FACT SHEET

– July 2007 to June 2008–

Mission

The mission of The Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula is to distribute food effectively through collaborative efforts that minimize hunger, promote nutrition and self-reliance through education.

Goals

1). Ensure future capability to acquire, store and distribute food for those in need within our community.

2). Secure sufficient funding to sustain operations.

3). Recruit, develop and maintain the most qualified and committed people as personnel and board members.

4). Collaborate with agencies and other organizations to provide food for those in need.

5). Educate the community about the problem of hunger, basic nutrition, safe food handling and self-reliance.

Programs

· Donated Food Distribution Program

- Donated Food Distribution Program

- USDA TEFAP Food Distribution Program

- FEMA Emergency Food Distribution Program

· Virginia’s Table Prepared & Perishable Food Rescue Program

- Neighbor to Neighbor Program

- We Produce...Produce Program

- The Bread Plus Program

· Nutrition/Self-Sufficiency Training Program

- Nutrition, Self-Sufficiency and Food Safety Training/Education Program

- Kid’s Cafe Program

- Food For Kids Backpack Program

- Plant a Row for the Hungry Program

· SHARE Hampton Roads (Self Help and Resource Exchange)

Twenty-Two Years of Service

Since its inception in l986, the Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula has distributed a total of 83,913,272 pounds of food to benefit the needy and hungry of the Virginia Peninsula. This equates to $125,030,775 worth of food at a wholesale value of $1.49 per pound this year, as determined annually by America’s Second Harvest National Network of Food Banks.

During the 2007 - 2008 fiscal year, the Foodbank distributed 9,468,890 pounds of food throughout its nine-jurisdiction service area on the Virginia Peninsula. This service area encompasses the cities of Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson and Williamsburg and the counties of Gloucester, James City, Mathews, Surry and York.

Providing Food Security

The Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula's Food Distribution Program serves as a regional clearinghouse for donated and purchased food as well as related items. In turn, these items are distributed to qualified nonprofit organizations providing food to the less fortunate on the Peninsula.

The Foodbank acquires surpluses and potentially recoverable discards gathered from local retailers, wholesalers, distributors, food industry manufacturers, brokers, grocery stores, gleaning projects and individual donors from throughout our service area on the Virginia Peninsula. Further, food made available for the Peninsula’s needy residents is also received from national donors through the

America

’s Second Harvest National Network of Food Banks. Also, first quality food items are obtained from the USDA through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), collected in food drives supported by numerous organizations and individuals, as well as purchased with FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and other private grant funding.

The Foodbank then distributes these goods to emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and other nonprofit agencies which assist Peninsula residents who fall into need each day. In 2007 – 2008, the Foodbank provided food to 241 nonprofit member agencies comprising 522 programs supplying food security to the needy on the Peninsula.

Other Programs Benefiting Peninsula Residents

A Prepared and Perishable Foods Rescue Program, Virginia’s Table, gathers food from local restaurants, hospitals and educational facilities and delivers it directly to local shelters and soup kitchen feeding programs. This program distributed 57,052 pounds of prepared foods on the Peninsula during the 2007 – 2008 fiscal year.

The Bread Distribution Program distributes donated bread, produce and other perishables from food retailers and bakeries, amounting to 2,605,233 pounds, or an average of over 50,000 pounds of food products weekly this year.

The We Produce…Produce Program delivered 432,314 pounds of surplus produce, perishable items and USDA TEFAP commodities to low income, senior housing and community center projects this fiscal year. Overall for the year, 862,776 pounds of USDA TEFAP commodities and 1,573,730 pounds of fresh produce were distributed.

The Neighbor to Neighbor Program links prepared and perishable food donors directly with qualified agencies who have received the appropriate safe food handling training. Through this program, 1,416,966 pounds of food were collected and distributed in FY 2007-08.

The Foodbank also extends nutrition, food safety and self-sufficiency training to low income individuals and member agency representatives through its Nutrition/Self-Sufficiency Training Program.

In 2007 – 2008, this program provided this training to 44,921 high risk, low income individuals, empowering them to strive towards meeting their own nutritional, financial and self-actualization goals.

The Kid's Cafe Program provides a nutritious afternoon meal or snack to children in after school programs in a safe, caring and learning environment. Currently, there are 24 Kids Café sites that have served 230,559 meals or nutritious snacks to an average of 1,432 children weekly during this past school year.

In 2005, our Food For Kids Backpack program was implemented through partnerships with three Title I elementary schools (defined as schools with a population of greater than 50% of the children receiving free or reduced price federal school meals). Last year we were able to grow to a total of nine elementary schools, and this year growth continued for us to be able to serve eleven elementary schools through this program. Weekly, we provided nutritious bags of food for over 670 children, an increase of 225 students over last year. These distributions consisted of a variety of produce, bread and other kid friendly, yet nutritious food items, and amounted to 214,349 pounds, a 64% increase over the130,377 pounds distributed last year.

Last, the Plant-A-Row for the Hungry Program was continued this year through numerous community and individual gardens; promoting nutrition, self-reliance, and urban beautification.

New in January of 2002, the SHARE (Self-Help and Resource Exchange) Program was implemented by the Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula. SHARE is a national network of non-profit organizations dedicated to providing quality monthly food packages at a reduced cost, promoting volunteer service in our communities and the building of partnerships between community organizations. For $19 and two hours of community service, SHARE offers a nutritious food package worth approximately $40. In its inaugural month, the program served 350 individuals. Growth in this program had increased to an average of over 1,000 participants a month by June 2008.

