children of all income levels with the nutritious

meals they require to learn better and grow

healthier. Every school day, more than 26 million

children in 96,000 schools are eating USDA school

lunches, and 6.9 million children in 68,000 schools

are eating USDA school breakfasts. Meals are

required to meet national nutrition and safety

standards.

Summer Food Service Program

(SFSP)

In many communities SFSP serves free meals to

children in low-income areas during the long summer months, as well as at other times when schools

are not in session. In addition to feeding children,

these sites also provide activities and educational

opportunities during those times when too many

children are left unsupervised. Sponsors of approved

summer feeding sites include religious institutions,

local governments, school districts, residential

summer camps, and community facilities. More

than 2 million children a year are served through

this program.

Chapter 2 • What They Do and Why They Need You: USDA’s Food and Nutrition Programs 7
8 Together We Can!

Child and Adult Care Food Program

(CACFP)

In addition to children 12 and under, CACFP also

serves the elderly and disabled adults in need.

Programs can be found in child care and outsideschool-hours care centers, family and group day

care homes, homeless shelters, and some adult day

care centers. CACFP also provides free snacks to

children under 18 who participate in after-school

activities in low-income areas. More than 2.6

million children and 58,000 adults are served

through CACFP.

Commodity Supplemental Food

Program (CSFP)

Similar to WIC, CSFP is a food distribution program

that serves low-income pregnant, post-partum, and

breastfeeding women, infants, and children. It

differs from WIC in that it serves children until their

6th rather than 5th birthdays, postpartum women up

to a year after giving birth rather than for only 6

months as in WIC, and, unlike WIC, it serves the

elderly. Another major difference is that CSFP

provides a complete package of nutritious foods

rather than food vouchers as in WIC. It is also not a

national program; it is available as an alternative to

WIC at local sites in 18 States and on two Indian

reservations.

The Emergency Food Assistance

Program (TEFAP)

TEFAP provides USDA commodity foods to all 50

States for distribution to needy households. TEFAP

reaches out to those who need help when they need

it most. By providing foods to nonprofit organizations such as food banks, food pantries, and hot

meal programs, TEFAP also serves as a doorway to

other government services for those who have the

most trouble accessing them, such as the homeless,

elderly, and mentally ill.

Food Distribution Program on

Indian Reservations (FDPIR)

FDPIR is one of USDA’s finest examples of tailoring

a program to best serve its clients. This program

provides a package of foods to low-income families

who live on Indian reservations and to Native

American families who live near reservations. Many

Native Americans participate in FDPIR as an alternative to the Food Stamp Program because they do

not have easy access to food stores. In addition,

FDPIR worked with Indian tribal councils and others

so the commodity packages would better meet their

taste preferences and dietary needs. Distributed

commodities include a wide variety of nutritious,

wholesome foods, many of which have reduced

levels of fat and sugar.

Nutrition Program for the Elderly

The Nutrition Program for the Elderly reimburses

senior centers and programs that provide meals to

the homes of senior citizens in need.

Cooperative State Research,

Education, and Extension Service

(CSREES)

In cooperation with its partners and customers,

CSREES’ purpose is to improve economic, environmental, and social conditions in the United States

and globally. These conditions include improved

agricultural and other economic enterprises; safer,

cleaner water, food, and air; enhanced stewardship

and management of natural resources; healthier,

more responsible, and more productive individuals,

families, and communities; and a stable, secure,

diverse, and affordable national food supply.

CSREES works in partnership with the public and

private sectors to maximize the effectiveness of

limited resources. CSREES research, extension, and

educational leadership is provided through programs
in plant and animal production, protection, and

processing; natural resources and environment;

rural economic and social development; families,

4-H, and nutrition; partnerships; competitive research grants and awards management; science and

education resources development; and communications and technology.

The agency develops research and education programs in cooperation with its partners, using advanced research and educational technologies that

empower people and communities to solve problems

and improve their lives. The CSREES partnership

with land-grant universities and their representatives is critical to effective and shared planning,

delivery, and accountability for research, higher

education, and extension programs.

Chapter 2 • What They Do and Why They Need You: USDA’s Food and Nutrition Programs 9
10 Together We Can!

CHAPTER 3:

Filling the Hunger Gaps:

All Kinds of Projects for All Kinds of People

ere are several projects, all designed to help

people who are hungry or at risk of hunger.

Each one will help you and your neighbors

learn more about the hunger within your H

own community.

These projects are arranged from the easiest to the

most challenging. All require a certain amount of

cooperation and varying commitments of time

and energy, so read the requirements carefully

and consult some of the listed resources to determine if this project is appropriate for you or your

organization.
◗ Always work with a nutritionist, dietitian, or

other professional who has had nutrition training and who can help you determine the best

use of your skills.

◗ Prior to any event, read the nutrition education

materials that will be used.

◗ Be enthusiastic and make nutrition fun for the

participants.

◗ Encourage your school to participate in USDA’s

nutrition education program, Team Nutrition.

◗ Encourage your school and other community

groups to sponsor or participate in nutrition

events.

◗ Volunteer to help identify needs in the community and to coordinate an event.

◗ Help promote USDA programs and the nutrition

education activities USDA sponsors.

◗ Encourage neighbors, friends, and organizations

to get involved in supporting the nutrition

education activities of USDA programs.

◗ Help the nutrition educators develop support

within the community, including working with

farmers to participate in activities, and gathering

prizes for nutrition games, food for tasting

demonstrations, seeds for a garden project, etc.

◗ Be flexible in accepting assignments and be

willing to help with room set-up and clean-up at

the end of classes and events.

◗ Offer to greet participants, help with registration,

and make participants feel comfortable.

◗ Help with food preparation if it is part of the

event.

◗ Use community or government sources of

nutrition information to learn more about nutrition.

