My Interview with Ken Newman Wraps Up

Here’s my last blog entry from my long interview with volunteer Ken Newman. I asked him whether he ever hears comments such as, “That person doesn’t look like they need help. They’ve got nice clothes and even a nice car. They shouldn’t be coming in for food.”

Here’s what Ken had to say:

“Something to remember at Cherry Street…Northwest Harvest helps everyone. Everyone will be treated with respect, and they don’t have to ‘qualify’ to receive assistance. If they can get to us, they can get food. We have clients who are facing a temporary crisis. We have clients who work in entry-level jobs and are struggling to pay all the bills in this expensive place to live. Because access to Cherry Street Food Bank can be a problem for some prospective clients, we have people who come to pick up food for friends or neighbors, or even for people they have become aware of through some involvement at their church or a community organization. If that other person cannot come to us, the well-dressed person in the nice car may be here to get help for them.”

Northwest Harvest's 2010 Focus Group Report

Every year Northwest Harvest creates what we call a Focus Group report. This year we involved 68 food banks from throughout Washington State. Staff members from Northwest Harvest facilitated these conversations but they were really led by the participants -- food bank clients. They talked about their struggles and shared their stories.

This year we met with people in Chehalis, Edmonds, Richland, South Whidbey and Wenatchee. There are a lot of personal, touching and heartbreaking stories shared in the report. I assure you, it is very much worth taking the time to read.  Did you know that one in six children in this state lives in a family experiencing poverty? 

 

School meal programs were a topic discussed in every region.  While most have some sort of program during the year, others, such as Chehalis, have no meal programs for kids during the summer months. As the father of two young boys, it is so hard to read these stories and visualize what these families must go through.

 

At the end of each of the sessions, each group shared the requests they had for their policy makers. I wanted to share some of these here with you. 

 

• "Don't cut free school meals program."
• "Why is there cash for cars but not for people living under bridges?"
• "Make it easier to apply for unemployment!"
• "People assume we aren't trying enough. But we're only taking support as a supplement."

Please take a look at this year's report by clicking here and please, share your feedback with me. What stories affected you the most? What did you think of some of the solutions offered?

 

More Thoughts from Volunteer Ken Newman

I’ve been talking recently with one of our long-time volunteers, Ken Newman, and reporting here on some of his thoughts. Here’s what he had to say about the idea that you never know who will need the help of a food bank – and that it might even be you one day.

“Current economic conditions have taught many people to ‘never say never’. But even before these extraordinary conditions, people found themselves facing issues that were more than their resources could address. Fortunately, an organization like Northwest Harvest was available to help. Several years ago, I was covering the switchboard during a lunch break and received a call from a woman who identified herself as a donor. She asked if she could get some help. She worked at an area hospital and donated regularly by payroll deduction. She had recently undergone surgery, and had already run through all her available sick leave and vacation time. I assumed that she would need to stop the payroll deduction, and asked if I could put her in touch with the person who could help with that. Her reply was “No. I need help. I’m a single mother with a fourteen-year-old daughter at home. Because of the surgery, I can’t drive yet. We need food. Can you help me?” We were able to put one of our nearby member food programs in touch with her, and she was able to get food. Even more so today, we’re seeing donors become clients as they find themselves strapped beyond their resources. Fortunately, we are also seeing members of our community step up their support to provide help to their neighbors in need.”

Volunteer Spotlight: Ken Newman

I was talking the other day to Ken Newman, a long-time volunteer of ours. He not only volunteers at our food bank, he’s on our Speaker’s Bureau team and volunteers at special events with his wife. I’m always curious to know how our volunteers get involved and why they stay, and this is what he had to say:

“Northwest Harvest is people helping people. I support Northwest Harvest because of its policy of ‘support for all.’ If you can get to us, you can get help. I have volunteered for another food organization where restrictions were attached to the programs. The organization only supported families with children, elderly and disabled persons. No single adults were eligible, and everyone had to fill out paperwork to establish that they were qualified to receive help. Those who qualified could only come in one time a month. I prefer to devote my energies to Northwest Harvest.”

My next question of Ken – why do you keep coming back, year after year after year?

