Director's Blog

A great day at KFB!!!

posted on Jul 12th 2010 at 12:00am by Kathie Rademacher

Every day when I walk into Kids’ Food Basket I don’t know what adventure the day will bring.  It’s a different surprise daily!!! A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to facilitate a group of 35 students and several leaders from the Detroit area. It was early on a Saturday morning, so in order to wake up I turned on the stereo.

After the group arrived, I knew I was in for a real treat! These students filed into KFB with smiles on their faces and an attitude that was emanating fun! We got right to work repacking a trail mix project. About 15 minutes into the project, in the middle of the crowd of people came a voice… a booming voice… a singing voice! WOW!!! That Saturday morning I had my own personal concert that was the most amazing thing ever!!! I wanted to open all the doors and windows to let the neighbors hear what I was hearing! They were volunteering, making a difference in a hungry child’s life, and they were happy!

I walked out the door after the group had gone and I thought --- yup – another GREAT day at Kids’ Food Basket! I love my job!!!

Kids' Food Basket is the Outstanding Volunteer Program of the Year

posted on Jun 28th 2010 at 12:00am by Bridget Clark Whitney

Kids’ Food Basket Wins Governor’s Service Award

Founder Mary K. Hoodhood and volunteer Kyle Barnhardt finalists in two other categories

 June 25, 2010, Grand Rapids, Mich.—Kids’ Food Basket, a non-profit organization that attacks childhood hunger in West Michigan, is excited to announce their recent recognition as Outstanding Volunteer Program of the Year by Governor Granholm and the Michigan Community Service Commission.

The award acknowledges the impact an organization or club makes in community life. Kids' Food Basket strives to ensure children in the community don't go to bed hungry.  They provide healthy, tasty, efficient, and cost-effective sack suppers to children who are nutritionally at risk, five days a week. More than 3,000 volunteers help Kids' Food Basket achieve its mission, assembling evening meals, creating recognition projects for donors, picking up food, making sandwiches, performing administrative duties, packaging trail mix, delivering evening meals "sack suppers," and much more! In 2009 alone, volunteers contributed more than 23,000 hours of service to Kids' Food Basket - which allowed the organization to finish out the school year feeding more nearly 2,600 kids. The program's volunteerism rate alone has increased by 45 percent in the past year, allowing more and more young people to be served every day.

Kids' Food Basket was represented as a finalist in three of the seven categories recognized by the Governor’s Service Awards.  Mary K. Hoodhood, founder of Kids’ Food Basket, was a finalist for the lifetime achievement award.  When elementary school principal, Mary Ann Prisichinko came to Hoodhood in 2001 with a need, Hoodhood created a solution that has now grown from 125 kids, to 2,568!  Kyle Barnhardt, Comstock Park High School class of 2010, was a finalist for the Youth Volunteer of the Year award.  Barnhardt was the president of CPHS Student Volunteers, a program he helped grow to more than 350 high school students in addition to his active role with Kids’ Food Baskets' Kids Helping Kids programs.

“Being named Volunteer Program of the year as an organization is an incredible honor. It is recognition that has been earned by hundreds of volunteers who dedicate themselves to attacking childhood hunger every day, one sack supper at a time,” said Bridget Clark Whitney, executive director of Kids’ Food basket.   “It is also a huge honor for two of our biggest supporters to be finalists.  Mary K and Kyle have worked tirelessly to make Kids’ Food Basket a successful organization that our community loves and supports.”

Over 130 nominations were received for the 2010 awards, with 35 finalists being selected in the seven categories. Winners were announced at a ceremony on June 24, 2010 in Detroit, Mich. at the Gem Theatre.

Kids’ Food Basket attacks childhood hunger by providing nutritious sack suppers to nearly 2,600 children in schools throughout Greater Grand Rapids. Each sack supper provides approximately 1,000 calories and represents five food groups. Learn more at www.kidsfoodbasket.org.                

