Spirit of Giving

It looks as thought we've set a new record for the Spirit of Giving Food Drive! Early projections indicate that we will exceed 85,000 pounds of food. The 2010 Spirit of Giving Food Drive raised 50,000 pounds.

From the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, thank you to our sponsors KATV Channel 7, Stallion Transportation Group, US Bank, the Arkansas Activities Association, B98.5 FM, and everyone that took the opportunity to donated and volunteer. You've truly made this year's drive a success!

Hunger Action Breakfast 2011: A Time to Celebrate and Recharge

This year’s Hunger Action Breakfast was held at the Governor’s Mansion on September 13, 2011. The mansion was filled to capacity with advocates and honorees that have work diligently during the past year to help end hunger. Governor Mike Beebe delivered opening remarks following the reading of his proclamation to set aside the entire month of September as Hunger Action Month. Additionally, 2011 Acting Out Against Hunger award winners were announced. Award winners include:

Arkansas FFA Association
DHS Summer Food Service Program
In His Name
James Staats, Golden Corral
Kroger
Mike Bertalot and Kevin Thompson – Stallion Transportation Group
Mrs. Baird's Bread
Performance Foodservice
Southside 4-H Club
Stone County Community Food Ministry
Tony Snow, Postal Service Worker
Town Square Media
Tyson Foods

Major sponsors for this event included Kroger, Arkansas Children's Hospital and Performance Foodservice. The proceeds from this breakfast go to support the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. View photos of the 2001 Hunger Action Breakfast.

First Annual Watermelon Crawl

The First Annual Watermelon Crawl, presented by the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance and the Society of St. Andrew, was held on August 13, 2011 in Scott, AR.

Volunteers helped glean 21,362 pounds of watermelon and 270 pounds of cantaloupe which was then distributed to food banks and pantries throughout the state of Arkansas.

Thank you to everyone for a great event! View photos of the Watermelon Crawl here.

Serving Up Solutions Dinner

May 2, 2011 Arkansas Governor's Mansion

Thanks to everyone for a successful event! View photos and the video shown during dinner.

Hunger Day at the Capitol 2011

Over 50 people were in attendance at Hunger Day at the Capitol Tuesday, March 8, 2011. It was a day of advocacy at the Capitol for hunger relief organizations and individuals who had the opportunity to visit with their legislators about hunger issues in the state. A breakfast was held to applaud the efforts of our state’s legislators, including members of the Arkansas Legislative Hunger Caucus. The bi-partisan, Legislative Hunger Caucus consists of 70 of 135 members of our state legislature. A total of 18 organizations set up displays in the Capitol rotunda providing information to legislators and other attendees about their part in ending hunger in Arkansas.

View pictures of this event

Some of the organizations on display were:

Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families
Arkansas Community Action Agencies Association
Arkansas Foodbank
Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry
Arkansas Rice Depot
Community Services Office
Every Child is Ours
Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas
Heifer International
Helping Hand of Greater Little Rock
LifeSource International
Project Hope Food Bank
SNAP
SNAP-Ed Program
The Salvation Army - El Dorado
The Salvation Army - Little Rock
Village Commons

Spirit of Giving 2010

The sixth annual “Spirit of Giving”, sponsored by KATV – Channel 7, US Bank, Stallion Transportation Group, and the Arkansas Activities Association, was held December 1 – December 17.

With 85 collection sites throughout Arkansas, we raised food and funds equivalent to over 50,000 pounds of food to support statewide efforts to end hunger in Arkansas! All food collected stayed in the community in which it was donated as drop off points were linked with hunger relief organizations upon registration.

The 2010 “Spirit of Community” Awards went to the US Bank branch at the Hot Springs Mall and the Department of Finance & Administration in Little Rock for collecting the most food in their categories.

Stallion Transportation Group in Beebe provided monetary incentives for the high school football championships and the Arkansas school competitions. A check for $1500 was presented to Arkansas High School in Texarkana and Lonoke High School in Lonoke for winning their categories.

