Greetings, Food Rescue Partnership Stakeholders,

As 2017 draws to a close and we enter the holiday season, I want to express my deepest appreciation for all the work and support you have provided the Food Rescue Partnership this year. May your holiday season be filled with peace and joy, and may the New Year find you all safe, happy, and healthy.

As a result of the hard work and dedication of our stakeholders, 2017 has been an excellent year for food rescue here in the Quad Cities. Here are just some of the 2017 Food Rescue Partnership highlights:

• Completion of the strategic plan (mission, vision, core values, goals, action steps)
• Stakeholder Saturdays Facebook posts instituted to highlight Stakeholder contributions
• A few of our major speaking opportunities:
  • Midwest Food Recovery Summit in September
  • Iowa Hunger Summit in October
• New members of Food Rescue:
  • Davenport Elks Lodge in May
  • Quad Cities Food Hub in June
• A Stakeholder tour of Cinnamon Ridge Farms in May
• Election of our new Vice-Chair Liz Hogan-Wells in July
• Updating our brochure in September
• Obtaining FRP-branded promotional materials in November/December

Of special note relevant to our food rescue mission in 2017, the Food Rescue Partnership:

• Reached 291 people with our food rescue message through community presentations and health fairs
• Rescued/donated approximately 3,742 pounds of food to hunger-relief agencies in the community

These accomplishments are all direct and tangible results of the work of our committed stakeholders. As we look forward to 2018, our mission to promote rescuing food for its best possible use remains focused on maintaining existing partnerships while forming new ones, and providing ongoing food rescue education and awareness to our community. Particularly exciting new opportunities to continue and expand our reach include:

• Working with Augustana College to update and expand the QC Food Accessibility GIS map
• Forming a new collaboration with St. Ambrose University as a client for their Spring 2018 Strategic Communications Campaigns class

Thank you all again for all you do. The Quad Cities is a better, stronger community for your efforts and support.

Best regards,
Pete Vogel, Food Rescue Partnership Board Chair