Through the new program, at-risk families with students enrolled at Lake Forest High School will be able to access emergency food and hygiene products by visiting a food pantry within the school. Twenty-five to 30 families will be discretely identified by school officials, and the new pantry will offer a variety of nutritious food products and hygiene items. Families will select food based on their household’s needs each week. Food for the pantry will be provided by the Food Bank of Delaware and school-wide food drives or community donations.

“I shudder to think what the state would be like without the services of the Food Bank of Delaware,” said First Lady Carla Markell. “It’s okay to ask for help, and most of all, it’s important to give help.”

“With 14.8 percent of Delaware’s children living in food insecure households it makes sense to begin partnering with schools to ensure that Delaware families, especially children, have the necessary nutrition in order to learn and grow,” said Food Bank of Delaware President and CEO Patricia Beebe. “Lake Forest School District does an excellent job collaborating with other agencies to provide much-needed resources to students and their families. With more than one in four Delawareans depending on emergency food assistance, community collaborations are critical to ensure that Delawareans receive the assistance they need.”

Twenty-plus kindergarten students from the district also attended this morning’s grand opening in celebration of their class collecting the most canned goods through the district’s Battle of the Belly food drive, “I’m really excited to have the class of 2024 with us,” said Lake Forest Principal John Filicicchia. “This classroom contributed the most cans during our Battle of the Bellies and they just brought an additional 60 pounds today.”

“This community has developed its own personality,” said Lake Forest School District Superintendent Dan Curry. “You’ll find no warmer community or a student government geared at helping others than here in Lake Forest.”

We hope to open additional school pantries during the 2011-2012 school year. The cost to sponsor one school pantry for an entire school year is $10,000. It costs $15,000 to sponsor a pantry for an entire year. The food bank is currently in need of community supporters to help fund the new initiative. For more information about sponsoring a school food pantry, please contact Larry Haas, Food Bank of Delaware Development Director, at (302) 294-0185 or lhaas@fbd.org.

Through the program, children receive a backpack filled with nutritious, child-friendly, nonperishable meals on weekends and school breaks. Last year, we provided more than 2,000 children with weekend and holiday food. To date this school year, we have already provided more than 2,600 children with meals, and we expect the number to increase.  

According to Rick Klyczek, Vice President of Marketing at Shore Stop, “We are grateful for the opportunity to support such great charitable organizations that help at-need children in our community.”  He added, “Connecting with our local communities is a core strategy of our brand and we look forward to continuing to find ways to support similar charitable organizations in the future.”

“We’re thankful for Shore Stop’s commitment to ensuring that Delaware’s children have access to healthy meals when school is not in session,” said our President and CEO, Patricia Beebe. “With this gift we will be able to provide 50 children with weekend and holiday food for an entire school year!”

The cost to sponsor a child with weekend food for an entire school year is $198. To learn more about the program, please contact Stacy Stevens, Children’s Nutrition Program Coordinator at (302) 444-8128 or sstevens@fbd.org. To sponsor a child, please contact Larry Haas, Development Director at (302) 294-0185 or lhaas@fbd.org.

Check out some of our highlights from 2011:

January: Thanks to the efforts of Representative Darryl Scott and 60 volunteers, we served close to 300 families at a Martin Luther King Jr. mobile pantry held on the campus of Wesley College in Dover. Families attending the mobile pantry received 30-pound meal boxes, which contained enough food to feed a family of four for several days, frozen turkeys, bananas, potatoes, clementine oranges, cheese, beverages, hygiene products and more.
February: Our Kid C.H.E.F. (Cooking Healthy, Easy Foods) continues to impact children and increase participants’ knowledge about healthy eating and preparing easy-to-make foods at home. Last year 281 children partcipated in the program. In February, our Community Nutritionist, Beverly, spent a week with children from the Newark Boys & Girls Club teaching them healthy-eating habits and how to cook easy foods at home.

March: We celebrated the accomplishments of our 26th graduating class of The Culinary School with a special guest speaker – Chef Dana “Sugar Daddy” Herbert, winner of TLC’s Next Great Baker competition and owner of Desserts by Dana in New Castle! “Never lose your drive and determination and always stay humble no matter how big you get or how much you know,” advised Herbert in his remarks to the students. In addition, he encouraged students to always finish what they start, “at the end of the day it’s the results that count.”

April: Thanks to the generosity of Giant we were able to provide Easter hams to Wilmington families in need. We set up our mobile pantry at Ebenezer Baptist Church in the Northeast section of town and distributed meal boxes, produce and other supplemental meals to families struggling to put meals on the table. We were thankful to have Stacy Wiggins from Giant to help with the distribution. Giant has been a committed partner in our fight against hunger.

