Blaine County Hunger Coalition Inc.

“The finance committee reviews the annual form 990 with the executive director. Once approved by the finance committee, it is sent out for review by all of the board members for questions, comments and general review.”

“If any conflicts of interest were to occur, the policy would be strictly enforced.”

“The executive director's compensation is reviewed annually by the executive committee of the board and increases are approved by the entire board. The 2013 compensation guide published by guide star was used to determine an appropriate salary for the executive director. In addition, form 990's of other local non-profit organizations were also reviewed to determine the executive director's salary.”

“The organization makes its governing documents available to the public upon request.”

“The blaine county hunger coalition strives to end hunger in our community by providing wholesome food to those in need and by promoting solutions to the underlying causes of hunger through collaboration, education and advocacy.”

“Volunteer duties include pick up and distribution of food; collation, pick up and distribution of snack packs and snacks; support for off site programs; assistance in the garden; office administrative assistance; support for mass mailings; support for events.”

“(continued from page 2) the results from the assessment will guide us in making programmatic changes in the services we provide. For the reporting period, specific program accomplishments are as follows: 1. Mobile food bank during this time period, the mobile food bank program distributed the equivalent of 146,487 meals' worth of essential supplemental nutrition to local families and individuals experiencing hunger. For the 500 children and adults receiving food assistance monthly, we were able to provide 6,122 food boxes. Our gleaning program brought in 4,338 pounds of fresh, local fruits and vegetables. Our perishables program rescued 74,313 pounds of perishable and non-perishable foods for distribution through our mobile food bank. Combined with our purchasing partnerships with local grocery stores, we were able to save over 225,000 in food costs during this time period. 2. Empowerment services in keeping with our stated mission, we actively address the underlying causes of hunger and promote long-term solutions through collaboration, advocacy and education. During the reporting period, the hunger coalition conducted two very successful series of cooking matters nutrition education courses for kids in conjunction with the idaho foodbank and i have a dream foundation. 20 out of 21 children graduated from the first series, and 17 out of 18 children graduated from the second series; an overall graduation rate of 95% for children, good nutrition is key to success in school and later in life. According to feeding america, there are 900 food insecure children living in blaine county. Currently, over 1,400 school age children (40% of enrollment) qualify for free and reduced cost meal programs through the school district. 48 students from the title 1 woodside elementary school who are engaged with the "i have a dream" foundation participated in the cooking matters classes. 3. Snack pack program initiated in 2008, the snack pack program, is specifically designed to feed hungry students over the weekends and after school when they are outside the safety net of the school meals program. Program-specific food orders provide healthy, shelf-stable, easy to prepare food that children take home at the end of every week to supplement their overall nutrition on the weekends and after school. During the 2014-2015 school year, 142 students per week on average received easy-to-prepare snacks and meals, with a high of 182 students seen in april. The hunger coalition distributed a total of 5,122 snack packs during the school year, a record high number for this program. 4. Infant formula initiative we began our infant formula initiative at the end of 2005 in response to reports from public health and other community agencies that many families were experiencing difficulty in providing sufficient nourishment for their infants. While many new mothers qualify for government subsidies of formula, the amount provided is not always sufficient to meet the nutritional needs of their new babies. This service provides vital nutrition and nourishment to infants who would otherwise be at serious risk of experiencing chronic hunger. This program is not an ongoing source of assistance for a family. It fills a crucial need in the lives of the most vulnerable members of our community. During this reporting time period, we provided the equivalent of 1,710 bottles of infant formula, giving out nearly 150 twelve and a half ounce cans of formula to supplement infants' nutritional levels. 5. Paws for hunger initiated in 2010, paws for hunger is a collaboration between our local animal shelter and the hunger coalition. The program addresses the needs of individuals and families with a pet who find themselves in a position of having to choose between feeding their family and feeding their beloved pet. For families already facing seemingly insurmountable challenges and children coping with circumstances that can be frightening, it is beneficial for all to keep these fami”