“While I enjoy being able to help people, the part I enjoy most is the people I get to meet and talk to. Because Northwest Harvest has such a positive image in the community, it draws volunteers from a broad spectrum of backgrounds, companies and life experiences. I have worked alongside a man who was a paratrooper in WWII and later worked on a rubber plantation in the Belgian Congo. Another one played for the Chicago Bears for three years in the NFL. One of our volunteers was attending the college back East that I graduated from nearly 40 years ago, and I got to catch up first-hand on campus activity. I met a man who helped to build the new Yankee Stadium. Another volunteer spent two years in the Philippines in the Peace Corps in the 1960s…on the same island as a young friend from my church who just returned from a two year stint. As a result of activities in the Speakers Bureau at Northwest Harvest, I’ve gotten to meet several television personalities and have been backstage to talk to piano artist George Winston on three occasions. I even got my mug in a couple of Associated Press photos that ended up in newspapers and on MSNBC. I’ve been involved with Northwest Harvest for seven years, and it has been a tremendous experience.”

Mickey Mouse in the House!

Today, I invited our volunteer manager, Stephanie Davison, to say a few words about a special guest who appeared at our Kent warehouse last weekend:

"On Saturday, January 9, I saw a familiar face at Northwest Harvest’s warehouse in Kent—a very familiar face—that of Mickey Mouse! Yes, Mickey came to Northwest Harvest to VoluntEAR with us and to kick off Disney’s promotion (with HandsOn Network and its affiliate, Seattle Works) called “Give A Day. Get A Disney Day.” Mickey brought guests, too: the JAMMitors, Disney’s street drum performance group from Orlando, Florida.

After hearing a few words from the days’ sponsors and hosts, about 50 Northwest Harvest volunteers packaged over 30,000 pounds of rice and Gala apples for our neighbors in need throughout Washington State.

On hand was KING 5’s Meeghan Black of Evening Magazine and her camera crew, who skillfully taped Northwest Harvest’s warehouse and volunteers for a backdrop of the kickoff event of HandsOn Network’s collaboration with Disney. “Give A Day. Get A Disney Day.” is a program that celebrates and inspires volunteerism while HandsOn Network connects volunteers with community needs. Disney is thanking those that volunteer for an eligible opportunity by giving them a free ticket good for a one-day admission to a Walt Disney World® or Disneyland® theme park. (Terms and conditions apply.)

While our volunteers give their time without expectation of reward or fanfare, I am happy to say that Northwest Harvest is a participating organization and people who volunteer with us after January 1, 2010 may be eligible to receive a one-day admission ticket to Walt Disney World® or Disneyland® theme park.

After arranging your volunteer date and volunteering, Northwest Harvest will need to verify your service for you to receive your free ticket from Disney. (Volunteers must sign up to volunteer for opportunities through Disney in order to participate in this program.) The program runs through December 15, 2010 or until tickets are gone.

So when you volunteer with us, if you see the person next to you wearing those familiar mouse ears, you’ll now know why!"

Good Karma!

A funny antidote was shared with me this morning that I wanted to pass along. Last week, a volunteer was helping out in the Cherry Street Food Bank. I hadn't seen her in about a year and it turns out she'd been working and hadn't found the time to come in. She had recently been laid off and now had time to volunteer again. When she started her shift, she said she was happy to be back. “Northwest Harvest has good karma!” she told me.

When I asked her what she meant, she said that the last time she was here volunteering she was also out of work. She was inside one of our big four-foot tall boxes sorting food when her phone rang. She answered her phone from inside the box to hear that she was being offered a job! So upon her return visit last week she was hoping to hear it ring again.

We are glad to share all the good karma we can muster! Any out-of-work volunteers out there who want to come in, sit in a box and sort food? Who knows -- your phone might ring, too!

Northwest Harvest's Ecumenical Roots

Last weekend, I addressed about 500 delegates at the annual convention for the Diocese of Olympia which is the Episcopal Church of Western Washington. The convention included the priests, deacons and current bishops from the Diocese as well as representatives from each of the churches. I was there as a member of the Episcopal church to speak about the ties between the church and Northwest Harvest. We go back a long way! 

