WCFR Newsletter, January 2011

Food for Thought

The Newsletter from Women's & Children's Free Restaurant

January, 2011

In This Issue

Souper Bowl

Board Changes

Community Support Grows

2011 Calendar of Events

Our Staff

Marlene Alford

Executive Director marlene@wcfrspokane.org

Karen Orlando Volunteer Coordinator volunteer@wcfrspokane.org

Karen Torkelson

Chef
ktorkel@wcfrspokane.org

Board of Directors

Sue McFadden, President

Leila Dompier, Secretary

Gary Carter, Treasurer

Dana Anderson

Liz Hogan

Geana Van Dessel

Terry Decker

For More information about WCFR click the link below:

www.wcfrspokane.org

Wish List

If you can help us with any of these needs, we would be grateful!

Fresh perishables are

always our No. 1 priority. We serve fresh vegetables at every meal - carrots, broccoli, peppers, green beans - we love them all!

Butter

Sun-dried tomatoes

Garlic

Chicken broth

Olive oil

Non-food Items:

Pam Spray

Food Handlers Gloves (med & small)

Dawn dish washing liquid

Masking tape

We had so much fun at a Little Night Music - thank you to everyone who came or donated!

Romeo & Linette Herrara of Catered for You - one of the Chef's at a Little Night Music.
Romero & Linnette

Welcome to 2011! Marlene

WCFR sends you the very best wishes for a healthy, happy and prosperous new year.

We know that you join us in sending the same wishes to the guests who dine with us. The meals they eat with us help them stay healthy and we hope the company they enjoy contributes to their happiness.

We are watching the current legislative session closely; budget cuts to programs that help low-income Washingtonians may send more women and children to WCFR as they struggle to fill the gap left by those cuts. While Governor Gregoire calls on the nonprofits to step up to help more of the low-income, we can't do that unless donations rise too!

The meals we provide do make a difference. One woman told us that she and her mom eat at the Restaurant whenever possible. The money that they save by eating here is being set aside so that her father can get teeth. We may hear more stories like this once the state budget is settled. Dental care for the poor is one area that may be cut.

Spokane is a generous communty. Thank you for the many ways you have supported WCFR. Whether you donated your time, your money, or extra food, all are important resources to WCFR and the women and children who eat with us.

2011 may see a number of changes at WCFR. We intend to send an electronic newsletter out once a month to keep you up-to-date.

Sincerely,

Marlene Alford

Executive Director

Super Times at the "Souper Bowl"

Do you want to try something new? Be more active? Support WCFR?

Throw on your long-johns and your best hat for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing at Mt. Spokane this February 6 from 10 AM - 1 PM.

For the past 5 years, the "Souper Bowl" has been held at Mt. Spokane as a fundraiser to benefit WCFR. Registration fees and donations all benefit our work.

WCFR provides delicious soups and cookies for the participants. Free snowshoes are available and reduced-fee cross-country skis are available to rent from REI, Mountain Gear and Fitness Fanatics.

All ages and abilities are welcome! A chartered bus is available for an extra $15 if you don't want to drive. A variety of prize-drawings add to the fun.

Register by January 22 to receive two entry tickets for prizes. Visit www.souperbowlspokane.org for complete details and to register!

Come on! Join the fun!

Board of Director Changes

Many thanks to Ann Harder who has served as the President of the Board of Directors of WCFR for the past two years. Through Ann's leadership and fiscal management, we have made it through some very challenging economic times. Ann's family owns a cattle ranch, and our guests have enjoyed their beef on many occasions. Ann has also volunteered at many of our events as well. Thank you!

Thanks also to Colleen Barcus who spent one year on our Board. Colleen helped evolve our development efforts to the next level and we are grateful for her involvement. Her time volunteering at events, and her creative ideas for raising money have made a difference here!

We welcome two new Board members, Gena Van Dessel, an attorney with Witherspoon Kelley and Terry Decker, Sales & Marketing Manager, Spokane industries. Their individual talents and skills will be vital to our mission as we grow.

Finally, Sue McFadden takes over as our President of the Board of Directors for the next two years. Sue's contributions to WCFR don't end at the Board meetings. She has brought community health nurses from Washington State Universty to WCFR for 5 years as part of their education. The student nurses have become a regular feature of our Tuesday evening dinners - answering questions from our guests and doing some health assessments such as blood pressure checks.

We can't wait to see where Sue takes us!

Community Support for WCFR Grows

2010 came to a successful conclusion for WCFR with the receipt of several grants to aid us in our meal program. We are so grateful for grants from the Community Building Foundation and the Empire Health Foundation which will allow us to add one more night of service each month. Starting in February, WCFR will have a Guest Chef dinner, one Monday eac month. These special meals will specifically focus on adding appeal to nutritious meals. Using creativity in preparation, ingredients and presentation, the guest chefs will demonstate that good nutrition doesn't come at the cost of taste and enjoyment.

This dinner will include our regular guests for dinner, but we will also make a special attempt to expand our audience to bring together a variety of women and children in the community. We hope you'll join us at the first dinner on February 14.

Another grant, from the Greenstone Foundation will pay for the training of approximately 10 of our volunteer prep cooks in the ServSafe program. This comprehensive food safety program will provide the knowledge our cooks need to safely store, prepare and handle food.

We are also receiving support from the city's Human Services budget, which helps cover some of the basic costs to operate our kitchen.

And finally a grant from the Inland Northwest Community Foundation will fund a part-time position for a Development Director. We are really pleased to welcome Jenifer Priest to our staff; she has worked with us on a contract basis in 2010 and our grant success rate for the year is outstanding!