Blaine County Hunger Coalition Inc.

“SEE ATTACHED BY-LAWS”

“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. 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 and on our webstite.”

“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.”

“The following represents a reporting of accomplishments achieved from july 1, 2018 to june 30, 2019. Through our programs, we fed 19% of our community or 3,829 people in the reporting period. We continue to meet the changing level of need across blaine county through the dedication of over 400 volunteers and 35 staff. 1. Growing food security volunteer for veggies: participants trade hours of labor on bloom community farm and in the hope garden for shares of fresh produce. Last year we provided four opportunities per week to 189 individuals. Mobile markets: bloom farm and the hope garden supply steeply discounted food for our food truck, bringing fresh vegetables to low-income seniors and food insecure neighborhoods. During the summer months, we ran a mobile market in bellevue, hailey and carey, serving an average of 25 people weekly. Bloom youth project: teens with promise manage food production at bloom community farm and feed food insecure neighborhoods through our discounted mobile markets. During the reporting period, 10 interns ages 14-16, graduated from this 7-month program and we hired another 10 for a third series. Bloom truck: bloom truck is a mobile lunch and library in partnership with the community library that provides free food, fun, and reading for children in isolated pockets of blaine county, effectively stranded from the same opportunities as their peers. We served nearly 5,000 healthy lunches to 311 children from carey to ketchum. We also partnered with an additional 26 groups who provided free enrichment activities to the kids. Food production: our harvest ends up on the plates of our food insecure neighbors through the programs described above or in our food pantry and children's food programs. Nearly 6,000 pounds of produce were grown in our farm and garden during the reporting period. Along with our traditional food assistance programs at the food pantry, these more self-sustaining models create a comprehensive approach to food insecurity in blaine county. As we empower new populations of food insecure families, we can also graduate other families out of our food bank lines and into programs that better address their long term health related goals.”

“2. Children's food programs snack pack program: our backpack program, which we call snack packs, effectively provides essential nutrition over the weekends and after school for school age children. We provided nearly 5,000 snack packs during the school year to keep kids fed and ready to learn. Summer food program: the sfp provides food, fun, and reading for local children whose families can't afford to send their kids to summer camp. In the reporting period, the summer food program served nearly 5,000 meals to 311 children. Daily bites: through daily bites, we provide supplemental nutritious food pantries in schools, after school programs, and summer camps. During the reporting period, we provided supplemental nutrition to 1,695 children to keep them fed, active and engaged at school. Infant formula initiative: providing essential nutrition for babies during the first year of their life is key to the building blocks of childhood. Through the generosity of our community, we were able to ensure 100% of the mothers who reached out to us had access to the nutrition their babies need.”

“3. Healthy food pantry: our healthy food pantry consists of a comprehensive food recovery, warehousing, distribution and support system to efficiently provide access to nutritious, supplementary foods and care for families in crisis. After a low-snow winter left much of our population under-employed, the hunger coalition served an all-time record number of people at the food pantry through the reporting period. We provided 7,420 grocery carts to 666 deserving families during the reporting period. Thanks to our food recovery efforts, we gleaned 5,280 pounds of fresh, local produce from generous neighbors and rescued a total of 77,000 pounds of food. Altogether, we distributed over 246,000 pounds of fresh and non-perishable foods through the food pantry. Our participant support services ensured our families felt part of a compassionate and caring community. The families who came to us received the vital nutrition they needed and were connected to community resources to help them succeed despite their circumstances. Until all of the people of blaine county can enjoy affordable housing, healthcare, and a livable wage, the need for universal food access will persist. While we're working hard to transform the solution so people can graduate from our food bank lines to a more self-determined alternative at our farm and garden, systemic problems continue to stifle local people. We truly believe our community will be free of hunger someday, but this is a long-term ambition and the continued support of our community is the only way this dream will ever be realized.”

“Cooking and nutrition education: the people who access our food support services are especially vulnerable when it comes to health and wellness. The stress from scarcity inevitably clouds self-care and makes it impossible to afford and maintain a healthy lifestyle. We engaged 234 youth and adults in comprehensive nutrition education that will improve long-term health through healthy, affordable eating through cooking matters classes, nutrition lessons with student groups at bloom community farm, and bloom youth project workshops.”