Food For Thought

 News Release

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 Local Nonprofit Food Pantry Awarded Andersons Fund Grant

 TOLEDO, Ohio–August 1, 2010–Food For Thought, a local provider of food to the area’s impoverished, has been granted funding to support renovations for their pantry located in Oregon, Ohio.  The grant, in the amount of $2,143, was awarded by the Andersons Fund Supporting Organization of The Toledo Community Foundation.

The Andersons Fund Supporting Organization grant will be used to purchase materials to build shelving and reorganize the pantry’s storage area, allowing the organization to better arrange and distribute the large amounts of nonperishable food products processed on a monthly basis.  Food For Thought serves over 1,000 families throughout Lucas County every month through their Oregon pantry and award-winning mobile pantry.

The Toledo Community Foundation, Inc. is a public charitable organization created by citizens of our community to enrich the quality of life for individuals and families in our area. In existence since 1973, the Foundation now has over 450 funds with assets of approximately $138 million.  The Foundation provides philanthropic services for individuals, families, businesses, and corporations to meet their charitable giving needs.  For more information on the Foundation, visit the organization’s website at www.toledocf.org.

Food For Thought is a local nonprofit organization serving Lucas County through multiple avenues.  Beginning as a small Saturday morning gathering, Food For Thought now serves sack lunches, including their famous PB&J, to around 350 unhoused individuals every Saturday morning in downtown Toledo.  Their choice mobile food pantry allows them to serve hundreds of impoverished families per month by providing a variety of food and resources to those that may not otherwise have access to a pantry.  For more information, please visit freelunchtoledo.com.

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Please check out this story, courtesy of  WTOL regarding our vertical grow garden at Clay High School!  It’s amazing technology that we are so happy to be a part of.

http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=12661654

First of all – a great big thank you to all of the volunteers who came through last week with help to do grill outs, gather groceries, clear debris, and just generally bless and help the families affected by the tornadoes.

Disaster Relief Update
Would you like to continue to help the areas affected by the tornadoes?  We don’t have reliable information yet from Fulton or Ottawa County, but Wood County has set up a fund through the United Way to collect and manage donations for Lake Township.  This fund is being managed by United Way at no cost, and a long term recovery committee of Lake Township stakeholders will manage the money.  You can give through UW by designating the “Millbury-Lake Township Tornado Fund” and selecting a designation: police, fire, parks, schools, victims.  Or you can give to the general fund and they will distribute accordingly.

The last we heard, there is not much more volunteer help needed, but you can always check in with St. Peter’s Church in Millbury to be directed to sites.  If you know of any information, please email tana(at)freelunchtoledo.com, and we can update our Facebook page.

Grocery Assistance and Other Help
We are gearing up for our regularly-scheduled mobile visit to Lake Township, in partnership with the Lake Township Firebelles.  We are packing extra food and toiletries to help those affected by the tornado, and the Firebelles have collected some extra goodies as well!  Hopefully, we can help some of the affected families through this effort.

In addition to this mobile, we have also extended an offer of help to Ottawa and Fulton Counties.  We will keep you updated of the status of these offers.  In the meantime, we are still collecting breakfast items and hygiene products for our Lake mobile.  Any items not used for disaster relief will directly benefit the 1,300 families we help through our pantry every month.

Pantry Needs
Speaking of the pantry…we are in need of some supplies for areas we are running low!  Can you organize a food drive?  If so, please concentrate on the following items:

–Drinks – fruit juice, powdered beverages
–Breakfast items
–Canned fruit (please no canned vegetables)
–Hygiene products – particularly all variations of soap – laundry, dish, hand, shower

Can you imagine going through the week without soap?  Many of our patrons do.  Food stamps cannot be used for non-food products, so many of our pantry visitors find themselves stuck when it comes to these items.  Please help us out by donating today!

Migrant Camp Visits Coming Up
Once again this summer, we are teaming up with FLOC to bring the mobile pantry to migrant camp workers and their families.  We will be doing these most Tuesday evenings in July and August.  If you would like to help, please email Matt at matt(at)freelunchtoledo.com or call him at 419.388.5806.  If you can speak Spanish, that is a definite PLUS!

Kroger Rewards – are you signed up?
Please help us raise money by signing up for Kroger Rewards!  Go to www.krogercommunityrewards.com.  By signing up (using your Kroger card) and designating Food For Thought Toledo as the recipient of Rewards funds, we can earn 3% of the amount all of our “designated shoppers” spend on groceries!  It doesn’t cost you a thing!

Please note: If you did not renew after April 1st, your purchases aren’t being counted!  We received a communication from Kroger that only 35% of our donors re-enrolled so far.  So please re-enroll today!!

Thank you all for all you do to help us help others!