News From The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank
FOOD FOR THOUGHT APRIL 2024
Letter From Our President & CEO – April 10th, 2024
For the past few months, my monthly note to you has focused on one specific area in the Claude and Betty Harris Center for Hunger Relief and how it will improve our operational services to the community we serve. In February, I wrote about our expanded Walmart.org volunteer center and the additional tasks we will be able to perform for our neighbors in need. In March, I wrote about the Willard and Pat Walker Foundation Community Room and Teaching Kitchen. This month I would like to focus on our USDA inspected Protein Pack Room.
I don’t know about you all, but meals at the Eikenberry household are built around protein. Protein, in whatever form it takes, is usually the star attraction. However, it should not be a surprise to any of you reading that protein is one of the most expensive items in the grocery store. Many of the families we serve cannot afford the luxury of protein when planning their meals. Our USDA inspected Protein Pack Room will help us rectify this shortcoming. Simply stated, we will be able to take bulk donations of meat products and repack the product into more user-friendly sizes, for example 5 pound or 10-pound packages. While this is an obvious benefit, an additional benefit is that this room will at the same time provide a service to the local processing companies by helping them move excess inventory ultimately making them more sustainable in the process. Tyson, Simmons and Cargill have all committed to support this endeavor, while conversations are ongoing with other area protein producers.
The Protein Pack Room will be approximately 1,500 square feet in space and outfitted with as much automated equipment as possible and will be operated by full time employees rather than volunteers. By using employees, we are much more able to control the integrity of the process thereby making the protein we package safer for the consumer. This food safety is a priority, and as I said earlier, this room will be inspected by the USDA to assure quality control.
David Bentley, whom you can read about elsewhere in this newsletter, has been hired to be our Food Safety Manager. One of his responsibilities is overseeing the Protein Pack Room. David comes to us with 20 years of knowledge and experience within the meat processing industry, including being a USDA plant inspector.
Our goal is to begin packaging by September 1, 2024 and we have a goal of repacking 60,000 pound of protein per week. We will be able to supply all of our service area with nutritious high-quality meat protein that is easy for our agency partners and neighbors in need to handle and store. I might interject here that when I told the attendees of our Annual Agency Summit of the Protein Pack Room, the room burst into applause and cheers. In addition to serving our own protein needs, we should be able to share our abundance with other Feeding America Partner Food Banks across the country. There are currently a handful of Food Banks who have a protein pack room but only two others who will have the capacity that we will have.
Needless to say, the Protein Pack Room will be a game changer in the fight against food insecurity. It’s easy to see why we are excited to bring this collaborative service to our neighbors, wherever they may live making one more reason why we can say…Because of you, someone will eat today.
K
Agency Partner Spotlight
Tami, the administrator for the Gwen Jones Food Pantry at Trinity Pentecostal Church in Siloam Springs, has heard time and again how much of a blessing the pantry provides.
“We just try to help as many people as we can, trying to help those who are really struggling,” Tami said. She sees families come from across Northwest Arkansas for help with food.
As an agency partner of the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, the Gwen Jones Food Pantry distributes the food they receive to families through once-a-month prepacked boxes.
The grocery box includes protein and shelf-stable foods like canned fruit and vegetables. The pantry also provides some toiletry items. The only requirement is to fill out an information form.
Gwen Jones Food Pantry is open the second Tuesday of the month from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. They are located at 2450 S. Lincoln Street in Siloam Springs. They can be contacted at 479-549-3595.
Neighbor story: Kayla, First Baptist Rogers
Photo is representative of neighbor. Courtesy of Igor Alecsander/Canva.
Kayla pushes a shopping cart through the food pantry before pausing at a room where coolers line the walls. She grabs a bag with tomatoes, a lime, jalapenos, and an onion – ingredients to make a fresh salsa.
As a single mom, she also shops for her teenage son who likes getting cereals and snacks. “I always look forward to coming here because that’s stuff I really use,” she said.
The first time Kayla visited the food pantry at First Baptist Rogers, she was surprised to see the variety of fresh items.
“I was really happy because it’s one of the only food pantries to give milk and eggs, and none of the other food pantries have that,” she said.
For people who might be reluctant to visit a church food pantry, Kayla says that getting food at First Baptist Rogers “is very easy and it’s a non-judgemental place.”
“Some people are hesitant because it’s at a church, and not everyone is Christian so they worry that they’re going to make them pray or something,” she said. “But here, they don’t do that.”
The First Baptist Rogers Food Pantry is open every Tuesday and Friday from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. They are located at the Olive Street Campus at 626 Olive St. in Rogers and can be contacted at 479-636-3451.
Game Show Battle NWA
- Thursday, April 25, 2024
- Four Points by Sheraton, 211 SE Walton Blvd., Bentonville, AR
- 4:00 – 5:00 pm- Networking, Food and Drinks
- 5:00 pm – Games Begin
Join us for this exciting, one-of-a-kind event to raise awareness and donations for the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank.
5-member corporate “families” will compete to name the most popular answers to survey questions while earning points.
The “family” with the most points at the end of their competition will move on to the next round.
Preliminary rounds will be played in a game-bracket format ending with a final Championship round. Game Show Battle NWA !
Enjoy an electrifying casual event with fun food, signature drinks, networking and spirited competition.
Game Show Battle NWA is a fun way to support the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank!
Tickets are $25. Game Show Battle NWA TICKETS
(A limited number of sponsorships are still available.)
For additional information contact Kim at kim.daniels@nwafoodbank.org
Comments from our 2023 Game Show Battle NWA:
"Game Show Battle NWA was one of the funniest, most engaging and casual charity events of 2023. What a great way to think outside the box and bring to life all our competitive sprits while raising funds for the NWA Food Bank! Our team is ready to go head to head again in 2024." - Nicole Foote, Kellanova Company
"One of the most fun charity events I’ve gotten to be a part of. Game Show Battle NWA set up got the whole crowd involved. " - Tasha Tandy, Vice President Merchandising, Breakfast, Baking & Commercial Bread Walmart
"The Game Show Battle was a great experience and represented a unique format to compete with other suppliers and Walmart while having a lot of fun doing it. We’re definitely doing it again and really appreciate the cause it supports!"
- Tony Hoffman, SVP Retail Sales/Team Lead , Walmart & Sam’s Club, Hormel Foods Corp