Northwest Harvest was founded nearly 43 years ago by a group of ecumenical churches including the Episcopal Church. Today, our offices and our Cherry Street Food Bank are housed on property owned by Trinity Episcopal Church.

Bishop Rickel (at far left in the photo above with Northwest Harvest's executive director Shelley Rotondo, center, and Bishop Nedi at right) has been a strong supporter of Northwest Harvest since his seating as bishop some two years ago. He, Bishop Nedi and many of their staff volunteer at the food bank on a monthly basis, and it was Bishop Rickel who invited me to speak at the convention.

Although it was outside my comfort zone speaking to so many people, I was glad to do so and know that it is a vital part of the mission I so strongly believe we are doing at Northwest Harvest.

December at Cherry Street Food Bank

December is over and it was a great month for so many reasons.  The holidays tend to bring out the best in people and this year it was no different.

We had amazing volunteers all month long. We depend so much on our regular core group of volunteers that come here week after week. They came out in force all month long, bringing spouses and kids with them.  We also had many local businesses join us, some for the first time and others who have been helping out for many months. In December we had a total of 3,125 volunteer hours at the food bank this year compared to 2,196 last year. What an amazing increase!

We served more than 50,000 individuals in December, up from 37,546 in December of 2008. Not only are the numbers of clients we are seeing increasing every month but so many of them are the elderly and the working class.

We also distributed 208,629 pounds of food in the month, which is the second highest on record. We had a great variety of produce during the month. We had our staples of fresh onions, apples, potatoes, pears and frozen corn, carrots and green beans but we also had fresh cantaloupe, bananas, lettuce and mushrooms. During the last two weeks of the month we also handed out turkey trays. These were two-pound portions of sliced turkey in gravy that can be heated up in the microwave or in the oven.

Every December we are blown away by the donations that come into the food bank. This year, with the state of the economy being shaky, we weren't quite sure what to expect. Again, our donors were simply amazing. Tens of thousands of pounds came in all month long from individuals, churches and local businesses.  For some it has become an annual tradition of giving and for others it was their first time donating to us.  We heard several stories about companies cutting back or even eliminating holiday parties and instead they shared their money with us.

We live in an incredibly generous area of the country, for which I am so grateful. Thank you all for an amazing 2009 and I look forward to continuing the journey into 2010 as we fight hunger in Washington State together.

Little Donors, Big Hearts

There's no doubt in my mind that the littlest donors with the biggest hearts attend The Cottage School here in Seattle. Every year, we look forward to their visit. In fact, Northwest Harvest staff often hear that the kids are on their way and make time to come down and watch them arrive. What's the big deal? Well, imagine a group of about forty 3, 4 and 5 years old wearing backpacks loaded with food to donate.

It is a joy to watch these kids so full of enthusiasm as they march in, wait their turn and then take out the two or three items that each backpack might hold and drop them into the food collection bin.

The Cottage School deserves major kudos for getting kids involved at this age. Service will be something that comes naturally for them as they grow up. So thanks, kids, both for the food and for the joy that you bring the Northwest Harvest staff every year.

Hunger Action Day is January 29!

Our Executive Director, Shelley Rotondo, recently wrote this guest editorial concerning proposed state budget cuts that will affect many of our clients statewide.

In the face of more severe cuts to critical support programs for Washington families, we need you and those who share your passion for fighting hunger to stand up and speak out against these harmful cuts.

REGISTER NOW to join us for our annual lobby day in support of the Anti-Hunger and Nutrition Coalition’s Legislative Agenda.

What: Hunger Action Day 2009

When: 10:00 am to 3:00 pm - Friday, January 29

Where: Columbia Room, Capitol Building - Olympia, WA
(if you can’t come to Olympia, you can still join online)

Why: To share your story and the stories of those you serve with elected officials

Click here to register, find logistical information, and sign an online petition in support of Anti-Hunger & Nutrition Coalition legislative priorities. To register by phone call Maria at 206-545-6600 x3625

In fact, don't wait for Hunger Action Day! Pick up the phone now and call the Washington legislative hotline toll free at 1-800-562-6000. With one quick call you can reach both of your state representatives, your state senator, and the governor's office!