Seniors Struggle:

True stories of hunger in Southwest Virginia

food

Southwestern VirginiaSecond Harvest Food Bank

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for thought

Fall 2009

Ruth

receives $53 a month in Food Stamps. The meager amount wouldn’t be enough for

Ruth

to live on aloneand with a family of four, it’s simply impossible. That’swhy this struggling senior sits patiently inside her localfood pantry waiting for the brown paper grocery bagfilled with the necessities that will last her householdanother week.Unable to work and with only $53 a month in foodstamps,

Ruth

struggles to keep up with life’s necessities by stretching her disability check as far as it will takeher. The disability check she receives at the beginningof each month is carefully distributed for rent,electricity, water, and sewer. What’s left isn’t enoughfor groceries and that’s why

Ruth

is left sitting in thiswaiting room... waiting for her turn to receive the foodassistance she so desperately needs.Unfortunately,

Ruth

is notalone in her struggle.According to the U.S.Census Bureau, nearly 10%of individuals 65 or older live below the povertylevel. Nationwide, it’sestimated that nearly four million seniors struggle in poverty. Seniors who, like

Ruth,

depend on foodassistance to survive.

What’s Inside

p.2 -A Message from thePresident & CEOp.4 - Staff Storiesp.6 - Hunger Horizonp.7 - Granting Success

Names and photos used in this story have beenchanged to protect the identity of clients

www.swvafoodbank.org

Board of DirectorsJames E. Pearman, Jr.

Board President

Fee-Only Financial Planning,LC Founding Member

Daniel Barchi

Board Vice President

Carilion Biomedical InstitutePresident and CEO

Neil Birkhoff

Board Secretary

Woods Rogers, Attorneys atLaw Principal Attorney

Kathy Gravely

Individual

Pamela Irvine

SWVA Second Harvest FoodBank, President & CEO

Teresa Lynch

R.T. Lynch Transport &Logistics, Vice President -Operations

Donna McManners

Kroger, Print AdvertisingManager

Rev. Nouhad Melki

Atkins First Church of GodSenior Pastor

Jon Painter

American Electric Power Human Resources Consultant

John F. Shoulders, Jr.

New Century DevelopmentCo., LLCManaging Member

Chris Thompson

Pelican Management, Inc.Principal

Christine Nelson

Virginia Career VIEW/Virginia TechOutreach Coordinator

Jason Hartman

Brown Edwards &Company LLPAssurance Services Partner

The beauty of Southwest Virginia inthe fall can be intoxicating. Themountains burst with vibrant colors,signaling the start of a new season.It’s lost on very few that the ruralregion of Virginia we call home offerssome of the most fantastic, aweinspiring sceneries on the east coast,especially in the autumn. But let usnot forget that living within the redsand yellows of these beautifulmountain landscapes are tens of thousands of men, women andchildren struggling with hunger.It’s true the Southwestern VirginiaSecond Harvest Food Bank servessome of the most photo friendlyregions in the state, but it’s also truethat your Food Bank’s 26 county, 10city service territory covers some of the most impoverished regionsin the state.As mother nature sheds her summer green and braces for the cold seasonahead, let us remember theworking-poor families, elderly couplesand single parents that are also making preparations for a long winter.Struggling families that will have toadd expensive heating bills on top of a mountain of bills. These familieswill certainly need a helping handas temperatures plummet and thanks toyou, the Food Bank’s more than 340 partner agency feeding programswill be there to help those in needthis winter.

from the

President & CEO A MESSAGE

Looking for a Speaker?

The Southwestern VirginiaSecond Harvest Food Bank ishappy to provide speakers foran array of topics such as:Understanding the Food Bank:

A guide to understanding theprocess of the Food Bank anda general overview of the various programs offered.From Kids Cafe and Backpack programs, to safe foodhandling and financialplanning, you may be surprisedat what’s happening at theFood Bank.Hunger Education:Causes, solutions, and actions. Volunteering:Explore unique ways thatchildren and adults can volunteer individually oras a group.Contact Harry VanGuilder by phone at (540) 342-3011ext.42, or by email athvanguilder@swvafoodbank.org to explore dates and topics of your choice.

Look for details about the Southwestern Virginia SecondHarvest Food Bank’s expansion efforts in the Spring editionof our “Food for Thought” newsletter. We’ll have all thedetails regarding the Food Bank’s staggering distributiongoals, growing programs and even a peak inside the newAppalachian Distribution Center. Look for all that and morein the next installment of the Southwestern Virginia SecondHarvest Food Bank’s “Food for Thought” newsletter!

2009 Agency Conference & Training

The Southwestern Virginia SecondHarvest Food Bank’s annual AgencyConference & Training’s are anexcellent opportunity to further connectour partner agencies with the resourcesand tools they need to better servethe hungry. It is not enough to just feedhungry individuals, the Food Bank andits partner agencies constantly strive todo more. To reach the underservedareas of this region, to be prepared for emergency food scenarios and to make

COMING SOON!

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sure the hungry have every availableopportunity to overcome their poverty status.The trainings allow the Food Bank’s partner agencies the chance to enhancetheir soup kitchen, rescue mission or food pantry through various sessionsincluding grant writing, publicrelations, disaster training, children’snutrition, mobile pantries andmuch more.