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.”

“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 165,681 meals worth of essential supplemental nutrition to local families and individuals experiencing hunger. For the 650 children and adults receiving food assistance monthly, we were able to provide 6,296 food boxes. Over 35% of those being served through the mobile food bank during the period were children aged 18 and younger. 2. Food rescue consisting of grocery store rescue and garden and farm gleaning, our food rescue program is an important part of our efforts to end hunger in our community while conserving resources. Through gleaning, we brought in 6,000 pounds of fresh, local fruits and vegetables. By means of weekly pick-up of perishable and non-perishable foods from local grocery stores, over 90,000 pounds of rescued foods were distributed through our mobile food bank. 3. Empowerment services in keeping with our stated mission, we actively address the underlying causes of hunger and promote long-term solutions through collaboration, education, and advocacy. During the reporting period the hunger coalition conducted several series of cooking matters nutrition education courses in conjunction with the idaho foodbank. 48 adults and kids graduated from cooking matters, preparing and learning about cooking healthy foods for themselves and their families. Through referrals from other local social service organizations, we are part of a solid support network for people with disabilities. Over 20% of clients served during the reporting period suffer from mental and physical disabilities. 4. Snack pack program initiated in 2008, the snack pack program is 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 2015-2016 school year, a record high 6,403 snack packs full of easy-to-prepare meals and snacks were distributed to 204 local school children facing hunger. 5. Infant formula initiative we began our infant formula initiative at the end of 2005 in reponse 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 3,975 bottles of infant formula, giving out 265 twelve and a half ounce cans of formula to supplement infants' nutritional levels. 6. 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 families and pets together. During the reporting period, we distributed a record high 1,078 bags of pet food to families in need. 7. Daily bites daily bites was launched in public schools and summer camps throughout blaine county in response to feedback from teachers, parents, and students about the challenges childreen in need continue to”