Position Statement on House File 3

On January 19, 2023January 19, 2023 By christinamcdonoughIn Board, education, hunger1 Comment

The Food Rescue Partnership Board encourages our lawmakers to continue supporting food access for Iowans.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the nation’s most important and effective tool at addressing hunger and food insecurity. In November 2022, SNAP provided $45.6 million benefits to 273,085 Iowans. In Scott County, 11.98% of residents benefited from SNAP assistance spending $1.98 average per meal benefit per individual.

Since 2013, the Food Rescue Partnership has prioritized the need to improve food availability by building a strong, well-connected food rescue network. Because hunger does not affect one type of person or one geographic location. Young or old. Rural or urban. Hunger affects 1 in 7 people throughout the United States and 229,500 Iowans.

Supporting House File 3 threatens individual food choice, increases stress on already strained food pantries, and negatively impacts overall health of Iowans by increasing hunger and food insecurity. A research project in Davenport has identified foods needed by food pantry recipients and to make use of existing foods from local pantries. Many of the items identified by participants would be excluded by SNAP if these changes are implemented. Increasing choice reduces waste. Specifically, restrictions on choice within SNAP will limit participant access to the foods they and their families need. Limiting SNAP participants’ choices means they will have no access to supplemental items needed, such as ingredients to prepare meals at home. The harmful proposals in the bill include:

Restricting SNAP purchases to only foods on the WIC approved food item list.
Establishing an asset limit for SNAP.
Performing regular eligibility verification checks for SNAP and Medicaid.
Requiring participation in the SNAP Employment & Training program.
Requiring custodial parents to cooperate with the child support recovery unit.

Therefore, the Food Rescue Partnership Board does not support any efforts to restrict food purchases or establish an asset limit for SNAP. The Food Rescue Partnership supports efforts to improve food access and SNAP incentives to support Iowans making healthy choices such as Double Up Food Bucks.

To learn more about how you can protect SNAP, please visit the Iowa Hunger Coalition website.

Sincerely,

2020 Year in Review

On January 4, 2021 By christinamcdonoughIn BoardLeave a comment

Dear Food Rescue Partnership Stakeholders and Friends,

Thank you for your tremendous commitment through this unprecedented year. We found ourselves adapting to a global pandemic, national injustice crisis, and Midwest derecho on professional and personal levels we did not anticipate when we rang in the New Year.

In 2020, we transformed the biennial Food Rescue Workshop to a 100% live webinar series with recordings available for replay. The webinar series explained why wasting food is such a problem and how health inequity and COVID-19 changed the landscape of food insecurity. The concluding webinar in the series launched a new feature to the FRP biennial event; the announcement of the Quad Cities first-ever Food Rescue Warrior and Member of the Year.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the Food Rescue Partnership earned the 2019 Food Recovery Challenge Regional Award, our second year receiving regional recognition! The recognition is possible because of our strongest asset, Food Rescue Partnership Stakeholders and Community Partners. Through all of the uncertainty in 2020, our partnerships increased food rescue and used resourcefulness and innovation to ensure the best use of resources. We prioritized safety for our donors, recipients, and volunteers during the entire food rescue process more so than ever before.

To date, the Food Rescue Partnership has diverted more than 53,588 pounds of food from the landfill by making connections to feed hungry people, feed animals, and/or compost.

Ringing in 2021, I look forward to continuing to modify and improve our food rescue education and outreach efforts. None of which would be possible without your dedication to make the Quad Cities a community dedicated to eliminating food waste. Your hard work and collaboration is making a direct impact to keep food as a valuable resource. On behalf of myself and the Food Rescue Partnership Board, thank you.

Happy New Year,

Christina McDonough, Board Chair

Want a PDF of this letter? Click here.

Blckpearl Catering Recognized for Food Rescue and Volunteerism

On December 5, 2018 By christinamcdonoughIn Uncategorized1 Comment

Yolanda Jefferson has been professionally cooking since she was 15 years old. At age twenty, Yolanda fostered an extraordinary passion to reduce food waste from Blckpearl Catering, a full-service catering company, by donating excess food to non-profits in the Quad Cities!

Blckpearl Catering 6 Food Recue Partnership (FRP) Board Vice-Chair, Christina McDonough, first met Yolanda at the Scott County Health Department ServSafe Class in November 2018 and describes Yolanda as a person that immediately captures your attention and desire to do more for others. “Yolanda spoke from the heart to motivate other professional cooks and food handlers in the class to begin donating food,” said McDonough.

“There are so many people struggling, even if you aren’t homeless, sometimes finances are tight,” Jefferson explained. “Two incomes often times isn’t enough to make ends meet or someone in the family might be sick with medical bills. Food is one thing you can always count on bringing people together and making them happy.” We agree. Yolanda donates a variety of remaining food from Blckpearl Catering events such as ham, potatoes, rice, and vegetables.

Blckpearl Catering opened in 2002, and Yolanda took over and rebranded in 2009. When Yolanda isn’t spending time owning, operating, and preparing food for Blckpearl Catering, you will find her cooking for Humility of Mary Shelter, Inc. and local churches. When it comes to food rescue, Yolanda believes in “cooking everything” because she “doesn’t like to see food go to waste.” In addition to Blckpearl Catering’s weekly food donations and Jefferson’s volunteerism, Yolanda helps organize the Culinary Throwdown each September to raise awareness and donations for Sickle Cell.

Welcome to the Member of Food Rescue program, Blckpearl Catering! For more information about Blckpearl Catering, like their Facebook page.