Read more at  http://www.michigan.gov/mcsc/0,1607,7-137-8168-239262--,00.html                                   

KFB Director Featured in GR Press

posted on Jun 23rd 2010 at 12:00am by Christine Lentine

Christine Lentine – Fund Development/Community Outreach Coordinator for Kids’ Food Basket writes…

Kids’ Food Basket is an incredible organization.  Our volunteers are top notch.  The amazing contributors who make sack suppers possible are so generous.  To top it off we have an incredible director!  Recently the Grand Rapids Press featured an article on retaining young professionals with talent.  To no surprise our own Bridget was featured!  Check out the blurb below or see the whole article at http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/06/cool_cities_milennials_retaini.html

GRAND RAPIDS -- Bridget Clark Whitney and Leslie Perales represent the yin and yang of Michigan as a destination for talented, college-educated Millennials.
Whitney oozes Grand Rapids' youthful energy from every pore.

The 30-year-old is executive director of Kids' Food Basket, a fast-growing nonprofit agency that serves after-school meals to children in low-income families. She could be a poster child -- or maybe more accurately, a poster Millennial -- for the crusade to attract young professionals to West Michigan and stem the state's so-called "brain drain."

A dynamo on the job and off, the Pittsburgh native and 2003 Aquinas College graduate bubbles over when describing the qualities that should make Grand Rapids a hotbed for 21- to 35-year-olds.
"Everything you want, you've got here, short of IKEA or Whole Foods. The culture, the excitement, the nightlife, the sociability and the people all together create an incredible place to live," she raves. "There's an incredible generosity that exists. It's part of the culture. ... There's nowhere else in the world I'd rather be."

The Pennsylvania transplant even blogged online, "I'll say it: Grand Rapids. Best. City. Ever."

 

Read the rest of the article at http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/06/cool_cities_milennials_retaini.html

Hunger Takes Flight

posted on May 26th 2010 at 12:00am by

Brad Littell, Administrative Assistant and the most recent addition to our staff of six writes about the Hunger Takes Flight Program...

 

For those of you who are new to Kids’ Food Basket, I want to introduce you to Hunger Takes Flight (HTF). There are two components to HTF: The Picnic and the Youth Programs.

The Picnic: Every spring in May, students from KFB's recipient schools are invited to a Hunger Takes Flight picnic at the Blandford Nature Center.  At the picnic each child releases a butterfly, which is symbolic and celebratory of his/her freedom from hunger.

The Youth Programs: Simultaneously kids can help release kids from hunger through Hunger Takes Flight programs, which are any off site giving opportunities like food drives, volunteer projects and monetary donations that are suitable for your school or youth organization. A butterfly release celebration is an option for participating elementary schools.

 

Hunger Takes Flight Picnic 2010….What can I say? Everything was perfect – the weather, the setting, the lunches, the butterflies and especially, the smiles on the kids’ faces! It brought me back to a simpler time when a day away from school brought pure joy. Kids are amazing in the fact that even though they have real stresses and concerns, little joys like this can temporarily pushes those concerns to the back burner.  They allow themselves to “just be kids”. Don’t we all wish we could still do that? I know I do.

 

Ten schools currently served through Kids’ Food Basket attended Hunger Takes Flight 2010. Approximately 200 children came to enjoy the release of the butterflies. To be honest, I was a bit jealous of the excitement that I saw and heard from the kids when they found out that there was a real butterfly in the envelopes we passed out.

 

And lest I forget, where would we be without the amazing teachers? We rely on them to identify the kids’ we serve. We rely on them to donate their time and energy above what they get compensated for. We rely on them to train the next generation of leaders. Somehow “Thank You” does not feel like it is enough.

Guest Blog: Malinda Petersen, running for KFB

posted on Apr 7th 2010 at 12:00am by Bridget Clark Whitney

This blog was originally posted on the Fifth Third River Bank Run website on April 7, 2010, by Malinda Petersen, running and blogging for Kids' Food Basket (KFB).

Christine M. Lentine, Kids' Food Basket (KFB) fund development and community outreach coordinator, recently sent these statistics to the KFB staff:

The Grand Rapids metropolitan area has a food hardship rate of 19.4% ranking it 34th among the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the US. That’s higher than Detroit (18.8%) and Chicago (17.4%). Food Hardship Report January 2010, Food Research and Action Center, data from 2008-2009.

And,

According to the 2006-2008 American Community Survey (the most recent statistics available by the US Census) 29,483 kids under 18 are at or below the poverty level in Kent County.

