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Agency Relations
Time is running out to register for the 2012 Agency Conference
September brings in all things autumn. Children back in school, football season, the promise of cool weather, the holidays and Hunger Action Month (HAM) at TAFB. During HAM there are numerous activities promoting awareness and educating the community about hunger in our communities.
As part of HAM, TAFB is happy to offer our Agency Relations conference on September 13 at First Presbyterian Church at 1000 Penn St, Fort Worth, 76107. The conference will provide Partner Agencies with an opportunity to learn new concepts and share their experiences.
Please join us and register using this link.
We have sessions available on dealing with volunteers and volunteer burnout, making the most of your food drives and other food resources, organizational assessment and capacity building, and improving community awareness among others.
We also have a session on the Civil Rights Training for those of you who have not completed this annual requirement for 2012. One volunteer or staff member should complete the training by attending the class or can click here to view the Civil Rights Training video in English or Spanish for online training. If you choose the online course, please provide a copy of your certificate to the Agency Relations department.
Door prizes include refrigeration units, shelving, iPads, and more. You must be present to win. The Capacity Building Grants will be awarded and again, you must be registered and present to accept the award.
At the close of the conference we will be distributing the new Agency Handbooks, one per agency.
Coming Soon! The 2014 Hunger in
America Study
This is the sixth extensive study of hunger that collects data unlike any other hunger-focused study. HIA 2010 employed more than 61,000 face-to-face client interviews and more than 37,000 surveys of local charitable agencies with feeding programs to capture detailed information about who is in need of emergency food assistance and their circumstances. This provides an invaluable resource for charitable feeding organizations to help develop programs that best support people in need
The agency survey and client interview parts of the process will begin this fall and continue through spring 2013. Results will be released in early 2014. In the last study, we were so pleased that 97% of TAFB's Partner Agencies responded to the agency survey. We look forward to your support of this year's study.
ServSafe Training
ServSafe Manager, formerly called ServSafe Essentials, is offered as a one day workshop and includes the Food Protection Manager examination. All programs that prepare or serve prepared food to the public are required to have a current Food Manager's Certificate. The last class TAFB will offer this year is set for October 18. Lunch is provided to training attendees. Click here to access the course information and registration. We will also accept a copy of your certificate from an accredited Food Manager's course.
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Farmers Market
Nutrition Program
The Farmers Market Nutrition Program for WIC recipients has reached the end of its first season. The last farmers market was held on Tuesday, September 11 at the Haltom City WIC clinic.
As of September 4, the program served 1,554 families who received 12,600 vouchers at 8 farmers markets held at 3 Tarrant County WIC clinics. Participants redeemed 10,428 vouchers, resulting in a redemption rate of 82.8%.
In addition to being able to select fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmers, participants received free baby food and toddler snacks from the Food Bank's warehouse.
Thanks to Tarrant County Public Health and Tarrant County WIC clinics for their support of the program and to the 19 volunteers who helped make it a success. |
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Summer Closeout; School Year Start Up
This summer, TAFB directly supported several different summer projects that targeted feeding kids. Our SummerPacks program reached up to 2,900 kids each week for 10 weeks, providing them with four meals and four snacks over the weekend when they were not able to participate in a summer meal program.
Seven of our Kids Café sites continued providing meal service. We were thrilled to have the continued support of the Sodexo Feeding Our Future campaign that helped provide meals to over 550 kids.
TAFB also served as a Summer Food Service Program sponsor for 10 sites this summer providing meals to more than 470 kids at apartment complexes, churches and day camps. A grant from Share Our Strength made it possible for us to provide games, toys, outreach materials and additional support to each site. Whataburger also contributed both funds and additional snacks to the program this summer.
All told, TAFB worked to provide meals to nearly 4,000 kids throughout the summer.
We also know that a number of our Partner Agencies also worked to fight hunger for kids this summer and we are proud of your efforts as well! If you are interested in being a part of TAFB's Summer Meal Service next year, please complete this survey to get on the list.
BackPacks for Kids
 We currently have nearly 30 BackPack for Kids programs starting up this fall. We also have an active waiting list of 10 schools hoping to join the program. Because TAFB purchases all of the meals and snacks that go into the backpacks, the cost for the program is $6 per student per weekend. Each backpack has four meals and four snacks plus shelf stable milk and juice. The cost to sponsor a single child on the BackPack for Kids program for 34 weeks is $204. The average cost to sponsor a school is $12,240.