May: We were excited to participate in the second annual Parade to Fight Hunger, the official kick off to the Wilmington Grand Prix! It was great to see so many spectators and parade participants. A special guest appearance was made by the Dole Banana! Here’s the tired banana with some members of the FBD staff! Following the parade, professional cyclists raced along a one-mile course in downtown Wilmington. In addition to the parade, spectators enjoyed a free family-friendly street fair. The weekend event wrapped up on Sunday with the first-ever Governor’s Ride to benefit the Food Bank!

June: We kicked off our Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) for children in June with two Summer Fun Fairs – one in New Castle and the other in Millsboro. The two events attracted more than 100 children. Children enjoyed a free lunch (the same lunch we provide through the program), face painting, fun games and a visit from the USDA Eat Smart! Play Hard! Power Panther. In addition to the fun and games, we were also thankful for special guest visitors including, Governor Jack Markell, Lt. Governor Matt Denn, Senator Tom Carper, Annie Coons, wife of U.S. Senator Chris Coons, Pat Dombroski from the USDA and more. This past summer we prepared more than 405,000 meals for children – making us the largest food bank sponsor of the SFSP!

July: According to a July report from The News Journal, a tractor-trailer driver pulling a load of potatoes failed to stop for an oncoming train causing a collision in Milford. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but you can imagine the cleanup that was involved. Route 113 in Milford was closed in both directions for several hours. Highway officials separated the spilled spuds in two loads – salvageable and non-salvageable. The potatoes that were not salvageable were dumped, but all of the potatoes that were still in good condition for consumption were donated to us!

August: The month of August was busy at the Food Bank of Delaware. We started the month with a visit from Feeding America President and CEO, Vicki Escarra! We kicked off the day with a special welcome breakfast with Senator Christ Coons, State Representative Darryl Scott and others. We had a great day showing Vicki our operations, especially our Summer Food Service Program. Vicki jumped right in and helped volunteers prepare thousands of sandwiches and pack brown bags filled with food for children in need.

September: Thanks to our friends at Chase and AARP we had the opportunity to meet NASCAR driver, Jeff Gordon, in late September as part of AARP’s Drive to End Hunger campaign. Jeff Gordon along with hundreds of Chase associates lined up outside their downtown Wilmington to create emergency meal boxes for seniors in need. The campaign culminated with race weekend at Dover Downs where we were presented with two checks – $10,000 from the AARP Foundation and $5,000 from Giant to help fight hunger in our community.

October: Close to 250 Food Bank of Delaware supporters “got their groove on” to raise money to address the critical issue of hunger in Delaware. Guests who attended the Saturday Night Fever Blue Jean Ball on Saturday, October 8 enjoyed an evening of fine cuisine prepared by The Culinary School at the Food Bank of Delaware, beer provided by Iron Hill Brewery, wine from United Distributors and live music from Stranger’s. Our Newark warehouse was transformed into a space reminiscent of the disco days! A 20-inch disco ball and laser lights lit up the warehouse.

November: We welcomed Vicki Escarra, Feeding America President and CEO, back to Delaware in early November to help celebrate the graduation of the 28th class from our Culinary School. In addition, Lt. Governor Matt Denn announced that the Food Bank of Delaware was the recipient of a three-year grant  in the amount of $205,470 from the Criminal Justice Council. This grant will enable us to train 42 students who are reentering society from the Delaware Department of Corrections, with the opportunity to learn vital skills in the culinary field enabling them to gain employment in Delaware’s food service job market.

In addition to the graduation ceremony, November also marked the grand opening of our first school-based food pantry at East Side Charter School. Dr. Lillian Lowery, Secretary, Delaware Department of Education and others from the community joined us to announce the new initiative. Through the new program, funded by Barclays, at-risk families with children enrolled at East Side Charter School will be able to access emergency food and hygiene products by visiting a food pantry within the school. Twenty-five to 30 families will be discretely identified by East Side Charter school officials, and the new pantry will offer a variety of nutritious food products and hygiene items.

December: We celebrated the success of our first-ever DelawareCAN competition with a celebratory lunch for our top winners. In an effort to help stock our shelves and ensure that hungry Delawareans have access to healthy foods, we launched our DelawareCAN competition in
early October. The competition provided a creative way to collect much-needed food and create a spirited competition in Delaware’s business community. Companies held food drives and competed to create sculptures out of the food items collected. To see a list of winners, please click here.

Thanks to all who helped make 2011 successful! Here’s to another year of fighting hunger in the First State! To learn how you can help fight hunger in 2012, please visit our website at www.fbd.org.

Yesterday we had the privilege to meet the man behind the sale! Marti and Paul visited our branch in Milford and presented our Branch Manager, Crystal Timmons, with a check for $800. This is enough money to provide 3,200 meals to Delawareans in need!

