Utah Food Bank Service-Learning Option Steve Ivie July 14, 2012

History of the Utah Food Bank Founded in 1904 as the Salt Lake Charity Association. In 2006, the Community Services Council adopted the name of Utah Food Bank as its official title. The Utah Food Bank has stayed true to its mission of serving those in need throughout the state. Mission Statement: Utah Food Bank Fights Hunger Statewide.

Financial Information Utah Food Bank is a proud of the generous donations provided by individuals, corporations, foundations and government entities. Utah Food Bank can turn every $1 donation into $7 worth of food and services due to the incredible support of volunteers and donors. For every $1 donation, 99¢ goes directly to food and services; only 1¢ goes to administration and overhead. Where do they get their money?

Financial Information Community Partners: Utah Food Bank is fortunate to have generous community partners who help fulfill their mission to "Fight Hunger Statewide". The community partners range from retail merchants, law offices, home builders and various businesses. They are broken down into 8 categories:  Holiday Food Drive Sponsors  Utah Human Race Sponsors  Scouting for Food Sponsors  Night at the Warehouse  Summer Business Food Drive Sponsors  Grocery Rescue Partners In- Kind Support and Community Partners

Where do they get their food? Local Commercial Donations (36%) Grocery Rescue (25%) Government Commodities (20%) Food Drives (9%) National Commercial (9%) Purchasing (1%)

Food Distribution Emergency Food Network Distributed throughout the state to more than 150 emergency food pantries, agencies, churches, senior centers and after-school programs. Senior Food Box Program Utah Food Bank volunteers deliver monthly supplemental food to low-income, homebound senior citizens. Kids Café The Kids Cafe program provides free meals and snacks at 21 after-school programs. Mobile Food Pantry The Mobile Food Pantry program distributes food such as fresh produce, dairy products, deli products, and non-perishables to 24 low-income neighborhoods throughout the state.

Issues the Utah Food Bank Encounters In 2010 a study released by Utah Food Bank and Feeding America, reported that more than 245,100 people, 42% of whom are children, receive emergency food each year through Utah Food Bank’s food assistance network. 1 in 10 people in Utah, and 1 in 8 Utah children, lives in poverty. An impoverished family of four makes about $22,000 a year to cover health care costs, shelter, food, and other household expenses. Utah is ranked fourth in the nation for the highest rate of very low food security in the nation. About 400,000 people in Utah risk missing one meal every day. More than 134,000 people in Utah receive food stamps, and 63,000 eat dinner at a soup kitchen. 1 in 7 Utah children is at risk of hunger, and nearly 40% receive free or reduced school lunch.

Solutions Give Time. The Utah Food Bank offers a wide variety of volunteer opportunities. There are plenty of ways to serve at Utah Food Bank. They offer individual, family, community, corporate, and court ordered volunteer work.

Solutions Volunteering is said to be the most valuable commodity. Utah Food Bank utilized more than 105,000 volunteer hours and this is the equivalent of 51 full-time employees. None of what is accomplished could be possible without volunteer help.

Solutions Give food. Everyone needs to eat. When you donate food, you help make sure that everyone can have a meal. You can locate a food pantry in your community to drop off items, or use the virtual food drive to save a trip to the store. Hosting a food drive is common among work places and schools. Food & fund drives can last a few days or a few months. Give money. A $1 donation can be worth $7 worth of food and services. Utah Food Bank distributes resources statewide, and all contributions are tax deductible. The long-term commitment of a planned gift is a way for you to create a personal legacy in support of Utah Food Bank.

How to get involved? Whether it’s a donation of food, time or money, all methods help provide food to low-income people of the state of Utah. Volunteering is as easy as a phone call.

My Experience As a volunteer I was able to experience the satisfaction of giving my time to help those in need. The work I did was a simple task of re-packaging granola. The other benefit of volunteering was meeting other people who were also donating their time to help. I met other students who were using this experience to fulfill school projects. Others were individuals and families that volunteered for their church. Only one of us was there to satisfy his court ordered obligation. One thing we all had in common was the feeling of accomplishment that came for doing something good and meaningful to help those in need.

References Authors, v.u. ( ). Utah Food Bank. Retrieved July 8, 2012 from