Why

WHAT: Support Nutrition Education

Americans are learning more about the importance of nutrition and physical activity in

their overall health. Their nutrition information comes from a variety of sources and some

of the information is inaccurate and misleading. In addition, hungry individuals or those at

risk of hunger have far fewer resources available to them, so their nutritional choices are

that much more critical to their health. Individuals trained in nutrition, such as nutritionists, dietitians and home economists, teach effective decision-making regarding food,

nutrition, and physical activity. These professionals often need volunteers to hold nutrition

classes and events.

❑ Contact local USDA programs such as the Food Stamp Program and the Supplemental

Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) to volunteer to help with their

nutrition education classes and events.

❑ Contact your County Extension office and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education

Program (EFNEP) to provide program support.

❑ Contact local schools and offer to help with the nutrition-related activities.

How

Tips

Chapter 3 • Filling the Hunger Gaps: All Kinds of Projects for All Kinds of People 11
12 Together We Can!

You can be a catalyst in getting a program, organization, or school to sponsor a nutrition class or

event. For instance, you can go to a local school

and work with the food service director and teachers to determine what the nutrition education

needs are. You could help coordinate an activity

such as organizing a nutrition fair, bringing a chef

into the school for a demonstration, or even setting

up a series of activities. You could also assist in

getting others in the community to contribute time,

materials, and expertise.

The local chapters of organizations such as the

American Heart Association, the American Dietetic

Association, National Parent and Teachers Association, and the NCI/5 A Day Program, as well as

local farmers or supermarkets, could be asked to

participate in a nutrition fair. You could encourage

parents to participate in the promotion activities,

presentations, and the organization of the event.

Your Role

Need

More

Help?

◗ USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service: www.fns.usda.gov

◗ USDA’s “Team Nutrition” nutrition education initiative: www.fns.usda.gov/tn

◗ USDA’s School Meals Programs: schoolmeals.nal.usda.gov:8001

◗ USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion: www.usda.gov/cnpp

◗ USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service:

www.reeusda.gov
Why

WHAT: “Adopt” an Elderly Person or Shut-In

Within your community, there are elderly people and persons with disabilities who are

either unable or reluctant to leave their homes. As a result, their ability to meet their

nutritional needs—and their health—may suffer. Befriending and helping someone in this

type of situation is an activity that you can do on your own, and that will benefit both of

you.

This activity requires little or no experience. It does require a regular commitment of time.

❑ Contact organizations within your community that can direct you to someone who needs

help, such as a local senior center, social services agency, house of worship, area agency

on aging, or a municipal government information center.

❑ Another way to get to know and to help some of the elderly or shut-in people in the

community would be to volunteer to deliver meals for a local home-delivered-meals

program. This is usually done for a couple of hours during the middle of the day or on a

weekend, and can be done on as many days of the week as you are available.

❑ You may already know someone in your neighborhood in need of assistance, and you

may wish to help directly. Have someone who already knows the person introduce you.

Explain that you are available to help. Be sensitive to the fact that the person may at

first be reluctant to accept help.

❑ Some of the things you can do to help the person include:

◗ Help the person apply for food stamps and serve as an authorized representative.

◗ Arrange to have Meals on Wheels delivered to the person.

◗ Help get the person involved in a program where meals are available through the

Child and Adult Care Food Program or find additional resources through the Eldercare

Locator, both listed below.

◗ Volunteer to shop for groceries.

◗ Occasionally prepare a nutritionally balanced meal for the person.

◗ Alert family or social services professionals to health, nutrition, housing, or other

problems that might need to be addressed.

◗ Child and Adult Care Food Program: www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Care/Default.htm

◗ Eldercare Locator, (800) 677-1116 or www.aoa.dhhs.gov/elderpage/locator.html

How

Need

More

Help?

Chapter 3 • Filling the Hunger Gaps: All Kinds of Projects for All Kinds of People 13
14 Together We Can!

Why

WHAT: Hold a Food Drive

A food drive is a great community activity for any volunteer organization, or for the experienced organization that would like to increase community participation during times of

decreased contributions, such as after the holidays.

This activity requires little or no experience. It is a perfect once-a-year activity for service

organizations, community groups, or even private offices.

At 4-6 Weeks

❑ Establish a small committee to plan and coordinate the food drive. Select an overall

coordinator and team leaders for individual tasks.

❑ Schedule a training session for the food drive volunteers. Provide them with a brief list of

key times, dates, and responsibilities, as well as contact names and phone numbers.

Responsibilities may include:

◗ Setting up collection site(s).

◗ Collecting food at predetermined intervals.

◗ Assembling donations for the participating food banks.

◗ Delivering donations to the food banks.

◗ Distributing the food drive flyer throughout the community at supermarkets, places of

worship, libraries, schools, etc.

❑ Contact local food banks or other food distribution facilities to confirm their interest in

accepting the collected foods, as well as any guidelines or restrictions. Set a tentative

delivery date.

❑ Develop a timetable for carrying out the food drive.

❑ Contact organizations that may be interested in serving as collection sites, such as

schools, local businesses, religious organizations, or grocery stores.

❑ Develop a one-page flyer describing the activity. Reproduce the flyer for distribution.

Also develop a list of suggested foods for contribution.

❑ Call potential collection sites and ask for their participation. Track responses as they are

received.

❑ Determine where the central food storage site will be. It must be large enough to hold all

the food collected during the 2 weeks of the food drive, and to accommodate volunteers

who will assemble the food for distribution once the food drive is over.

❑ Develop a media plan.

How
At 2 Weeks

❑ Contact local businesses and civic groups to request additional assistance, such as

transporting the food to the food bank, displaying flyers, or notifying their employees of

the upcoming event. Obtain their commitment in writing.

❑ Design a flyer to advertise the food drive that includes the list of foods suitable for

donation.

At 1-2 Weeks

❑ Contact participating food banks to reconfirm the date and procedure for delivering the

food donations.

Day Before

❑ Call volunteers to remind them of the start of the food drive, and of their responsibilities

throughout the 2 weeks of the food drive.

❑ Set up the food collection site(s).

During the 2-Week Food Drive

❑ Collect food donations daily.