All of these phenomenal programs could not be accomplished without the help and assistance of dedicated volunteers. A total of 46,761 volunteer hours (including 19,930 hours in the SHARE Program) were contributed from throughout our service area, saving $912,307 in salaries (based on a value of $19.51/hour as determined by the Independent Sector) in support of the Foodbank and its hunger relief programs on the Peninsula in FY 2007 – 2008.

Food Insecure Target Population

The population targeted by the Foodbank is those individuals at risk of losing their food security by nature of the fact that they live at 185% or below the poverty level. According to US Census Bureau, Census 2000, nearly 50,000 people in the afore-mentioned jurisdictions are at risk of food insecurity, and many from outright hunger, lamentably because of the fact that they live at or below the poverty level.

(Currently at $21,200 a year for a family of four). Of these impoverished people, 18,591 are related children under the age of eighteen. Further, an additional 78,000 individuals are at risk of food insecurity because their annual household incomes do not exceed $25,000, or 185% of the poverty level for the average household size on the Peninsula.

This level of 185% of poverty is the income threshold for the majority of Federal Food Assistance programs, including the free or reduced price School Breakfast Program, the National School Lunch Program, the Summer Food Service Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).

These folks may consist of individuals who are the employed working poor, un - or underemployed, laid-off, homeless, mentally handicapped, mentally ill, elderly, disabled, chemically dependent, AIDS victims, women and children nutritionally at risk, victims of domestic violence, and the financially impoverished.

Affiliations

· The Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula is a member of Feeding America (formerly America’s Second Harvest) National Network of Food Banks, and operates under sanitation and operational guidelines set by Feeding America, as well as federal, state and municipal health and safety regulations.

· The Foodbank is a certified member of the United Way of the Virginia Peninsula, as well as the Peninsula Continuum of Care Council. These groups work collaboratively with their members to improve the quality of life of those living on the Virginia Peninsula and seek to develop a continuum of services to assist individuals in attaining self-sufficiency.

· The Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula cooperates with six other food banks located in the Commonwealth of Virginia (The Federation of Virginia Foodbanks) to find ways and means to bring increased amounts of nutritious foods to our service areas for distribution to the needy.

· The Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula serves on the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) Advisory Committee which recommends purchasing and policy decisions for the administration of The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) of the USDA Commodities Food Program.

· The Foodbank is an active participant and founding member of the Virginia, Southeastern Virginia, and Peninsula Regional Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD). This group of non-profit organizations is active in the recovery phases of both natural and manmade disasters. Members coordinate their efforts in responding to the effects of disasters. During the response and recovery phases following Hurricane Isabel, the Foodbank distributed 491,973 pounds of food to disaster victims on the Peninsula.

2007 – 2008 Highlights

For our most recently concluded fiscal period of July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008, the Foodbank distributed 9,468,890 pounds of food, representing an increase of 915,958 pounds, or 11%, over the previous fiscal period.

Community nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations withdrawing food from the Foodbank numbered 241 agencies, a slight decrease of 4 agencies this fiscal period, dropping from 245 to 241. These agencies comprised a total of 522 programs assisting the Virginia Peninsula's needy and hungry.

The number of participants utilizing the Nutrition Education Self Sufficiency Training Program grew by 60% this fiscal year, providing nutrition, food safety and basic living skills training to 44,921 low income, at risk individuals, empowering them to strive towards meeting their own nutritional, financial and self-actualization goals.

The Kid’s Cafe Program has grown to 24 sites with 230,559 meals or nutritious snacks served in FY 2007– 2008, dropping a modest 2% from last year. Kids Cafes provide nutritious afternoon meals or snacks to under-privileged school children in a safe, caring and learning environment.

Through partnerships with elevenTitle I elementary schools, (defined as schools with a population of greater than 50% of the children receiving free or reduced price federal school meals), our Food For Kids Program provided weekly throughout the school year nutritious bags of food for over 670 children, an increase of 225 chidren over last year. These distributions consisted of a variety of produce, bread and other kid friendly, yet nutritious food items, and amounted to 214,349 pounds this fiscal year, a 64% increase over last year.

This past year our Prepared and Perishable Foods Program rescued 57,052 pounds of food that would have otherwise been discarded, an increase of 9% over last year.

Our Community Gardens Program continued promoting nutrition, self-reliance, and urban beautification by our participation in the Plant A Row for the Hungry Program.

A total of 46,761 volunteer hours (including 19,930 hours in the SHARE Program) were contributed from throughout our service area, saving $912,307 in salaries (based on a value of $19.51/hour as determined by the Independent Sector) in support of the Foodbank and its hunger relief programs on the Peninsula in FY 2007 – 2008.

Functional expenses for support services (management and general as well as fund raising) amounted to only 19.2% before the value of donated food distributed is considered. Correspondingly, 80.8% of our expenses were devoted to program services which go directly to our neighbors in need on the Peninsula. When the value of donated food distributed, which amounted to $13,058,237 is taken into account, 97.75% of our expenses are devoted to program services, with less than 2.25% being utilized for the support services of fundraising and management and general.

Total Functional Expenses (excluding the value of donated food distributed and the cost of goods sold for purchased food), were 15.24 cents per pound of donated food distributed, which represents a slight decrease from last fiscal year’s expense of 15.30 cents per pound. For less than 20 cents, which is much less than the cost to mail two first class letters, the Foodbank can provide enough donated food for a meal. For every dollar contributed, the Foodbank provides nearly $10.00 worth of food. This same dollar is also an amount sufficient to supply over five meals.

FOODBANK OF THE VIRGINIA PENINSULA, INC.

9912 Hosier Street, Newport News, VA 23601 * Phone: (757) 596-7188