Food Bank Friday! April 10, 2009!

[ColbertWatcher]

Needs your immediate attention ...

The people at the http://friendsofpineridgereservation.org/projects/">Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota are asking for donations. Please check out their link to see how you can help.

In people of Emmonak, Alaska (as well as other rural Alaskan villages) are planning a summer food bank drive, in the mean time, please consider helping now any way that you can. Here is their shopping list for donations.


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The Red River flooded once already this year, receded, and is threatening to overflow its banks again.

Does anyone have any links or information about how to help out? Does anyone know what is needed?

If you are in the area, or know how best to help, please post in reply and we can start up a new thread to get it more attention.

Why is this posted every week?

Many media outlets are http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&tab=wn&ned=us&nolr=1&q=food+banks+demand+up&btnG=Search">reporting that many food banks across the country are running out of food.

Nearly 30 million people are receiving food stamps in the U.S. (http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&tab=wn&ned=us&nolr=1&q=food+stamps+30+million&btnG=Search">Google news search)

4/10/2009 Update: The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has been overwhelmed by an increase in food stamps and Medicaid applications.

Food in the news

The NY Daily News says a food bank in the Bronx received 576,000 eggs. Feeding America and the United Egg Producers will be able to donate a total of 12 million eggs across the nation this holiday.

Some donation ideas

* donate money DUer peace13 reminds us that if a food bank accepts money, they can get food in bulk. Also consider donating office supplies to the organization that runs the food bank (old computers, phones, fax machines, paper, etc)

* "adopt" a food bank item and replenish it whenever it runs low (posted by DUer girl gone mad)

* donate birthday or holiday "kits" (DUer Rabrrrrrr)

* support Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) http://www.chiron-communications.com/farms.html

* donate to Second Harvest http://www.feedingamerica.org/?show_nce=1

* Find and donate "free after rebate" items offered by many stores http://www.salescircular.com/

* DUer peacebird found her household with a few extra dollars every month after paying off a car note, so now they donate that amount to food bank every month. (Way to go peacebird!)

Support your local cooperative extension service

* From the extension links in this section, donate all the items to complete one of the recipes (print out and donate copies of the recipe, too!)

* Donate recipe books (or other publications on nutrition) from your local cooperative extension service (Most states cooperative extensions services have all kinds of things available)

Also, after a quick google search for "cooperative extension service recipe," here are three of the top links:

* The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Recipe Central http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/recipe.shtml#basic">Basic Foods From Fridge, Freezer and Cupboard, including a single-page http://lancaster.unl.edu/FOOD/BasicFoodsforCupboard.pdf">list of ingredients (pdf) for all the recipes on the UNL site

* Cornell University Cooperative Extension-New York City's complete (http://nyc.cce.cornell.edu/nutrition/recipes/2008/NH%20Recipe%20Collection.pdf">Nutirion and Health Program Recipe Collection) (pdf)

* University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture's Cooperative Extension Service Departments Family and Consumer Sciences Programming
Recipes recipes for people with diabetes

DUer 1776Forever posted a link for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension in another thread.

More information about the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (Main website and Food, Nutrition and Health links)

The Cooperative Extension System is a nationwide, non-credit educational network. Each U.S. state and territory has a state office at its land-grant university and a network of local or regional offices. These offices are staffed by one or more experts who provide useful, practical, and research-based information to agricultural producers, small business owners, youth, consumers, and others in rural areas and communities of all sizes.

CSREES is the federal partner in the Cooperative Extension System. It provides federal funding to the system and, through program leadership, helps the system identify and address current issues and problems.

Food bank checklist

* Print out the flier below and make copies for your friends, family or co-workers to take with you when you go grocery shopping.

* surreptitiously leave copies at the grocery store!

(You don't have to pick up everything on the list, just remember to pick up something.)

If you're unable to donate at this time, but may need assistance yourself, please check out these ideas from your fellow DUers ...

* DUer readmoreoften has some great advice for where to find inexpensive food in your area

* DUer ProgrezivIndie compiled several links on one webpage (for help finding a job, medical care, food, etc) and what to do to keep your food edible after a disaster!.

* Please support candidates and policies that guarantee livable wages.

[amyrose2712]

1. Thanks for posting. nt

[ColbertWatcher]

2. You're welcome. : p n/t

[Triana]

3. K & R !!

...and a big hug. :)

[ColbertWatcher]

4. Countdown kick. n/t

[ColbertWatcher]

6. Saturday kick. n/t

[Mike 03]

5. Excellent. K @ R, and thanks. NT