Thank you to everyone who helped make Spirit of Giving 2010 such a huge success!

Check presentation of $1500 to Arkansas High School for winning the state football championship competition

The Trinity Assembly of God food pantry after receiving their donations from the Spirit of Giving food drive

Yam Jam 2010 - October 2

See the photos

No Kid Hungry Campaign Kickoff - October 1

See the photos

Hunger Action Breakfast - October 1

This year’s Hunger Action Breakfast was held at the Governor’s Mansion on October 1, 2010. The mansion was filled to capacity with individuals ready to honor those who have done outstanding work to fight hunger and with those eager to support our cause. At this year’s breakfast the Governor and Share Our Strength announced a new campaign to end childhood hunger by 2015. The Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance is the lead non-profit in the state for this new initiative and will be working with Share Our Strength and the Governor’s Office to help improve access to childhood feeding programs like school lunch, school breakfast, SNAP, WIC and summer feeding.

Additionally at the breakfast we announced the 2010 Acting Out Against Hunger award winners. This award was initiated last year to honor those who have taken extreme measures during the past year to help feed those who are hungry. This year’s award winners are:

Government

Senator Larry Teague
Senator Larry Teague has as much passion about feeding those in need as he has for cheering on his local Nashville Scrappers! Even before being sworn in as a state senator, he came to Little Rock to help cook and serve at the Thanksgiving meal coordinated by Jay Martin and the Arkansas Hunger Caucus. Since becoming a legislator he has become a true champion in the fight against hunger. Senator Teague participated in Serving Up Solutions in 2009 and in 2010. For the 2010 Serving up Solutions he organized a silent auction, which raised several thousand dollars to go towards mini-grants in local communities. He participated in the SNAP challenge this past week and is slated to become the Co-chair of the Arkansas Legislative Hunger Caucus following Senator John Paul Capps. However this is more than just a legislative effort for the Senator. There are many stories of how Senator Teague has personally taken the time to help those in his community who are in need. Purchasing food, giving families a lawn mower so they can mow lawns for money and giving recommendations for a job are just a few examples of his involvement. It is refreshing and inspiring to see the many ways he reaches out to help others. Senator Teague is well deserving of this award and we are proud to have him on our team!

Arkansas Department of Correction
For the past 3 years Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance and the Society of St. Andrew has built a gleaning network in Arkansas. Gleaning is an activity where volunteers go into a farmer’s field after the harvest and glean the unmarketable foods for charitable distribution. The most difficult part of developing this program is volunteer recruitment. Gleaning is hot, hard work and it is difficult to pinpoint an exact date and time more than a few days in advance. In 2008, we completed our first year of gleaning with over 149,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables. In 2009 it grew to 289,000 pounds. During the 2009 season, the Arkansas Department of Correction made a commitment to the gleaning initiative to utilize the Regional Maintenance Crews where possible. Due to the rain in 2009 the season was cut short this partnership really only began to bear fruit this year, but bear fruit and vegetables it has - in the form of watermelon, corn, cantaloupe, and tomatoes. So much in fact that food bank trucks were not enough. We had to start bringing in tractors and trailers. So far, the 2010 gleaning season has resulted in over 700,000 pounds of fresh, nutritious food with over half of the Arkansas produce being picked by the Arkansas Department of Correction. The Department has made the commitment to glean during the month of October at sweet potato farms in eastern Arkansas. Their efforts will likely put us over 1 million pounds this year! Thanks to Director Ray Hobbs, Chief Deputy Director Larry May, and Lt. Mark Stephens who made this happen at the Department of Correction.

Business

KATV Channel 7
In 2005, a very young Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance was asked to help coordinate a food drive during the holidays. KATV, led by News Director Randy Dixon, had a bold idea of a food drive encompassing their whole viewing area. Today, “Spirit of Giving” is a household name and has collected over 150,000 pounds of food for our neighbors in need. The Spirit of Giving has led to new partnerships with US Bank, the Arkansas Activities Association, government agencies, and the Girl Scouts; all collecting food. There were over 100 collection points last year and 59,000 pounds of food was collected! In addition to the food collected the message of, getting the word out about hunger and our mission to thousands and thousands of people every year. Thank you to everyone at KATV for acting out against hunger.