These numbers are staggering. It's hard to picture 29,000 of anything. In fact, there are just over 18,000 runners participating in the Fifth Third River Bank Run. On the day of the race, look around you. Then try to picture 11,000 more bodies .... It's really hard to grasp, isn't it? Every weekday of the school year Kids' Food Basket is able to put a 1,000 calorie sack supper in the hands of 2,500+ Kent County children. But there are 26,000 more kids who won't have access to a balanced evening meal.

Kids' Food Basket is attacking childhood hunger in Grand Rapids. That's what we gratefully do with the help of our generous volunteers. How will you help?

Guest Blog: Malinda Petersen, running for KFB

posted on Feb 27th 2010 at 12:00am by Bridget Clark Whitney

Originally posted on the Fifth Third River Bank Run charity blog site on February 18 by Malinda Petersen--running and blogging for KFB.

Have you ever felt hungry?  I have.  In fact, I wake up “starving.”  And I promptly get myself something to eat, because there is always more than enough food in my kitchen.  And if there isn’t something there I like, I’ll go buy it.

My economic situation has changed in the past few months, but I’ve yet to feel destitute due to my new budgetary restrictions.  And I’ve truly never been starving.  But I know there are children in my Eastown neighborhood who are.  I know they can’t just run to the store when there is nothing in the house they want to eat.  And probably often there is nothing in the house to eat at all.

This thought process makes me rethink my feeling of lack, and several times in the last few months I haven’t just run to the store to feed my cravings.  I’ve eaten what I have and been thankful I have it.

And instead of running to the store, I’ve been inspired to just run.  I suppose it was inevitable for me to fill out the 53 River Bank Run entry form for the 5K.  I’ve spent quite a few hours working on the Kids’ Food Basket Charity Partnership, so by osmosis I have succumbed.  But I know I can do it.  The first 5K I ever ran was the 53 River Bank Run (then the Old Kent) in 1999.  I ran several more 5Ks that summer and then discovered I was pregnant in the late fall–explained why I’d been feeling too tired to run.  And I’ve only run one 5K since, as part of a mini-triathlon.

Yes, I can run because I have the luxury of doing so.  I have enough of everything else in my life, including food, that I’m choosing to give up a little sleep on behalf of the hungry children in my neighborhood and run for Kids’ Food Basket.  Will you join me?

HOW TO RUN THE FIFTH THIRD RIVER BANK RUN FOR KIDS' FOOD BASKET:

• Let us know you're running.  Email malinda@kidsfoodbasket.org.  The first 15 runners to email will receive a free entry form.
• Register to run.  You can fill out an online entry form. Designate Kids' Food Basket as your charity.
• Let your network of friends, family and colleagues know you are running for Kids' Food Basket.  They can donate on your behalf on our website. Or they can follow your journey on your own donation page.
• Run like you mean it and run to attack childhood hunger in Grand Rapids.

DON'T WANNA RUN?

• No worries.  Support KFB and our runners by following their stories and ours.
• Michelle McKormick is our Road Warrior.  Follow her exciting, humorous and heart-touching training.
• Donate to Kids' Food Basket.

Guest Blog: Michelle McKormick

posted on Feb 24th 2010 at 12:00am by Bridget Clark Whitney

Bridget's guest blog for GR Social Diary

posted on Feb 12th 2010 at 12:00am by Bridget Clark Whitney

Bridget's Guest Blog Post Grand Rapids Social Diary

February 12, 2010

I’ll say it: Grand Rapids. Best. City. Ever.

It’s strange I should make such a bold statement since in reality I’m not even from West Michigan.  My hubby has dotingly labeled us both “transplants,” which immediately brings to mind those nasty Grey’s Anatomy scenes I’m certain we’d all sooner forget.  Regardless, if I’m going to be transplanted I’m happy to confess there is no place I’d rather land than here.

I’ve been passionate about social justice issues for as long as I can remember.  I’m constantly plagued by the reality of people going hungry, suffering from homelessness, being without basic human necessities. That dreadful list goes on.

