Bridge to Basics’ Post

✨ Exciting News! ✨ This year, I'm stepping up (literally!) and joining the annual Stop Foodborne Illness STOP3000 Challenge for the first time. Typically, I contribute through donations, but this year, I'm pushing past my comfort zone... 👉 What’s the challenge? Each day in September, we're walking 3,000 steps in memory of the 3,000 lives lost to foodborne illness in the U.S. each year. This also aligns with National Food Safety Education Month—a cause that means so much to many of us in the profession. 👟 Why? Because food safety matters. Small actions today can lead to big changes tomorrow. So, any contribution is appreciated and will make a difference. 🎯 Our goal? We aim to raise $1,000 for STOP Foodborne Illness. If we hit our goal, here's a fun twist: we'll keep walking 3,000 steps daily for the rest of the year! 💙 Together, we can make a difference. Your support matters, whether through a donation or by sharing this message. Let’s #STOPfoodborneillness and honor those who’ve been impacted. Join our journey and contribute if you can! I'll keep you posted on how we do!

Over the past year, we’ve experienced an astonishing 112% increase in demand at the Oakland Food Pantry. Yes, you read that correctly. Four years after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the question remains: what is driving this significant rise? Two years ago, we saw a surge in need following the reduction of SNAP benefits, but this past year, the impact has been compounded by other economic factors. The cost of living has skyrocketed, especially when it comes to groceries. In Pennsylvania, food prices have surged by an average of 8.2%. Consider the following: a gallon of milk now costs $4.56, a loaf of bread is priced at $3.21, eggs are nearing $4 a dozen, and chicken is approximately $5 per pound. Even for those who budget carefully, a week's worth of groceries for a family of four can easily surpass $100. The result? Supplemental services, like food pantries, have become a lifeline for more individuals than ever before. Food insecurity is no longer confined to the unemployed, elderly, or disabled—it’s affecting a much broader spectrum of people, many of whom were self-sufficient just two years ago. This growing need underscores the importance of community support during these challenging times, for this, I am so thankful for the work my team does every week at Community Human Services!

I recently visited a local food bank. It is a food bank that picks up produce at a local grocery store. They used to pickup meats near expiration too. They have freezers and as an under-supplied, overburdened food bank, the need is definitely present. In the last six months the same grocery store stopped discounting meats to 50% and started only discounting them to 30%. I know for a fact this has led to greater discard of expired meat. They no longer allow the food bank to pick up near expiration meats. People who wouldn’t be able to afford those foods in the first place, imaginary profits and losses that never existed are their “reasoning” for throwing food away instead. People in need are not the enemy. People in need aren’t hoarding their money greedily and eagerly waiting at the donation doors. The (potential) merger of Albertsons and Fred Meyer terrifies me. They’re already coordinating their sales to justify “see we’re competing with each other and will keep doing so if you let us merge” What all shoppers have realized? Their prices were heavily inflated since first word of this merger to allow “sales” that don’t lose them a penny. Grocery prices are already unattainable for many and only worsening.

For many, celebrating Independence Day means fireworks, family and time off. However, for others in our community, it means that food programs are shuttered or have reduced hours. Before the holiday, please consider making a donation 💗 to your local food shelf. If your gift is products, please make sure to provide hygiene items 🪥🧼🧴 in addition to food. Hygiene insecurity and food insecurity go hand-in-hand. Let’s support more basic needs of our neighbors. The Food Group makes it easy to find your local #foodshelf >> (https://lnkd.in/g8rFqazh ) #foodinsecurity #hygieneinsecurity #basicneeds #endhunger

Kicked off the first ever #HygieneInsecurityAwarenessWeek this past weekend with Hope & Comfort Hygiene Hub. This project is the definition of grassroots with little to no out of pocket budget. Our objective is two-fold: 1️⃣ Bring awareness to the hidden crisis of hygiene insecurity in Massachusetts. (1 in 3 people are hygiene insecure and have limited to no sustained access to basic hygiene essentials) 2️⃣ Drive awareness of Hope & Comfort Hygiene Hub to grow follower base (here and on Instagram) and bring in new corporate partners So how are we doing it? ✨ Repurposing what we have: We took existing content, data, and stories, and gave them a fresh spin with our Hygiene Insecurity Awareness Week message. ✨ Amplifying through our network: Our corporate partners, Board members, and allies with large followings are sharing our message using a toolkit packed with messaging, creative assets, and shareable one-pagers. ✨ Laying the groundwork for the future: This is a test-and-learn opportunity, helping us refine messaging and programming to build a stronger foundation for next year’s Hygiene Insecurity Awareness Week. During this week, Hope & Comfort Hygiene Hub will distribute 500,000 hygiene products that will impact 50,000 people across Massachusetts. Be sure to check them out. They are a phenomenal org (and the people aren't too bad either!) #nonprofit #client #fundraising #executivedirector

Can you imagine saving over 80 hours of time? When you think about the tech stack you use, is your technology working for you? Time is money, but more importantly more time allows you to use it to build community! #fundraisingevents #timeismoney

Thanks for your support Nick Goodfellow. We are grateful to our entire Strategic Planning Committee, staff, members, and planning consultants! We look forward to implementing this with you. <3 #foodpolicy #strategicplanning #communityimpact #foodjustice

September is #HungerActionMonth — how is #TeamCVS working to support access to nutritious food in the communities we serve? 👇 🍎 Food insecurity is a widespread problem and continues to rise post-pandemic, according to the latest studies from nonprofit, Feeding America, but a unique approach is needed to meet the needs of different communities. 🥕 That's why CVS Health and the CVS Health Foundation have granted nearly $1.5 million to nine community organizations across the country working to combat hunger, providing food insecurity solutions unique to respective communities. 🥪 Through this tailored approach, we're helping more people in our communities have access to nutritious food — so they can better focus on their overall health and well-being. https://lnkd.in/dZwWNxyY

September is #HungerActionMonth — how is #TeamCVS working to support access to nutritious food in the communities we serve? 👇 🍎 Food insecurity is a widespread problem and continues to rise post-pandemic, according to the latest studies from nonprofit, Feeding America, but a unique approach is needed to meet the needs of different communities. 🥕 That's why CVS Health and the CVS Health Foundation have granted nearly $1.5 million to nine community organizations across the country working to combat hunger, providing food insecurity solutions unique to respective communities. 🥪 Through this tailored approach, we're helping more people in our communities have access to nutritious food — so they can better focus on their overall health and well-being. https://lnkd.in/epu6Edk4

September is #HungerActionMonth — how is #TeamCVS working to support access to nutritious food in the communities we serve? 👇 🍎 Food insecurity is a widespread problem and continues to rise post-pandemic, according to the latest studies from nonprofit, Feeding America, but a unique approach is needed to meet the needs of different communities. 🥕 That's why CVS Health and the CVS Health Foundation have granted nearly $1.5 million to nine community organizations across the country working to combat hunger, providing food insecurity solutions unique to respective communities. 🥪 Through this tailored approach, we're helping more people in our communities have access to nutritious food — so they can better focus on their overall health and well-being. https://lnkd.in/ecQ4ns6F