ARVEST Bank
ARVEST Bank has been one of those quiet partners in the fight against hunger for the past several years. Since 2007 ARVEST Bank has helped the Alliance secure funding for the Hunger Action Breakfast allowing this to become a major fundraiser for our work to end hunger. Additionally, ARVEST has donated their staff expertise for developing printed materials for the event and they have when needed supplied speakers for the event. The ARVEST family has now taken on a new initiative to collect food within their region to help feed those in need. We look forward to seeing the benefits of this new effort. The vision and generosity of Mr. John Womack, Mr. Ron Witherspoon, and all the people at ARVEST has enabled the Alliance to raise over $100,000 for our fight against hunger in Arkansas. Thank you ARVEST Bank for your commitment to reduce hunger in Arkansas!

Individuals

Representative Tim Summers
Representative Tim Summers understands the needs of some of our neighbors probably better than most. Not only is he a state representative but he is the Executive Director of Decision Point, an agency of the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank. Decision Point is a detoxification center, residential treatment center, and halfway house. Nutritious food is a significant part of the treatment programs in this agency. The individuals at Decision Point are struggling physically as well as emotionally and often have to make tough decisions in their lives. Because of people like Tim Summers they have the opportunity to get strong again and lead productive lives. Rep. Summers is also a member of the Arkansas Legislative Hunger Caucus and participated in the Serving Up Solutions 2010. He is a strong supporter of the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank and a leader for reducing hunger in our state.

Dale Prater
Dale Prater is the embodiment of what it means to give back to your community. He was the pastor at Central Baptist Church in North Little Rock when he felt God called him to serve in a different capacity. So in September 1999 Central Baptist opened its food pantry with Dale as director. Under his leadership, this program has expanded to include a backpack program, a Christmas gift program, a clothing closet, and the Gleaner’s Garden. They provide school supplies, uniforms, and counseling to children at Lynch Drive and Meadow Park Elementary Schools. Not only do they deliver food to the elderly in low income apartment complexes, they grill for them once a month. People in transitional homes and shelters are given food, counseling, and a ride to church if they want it. Somehow they find the food and funds to help support at least 5 other pantries and have been an integral part of the Arkansas Gleaning Project. The Central Baptist pantry serves approximately 500 people each month. Dale still manages to fill in as interim pastor when needed. He truly has a servant’s heart and whenever asked about his work, the response is always the same, “I have a rich Father.” Thank you for your service, Dale. You have touched many lives and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Harriett Phillips
Some people have a passion to help feed the hungry and others not only have the passion but have the ability to create the passion in others. Harriett Phillips is one of those creators. She has passion to end hunger that goes beyond the normal realm. Whether it is at church, at work, with friends or in her other civic activities she brings hunger into the discussion. And as those of you who know her she doesn’t let go once she gets a hold of you! Last year we recognized the Governor for his creation of the State Food Purchasing Program that has provided over 800,000 pounds of food to local hunger relief organizations across the state. I don’t think he will mind if we recognize the woman behind the program! The State Food Purchasing Program would not have happen had it not been for Harriett Phillips. She kept the issue in the forefront and had no fear when it came to promoting the need for the program. Basically, she kept it on the “list”. As a board member she always has the Alliance covered and is the one to go to when something needs to be done. She has received recognition for much of her service to the community, including the Stillwater Chamber Citizen of the Year and Chairman’s Awards, the University of Arkansas’s Outstanding Volunteer and Distinguished Alumni Awards, and is a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow. Today we are proud to add Acting Out Against Hunger to this list. This is a very small token of our gratitude for all you do. Thank you, Harriett!

