What Can a Hunger Report Do for You? Dorothy Smith, RD UC Cooperative Extension Amador, Calaveras & Tuolumne Counties

Hunger Report Provides:  Increase community awareness  Solid data  Anecdotal information  Publishable information

How Calaveras County Used the Report:  Presented to the Board of Supervisors  Solicited Grant funding: –Emergency Mobile Food Pantry Project –MICH Project Mothers Infants and Child Harvest

Emergency Mobile Food Pantry  Provide food to hard to reach targeted communities.  Provide nutrition education to targeted communities.  Provide referral and resource information to targeted communities.

Process  Obtain Community “Buy In”  Identify and secure distribution site  Recruit volunteers  Provide service

Conducted focus groups in 5 remote communities Recruited 41 volunteers!

Successes  Secured 5 sites at no cost  Obtained funding for van  Provides service to approximately 100 families per month  Provide food for over 2000 meals per month

Continued Successes  Summary Data –2628 Families –7900 Meals –2400 Nutrition Education Contacts

Successes Continued  45% of families served were new to food bank services.  Reduction of 25% has occurred at main food bank in San Andreas.  Education and referral information provided monthly.

Nutrition Education and Referrals

MICH Project  Prop 10 funded 1 year grant  WIC and Food Bank Collaborative  Voucher for fruits and vegetables provided to WIC participants each month

MICH Project  $50,000 Grant  $32,000 for fresh produce  Created economic benefit for community

Hunger Reports Can Be a Powerful Tool. The Possibilities Are Numerous.