Reflecting back to my childhood, I remember asking my mother “why are we here?”  I’d like to think my queries meant something deeply profound:  about the meaning of life, the origin of species, Adam, Eve, or even my Clark family genealogy.  But probably not. What sticks in my head, though, was her tender response. “We are here for each other,” she’d wisely profess.  One of the reasons I love being in GR?  We are a city that’s here for each other.

Recently, at a meeting with one of our donors, I was asked if Kids’ Food Basket (KFB) considered themselves active in the “Brain Development Business”.  I chuckled at first at that notion. But let’s face it: he was telling it like it is!  The enormous support Grand Rapids has shown KFB has allowed us to continually prevent young brains from the irreparable effects of undernourishment.  Our explosive growth over the past year has been because of you, Grand Rapids!

In order to serve the 14+ schools on our waiting list, we realize the most critical need facing our program is community awareness.  Because of our donors, supporters, and the constant stream of dutiful volunteers, KFB has grown 33% from this day last year. Amazing.

Currently we provide 2,346 evening meals to kids in Kent County who are considered food insecure. When KFB had an overwhelming need for 100% fruit juice, Chef Tommy Fitz created JuiceBall and raised funds for 144,000 juice boxes. Truly amazing.  This is Grand Rapids.

Every time a child gets a sack supper, we hear and see appreciation. Elementary school children and their families in Kent County are exceedingly grateful for this service we provide. They are also smart and are able to realize that behind each sack supper, there is a face – a volunteer or a donor who cares enough to make this opportunity possible.

These free evening meals are vital to the success of our community. Food insecure children are more susceptible to illness, obesity, and are more likely to face growth and developmental problems.  As we’re all aware, money is tight in Michigan.  Families are stretching their dollars further and in some cases meals are skipped. These sacrifices can threaten the futures of our community’s young and vulnerable children.  It warms our hearts when we hear from parents that because of the meals KFB provides to their children, and because of the trust they have with us to do so, they are able to pay a bill, leave the lights on, get an important prescription--that’s right where we want to be.

Finally, I want to share with you how important and incredibly meaningful your support is as perceived by even the children.  We learned through a survey of elementary school teachers that boys and girls look forward to the sack supper delivery every school day. Letters from students tell us, “Thank you for the food and juice. The food makes my mouth water.” Another writes, “Thank you for taking your time to make the sack supper.” These are the genre of notes that give our work the best meaning.

Whether your gifts are in the form of friendship, food, or funds, YOU are helping to attack childhood hunger in Grand Rapids.  If there is any city in America that can eradicate hunger, it’s Grand Rapids.  So insists this transplant.

Note to readers:  You are always invited to visit! Come and see how Kids’ Food Basket works and understand what it takes to make a difference in the lives of food insecure children.  www.kidsfoodbasket.org

Guest Blog: Snow Day

posted on Feb 11th 2010 at 12:00am by Christine Lentine

Guest blog written by Christine Lentine.  Christine joined Kids’ Food Basket on February 1 as the Fund Development and Community Outreach Coordinator.  She previously was involved at KFB as a facilitator.

Yesterday (2/10/10) many GRPS and area schools were closed for a snow day.  I remember being a kid and the excitement that came with school being closed.  That usually meant sleeping in, lots of cartoons to watch, a big bowl of creamy macaroni and cheese for lunch, fresh snow to make forts with the neighbor kids, and a hot chocolate and cookie break mid afternoon. Snow days were great!  
This past snow day did not leave me with that same warm fuzzy feeling of my childhood.  Kids’ Food Basket distributes sack suppers through the schools, so when the schools are shut down, we cannot deliver the meals.  Throughout the day I kept thinking about the fact these kids weren’t getting breakfast and lunch at school, and they weren’t getting dinner from us.  Share Our Strength’s most recent facts state that 17 million children in America don’t have access to enough healthy food to thrive.  Today 2,345 of our community's kids were not a part of that statistic.  At a cost of just 90 cents a piece YOU made that happen.  Yesterday, we couldn’t.  It made me realize how grateful I am for the relationship that we have with our schools to be able to distribute meals through them.  It made me grateful for today, when I know that 2,345 little tummies within a 15 mile radius of where I’m sitting right now will be filled this morning, afternoon and thanks to you, this evening.  This morning there is a great buzz of bags crinkling and people chatting here at Kids' Food Basket.  Our incredible volunteers are at it again!  Sometimes I like the quiet to work, but today I could not be more pleased at the buzz that’s going on.