Philanthropic

Leadership Jonesboro Kans 4 Kids, Class of 2009 & 2010
Members of the Leadership Jonesboro class have undertaken an annual project called Kans for Kids, to support the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas’ Backpack program. For the last two years, teams from the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Jonesboro class have conducted food drives specifically to collect child friendly, nonperishable, easilyconsumed, nutritious food for children at risk of hunger. The leadership Jonesboro teams have worked with area businesses and organizations to collect thousands of pounds of food and funds to make sure that hungry children have something to eat on the weekends during the school year. By conducting these food drives, the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas has been able to expand the backpack program each year to include more children in need. The 2010 Kans for Kids Food Drive topped last year’s drive and we encourage the friendly rivalry between each year’s classes, so that children in the Backpack Program benefit from the challenge. The two classes have collected a combined total of more than 15,000 pounds of food. We are thrilled to see the young business men and women of Northeast Arkansas stepping forward in such a way to strengthen our community. The Leadership Jonesboro team that made this happen are: Loretta McGregor, Phillip Woodward, Shanna French, Julie Hill, Brandy Lloyd, Stanley Lichucki, Christie Lemmons, Eric Watson and DeDe Harper.

Mannafest Blessings
Mannafest Blessings is one of those locally grown efforts. Several years ago Sue Davis saw a need in her community and started handing out food to those who were in need. The number of people showing up for help increased until she needed to give up her garage to help store the amount she needed. Shortly after that her and her husband expanded in a new garage they built for the purpose of increasing the capacity of the food pantry. She has recruited volunteers and put in many hours of sweat labor to help those around her. She makes detergent and other items for those who come to her pantry in order to stretch her donated dollars even further. She serves close to 600 people each month and gives out around 8,000 pounds of food monthly!! Her greatest concern now is who will come behind her to carry the torch. She and the others who volunteer at the pantry are in their 80’s and what to leave a legacy that will be in place long after they are gone. Her circle of influence far outreaches her small town of Beebe, AR. It just goes to show what a little bit of kindness and concern can grow into.

The breakfast was made possible by the many organizations and individuals who sponsored the event. A special thanks goes to:

Gold Sponsors
Kroger
Stallion Transportation Group
Tyson
Walmart

Silver Sponsors
Arkansas Children’s Hospital
Performance Foodservice

Table Sponsors
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Arkansas Rice Federation
Arvest Bank
Bailey Foundation

Central Baptist Church Entergy Corporation
Leadership Jonesboro
Representative Tim Summers

The 2010 Hunger Action Breakfast was once again a tremendous success and will help move the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance forward with their mission.

See the photos

Serving Up Solutions 2010

Wow, what a wonderful evening June 14th was! Nearly 125 policy makers and friends joined together for an evening of good food and good fellowship to help raise money for hunger relief organizations across the state. Chef Kathy Webb of Lilly's Dim Sum, Then Some, Chefs Capi Peck and Brent Peterson of Trio's, Chef Tim Morton of 1620 Restaurant and The Culinary Staff of the Governor's Mansion provided a culinary feast for those who attended. First Lady Ginger Beebe and 18 members of the Arkansas Legislative Hunger Caucus served the meal. Senator Larry Teague organized a silent auction and Representative Bruce Maloch called a live auction for 2 special items.

All in all the evening was a lot of fun and raised nearly $17,000 that will help hunger relief organizations in the state as they serve our families in need. We want to give a special "shout out" to those who helped us sponsor this event.