We love seeing the different ways our community is getting involved in our fight against hunger. Whether it’s a $5 donation or a $500,000 donation, every little bit helps in ensuring that Delawareans have hot meals on the table! To learn more about how you can get involved in alleviating hunger in the First State, please visit our website – www.fbd.org.

All donations collected through the effort will be used to help stock the shelves of hungry Delawareans this holiday season.

“We are very proud and thankful to join forces with the Food Bank of Delaware in an effort to help those challenged in these economic times,” said the Director of the DSP Public Information Office, Sergeant Paul G. Shavack.  “Our Troopers often get to see Delawareans struggling with hunger during the course of their normal duties, and this is what motivates us to partner with the Food Bank of Delaware, making sure that these struggling families can enjoy meals during this holiday season.”

“We continue to be thankful of the outpouring of support from the Delaware State Police,” said Food Bank of Delaware President and CEO Patricia Beebe. “They have been a friend from the beginning. From their help with locating our stolen vehicles during the “Great Chicken Heist of 2008” to the numerous food drives they hold throughout the year, the Delaware State Police department is a valuable supporter. With close to 242,000 Delawareans struggling with hunger each year, the help of our community is needed now more than ever.”

 The Food Bank of Delaware needs the following items:
• Hot and cold cereals
• Instant or shelf-stable milk
• Fruit juice
• Canned meats: ham, tuna, spam, vienna sausage, corned beef, turkey and chicken
• Peanut butter and jelly
• Pork and beans, refried beans, beans and rice
• Canned soups and stew
• Kidney, pinto, lima, black beans (dry) and green beans
• Mixed vegetables, corn, carrots, peas and other canned vegetables
• Long-grain rice and rice mixes;
• Pasta, macaroni and cheese and instant potatoes
• Applesauce, pineapple, peaches, apricots, pears, mixed fruit and other canned fruits
• Baking mixes for pancakes, waffles, muffins and cakes
• Spaghetti sauce

 Holiday Items:
• Canned sweet potatoes
• Canned gravy
• Cranberry sauce
• Stuffing mix 

Supplemental items:

• Adobo seasoning
• Coffee
• Tea
• Hot cocoa mix
• Evaporated milk
• Cooking oil
• Condiments; ketchup, mustard, and syrup

Nonfoods:
• Diapers and wipes
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrushes
• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Bar soap
• Paper products such as towels, plates, napkins, tissues and toilet paper
• Plastic utensils

The Backpack Program provides food to at-need children for weekends and holidays when school is not in session and federal school meal programs are not available. Backpacks are stocked with kid-friendly, nutritious food including shelf-stable milk and juice, fruit cups, macaroni and cheese, apple sauce, cereal and more. They are distributed on Fridays or the last day before a holiday or vacation in a discreet manner at sites where children normally congregate after school.

“A hungry child is a child at risk for both health and behavioral challenges,” says Tyrone Jones, AstraZeneca’s Director of Corporate Community Alliances.  “We are glad to support the efforts of the Food Bank of Delaware to provide this support for children in our community.”

“It’s known that good nutrition is directly tied to children’s performance in school and overall wellbeing,” said Food Bank of Delaware President and CEO, Patricia Beebe. “We are so grateful for AstraZeneca’s commitment to making sure that no child goes without nutritious meals. With this financial gift we’ll be to provide an additional 101 children with weekend and holiday food for an entire school year.”

 School officials and families are appreciative for the Backpack Program, said Dr. Wendy Schachte, Backpack Program coordinator, at W. Riley Brown Elementary School, one of many schools participating in the program.

Last year we distributed a total of 55,846 backpacks. This year we hope to expand the program in an effort to distribute 92,000 backpacks to children in need. Sites interested in distributing backpacks to at-risk children may call Stacy Stevens, Children’s Nutrition Program Coordinator, at (302) 444-8128 or email sstevens@fbd.org.

By Kim Kostes, Community Relations Manager

We’re lucky to have two chefs on our staff at the Food Bank of Delaware. When they’re not instructing students in our Culinary School or preparing thousands of meals for our children’s nutrition programs, they’re preparing delicious catered meals for the public. Yesterday I sat down with Executive Chef Tim Hunter to get the low down on Thanksgiving food safety.

Fortunately for my family, I am not in charge of preparing the annual Thanksgiving feast, but I was still curious to learn s0me tips to ensure that Thanksgiving dinner is not only delicious, but safe.