❑ Deliver donations to a central storage area or directly to the designated food bank(s).

Day Before Assembling Food Donations

❑ Set up registration and information tables at the entrance.

❑ Set up tables to separate foods by food group.

❑ Set up assembly area. Have bags available for assembling the contributions.

❑ If necessary, place posters or banners in the building so volunteers can find the location.

❑ Prepare area with chairs where volunteers can relax. Have snacks on hand.

Day of Assembling Food Donations

❑ Welcome volunteers as they arrive, and lead them to their predetermined workstations.

❑ Have a team leader guide each volunteer team in its assigned duties. Teams will be

needed to:

◗ Bring food donations from the storage area to the assembly area.

◗ Divide the assembled food by food groups.

◗ Bag the foods so each bag will contain a variety or follow participating food banks’

guidelines.

◗ Load the food bags into vehicles for transportation to pre-designated food banks.

❑ Clean up.

Chapter 3 • Filling the Hunger Gaps: All Kinds of Projects for All Kinds of People 15
16 Together We Can!

◗ Media plan, p. 32.

◗ Golden Harvest: www.goldenharvest.org/How_You_Can_Help/Food_Drive.htm

◗ First-time organizers will want to keep the food

drive as simple as possible. You may wish to

have only one or two collection sites, and one or

two collection days.

◗ Work with your selected food bank or food

distribution agency to develop a one-page “wish

list” of the kinds of food the agency would

prefer, as well as those it does not, e.g., cans,

yes; soft boxes and bags, no.

Tips

Need

More

Help?

Follow Up

❑ Write a thank-you note to all volunteers. You may wish to include information on how

much food was raised or plans for additional food drives.
Why

WHAT: Hold a 5-Mile Walkathon

A fun activity for any type of organization interested in raising community awareness

about hunger, either as a one-time or annual event. It is also a great way to promote how

nutrition and exercise can improve health.

While experience is not required, it is preferred. This activity is labor intensive.

At 4-6 Weeks

❑ Establish a coordination committee and select a coordinator.

❑ Contact local running groups, exercise newsletters, and gyms to assure that the event

doesn’t overlap with another walking or running event.

❑ Develop a tentative plan and course route.

❑ Contact City Hall and the local police to obtain all necessary permits and requirements.

Adjust the plan and course if necessary.

❑ Contact local businesses, civic groups, and community agencies to sponsor the event by

providing financial donations, supplies, or services.

❑ Invite a local celebrity, politician, educator, or other locally known figure to serve as

honorary chair.

❑ Develop and distribute promotional materials (flyers, press releases, etc.) to advertise the

event and to recruit “walkers” and volunteers to staff the event (sign in walkers, distribute water, etc.) Contact local radio, television, newspapers, local businesses, volunteer

organizations, places of worship, community centers, etc.

❑ Have a contingency plan in case of bad weather.

At 2 Weeks

❑ Continue volunteer walker recruitment efforts.

❑ Assign specific tasks to those volunteers who will be staffing the event.

❑ Collect all supplies, and complete all necessary paperwork for rental materials.

Day Before

❑ Call all staffing volunteers to remind them of the time and place of their assignments.

❑ Remind local media of the event.

How

Chapter 3 • Filling the Hunger Gaps: All Kinds of Projects for All Kinds of People 17
18 Together We Can!

Day of the Activity

❑ Set up route markers and tables, chairs, water dispensers, paper cups, and trash bags

along the walk route and at the finish line.

❑ Set up registration tables and chairs and put up banners to designate the central registration. Put up decorations. Distribute registration forms, pens, and cash boxes.

❑ Have volunteers staffing the event arrive well in advance. Assist them to their stations

and brief them on their duties.

❑ Have a “volunteer walkers welcome.” Have the Honorary Event Chair briefly review the

purpose of the event, the Walkathon course, and the location of water and rest stations.

❑ Clean up.

❑ Before volunteers leave, request that they fill out a feedback sheet to provide comments

on the day’s activities and recommendations for improving future events.

Follow Up

❑ Write a thank-you note to all volunteers. You may wish to include information on how

much food was raised or plans for additional food drives.

❑ Tally up the proceeds and deliver the funds to the organization you have selected. You

may wish to announce the results to the press.

◗ Tables

◗ Chairs

◗ Water and large water dispensers

◗ Portable toilets

◗ Paper cups

◗ Decorations (balloons, streamers, banners, etc.)

◗ Registration forms

◗ Pencils, pens, magic markers, staplers, tape

◗ Hammers and nails

◗ Cash boxes and petty cash

◗ First aid kit

◗ Signs to mark the route

◗ Trash bags

Supplies
◗ Designing a route that begins and ends at the

same spot will require fewer supplies and volunteers than having different sites for the start and

finish.

◗ Walkathons are rarely big moneymakers. However, they are invaluable as education and

promotional tools. Be sure to consider this when

planning the activity.

Tips

Need ◗ Media plan, p. 32.

More

Help?

Chapter 3 • Filling the Hunger Gaps: All Kinds of Projects for All Kinds of People 19
20 Together We Can!

Why

WHAT: Organize a Gleaning Event

By collecting fruits and vegetables left in fields, gardens, and orchards after the harvest,

gleaning volunteers add variety and freshness to the diets of those in need, as well as

increase awareness about agriculture, food production, hunger, and sharing. This is an

advanced event that requires close coordination among organizers, farmers, food banks,

and volunteers. This is truly a community activity.

This activity is labor intensive, and is therefore much better suited to be a regular project

rather than a one-time event.

At 4 Weeks

❑ Establish a committee to plan and coordinate the activity. Select a coordinator.

❑ Identify and list by name and phone number those local farmers and gardeners who

may be interested in participating. Contact them and ask those interested to determine

an appropriate date for the event. Provide them with copies of applicable “Good Samaritan” laws. Be prepared to discuss the activity details, the necessary training of volunteer

gleaners, and the benefits of the activity for those in need, the farming community, and

the community as a whole. Obtain their written permission to have their excess produce

gleaned, and have them sign a standard release form. Make a master list of all participating farmers and gardeners.

