Whaley Children's Center’s Post

With Easter weekend coming up, RLC sends well wishes to all those who celebrate! 🐣 🍫 🍬 For many, Easter calls to mind baskets of candy, colorfully dyed eggs, and meals shared with loved ones. Last year, the category that U.S. consumers planned to spend the most on for the Easter holiday was food, at $7.3 billion nationwide. It was followed by clothing at $4 billion, gifts at $3.8 billion, and candy at $3.3 billion. This year, RLC challenges you to make sure fewer of your Easter purchases end up in landfills - especially food items. Here’s how: If you’re a business, one of the best things you can do is to donate leftover Easter products to a food rescue organization (like RLC), which will redistribute them to those in need. It’s such an easy way to brighten someone else’s holiday! The Food Donation Improvement Act releases you from liability when donating. Read more about protective legislation for food donors here: https://buff.ly/3PDZojl For individual households, consider repurposing or freezing Easter leftovers rather than discarding them. One of my favorite childhood breakfasts was scrambled eggs with leftover Easter ham and cheese. I looked forward to my dad making it every year. It’s a sustainable tradition that I can’t wait to pass down to my own family. This holiday weekend, feed people, not landfills. Anyone can reduce wasted food by being mindful and creative! #wastedfood #sustainability #foodinsecurity #foodrescue #donate #endhunger #excessfood *This post was created by a University of Rhode Island student named Hannah, who is generously volunteering her writing services to Rescuing Leftover Cuisine. Thank you so much for your support Hannah!

For many, pets are family, and dog owners often wonder, "Can I claim my dog on my taxes?" The answer is yes, but only in specific cases. While you can't list your pet as a dependent, the IRS allows certain pet-related deductions. These include: -Business animals -Service animals -Performance animals -Foster pets -Donations to pet-based charities You may be able to deduct the costs of acquiring, training, and caring for these animals as business or medical expenses, helping to offset the financial burden of owning a working pet. #PetTaxes #IRS #TaxDeductions #PetOwners #ServiceAnimals #FosterPets #BusinessAnimals #PerformanceAnimals #PetCharity #TaxTips

Today we released a report on how the federal government measures food hardship and two programs that direct U.S. farm produce to foodbanks and food pantries. During the course of this review, my team and I visited a dozen foodbanks and food pantries in New Mexico, Montana, and the area in and around Washington, DC. We learned so much from the women and men working day in and day out to feed their hungry neighbors. They shared their spaces and experience with us, along with numerous experts, state officials, and others we interviewed for this report. We put together five recommendations for how USDA can better support local charitable food organizations and do more to manage performance in the programs meant to assist them. #foodinsecurity #foodbanks #foodpantries US Government Accountability Office USDA

Today we released a report on how the federal government measures food hardship and two programs that direct U.S. farm produce to foodbanks and food pantries. During the course of this review, my team and I visited a dozen foodbanks and food pantries in New Mexico, Montana, and the area in and around Washington, DC. We learned so much from the women and men working day in and day out to feed their hungry neighbors. They shared their spaces and experience with us, along with numerous experts, state officials, and others we interviewed for this report. We put together five recommendations for how USDA can better support local charitable food organizations and do more to manage performance in the programs meant to assist them. #charitablefood #foodbanks #foodpantries #foodassistance #gao #usda #tefap #csfp #foodinsecurity

Having spent much of my career in welfare and not-for-profit roles, I know that we can't always invest in the things we'd like to without taking the funds directly from an animal we could save. BUT I also know that many leaders in For Purpose organisations do a better job of culture than the big corporates with the big budgets. So here's to trying to bridge the gap, and making sure everyone in the animal care profession can create the culture they deserve.

For many, pets are family, and dog owners often wonder, "Can I claim my dog on my taxes?" The answer is yes, but only in specific cases. While you can't list your pet as a dependent, the IRS allows certain pet-related deductions. These include: -Business animals -Service animals -Performance animals -Foster pets -Donations to pet-based charities You may be able to deduct the costs of acquiring, training, and caring for these animals as business or medical expenses, helping to offset the financial burden of owning a working pet. #PetTaxes #IRS #TaxDeductions #PetOwners #ServiceAnimals #FosterPets #BusinessAnimals #PerformanceAnimals #PetCharity #TaxTips

Final Petfood Forum Trivia question! Put those thinking socks....er, caps, on! Question Three: Which student is presenting research on the utilization of dried bakery products as an ingredient? Head to the Future of Petfood Pavilion to find out, then bring your answer to Petfood Industry Booth 1512. Only the first 25 correct answers will win!  (Peter looks like he's really pondering this one….) #petfoodforum Thanks to Peter, Frannie and VALOR SERVICE DOGS INC for donating their modeling time.

Do you know where the food at your local food pantry comes from? If you live in PA, much of it is probably from one of our nine regional food banks. Learn more about PA's charitable food system and how Feeding Pennsylvania helps to make that system work better so that no Pennsylvanian has to go hungry. Feeding PA's nine member food banks: Central Pennsylvania Food Bank CEO (Commission on Economic Opportunity) Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank Helping Harvest Food Bank Mercer County Food Bank Philabundance Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania Westmoreland Food Bank

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!

Food insecurity — the lack of access to sufficient food, particularly nutritious food, due to limited financial resources — has devastating consequences for health, social, economic, and educational outcomes. FEI works to increase access to nourishing food. Our Food Is Medicine Home program provides clients with produce and shelf-stable foods each month. When you give to FEI, you are ensuring that those experiencing both food insecurity and a diet-treated condition can get the food is medicine they need. Please share this post to show your support of our work. #kcmo #kck #food #kcfoodie #foodinsecure #donate #nonprofit #kcnonprofit #nonprofitconnect #kansascity #foodismedicine❤️ #foodismedicine