Chef Tim advises:

• Never thaw the turkey at room temperature. Always thaw it in the refridgerator. An average-sized turkey needs about 24-48 hours to thaw. If you haven’t started to thaw your turkey, time is dwindling!
• Always wash your hands before and after handling raw poultry and other raw foods.
• Don’t stuff the turkey.
• Always cook the turkey to at least 160 degrees.
• Test the temperature at the thickest part of the turkey (usually the thigh or breast).
• Don’t leave food out on the table/buffet for too long.
• Refridgerate leftovers right away (lable and date them, too).

And Tim’s suggestion to make sure this year’s turkey is your best ever? “Season your turkey over night,” he suggests. “If you want a really nice brown, crispy turkey turn your oven up to 450 degrees for the first 30 minutes. After 30 minutes turn it down to 300 degrees and let it cook slowly for the remainder of the time.”

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at the Food Bank of Delaware!

To help meet the growing needs, we plan to double the size of our 8,000- square-foot facility in Milford. Last week we received a significant boost to help fund the $2.7 million expansion project through a $60,000 grant funded by the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation. We were thrilled that Jim Perdue, Chairman of Perdue, was able to join us for the special check presentation. In addition to Mr. Perdue, we are thankful that many Food Bank supporters were able to joins us – thank you Secretary of Agriculture Ed Kee, Senator Gary Simpson and Representatives Darryl Scott and Harvey Kenton for attending!

“We are incredibly grateful for partners like Perdue,” said Food Bank of Delaware President and CEO Patricia Beebe. “With more than one in four Delawareans depending on our food-assistance services and thousands of children in need of after-school and summer meals, the expansion of our facility in Milford is needed now more than ever. Once our building is complete, we will have nearly double the amount of space to operate our hunger-relief programs, and perhaps most importantly, we will have a venue to provide critical job training skills through our Culinary School to residents of Kent and Sussex counties.”

Perdue Chairman Jim Perdue, in presenting the grant, said, “At Perdue, we believe that in a country as rich in resources as ours, no one should have to go hungry. That is why Perdue partners with Feeding America and its network of community food banks and pantries, of which the Food Bank of Delaware is a valued member, to ensure the safe and effective distribution of our protein product donations. We recognize the valuable role the food bank plays in the communities in which our associates live and work in Delaware, and we’re proud to lend our support through this Foundation grant.”

Last year, Perdue donated nearly 1.1 million pounds of protein to the Food Bank of Delaware through the company’s distribution center in Georgetown. Perdue ships a tractor-trailer loaded with donated product every other week to the Food Bank.

Thank you, Perdue!

For more information about our campaign to expand our Milford branch, please visit www.fbdfeedingourfuture.org.

Through the new program, funded by Barclays, at-risk families with children enrolled at East Side Charter School will be able to access emergency food and hygiene products by visiting a food pantry within the school. Twenty-five to 30 families will be discretely identified by East Side Charter school officials, and the new pantry will offer a variety of nutritious food products and hygiene items. Families will select food based on their household’s needs each week. Food for the pantry will be provided by the Food Bank of Delaware and school-wide food drives or community donations.

“Just like we as adults are distracted and less productive when we are hungry, so are our children. Our students need nutritious and filling meals to prepare them to learn,” Secretary of Education Dr. Lillian M. Lowery said. “Programs such as this help us ensure we are meeting all of our children’s needs so they enter school ready to excel.”

“With 14.8 percent of Delaware’s children living in food insecure households and an 89-percent poverty rate at East Side Charter School, it makes sense to begin partnering with schools to ensure that Delaware families, especially children, have the necessary nutrition in order to learn and grow,” said Food Bank of Delaware President and CEO Patricia Beebe. “We are incredibly thankful that Barclays was the first to step up to sponsor a school-based food pantry. With more than one in four Delawareans depending on emergency food assistance, community collaborations are critical to ensure that families receive assistance.”

“Barclays is proud to work with the Food Bank and the Department of Education to address a significant need in our community,” said Jocelyn Stewart who leads Community Affairs efforts at Barclaycard US.  “Some disadvantaged kids aren’t able to come to school with the nutrition they need to be ready to learn.  This program will help to ensure our smallest citizens have the best opportunity for success.”

“We are trying to teach our students about responsibility and being contributing members of our communities,” said Dr. Lamont Browne, East Side Charter Head of School.  “Having the food pantry here at East Side Charter sets a perfect example of just that which we are teaching.  We are also striving to provide our families with resources, so that our students will succeed in the classroom and soar throughout life.”

The Food Bank of Delaware hopes to open an additional five school pantries during the 2011-2012 school year. The cost to sponsor one school-based pantry is $15,000. The food bank is currently in need of community supporters to help fund the new initiative. For more information about sponsoring a school food pantry, please contact Larry Haas, Food Bank of Delaware Development Director, at (302) 294-0185 or lhaas@fbd.org.

Check out some photos from yesterday’s announcement!