December Newsletter

posted on Dec 17th 2009 at 12:00am by Bridget Clark Whitney

Every time a child gets a sack supper, we hear “thank you.” That is because elementary school children in Kent County are grateful. They are also smart: They realize that behind each sack supper, there is a face – a volunteer or a donor who cares enough to make this opportunity possible.

By eating the meals, or sack suppers, they thank the thousands of volunteers, donors and friends who enable KFB to grow along with the growing need.  

These free evening meals are vital to the success of our community. Food insecure children are more susceptible to illness and obesity and are more likely to face growth and development problems.  As you know, money is tight in Michigan.  Families are stretching their dollars further. In some cases, meals are skipped. These sacrifices can threaten the futures of our community’s young and vulnerable children.

Kids' Food Basket fills this need by providing free meals to over 2,080 children in 19 schools across Grand Rapids.  We have begun our seventh school year of providing sack suppers for food-insecure children in Kent County.  We know from the last census (2005-2007) that 18,471 children (ages 6-11) were living in poverty in Kent County.  In all likelihood, that number has increased due to the downturn in the economy, particularly in Michigan, over the past two years.  In tough economic times, families often turn to the community for help.  If you are a food insecure child, you rely on a parent to fill that need. KFB is unique in that it works in tandem with school staff to assess a child’s need and to ensure that those children who might otherwise not have a meal at night are nourished.

Through our work, which is only possible because of the generosity of the community, KFB served 341,642 sack supper meals during the 2008/2009 school year. That number is rapidly growing. We’ve also made improvements to our services.  Our sack supper meals are now healthier than ever.  We’ve become very aware in the past year of the increased importance of including healthy food.  Lunches now include such items as apples, bananas, berries, snap peas, grape tomatoes, and carrots. The sack suppers we provide children every school day represent at least one-third of their nutritional intake.  The Produce for Better Health Foundation reports that most kids need to more than double their current intake of fruits and vegetables. Kids’ Food Basket has become an important source of these fruits and vegetables, including a fresh fruit, fresh vegetable, and 100% fruit juice drink box with a sandwich and healthy snack in every sack supper.

Carlos De la Cruz, Summer Program Coordinator for the Grand Rapids Parks & Recreation Dept. – Southwest Community Campus (old Franklin School), saw firsthand this summer the importance of sack suppers in the lives of kids.  “For many of the more than 150 kids in our program there is no food at home,” said Carlos. “With sack suppers from Kids’ Food Basket, they are assured that they will have something to take home to eat before going to bed.”

We learned through a survey of elementary school teachers that boys and girls look forward to the sack supper delivery every school day. Letters from students tell us, “Thank you for the food and juice. The food makes my mouth water.” Another writes, “Thank you for taking your time to make the sack supper.”

Here are a few observations from others who know intimately the needs of children:

    "Parents are so appreciative, especially in this economically struggling community.

    Thanks for providing this program."                ---School nurse

     “YOU DO NOT NEED TO ASK WHICH CHILD IS HUNGRY because you can see it in

    their eyes and their actions. They are less attentive in school and this shows on their

    grades and test scores.”                 ---Teacher

Thank you for supporting Kids’ Food Basket. Without your generosity, Kids’ Food Basket’s volunteer drivers would not be able to greet smiling faces at the end of each school day, and ensure them with a healthy evening meal. We know that times are hard and many very worthy organizations seek your support. Without you and our fabulous volunteers, we would have no hope of serving 2,300 children by June 2010.

We thank you. Our children thank you.

With warm regards,

Bridget Clark Whitney

Executive Director

P.S.  You are always invited to visit us! Come see how Kids’ Food Basket works and

understand what it takes to make a difference in the lives of nutritionally at-risk children.  

For an individual or group introduction, please contact Kids’ Food Basket at 235-4532 or

kidsfoodbasket@kidsfoodbasket.org.

P.P.S.  Want to support KFB with a financial gift that provides more meals? You can

easily double the impact of your support by sending in a matching gift.

Thank you for your generosity!