Silver Sponsor - Walmart
Food Donation - Performance Foodservice
Wine Donation - Chateau Aux Arc

Table Sponsors
Daisy Outdoor Products
Southern Bancorp
Southridge Village Nursing & Rehab Center
Stallion Transportation
Rep. Kathy Webb
Senator Mary Anne Salmon
Arkansas Foodbank Network
Food Bank of North Central Arkansas

The Arkansas Legislative Hunger Caucus Members who served the meal:
Senator Shane Broadway
Representative Richard Carroll
Representative Eddie Cheatham
Representative Jody Dickinson
Representative Clark Hall
Representative Debra Hobbs
Representative Allen Kerr
Representative Bruce Maloch
Representative Barbara Nix
Representative Tracy Pennartz
Representative Bobby Pierce
Representative Johnnie Roebuck
Representative Tiffany Rogers
Representative Gene Shelby
Representative Tim Summers
Senator Larry Teague
Representative Linda Tyler
Representative Darrin Williams

Another special thank you goes to the organizations who donated products for the silent and live auction. These include: Daisy Outdoor Products, Husqvarna Outdoor Products, Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Magnolia Blossom Festival, Sheridan True Value, Secretary of State, Bottomland Naturals, Reynolds Performance Center. The silent and live auction made nearly $2,500!

It takes so many individuals and organizations to make an event like this happen. We appreciate everyone's time, money and products. Thanks again for all you do to fight hunger in Arkansas.

See the photos

Spirit of Giving 2009

The fifth annual "Spirit of Giving", sponsored by KATV - Channel 7, US Bank, Stallion Transportation Group, KHBS-KHOG 40/29 TV and the Arkansas Activities Association, was held December 1 - December 18 and ended with record breaking results!

With 131 collection sites throughout Arkansas, we raised over 59,000 pounds of food to support statewide efforts to end hunger in Arkansas! All food collected stayed in the community in which it was donated as drop off points were linked with hunger relief organizations upon registration.

The 2009 "Spirit of Community" Awards went to the US Bank on Rodney Parham in Little Rock, the Department of Workforce Services in Little Rock, and the Lincoln County Girl Scout Brownie Troop 1142 for collecting the most food for their category.

Stallion Transportation Group in Beebe provided monetary incentives for the high school football championships and the Arkansas school competitions. A check for $1500 was presented to the Lonoke High School Athletic Dept. and Northridge Middle School in Van Buren for winning their categories.

Thank you to everyone who helped make Spirit of Giving 2009 such a huge success!

See the photos

Hunger Action Breakfast 2009

On September 2, 2009 The Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance held the annual Hunger Action Breakfast at the Governor's Mansion. This year 200 people were in attendance. The Alliance initiated a new award named the "Acting Out Against Hunger Award."

This new annual award is designed to recognize individuals and organizations that have made a commitent to reduce hunger in Arkansas. The recipients came from across the state and from a variety of stations in life. Several nominations were received and it was difficult to narrow it down to these few. Arkansas has been blessed to have many recognize the need that exists in our state.

The Hunger Action Breakfast gave the Alliance the opportunity to recognize the following people or organizations for their efforts:

2009 Award Recipients

Governor Mike Beebe and the First Lady
Rep. Kathy Webb and Rep. Bruce Maloch
Walmart and Walmart Foundation
Butch Rice, Stallion Transportation
Mr. Randy Clanton KAIT-TV and Triple FM Radio Group
Elizabeth Bates, Jesse Bates, Lee Isaac Frazier-Pool, Bella Frazier-Pool, Nicholoas Ray Fortney, Andrew Cooper Fortney and Lila
Erma Smith
Arkansas Community Foundation
MOMS Pantry at Christ the King church

Serving Up Solutions

Let's Talk Politics Over Dinner and Benefit the Hungry of Arkansas

Last year the Arkansas Legislative Hunger Caucus initiated a new dinner to benefit the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance Network at Trio's in Little Rock. The dinner featured food prepared by local celebrity chefs. The idea of the dinner came from co-owner of Lilly's DimSum, ThenSome, Nancy Tesmer, as a way to raise funds for solutions to hunger in Arkansas. This has now become an annual event for policy makers and policy shapers.

The 2nd Annual Serving Up Solutions Dinner was held on May 12, 2009 at 7:00 pm, at the Governor's Mansion in Little Rock and was attended by 100 plus people. The celebrity chefs that prepared food this year were:

Chef Kathy Webb of Lilly's DimSum, ThenSome
Chefs Capi Peck and Brett Peterson of Trio's
Chefs Yvette Brady and Liz Sorvillo of 1620 Restaurant
Chef Jason Knapp of the Governor's Mansion.