❑ Develop an activity schedule. Establish a date. Determine the scope of the activity so

that recruitment and promotion efforts match the scope of the actual gleaning project.

❑ Make copies of the State and Federal “Good Samaritan” laws to give to farmers and

gardeners who will be asked to participate in the gleaning event. This information can be

found at your local library, as well as county or area Extension offices.

❑ Contact local food banks to determine if they would like to receive the gleaned produce,

and if so, any guidelines for the delivery of the produce.

❑ Contact local businesses and civic groups and request their participation in the activity.

Help will be needed with transportation of the produce to the food banks, as well as

providing harvesting tools, refreshments, portable toilets, etc.

❑ Develop a publicity plan. Determine if publicity to recruit gleaning volunteers, as well as

to inform and educate the public, is necessary.

❑ Begin advertising the gleaning activity. Prepare and distribute flyers, radio announcements, and press releases. Include dates, times, locations, purpose, and a contact name

and phone number. Depending on the composition of your community, expand outreach

by translating materials into additional languages.

❑ Schedule a training session for your volunteers.

How
❑ Decide if gleaners will keep any of the food they harvest. This is often done when the

sponsoring organization works directly with those in need and invites them to join as

gleaners for the event.

At 1 Week

❑ Prepare a volunteers fact sheet, including the time and place of the gleaning activity,

directions to the sites, and basic tips on appropriate clothing (consider comfort, safety,

etc.), safe hand-harvesting techniques, recommended tools, etc.

❑ Hold the volunteers’ training session. Distribute tip sheets, confirm that all volunteers

have signed standard release forms and discuss transportation arrangements and contingency plans in case of bad weather. Introduce participating farmers to the volunteer

gleaners, and have the farmers discuss how to harvest the produce at their site.

❑ Confirm delivery sites, dates, and times with participating food banks, as well as food

preparation and delivery guidelines.

Day Before:

❑ Mark areas at the gleaning site where volunteers may park.

❑ Prepare and put up signs showing the central meeting spot.

❑ Set up a spot where volunteers can get containers for collecting food, a deposit area for

gleaned food, and tables and benches where volunteers can rest and get water.

Day of Activity

❑ Have gleaners assemble at a central location at the site. Welcome the gleaners and

introduce the activity coordinator and participating farmer. Review gleaning directions,

safety issues, etc. Distribute harvesting tools.

❑ Prepare gleaned produce for distribution to participating food banks.

❑ Before volunteers leave, request that they fill out a feedback sheet to provide comments

on the day’s activities and recommendations for improving future events.

Follow Up

❑ Write a thank-you note to all participants, including volunteers, farmers, food banks,

and all who contributed supplies. Consider awarding Certificates of Appreciation.

Chapter 3 • Filling the Hunger Gaps: All Kinds of Projects for All Kinds of People 21
22 Together We Can!

◗ Media plan, p. 32.

◗ “Good Samaritan Food Act,” p. 33.

◗ USDA’s gleaning and food recovery information: (800) GLEAN-IT,

www.usda.gov/fcs/glean.htm

◗ Senior Gleaners: (619) 429-9110

◗ Society of St. Andrew: (804) 299-5956

◗ While this activity is very rewarding, the logistics can be complicated. It is strongly recommended that you work with a pre-existing

gleaning project before attempting your own.

◗ This is a labor-intensive activity that will vary

greatly depending on local agriculture. When

planning, take advantage of local resources, and

especially of USDA’s gleaning website.

◗ Confirm participation of food banks well in

advance. Not all food banks have the facilities to

accept fresh produce.

◗ Consider preparing directions on how to prepare

the produce, as well as a nutritional summary of

its benefits. Many recipients have limited access

to fresh fruits and vegetables. Work with participating food banks to develop a useful handout.

◗ Remember to photograph the event. Pictures can

be provided to local newspapers, printed in an

organizational newsletter, or used to recruit

volunteers next year.

◗ Load and deliver gleaned produce.

◗ Clean up. Leave the area as clean as you found

it.

Tips

Need

More

Help?

◗ Containers for collecting food, i.e., sturdy bags or boxes

◗ Harvesting tools, such as knives, hoes, and pruning shears

◗ Poster board or sturdy paper

◗ Felt-tip pens, scissors, tape, hammer, and nails

◗ Large garbage bags

◗ Tables, benches

◗ Paper cups, water

◗ Portable toilets

◗ First aid kit

Supplies
Why

WHAT: Grow a Community Garden

Start your own community garden project and contribute the harvest to local food banks,

or work with the residents of an area in need to grow, harvest, and enjoy their own freshgrown produce. This on-going activity will improve participants’ diets and add to their

nutritional knowledge.

This activity does not require experience, but it does require organization and cooperation,

as well as an intensive time commitment.

❑ Join a pre-existing community garden by calling the American Community Garden

Association or your local USDA Cooperative Extension Service office.

Or

❑ Identify and recruit interested volunteers.

❑ Select a site that ideally gets at least 6 hours of sunshine a day, is located near a water

source, and has proper drainage.

❑ Determine the size of the garden. A suitable harvest can be collected from a 4-footsquare plot per person. A plot larger than 10 square feet is not recommended.

❑ Plan the garden before planting. Consult with your local nursery or nursery section of a

hardware store to select the best seeds for your site.

❑ Draw a scale “floor plan” of the garden to determine how many rows there will be, how

many plants, and where the different varieties will be located.

❑ Purchase tools or ask local businesses to contribute them to the project. Necessary tools

include long-handled shovels, gardening spades, spading forks, hoes, and rakes. Other

useful tools include three-pronged hand cultivators, a hose, and watering cans.

❑ Prepare the soil. Once the soil is dry enough, loosen the soil and remove grass and

weeds.

❑ Once the soil is cleared, dig as deeply as the blade of the spade and turn the soil.