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Nutrition Services
What the New School Food Guidance Means to Hungry Kids
Have you heard the news? The school day just got healthier! Thanks to the Healthy Hunger Free Kids (HHFK) Act of 2010, school meals are changing. The Act reauthorized USDA's core Child Nutrition Programs including National School Lunch, School Breakfast, Child and Adult Care Food program, the Summer Food Service and Women Infants and Children (WIC). While these programs were always intended to combat childhood hunger and feed kids nutritious meals, prior to HHFK the focus was more on making sure key nutrients were included. Controlling nutrient excesses like fat, sodium and sugar, which is a more modern health concern, is an important part of the new standards. As excited as families, nutrition professionals, and the public are, the USDA is also very enthusiastic as these are the first major changes in over 15 years.
So what exactly does this mean for hungry kids? The goal is to transform the school food environment in order to promote better nutrition and reduce obesity. That's a very tall order when you think about making changes in a system that feeds 32 million student lunches and 12 million student breakfasts every school day. The standards were developed based on recommendations from the Institute of Medicine and include:
- Ensuring students are offered both fruits AND vegetables every day of the week
- Increase in offering of whole grain-rich foods
- Offering only fat-free or low-fat milk
- Limiting calories based on the age of children being served to ensure proper portion size
- Increasing the focus on reducing the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats, added sugars, and sodium
While these improvements will help keep children in our communities healthy and strong, children and their families may find the changes frustrating if they are not used to eating this way. That's why some school districts are promoting the healthier meals through tastings and other fun events. If your organization has a Food for Kids program, you can support these efforts by communicating positive messages about the changes and planning your own fun activities and lessons. All Partner Agencies can help spread the message and support improved nutrition for children by providing families with recipes and tip sheets from our Info to Go program
or by hosting a Cooking Matters nutrition course or workshop. |
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Our very own Community Kitchen Chef Tom McGrath one was named Texas Chef of the Year by the Texas Chefs Association on August 4 for his contributions to the organization and its goals. He was selected for the honor from among 13 nominees who had each been named Chef of the Year by their respective association chapters.
Class 19 in Training
The students of Class 19 began their culinary journey on August 13. They have had the opportunity to gain valuable hands on experience by providing buffet service at this years Agency Conference plus food prep and set up for both the Mayor's Luncheon and the Legislator's Luncheon at TAFB. The 11 students have produced over 10,000 one pound nutritious meals each month. These yummy Community Kitchen frozen meals can be found on the Tarrant Area Food Bank 'shopping list'.
Class 20 Interviews Coming Soon
The interview process for Class 20 will begin with two informational meetings. Potential candidates will only need to attend one - either October 15 at 1 p.m. or October 16 at 9 a.m. They do not need to preregister or bring anything. The goal of our program is employment so we are looking for folks that are at least 18 years of age that have a strong desire to have a career in the foodservice industry. Please contact Barbara Higbee, Community Kitchen Coordinator should you need any additional information. She can be reached by email or phone at 817-332-9177 ext. 144. |
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The Kids are Back to School in a SNAP
TAFB SNAP department participated in the Fort Worth Back to School Round-up as well as the Hispanic Wellness Fair handing out approximately 400 SNAP applications.
Upcoming Fairs
September 15, 2012
16 De Septiembre Health/Community/Safety Fair @ All Saints Catholic Church 214 NW 20th St. Fort Worth 76164 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
October 20, 2012
Azle Memorial Library Fall Festival (Health Fair) @ 333 W. Main St, Azle, TX 76020 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Please let us know if you would like us to participate in your upcoming events. Call or email Vicky Martinez @ 682-438-4862 or Vicky.martinez@tafb.org |
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TAFB is looking to expand the Pantry Express program to specific areas in Tarrant County. The Pantry Express Program (PEP) is a method of distribution via refrigerated truck that provides for direct client distribution and is managed by member agency representatives. TAFB will deliver fresh produce items to your agency, once a month, at only $.05 per pound to cover transportation costs. Your program must be able to serve between 150-250 families within a couple of hours as all items are perishable. If interested in the program, please email Romy Basil. |
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Quality Control Can Help You Earn Account Credit
 Agencies are invited to have their volunteers or community organizations supporting them join us in Quality Control to inspect, sort and repack food donations for our neighbors in need.
Agencies can earn credits of $5.15 per person per hour for each volunteer who works on their behalf towards their shared maintenance fee.
Volunteers must be 16 or older, able to lift up to 40 pounds and work for a three hour shift. The shifts are Monday - Friday from 9 am - 12 pm or 1 pm - 4 pm.Groups must have 3 or more volunteers.
Contact JoAnn Biggers for more information and to schedule your time in Quality Control. |
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