We are writing with an update on one of the most important pieces of legislation affecting low-income families and food insecure households in Georgia – the Farm Bill.  The Farm Bill guides funding for federal farm and food policies, and this includes the Food Stamp/SNAP program and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), two vital pieces of legislation for food banks and those we serve.  The Farm Bill is reauthorized every five years, and is now making its way through the House and Senate.

The good folks over at Twain’s Billiards and Tap in Decatur continue to impress me year after year. They get it and they live it by taking action; by doing something. It’s that time of year again and SpringFest is here this Saturday, May 18th.  This event, when it started, was considered to be a one-time thing. But now, for the fifth year running, Twain’s will host this “musical extravaganza of historic proportions” to benefit the ACFB. Check out some of your favorite local bands like Gringo Star, Shathouse Rats and Rolling Nowhere, as they rock the two stages.

I recently had the opportunity to listen to a U.S. Congressperson speak about the condition of the economy, the obvious gridlock in Congress, and the need for political parties of both persuasions to find common ground.  There were a lot of nodding heads in the audience.  He spoke of four challenges that affect our economy: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and Welfare.  

How about those Bravos, huh? They’ve been having a great season so far on the field--but we like to think it’s because they know the amazing work they’re doing off the field too. This season, in partnership with the Atlanta Braves and Kroger, we’re going to “Strike Out Hunger” across metro Atlanta and north Georgia.

National Volunteer Week may have come and gone, but we’re still buzzing with excitement.

Here at the Food Bank, we simply couldn’t do what we do without volunteers. Last fiscal year, it would have taken 52 full-time staff members to complete the work our volunteers accomplished. So, when given the opportunity to celebrate them, we go all out!

In the IRS system, until you file a return, you exist as an individual identifiable by a unique Social Security Number (SSN) with various wage and financial documents filed with the IRS assigned to your name and SSN. Filing a return is your opportunity to provide the IRS with info to complete your life story of the tax year in question to accurately calculate your taxable income and liability.

This morning, we hosted a group of lawyers and law firms to help garner support for the Georgia Legal Food Frenzy, a statewide food and fund drive to benefit the seven food banks of the Georgia Food Bank Association. Attorney General Sam Olens stopped by to help rally the troops to make this year’s Legal Food Frenzy bigger and better than ever.

You are what you eat. How many times have we heard this over the course of our lives? As cliché as that phrase has become, it is still absolutely true. Food is the fuel that makes our bodies go. The more premium fuel you put in your body, the better it will run and the better it will take care of you. Unfortunately, just like real automobile fuel, purchasing premium nutritious food has become increasingly costly.

Whew.

Yesterday was the Hunger Walk/Run and it couldn’t have been a more perfect day. With the temperature hitting 70º and the sun shining, approximately 15,000 Georgians came out to walk or run against hunger.

Last night, several Food Bank staffers attended a screening of ‘A Place at the Table’, a new documentary from the filmmakers of ‘Food Inc.’, about hunger in America.

I have a headache.

My nose is stuffy and my mouth is dry. I'm trying not to bend over much--hurts my head.

The basic problem is not a problem, it's a pollen. My honeybees are flying home covered with the yellow and orange stuff. Gobs and gobs of it to feed the babies. And the babies are hungry, they are trying to grow fast to be in time for spring.  Honeybees have a 'do or die' attitude toward spring, and so do I. Last week, I was trying to plow mud to get some land ready to plant.

We just completed the busiest holiday season in our 33 year history: over 800 food drives, thousands of volunteers, and numerous special events, engaging more and more people in the work of hunger relief.  In November and December alone, the Food Bank distributed record breaking amounts of food and grocery products to our partner agencies – eight million pounds.  This was not a surprise as our distribution has grown by 85% over the past four years.  Our staff, volunteers and supporters have responded to our communities’ needs with creativity, professionalism and tremendous effort.

Yesterday was the 14th Annual Great Thanksgiving Dish, a special holiday tradition that brings together media from local TV stations to prepare Thanksgiving meals. This year, Dish provided 2,700 Thanksgiving meals for organizations that are partner agencies of Atlanta’s Table, a project of the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

Thanksgiving Dish is a time for us to prepare special holiday meals for those in need with the support of the Renaissance Waverly Hotel and other Renaissance and Marriott hotels. 

This past summer, we had a group of volunteers in our Product Rescue Center doing exactly what they were trained to do: keep the usable food and toss anything that is beyond a certain expiration date. Certainly a bag of black-eyed peas dated 1970 would qualify for the “toss” category, right? Turns out those peas got a second chance.