❑ Add organic material such as compost, manure, or peat moss. This helps feed the plants

and enrich the soil. Spread evenly on top of the turned soil in a layer no deeper than 3

inches.

❑ Blend everything using a spading fork, until the soil is so soft that planting can be done

with the hands.

❑ Rake the soil until it is smooth and level.

How

Chapter 3 • Filling the Hunger Gaps: All Kinds of Projects for All Kinds of People 23
24 Together We Can!

◗ Your local library is a great source for information on growing specific plants, and a great

nutrition education tool.

◗ Yard sales are a great way to save on the cost of

tools.

◗ USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service

offers a wide range of technical resources.

www.nrcs.usda.gov/

Tips

Need

More

Help?

The San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners

(SLUG) has built crop-scale urban gardens on

abandoned lots adjacent to public housing developments, and runs youth job-training and employment programs at each of the sites. The purpose of

this project is to establish sustainable and measurable community food security for the public housing residents. This project brings together the food

production and employment efforts at the public

housing gardens with the revenue-generating

efforts of SLUG’s community-based enterprises.

Young people plant, harvest, and distribute fresh

organic produce to the families of the neighboring

development. Project staff carry out detailed community surveys, develop growing plans for each

garden site, assist the youth department in expanding program capacity and cohesiveness, build

food systems coalitions, and support the development of SLUG food-related enterprises.

Model

◗ Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service:

www.reeusda.gov/crgam/cfp/community.htm

◗ American Community Garden Association: (860) 523-4276

◗ America the Beautiful: (202) 638-1649, www.america-the-beautiful.org/home.html

◗ Natural Resources Conservation Service Technical Resources: www.nrcs.usda.gov/

TechRes.html

❑ Purchase seeds or seedlings and plant according to the directions. Remember to use

waterproof marker stakes to identify what has been planted.

❑ Visit the garden daily. Make sure the garden is properly watered, weeded, and fertilized.
Why

WHAT: Bring the Summer Food Service Program to

Needy Children in Your Community

The Summer Food Service Program provides nutritious meals to children in low-income

areas when school is out and kids do not have access to meals served through the National

School Lunch Program. And, because there is a strong link between learning and nutrition—studies have shown that kids who are not hungry learn more effectively, are sick less

often, and behave better—you will be giving hungry kids in your community a chance to

learn, thrive and be healthy, all summer long!

Extensive volunteer experience preferred. Very time-intensive.

❑ Contact your State agency (usually the State education agency) to learn all you can

about the SFSP—the application process, sponsor and site eligibility requirements,

reimbursement rates, and required paperwork.

❑ Are there significant numbers of children who receive free and reduced-price lunches

during the school year who do not have access to meals during the summer? Work with

your State agency, community leaders, and anti-hunger advocates to determine where

the need for the program is in your community.

❑ Identify potential sponsors of the program and educate them about the need for, and the

benefits of, the SFSP for children. Potential sponsors include schools, local government

agencies, and nonprofit community organizations. SFSP sponsors must be strong managers in order to properly staff meal service sites, train staff in program operations,

monitor sites, manage the food service, and complete the required paperwork.

❑ Work with community leaders to identify potential sites that could be used for serving

meals. Consider schools, recreation buildings, and local parks.

❑ Help your sponsor determine the best way to provide meals at the site(s). If there is

equipment for food service preparation, consider if it is viable to prepare the meals on

site. If not, contact your local school food service or other food vendors.

❑ Publicize the location of the meal service site(s). Distribute information to children and

parents before summer vacation through the schools, local newspapers, radio stations,

etc.

❑ Enlist other supportive adults, such as parents and retirees, as volunteers to help with

the meal service and to provide educational and enrichment activities at the site(s).

How

Chapter 3 • Filling the Hunger Gaps: All Kinds of Projects for All Kinds of People 25
26 Together We Can!

◗ Start early. A successful SFSP requires extensive

planning and community support.

◗ Contact your local or State-level anti-hunger

advocates to enlist their support and advice on

successful methods and potential roadblocks to

bringing the SFSP to your community.

◗ Attend community meetings and events to

distribute information and promote participation

in the SFSP.

◗ Make appointments with local community

leaders (e.g., the mayor, school board, police

chief, director of parks and recreation) to inform

them about SFSP.

◗ Ask local businesses and community agencies to

donate their time and expertise to provide fun

activities for children at the meal site(s).

Tips

Need

More

Help?

The 1998 SFSP Summer Sunshine Award national

winner in the category of Child Development

Activities was the Vinita Public Schools for their 9

weeks of Food, Sun, and Fun SFSP Program. They

achieved success by combining nutritious meals

with fun activities for kids.

Vinita Public Schools built a partnership with the

Craig County 4-H and the Craig County Department of Human Services. Together, they provided

the children with educational and enrichment

activities, and taught life skills. Their creative

activities included courses in personal safety, first

aid, cultural diversity, career week, and wildlife

education.

Model

◗ USDA’s Child Nutrition Division: www.fns.usda.gov/cnd
CHAPTER 4:

What Next? Putting It All Together

es, there is a place for every person—for

every level of ability, for every level of

commitment— as we work together to end

hunger.

There is also a place—a need—for diversity and

creativity in our efforts. Around the country, small

organizations are showing the way. These innovative groups are taking a multi-pronged approach to

feeding the hungry. They are bringing a variety of

efforts together under one roof.

Yes, they are feeding the hungry, but they are also

attacking the underlying and long-term cause of

hunger—poverty. They are providing job training,

counseling, employment, health care, and other

resources. The list is as long as the needs of the

hungry. Other groups are working with at-risk

individuals to prevent the symptom of hunger from

ever occurring.

It is hoped that the following models will provide

inspiration to those who would like to increase or

improve the help they are providing to the hungry

within their own communities. We encourage you to

learn from these models and adapt and personalize

them to the needs of your community and the level

of your own experience.

