FIND Food Bank’s 2017 Kids’ Summer Club partnered with 35 sites across the valley (including Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs, partner agencies that serve mostly families, the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition, and low-income housing communities) to fight the local spike in childhood hunger that occurs here each summer when school’s out and families strain to provide extra meals that kids usually get at school.

This year, with funding support from Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, leveraged with the Conagra Brands Foundation Hunger-Free Summer Program, FIND piloted an evening meals program for kids and weekly Farmers Markets in 5 low-income communities.

We tried evening programming to better accommodate working parents and children that aren’t allowed to leave the house when their parents aren’t home. Evening meals were well attended each week and much appreciated.

FIND Food Bank • (760) 775-FOOD (3663) • FINDFoodBank.org

FALL 2017 ISSUE

Breaking New Ground This Summer

I am a local vendor, and a single mom. I work 35 hours a week during the season, but my hours were cut to 12 hours a week during the summer. My children and I are so thankful for your program. It is truly a blessing. I don’t know what we would do without it. – Client at evening meal site

(continued on page 4)

Our summer programming would not have been possible without hundreds of hours donated by volunteers. Farmers Markets are very labor-intensive, especially with our extreme desert heat, and we couldn’t have done it without our volunteers and staff.

In particular, we want to tell you about a very special volunteer, Cindy Sanchez, of Indio. Without fail, she showed up for our weekly distributions, laboring in the heat to organize volunteers, give out assignments, and making sure everything flowed smoothly.

Walmart: Yes, they’re the world’s biggest retailer — and the home of many a good bargain. But did you also know that they are the largest retail food donor to Feeding America’s nationwide network of 200 member food banks, including FIND? And that’s just the beginning of the Walmart + Walmart Foundation + Feeding America + FIND Food Bank collaboration.

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation’s investments aim to strengthen the charitable hunger-relief system and connect children and families with meals and federal benefit programs that address hunger. They have committed to helping provide 4 billion meals between 2015-2020.

In fact, many of us in the food banking world see Walmart and the Walmart Foundation as major forces in fighting hunger. Over the last five fiscal years (2013-17), Walmart has donated more than 2.5 billion pounds of food to charitable food organizations (yes, that’s billion with a “b”) And together they have contributed nearly $85 million to Feeding America to support grants to member food banks like FIND, as well as national programs.

Here’s how Walmart and Walmart Foundation support FIND:

• Competitive grants support CalFresh/SNAP outreach that helps low-income families connect to valuable resources. Over the last 5 years, Walmart Foundation grant support for FIND outreach work has assisted more than 12,000 local families and resulted in more than 10 million meals

Hunger-Fighting Superstars

• Competitive performance and infrastructure grants support our Retail Donation Program

• Local store associates and Sam’s Club team members donate hundreds of volunteer hours to FIND each year

• In-store and social media campaigns focus on fighting hunger and engaging customers

“Many people are unaware that hunger is an issue in every single county in the U.S. Feeding America fights hunger through a nationwide network of member food banks, of which the FIND is a member. We are thankful to Walmart and Walmart Foundation for its commitment to helping people in need,” said Lauren Biedron, Managing Director of Corporate Partnerships at Feeding America.

So the next time you shop at Walmart, rest assured they are a great supporter and donor, locally and nationally, in the fight to end hunger.

Thank you to Walmart and the Walmart Foundation for Stepping Up to the Plate in all that you do to help Feeding America and member food banks. FIND is pleased to recognize Walmart’s and Walmart Foundation’s commitment to “Taking Action and Helping Communities Live Better.” Keep up the good work!

FIND outreach team member Cesar Garcia talks with a woman participating in a community event.

Left: Volunteers from Sam's Club are part of a vital network of generosity that fuels FIND's work in the community.

DonorSpotlight

Walmart and Sam’s Club stores and distribution centers donated a whopping 729,332 lbs. to FIND (almost 45% of all retail donations!) during the first six months of 2017

Grab Your Calendars!Please SAVE THIS DATE! Thursday, November 16, 2017, is our Annual Giving Society fundraising event. Join us for a free breakfast at the beautiful Renaissance Indian Wells Resort and Spa. The program will feature two exceptional speakers who will share their personal stories about food insecurity.

