Minutes

Alaska Food Coalition
Annual Meeting
May 3-5, 2003

May 3, 2002 - The annual meeting began at about 11:00 A.M. as most of the attending members began to arrive at the conference room. Present were:

Sam Castle-Kirstein - Community Food Bank - Fairbanks
Louise Charles - Senior Services - Bethel
Diane Disanto - State of Alaska DHSS
Jim Fisher - Peninsula Food Bank - Kenai
George Hieronymous -Rasmusson Foundation - Anchorage
Sara Jackson - St. Francis House/CSS - Anchorage
Trevor Jones -Food Bank/Baptist Mission - Kodiak
Betty Mercer - Senior Services - Wasilla
Peggy Moore - Peninsula Food Bank - Kenai
Susanna Morgan - Food Bank of Alaska
Joe & Nila Morgan - Abbot Loop Social Services
Ellen Northup - Juneau Senior Center
Wendell Otness - Rescue Misson - Fairbanks
Katrina Grundahl -Salvation Army - Anchorage
Annabelle Stevens - United Way - Anchorage
Jean Tombaugh - Nome Community Center
Anita Williams - Abbot Loop Social Services

The meeting opened with quick introductions. Peggy Moore from Kenai noted that their recipient numbers are on the increase, there were many nods of agreement around the room. Trevor said that his numbers were increasing as well and that he remembered last year feeling confident that he would always have an adequate supply of food to meet the demand. Unfortunately, that is not the case with his program today.

Susannah gave the Treasurer's Report. She provided the membership with the Budget Expenses to date and a list of grant recipients. She added a grant for housing for Ellen Northrup for the meeting because Ellen's program is unable to fund it and we all agreed that we wanted Ellen there with us. Louise mentioned how thankful her center is for the dish sanitizer. They serve over 2,000 meals each month and had to try to sanitize dishes by hand. All the other grant recipients expressed gratitude for the assistance. Susannah explained that Roy from Dillingham had let her know that he wanted to submit a grant, but he has been having some serious health problems and has not been able to complete the process. She does not know for sure how much he needs, but she moved to reserve $1,500 pending receipt of a grant request from his program. Katrina seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. Louise said that she would follow up with Roy and try to assist him in getting the request submitted.

A discussion ensued concerning the Food Coalition brochure. How can we get it printed? Susannah will copy and use it in her work with outlying villages, but wider use will be dependent upon funding to get more copies printed. Diane said that the brochure is a good education tool.

There was a discussion of who should be at the Food Coalition meetings. Is there a fiscal need to limit participation?

Peggy gave a briefing on the banquet. There will be 57 people attending. A chance to honor some of the major donors that support the Kenai Food Bank as well as other programs throughout the state. It is to be a very lovely banquet, made possible through Peggy's hard work and the generosity of Isabelle's Catering who is donating much of their service. We are blessed.

Old Business

We discussed how to spend the $75,000 we have for food. Susannah gave us four possible options for food purchase. There was a discussion and a vote, with Option 3 favored by most programs. Protein items are the most needed by most of the programs. Susannah said she would keep our suggestions in mind if she has to make any substitutions on product.

Louise says we need contacts with more Hub villages (i.e. Aniak, Emmonak). Bethel cannot serve 56 villages. There is a big gap in the villages between the rich and the poor.

Susannah talked about the Hunger Summit that was held in Anchorage. It's purpose was to bring together all of the separate entities in Anchorage that are providing food to people, both religious and secular organizations, to explore how we can work together to better serve the community. Out of that meeting two task forces were formed. Track I - to define the scope of the problem and whether and if so, how to track in order to identify individuals and families that may benefit from some type of case management. Track II - childhood hunger - big gaps in summer food programs for kids and nutritious food programs for high school students.

Diane stated that we need to have a statewide summit particularly around transporting food out to the villages.

(BREAK FOR LUNCH)

Annabelle said that her main concern these days is working the issue of making hot breakfast available to hungry kids.

Susannah spoke of the objectives and priorities of the Food Bank of Alaska:

1. More food to more people in Alaska.
2. Hunger Education and Advocacy
3. Working on food issues on a national level and looking for federal grants.
4. Acquiring and implementing better technology.
5. Not doing direct services, but supporting the programs that do. The order of their concern is Hungry People (first), Agency Support (second) and Food Bank of Alaska (third). She is excited about increased collaboration in Anchorage and dreams of better collaborative efforts statewide.

Ellen spoke of her work with the Juneau Senior Center & meals on wheels. They serve between 150-180 meals per day. People pay what they can, no one is turned away. The meals are nutritionally balanced and costs increase when needed items are out of season. They serve the elderly and the disabled. She also still works at the food bank on Saturday morning, distributing excess food. She has always been a strong advocate for hungry people and hates to see any food thrown away. She appreciates the Alaska Food Coalition and thinks that we need to keep working together on statewide hunger issues.