Y The Bridge

2001 W. Northern Avenue #110

Phoenix, AZ 85021

Goal

The purpose of the Southwest Leadership

Foundation’s The Bridge is to promote and encourage the spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being

of children, young adults, and families in need.

Work

The Southwest Leadership Foundation develops and

supports programs designed to bring hope and longterm stability to homeless families. It provides safe

and healthy living environments for abandoned and

abused children and educational, spiritual, and

employment opportunities for adolescents and

adults. The Bridge seeks to free families from welfare by helping them to build responsible, productive, self-sufficient lives. The Bridge builds bridges

between homeless families and the community by

mobilizing churches and civic groups to provide

money and volunteers to support families in decent

apartment housing while they undergo the counseling and training needed to rebuild their lives. In a

significant variation on most transitional housing

programs, The Bridge prefers not to segregate

families in a housing facility away from the community. In an attempt to “mainstream” families, apartments are sought in a large, middle-income apartment complex in a residential neighborhood where

they are not singled out as “special” or “different.”

This cooperative transitional housing program

provides the stabilized environment from which

homeless families can thrive. Another model focuses

intense social-work efforts on the children as well as

the parents in order to permanently break the cycle

of poverty.

Chapter 4 • What Next? Putting It All Together 27
28 Together We Can!

The Bridge is a “recovery from homelessness”

program that helps families discover the root causes

of their situation and assists them in changing selfdefeating behaviors.

Programs Offered

Help for the Homeless, Children, Transitional Housing, Family Support

 Hosea House

2635 Gravois

St. Louis, MO 63118

Goal

Hosea House is an interfaith agency that provides

direct service to needy families and individuals in

South St. Louis. The agency offers assistance in

times of need, programs to improve the quality of

life, and opportunities to break out of the cycle of

poverty.

Work

For almost 20 years, Hosea House has worked

against hunger and poverty in St. Louis. Hosea

House started as a small food pantry serving the

needs of a few and has grown to a large, multifaceted organization that serves 1,000 to 4,000

people each month. Hosea House provides a wide

spectrum of services and programs in addition to

feeding the hungry, such as the Client Assistance

Program, Education Program, and Employment

Program.

Programs Offered

Help for the Homeless, Food Distribution, Hunger,

Community Organization, Farming, Job Training,

Peer Counseling, Education

 DC Central Kitchen

425 2nd Street, NW

Washington, DC 20001

Goal

DC Central Kitchen (DCCK) collects the surplus food

of caterers, restaurants, hotels, and other food

service businesses to feed hungry children and

adults at area shelters and feeding programs located

throughout the Washington metropolitan area. The

organization also works with the business community to train homeless men and women in basic

food preparation skills to prepare them for employment in the food service industry.

Work

While on the surface resembling the widespread and

primarily charitable “restaurant gleaning” agencies

that collect unused but palatable food from restaurants and hotels and redistribute it to hot meal

programs and food pantries, DC Central Kitchen

adds a model touch that boasts of self-reliance: It

staffs its busy commercial kitchen with homeless

people, who work and learn and then move on to

full-time jobs in the restaurant industry. Without

question, DC Central Kitchen is one of the Nation’s

best perishable food recovery programs. Two key

innovative elements evident in the work of DC

Central Kitchen are: 1) rather than simply taking

whatever is available from donors and delivering it

straight to hot meal programs, DCCK brings donations back to its kitchen, where each day’s offerings

are re-assembled into whole, balanced meals and
only then delivered to recipient agencies; and 2)

rather than relying on church and civic volunteers

(although it does use them) DCCK identifies and

hires homeless, jobless people to work in its kitchen,

putting them through a focused 12-week curriculum, developed in conjunction with Cornell

University’s School of Hotel Management, and

qualifies them for entry-level jobs in the food service

industry.

Programs Offered

Perishable Food Recovery, Restaurant Gleaning,

Help for the Homeless, Jobs, Job Training

 Sisters of the Road Café

133 NW 6th Avenue

Portland, OR 97209

Goal

Sisters of the Road Café exists to alleviate hunger

and provide support and guidance to homeless

individuals to help them identify the roots of their

homelessness and poverty and permanently move

them from poverty to self-sufficiency.

Work

Sisters of the Road Café is a nonprofit restaurant

located in Portland’s Old Town/China Town neighborhood, an area that historically and currently

includes hundreds of low-income and homeless

residents. In the ‘70’s, Sandy Grooch and Genevieve

Nelson were working with women on the streets of

this neighborhood and discovered that all the

women had experienced violence and that none of

them felt safe anywhere, not even in a women’s

restroom. They opened their café with three goals

they derived from their work with the women in the

neighborhood: 1) to be a safe public place for

everyone, especially women and children; 2) to

offer nourishing meals at little cost or in exchange

for labor; and 3) to offer job training and work

experience to neighborhood residents.

Programs Offered

Restaurant, Help for the Homeless, Food, Hunger,

Job Training, Children, Women, Emergency

Assistance, Counseling

 Isles, Inc.

10 Wood St.

Trenton, NJ 08618

Goal

Isles addresses immediate challenges, such as

hunger, homelessness, underemployment, and

environmental decay, using long-term strategies

that promote self-reliance and community empowerment. It builds upon existing assets while creating

wealth in distressed communities. It broadens its

impact by developing easily replicated programs,

assessing other community groups and institutions,

and improving community-related public policy.

Work

Isles was established back in 1981 with a strong

commitment to community and environmental

development in the city of Trenton. The organization acquires run-down buildings and rehabilitates

them in order to provide affordable housing to

hundreds of people in need. Isles’ programs recognize the interdependence of physical, economic,

health, and social development in communities. Its

goal is to promote family and community selfsufficiency in sustainable neighborhoods.

Chapter 4 • What Next? Putting It All Together 29
30 Together We Can!