Each year, we face the challenge of raising sufficient funds to keep pace with the growing needs of our community. Each month, approximately 85,000+ children, working families and seniors, from one end of the Coachella Valley to the other, face hunger. Giving Society was created to help ease some of this financial pressure – and the constant worry that comes with it. Many of our donors make continued yearly contributions – for which we are incredibly grateful. With a slight change to your annual pledge, we are inviting you to consider becoming a member of our Giving Society by making a pledge for a period of five years at one of the three giving level options.

“I believe deeply that helping our most vulnerable residents, who face the daily anxiety of not having enough nutritious food, is the responsibility of our entire Coachella Valley community. Working together, we can produce the necessary solutions to mitigate the effects of this continuing hardship,” said CEO and President Lisa Houston. “We need everyone to step up to the plate to help us put an end to this crisis.”

We hope you will consider becoming an important member of our Giving Society. To receive your invitation in October, please contact Barbara Ben-David, FIND Development Officer at bbendavid@findfoodbank.org or call her at 760-775-3663. Thank you!

September is Hunger Action Month™, a yearly initiative from Feeding America, when FIND Food Bank joins our fellow members and partners (across the country) to ask everyone to take action and fight hunger in the community. Hunger Action Month is your opportunity to join a movement that has a real and lasting impact on our effort to feed more people than ever before — the need is that great. Whether it’s by advocating and raising awareness, donating, or volunteering, you can find a way to get involved that works for you. THANK YOU for taking action to fight hunger.

Call FIND at 760-775-3663 for more information, and follow us on:

facebook.com/FINDFoodBank twitter.com/findfoodbank

FIND’s School-Based Kids’ Farmers Market program is not yet fully funded for the 2017-18 school year — there’s still time to help.

Every $1 you donate provides 7 meals. That’s a return on your investment that’s hard to beat.

Please, Step Up to the Plate.Donate Today.

FIND's 2017 Kids’ Summer Club was made possible by funding from:Albertsons Companies Foundation Entertainment Industry Foundation Tenet Health Conagra Brands Foundation Jewish Federation of the Desert Wells Fargo Foundation Darden Foundation Kaiser Foundation Hospitals 2017 Telethon Donors Desert Healthcare District SoCal Gas

Breaking New Ground (continued from page 1)

FINDFoodBank.org

FIND Food Bank is Food In Need of Distribution, Inc. Established 1983.

501(c)(3) TAX ID # 33-0006007

83775 Citrus Avenue Indio, CA 92201 (760) 775-FOOD (3663)

Cindy shared with FIND, “I love your program, I think it’s awesome, and it is very much needed in this neighborhood. There are a lot of kids and this program fills the need of getting food in their homes to eat during the day while their parents are at work. We are just so thankful. I hope this program will continue next year. Even though it is very hot out, it is worth it.”

She then joked, “It’s a great weight loss program, to0!” Cindy mentioned that between the cardio workout of the distributions and the heat, she lost about 2 lbs. every week this summer.

Healthy Kids Make for Brighter Futures

Teachers and school administrators know that students simply cannot learn when they are distracted by empty stomachs. Hungry students lack concentration and often struggle with poor academic performance, behavior problems, and health issues.

Last school year in the Coachella Valley, approximately 55,000+ students -- 4 in 5 local students -- were eligible to receive Free and Reduced-Price Meals (FRPMs) based on their household income. To further complicate this situation, many schools are located in remote areas, where residents are often without access to affordable food and/or community-based programs when they need help.

During the 2016-17 school year, FIND partnered with four schools that had high FRPM eligibility. We used our Mobile Pantry Truck to offer monthly (Free!) Farmers Markets, sending healthy food, including a bounty of fresh produce, home for children to eat evenings and weekends.

With school back in session, FIND is working to ensure our valley’s children have regular access to healthy food. Our school-based sites will serve more than 500 families per school each month.

KSC Volunteer Cindy Sanchez was all smiles atweekly "Farmers Markets" in her Indio neighborhood.

OUR CHILDREN’S NUTRITION PROGRAM NEEDS YOUR HELP!

Support FIND Food Bank and you help 85,000 men, women, children, & seniors across the Coachella Valley every month.

Thank You!