DHSS Staff Reports by Teleconference:

Janet Clark and Jay Livey spoke to us about the state of the budget. The picture is bleak for all human services concerns. Hard to tell what the final outcomes will be but the many cuts to many programs will negatively impact our clients and increase demand for our services. They are unable to promise any specific financial support for the Alaska Food Coalition at this time, but Jay pledged to try to help us keep it going and said that he will consider any proposals we submit. Louise commented the effects of the budgets will be even more devastating in rural communities. Jay said it was still not too late to let legislators know how you feel about pending legislation. Some people are still fighting to make a difference. Two examples of representative who are putting their political careers on the line to argue on the side of human needs are Peggy Wilson from Wrangel and Gary Stevens from Kodiak. If we should send them our thanks for their efforts. Elmer reported that the prognosis on HB315 (insurance bill) was not good. Representative Pete Kott was against, but the good news is that the bill to increase the eligibility income limit for DKC appears to be safely dead and buried. Janet said that the HSMG had been restored to 75% and would probably stay there. Jim Dahlman and Chris talked to us about TANEF. Food stamp enrollment has increased by 17% since March of '01. Good news is that the Farm Bill is likely to pass and will reinstate benefits for legal aliens. That bill also includes adjustments for larger families, quality control and transitional food stamps for five months after leaving ATAP. Jim Norlund thanked the Food Coalition for our work on behalf of hungry Alaskans. He talked about the drastic cuts to DFYS staff, and how tourism up and down will impact families working in that industry. Chris commented that TANEF was not cut, but neither was it inflation proofed or increased. There is a huge increase on work requirements for ATAP. 70%. Workers must spend a lot of time meeting that requirement rather than doing case management. Ended the staff reports with a review of things that are going well: DKC, counseling of ATAP leavers, there is a fair process in place for extension when necessary. There is a new building being completed to house the Juneau Food Bank. It is presently in transition but hopefully will soon have a permanent home. Many thanks to DHSS staff for their ongoing support of the Alaska Food Coalition.

Return to site reports:

Fairbanks Rescue Mission - Facility is capable of housing 100 men and 60 women and children. This winter they averaged 45 men and 12 women and children. Seeing a lot of new faces this spring. Rumors of work bring a large influx of new people in summer. They have increased their staff from 4 to 9 full-time employees. Their budget is strained. They serve 3 meals a day, 7 days a week. 100-125 meals per day.

Anchorage Salvation Army has a grant to move families to independence. Food pantry is in a new location with a walk in freezer, walk in cooler and more storage space. Katrina is concerned about the increase in people moving to Alaska seeking work or assistance.

Kodiak's goal is to be a food bank rather than a food pantry. They are a distribution site for TEFAP to outlying areas. However, they have seen a 60% increase in their direct service component over the last year and it is beginning to exhaust their resources. Last year food supply was never a problem, now, suddenly, it is. Trevor attributes this to the local economy - the lack of fish. 79% of Kodiak is employed in the fishing industry, 11% are unemployed, and the rest are underemployed - underpaid. Trevor appreciates how important these low wage earners are to the community. Without them the community would collapse. Kodiak Food Bank has formed a community advisory committee for feedback on these issues. Included on the advisory committee are local grocers and the Director of Brother Francis Shelter. The food bank enjoys strong church support. By-catch is an important resource that the food bank wants to look into more in depth. Trevor feels that the networking made possible through the Food Coalition is a good thing.

Betty, Title V worker - Wasilla Senior Center, loves her food bank, distributes TEFAP, does the paperwork, everything runs very smoothly. Distributes 13,000 - 15,000 lbs of food each month. She receives the food, gives it out and makes her families laugh. She serves a lot of large Ukrainian families with 13-15 in the family. She has worked tirelessly to get a kitchen built in one of the local schools that would make a children's breakfast program possible. She will have a Summer Solstice Food Drive and a race on July 6 that will be a fundraiser for Home Delivered Meals. She is working with a non-denominational faith based organization called Sonrise on services to the hungry and the homeless that ultimately one day hopes to provide a larger food pantry, a soup kitchen, shelter and job training opportunities.

Louise, Bethel Senior Services, employs six Title V workers. Feed 30 - 40 people daily at the center. The number always seems to be increasing. They deliver 40 meals a day to people's homes. People who eat at the center are encouraged to take food home with them if they need to. Sometimes they eat just a little and take the rest home to feed their families. They are needing to feed more people with less resources. They use students from the alternative high school who have community work service hours. This is good for the youth and the elders. They want to engage the local tribal association and churches to provide them with more storage space. They need increased community support. Alaska Food Coalition has come to their aid twice. Stores contribute when they can, but not often. There are no child care centers in Bethel, so elders are often expected to do childcare. There is a group of service providers who are trying to provide an assisted living center. YKHC may work with Louise on a food bank.