Isles’ philosophy of helping people help themselves

is evident in all its endeavors. One example is the

continued involvement with the Capital Area Food

Security Council. The group, which Isles helped

found, welcomes all participating groups to take

direct action in identifying and recommending ways

to the government and other groups to improve

food delivery. Another form of empowerment is the

Garden Advisory Board of the Urban Gardening and

Land Recovery Program. Each garden site sends

one representative to the board to participate in

program-related discussions and city-wide projects.

A natural outgrowth of the Community Garden

Program is the new Community Farm Project funded

by USDA. The goals of the new project focus on

increasing the supply of fresh produce available to

low- and moderate-income Trenton residents,

improving the accessibility to the produce, and

offering a training and entrepreneurial opportunity

to youth and adults through the creation of the farm

and satellite farmstands within Trenton neighborhoods.

Programs Offered

Community Outreach/Urban Economic Development, Affordable Housing, Youth Job Training,

Environmental Education

 From the Ground Up

Capital Area Community Food Bank

645 Taylor Street NE

Washington, DC 20017

Goal

From the Ground Up is dedicated to providing lowincome residents with affordable, fresh produce and

reconnecting consumers with the land through an

environmentally and economically sound agricultural model.

Work

Founded by a joint effort of The Chesapeake Bay

Foundation and the Capital Area Community Food

Bank, and recently merged with the Chesapeake

Community Supported Agriculture Program, From

the Ground Up is a community-based farm project

working to integrate the issues of sustainable

agriculture, community empowerment and secure

food systems. From the Ground Up has grown from

a project that raised and distributed 5,000 pounds of

vegetables in its first year, to a multifaceted program

in 1996 that distributed over 73,000 pounds of

produce through farm stands, buying cooperatives,

and a supporting share program with nearly 200

shareholders. From the Ground Up distributes onehalf of its vegetable production to low-income

residents while using the other half to create a

stable funding base for the program. Using environmentally sensitive practices, the vegetables are

grown on a farm 3 miles from Washington, DC,

where people from all socioeconomic backgrounds

gather.

Programs Offered

Self-Sustaining Community-Based Farm Project
 Food Rescue and Gleaning:

 A Sample of Innovative

 Programs

Washington Area Gleaning Network

(WAGN)

PO Box 9871, Alexandria VA 22304

This model gleaning network enlists volunteers and

organizations to pick from farmers’ fields for donation to nonprofit groups. Low-income volunteers

can also keep a portion of their harvest.

Friendship Donations Network

110 Rachel Carson Way, Ithaca, NY 14850

FDN produces and distributes a handbook on how

to start up and sustain a successful volunteer food

rescue program. It also helps feed approximately

4,000 families a week in upstate New York.

Senior Gleaners, Inc.

3185 Longview Dr., North Highlands, CA 95660

This all-volunteer, completely privately funded

organization has 1,800 senior citizen members who

donate their time, money, and transportation to help

feed the hungry in northern California.

California Emergency Foodlink

8350 Fruitridge Rd, Sacramento, CA 95829

This organization stores donated produce in a

Sacramento Army Depot and distributes more than

35 million pounds of food throughout rural northern

California counties. California Emergency Foodlink’s

job training programs generate income that funds

food distribution work. It hires homeless people,

providing them with paid job training and benefits.

Community Action Agency of Franklin

County’s Cooperative Gleaning Program

89 West Main St., PO Box 270, Malone, NY 12953

This community action agency coordinates a

grassroots effort to supply food and nutrition education for local needy families. It relies on a volunteer

work force, in cooperation with state, county, and

private agencies. Inmates from the New York Department of Corrections assist by growing, gleaning,

processing, freezing, and storing produce. This

program has been replicated in several States.

Farm Share, Inc.

300 N. Krome Avenue, Florida City, FL 33034

Farm Share operates the only charitable packinghouse in the Eastern United States and distributes

donated food at no charge to agencies and individuals. It emphasizes nutrition education. Farm Share

keeps administrative costs low by using volunteer

workers and collaborating with Florida State

agencies.

South Plains Food Bank

461Z Locust Avenue, Lubbock, TX 79404

This food bank goes beyond just providing food. It

sponsors programs that teach literacy, provide

support for homeless people, create jobs and train

people to fill them, and convert perishable produce

at a $7 million dehydration plant into light, portable, and easy-to-prepare products. These products

are distributed nationwide.

Upper Sand Mountain Parish

PO Box 267, Sylvania, AL 35988

Started over 20 years ago as an emergency services

cooperative, this group has established Alabama’s

largest gleaning operation—the “Gardens of

Plenty”—that provides seeds and fertilizer to poor

individuals, a cannery to preserve gleaned food, and

a program that builds inexpensive solar houses for

poor families.

Chapter 4 • What Next? Putting It All Together 31
32 Together We Can!

CHAPTER 5:

Resources

Media Plan

Know Your Media

◗ Collect basic information on who’s who in the

media, including radio, TV, and daily, weekly, and

monthly newspapers.

◗ Use your local public library as a media resource.

Check out the News Media Yellow Book available

in most libraries.

◗ Identify key opinion-makers, especially columnists and editors of small newspapers.

◗ Read the paper, watch and listen to the news.

Who covers the kind of stories you’re telling?

Build a Relationship With the

Media

◗ Enlist the help of your organization’s leadership

and local civic leaders in contacting the media.

Use their contacts!

◗ Be sure to contact weekly and monthly publications well in advance of an event.

◗ Provide background material on your organization and projects, offer background interviews.

◗ Designate a specific spokesperson to talk to the

media.

◗ Be consistent. Repeat one simple and clear message over and over again.

◗ Ask your key community supporters to write

letters to the editor or Op/Ed articles.

The Media Advisory

◗ Describe your event in the first paragraph of your

media advisory, then list Who, What, Where, and

When. Include website information.

◗ Always include one or more contacts for more

information.

◗ Send the media advisory to the media for arrival

1-2 days before the event. Send background

information with the advisory.

◗ Contact and get on the Associated Press and

Reuters Daybooks.

◗ Always follow up with phone calls, especially the

morning of the event.

◗ Be creative!