First Lady Ginger Beebe and members of the Arkansas Legislative Hunger Caucus served the meal which included lots of opportunity for entertaining!! Speaker of the House Robbie Wills, Rep. Bruce Maloch and Rep. Rick Green were recognized for their commitment to reduce hunger during their tenure in the legislature.

Nancy Tesmer was recognized for founding the event by the naming of the Nancy Tesmer Mini-Grant Fund. The event raised approximately $16,700 that will go to fund the Nancy Tesmer Mini-grants at local hunger relief organizations through out the state. State legislators will be given the opportunity to nominate a local hunger relief organization in their district to receive one of the mini-grants to build capacity in their area. The Nancy Tesmer Mini-grants will be awarded by the fall of 2009.

See the photos

Kids give back to community

Lee Isaac, Kary, Bella, Andrew and Nick are pictured after presenting over $370 to the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. They raised the money by having a booth at Harvest Fest and holding a garage sale. The children wanted to help give back to their community by helping the hungry. The Alliance will utilize these dollars in support of our gleaning project this year. We applaud these children for their generosity and hard work. They will be top on our list of volunteers for years to come. Thanks to all of you from the Alliance and its members!!

Spirit of Giving 2008 Huge Success

"Spirit of Giving 2008" sponsored by KATV - Channel 7, US Bank, 103.7 the Buzz, and Stallion Transportation Group was held December 1 - December 19 and collected over 46,000 pounds of food to support statewide efforts to end hunger in Arkansas! This was a 142% increase over 2007. All food collected stayed in the community in which it was donated as drop off points were linked with hunger relief organizations upon registration.

The 2008 "Spirit of Community" Awards went to the US Bank in Greers Ferry, North Ridge Middle School in Van Buren and the Department of Finance & Administration - Ragland Building for collecting the most food for their category. The recipients will display their award until next December when competition begins again.

The competition between high school football teams participating in the state championship games was a new twist for this year's campaign. It was highly successful with over 8,000 of food being collected at the entrance to War Memorial Stadium. Des Arc High School won the competition by bringing 3,200 pounds of food to their game on December 13th. The Des Arc Athletic Department was presented a check for $1500 by Butch Rice of Stallion Transportation Group for their efforts.

Thanks to each of you for making Spirit of Giving 2008 a huge success!

See the photos

Hunger Action Month Breakfast - September 2008

It may have been a windy and wet day with the remnants of Gustav hanging around, but inside the Governor's Mansion there was fire, passion and commitment to help those in our state who are hungry. The Hunger Action Breakfast 2008 was a major success thanks to our hosts, the Governor and Mrs. Beebe, the 150 individuals who were able to brave the elements to attend and to the gracious donors who helped sponsor the event.

Spirit of Giving 2007

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"Spirit of Giving 2007" sponsored by KATV - Channel 7 and US Bank was held December 12 -19 and collected over 19,000 pounds of food plus funds to support statewide efforts to end hunger in Arkansas. This was a 43% increase over 2006. All food collected stayed in the community in which it was donated. Awards were given for the US Bank location and the Arkansas school to collect the most food. The 2007 "Spirit of Community" Awards went to US Bank - Heber Springs and North Ridge Middle School in Van Buren. The recipients will display their award until next December when competition begins again.

Food Stamp Challenge

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The following Arkansas legislators took the Food Stamp Budget Challenge issued by the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance and the Arkansas Hunger Coalition. They agreed to live on $3 per day, the typical Food Stamp allotment, for three days in August. As a result of their experiences, a new legislative Hunger Caucus has been created. It will be chaired by Representative Kathy Webb and Representative Rick Green. In addition, an Interim Study on Hunger in Arkansas will be conducted by legislative staff with the hopes of enacting legislation in the next session that will alleviate hunger in our state.