Kenai has the highest unemployment in the state, more veterans per capita than anywhere in the country. They are not ashamed to advocate for the people who have needs. Their community is largely made up of homesteaders, oil patch workers, and commercial fishermen. They do a lot of community education and enjoy strong community support. One of the fun, creative ideas they employ are "birthday bags". Peggy has an agreement with the local distributors of American Greetings and Hallmark to receive their outdated party merchandise (plates, napkins, etc.), combines this with cake mix and icing and gives them out to parents who have a child celebrating a birthday. The kids really look forward to their turn. They strive to treat people with dignity. They receive $9,000 in FEMA funds, otherwise they are dependent solely on community support. There are continually increasing demand for emergency food boxes and a decrease in agencies able to have pantries, so Kenai has also seen a dramatic increase in direct services to clients. They distribute TEFAP to 620 family each month and give out about 1,000 emergency food boxes. Abbott Loop Community Services in Anchorage has been providing assistance since 1973. They run a Give & Take where people can come for clothing and household goods one time per week. They give out produce from Carrs and bread and cookies. They serve about 250 families per week and supply three other agencies. They are also affiliated with His Place, which provides food to about 130 families per week. CPPA 24 churches come to pick-up food. Shipping out to 2 villages (1,000 lb. pallets). They also run a transitional living program. Their emphasis is on promoting self-sufficiency, they pair volunteers with clients who befriend the client and try to find out the underlying cause of the emergency situation.

Fairbanks - program is 20 years old. They glean, plant and collect free food, which they give away for free. The biggest strain on their program is the unpredictability of volunteer labor, donations and client numbers. Despite the uncertainty of it all, they proceed with a lot of faith and Sam cultivates wide community support. Hunger Hurts/Good Happens. St. Francis House Anchorage shared information collected during their annual food survey conducted in February. St. Francis House numbers are also up significantly and they are very concerned about the pending cuts to state programs that will undoubtedly result in higher demand and less resource. Apologies to Jean Tombaugh, Nome Community Center, I missed her report. It was given early Saturday morning before I got to the meeting.

At 7:00 PM we enjoyed an awesome banquet put together by Kenai Peninsula Food Bank and had an opportunity to join with them in thanking many of their supporters, some of whom also support other food programs in the state. A good time was had by all.

Saturday morning, bright and early we were privileged to be in class with Dennis McMillan, CEO of the Foraker Group, who presented a dynamic daylong training on resource raising. Dennis spoke to us about the importance of board development and smart vs. not so smart ways to try to fund our programs. He also talked to us about collaboration. It was a very worthwhile day.

Sunday morning, back to business:

Southeast Alaska food bank is trying to finish their building. They need a garage door. Shall we allow them to apply past the deadline? Susannah moved to reserve $1,500 pending receipt of application by June 1, 2002. Jamie seconded. Discussion. Motion fails, 7 to 6.

We talked about future meetings. Where they could be held and who should be members. Trevor offered to provide food and housing if we ever wanted to hold a meeting in Kodiak. Membership should be a small think tank, with diverse, statewide representation.

Election of officers:

Sam moved to elect Wendell as Chair of the Alaska Food Coalition, Susannah seconded. Motion passed. Wendell moved to nominate Trevor as Vice Chair, Peggy seconded. Motion passed. The coalition voted unanimously to retain Susannah and Sara in their present positions as Treasurer and Secretary, respectively.

Does the Alaska Food Coalition have a future? And if so, what does it look like?

Amount of state support, if any, is an unknown at this point. Susannah would like to see the coalition continue to strengthen and support it's members, facilitate a statewide Hunger Summit, improve data collection and benchmarking, advocate on hunger issues. She would like to use at least $10,000 of whatever state funding we receive and seek foundation support for the balance needed to hire a staff person to attain these objectives. She could headquarter this person at the Food Bank of Alaska.

Sam suggested that we use any funds we receive in the same manner as we have in the past, contingent upon the amount we receive. Or, another alternative, would be to split state grant dollars equally between regions and allow regions to determine the best use of the funds.

Wendell said that we need a membership committee and we need to write a proposal to the state and/or Rasmusson Foundation.

Diane suggested that the Food Coalition was not primarily intended to provide food directly. Its purpose was to build infrastructure to support local food programs. Therefore, we could merge Susannah's plan with part of Sam's. Take out the money for food. Hire an office staff person and keep the travel and equipment grants.

Wendell proposes another meeting in Anchorage in July to develop a strategic plan. A possibility of meeting in Anchorage on July 29, 30, and 31 is discussed with direction from Foraker Group. Susannah will contact Foraker Group and Sara will contact UAA about possible housing.

Another suggestion is we might be able to get Brian Rodgers in Fairbanks to work with us. He is a friend of Karen Perdue and has a history with the Alaska Food Coalition. This would be even better. Members could stay at the Fairbanks Rescue Mission. Sam will try Brian first, if that does not work, we will try for Foraker in Anchorage.

Trevor moved to adjourn the meeting. Sara seconded.