The News Release

◗ “News” means new.

◗ Again, answer Who, What, Where, and When.

◗ Include relevant, active, and “on-message”

quotes from your organization’s leaders—and

from members too!

◗ Distribute the news release at your event, or to

the news media on the day of your announcement.

◗ Have background information (brochures, bios,

etc.) on hand to supplement the news release.

Event Day

◗ Schedule your event for mid to late morning.

◗ Schedule a pre-event breakfast for the media to

meet with and talk to members of your organization and civic supporters.

◗ Designate a photographer. Offer photos to print

reporters in attendance.

◗ Ask the news media to sign in with their names,

organizations, phone and fax numbers.

◗ Arrange interviews.

◗ Follow up.

◗ Provide news release, background information,

and photos to media unable to attend.

◗ Collect newspaper clippings, note TV and radio

coverage.

◗ It’s always a good idea to call or write to say

“thank you.”
The Emerson Good

Samaritan Act,

Summarized

To encourage donations of food to nonprofit organizations such as homeless shelters, hot meal programs, and religious organizations for distribution to

the needy, President Clinton signed the Bill Emerson

Good Samaritan Food Donation Act into law in

1996. This law gives uniform national protection to

citizens, businesses, and nonprofit organizations

that act in good faith to donate, recover, and distribute excess food.

The Act promotes food recovery and gleaning by

limiting donors’ liability to instances of gross negligence or intentional misconduct. Under the Act,

volunteers, nonprofit organizations, and businesses

are not subject to civil or criminal liabilities for

claims that arise from the nature, age, packaging, or

condition of apparently wholesome or fit grocery

products that they received as donations.

Although the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food

Donation Act takes precedence over the various

State forms of “Good Samaritan” laws, it may not

entirely replace them. State “Good Samaritan” laws

still may provide protection for donors and gleaners

above and beyond that which is guaranteed by

Federal law.

◗ Full text of the Act: www.usda.gov/news/pubs/gleaning/appc.htm

◗ Citations for State Good Samaritan Laws: www.usda.gov/news/pubs/gleaning/appd.htm

Need

More

Help?

Chapter 5 • Resources 33
34 Together We Can!

Names and Numbers

USDA Resources

Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion

(202) 418-2312

www.usda.gov/cnpp/

Cooperative State Research, Education, and

Extension Service

www.reeusda.gov/food_security/foodshp.htm

Farm Service Agency

(202) 690-4727

www.fsa.usda.gov/pas/default.asp

Food and Nutrition Information Center

301-504-5719

www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/

Food and Nutrition Service

(703) 305-2063

www.fns.usda.gov/fncs/

◗ Northeast Regional Office: CT, ME, MA, NH, NY,

RI, VT

(617) 565-6370

◗ Mid-Atlantic Regional Office: DE, DC, MD, NJ, PA,

PR, VA, VI, WV

(609) 259-5025

◗ Southeast Regional Office: AL, FL, GA, KY, MS,

NC, SC, TN

(404) 562-1800

◗ Midwest Regional Office: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI

(312) 353-6664

◗ Southwest Regional Office: AR, LA, NM, OK, TX

(214) 290-9800

◗ Mountain Plains Regional Office: CO, IA, KS, MO,

NB, ND, SD, UT, WY

(303) 844-0300

◗ Western Regional Office: AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV,

OR, WA

(415) 705-1310

◗ Food Stamp Hotline

(800) 221-5689

Food Safety and Inspection Service

(202) 720-7943

www.usda.gov/agency/fsis/

Gleaning and Food Recovery

(800) GLEAN-IT

www.usda.gov/fcs/glean.htm

National Hunger Clearinghouse

World Hunger Year

(800) GLEAN-IT

www.worldhungeryear.org/nhc

Natural Resources Conservation Service

(202) 720-3210

www.nrcs.usda.gov/

“Team Nutrition” Nutrition Education

Initiative

www.fns.usda.gov/tn

USDA Community Food Security Initiative

(202) 720-5746

www.reeusda.gov/food_security/foodshp.htm

Other Resources

America the Beautiful

(202) 638-1649

www.america-the-beautiful.org/home.html

Bread for the World

(301) 608-2400

www.bread.org

CDC National Prevention Information Network

(800) 458-5231

www.cdcnpin.org

Center on Hunger, Poverty and Nutrition Policy

Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and

Policy

(617) 627-3956
The Chef & The Child Foundation

The American Culinary Federation

(904) 824-4468

www.thomson.com/partners/acf/ccf.html

Community Food Security Coalition

(310) 822-5410

www.foodsecurity.org

Department of Health and Human Services

Eldercare Locator

(800) 677-1116

www.aoa.dhhs.gov/elderpage/locator.html

Department of Health and Human Services

Healthfinder

www.aoa.dhhs.gov/elderpage/locator.html

Foodchain: The National Food-Rescue Network

(800) 845-3008

www.foodchain.org

Food Research and Action Center

(202) 986-2200

www.frac.org

Hunger Homepage

Michigan State University Extension

www.msue.msu.edu/fnh/hunger/

Hunger Web

www.brown.edu/Departments/

World_Hunger_Program/

Instititute for Family Living

(301) 587-2795

www.radix.net/~ifl/

Interagency Council on the Homeless

(202) 708-1480

National Alliance to End Homelessness

(202) 638-1526

National Coalition for the Homeless

(202) 737-6444

National Hunger Clearinghouse

www.worldhungeryear.org/nhc/

National Resource Center on Homelessness

and Mental Illness

Policy Research Associates, Inc.

(800) 444-7415

www.prainc.com/nrc

Second Harvest

(312) 263-2303

www.secondharvest.org

Share Our Strength

(202) 393-2925

www.strength.org/

Society of St. Andrew

(804) 299-5956

UN Food and Agriculture Organization

www.fao.org/

World Hunger Year (WHY)

(800) 5-HUNGRY

(212) 629-8850;

www.foodsecurity.com

Chapter 5 • Resources 35