|  FoodLink News Spring and Summer 2008
FoodLink would like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to all the people and organizations that support our vision that "No Child Goes Hungry"
Thank You to FoodLink's Board of Directors:
Kay Truesdale
Rich Barron
Kathi Artis
Chantal Medeiros-Horton
Nancy Cheney, MD
Marc Librizzi
Keith Gomes
Lee Mirviss, DDS
Diane Wagner
Joe Fischer
Gail McCann
Harley Roberts
Tony Casares
Hollis Elliott Fernandez
Jim Partridge
Thank You to Our Food Distribution Agencies:
Open Gate Ministries
Exeter Food Closet
Cristo La Vid Verdadera
Earlimart Community Food Pantry
St Vincent de Paul - Farmersville
Lemon Cove Presbyterian Church
Ivanhoe Presbyterian Church
Lindsay Strathmore Coordinating Council
London Food Pantry
JC Junction Food Pantry
St Vincent de Paul - Porterville
Porterville Rescue Mission
Teviston Betterment Association
Bethel Assembly
Tulare Emergency Aid
Vineyard Christian Fellowship
Visalia Salvation Army
Visalia Emergency Aid
Woodlake Food Pantry
Pixley Food Pantry
THANK YOU FOR A JOB WELL DONE!
Hunger Math: Feeding Students = Higher Test Scores!
News in Brief
Hunger Math: Feeding Students = Higher Test Scores!
"It's as simple as this," says Rob Hudson, Superintendent of Alpaugh Unified School District. "Children who eat nutritious foods do better in school. It's the single most important thing we can do to improve test scores."
Alpaugh has good reason to search for solutions. It is one of several Tulare County school districts facing federal sanctions under the No Cild Left Behind Act. NCLB sets predetermined goals for improvements in student performance that don't always take into account the realities of poverty and lack of resources that plague certain parts of Tulare County. In Alpaugh, for example, 95% of the students qualify for free and reduced price school meals. "My vision for Alpaugh is to get breakfast in the classroom," Hudson declares.
In-class breakfast and "grab-and-go" carts have proven very successful in the Cutler-Orosi school district. Since instituting the programs, "Kids are fed," says Robert Schram, of the district's Food Services. "There is less tardiness and better attendance. Kids get to school on time. Teachers see better participation, and there are fewer visits to the nurse with headaches and stomach aches. Breakfast in class is the only way to ensure that everyone has something to eat." The program is now a model for other school districts nationwide.
Yet the reality remains that many Tulare County children arrive at school hungry. Ivanhoe school nurse Linda Munoz sees "a lot of kids who miss the first half hour of school with a stomach ache or headache, when in actuality they didn't't have breakfast."
Lucinda Awbrey , head nurse for Visalia Unified School District, notes "low blood sugar can cause difficulty with memory and concentration, both of which are key aspects of the learning process." "I use the analogy of a car," adds Lynelle Grumbles, R.D.. "Eating nutritious food is like putting in quality fuel. The quality of the fuel affects the performance."
Responding to recent research that demonstrates the link between nutrition and learning, many schools now offer snacks during testing, and notes are sent home urging parents to be sure their children have breakfast on testing days. "But why push snacks and breakfast during testing week only?" wonders Schram. "Students need proper nutrition every day." Superintendent Hudson of Alpaugh agrees. "We need to make healthy eating a part of the school climate."
Making nutrition a priority means educating students, parents, administrators, and the community as a whole. "It's worth the hurdles," says Neva Wright, Health Educator with the Tulare County Office of Education. "Once we make it a high priority, all the pieces will come together."
News in Brief FoodLink is honored to have been awarded a $30,000 donation through the Kraft Cares Program. This donation will be used to help support our Back Pack Program. Many thanks to Kraft for their ongoing, generous support.
Class 37 of the California Agricultural Program made a generous donation of 43,000 pounds of rice and 5,000 pounds of powdered milk to FoodLink in May. Dispite the abundance of crops grown in California, there are still many who go hungry every day. Foodlink volunteers repacked the rice and milk into family size servings. This donation was then distributed to over 80 agencies in Tulare County.
Thank you Ag Leadership Class 37 for making feeding hungry families a priority !
FoodLink's Nutrition Educator Paula Cibrian was one of five women honored at this years Latinas in Business and Professions business lunch and achievement program. The event was held at the Marriot Hotel,Visalia on September 12,2008.
Crop Hunger Walk:
On a beautiful spring morning in May hundreds of walkers came out for this years Crop Hunger Walk. The walkers gathered in anticipation at St. Paula's Episcopal Church waiting for the walk to begin. Stops along the way included, Visalia Rescue Mission, Visalia Emergency Aid, Good News Center and the Samaritan Center.FoodLinks "Nutrition on the Go" set up in the park at the oval, allowing residence in the area to come and receive fresh fruits and vegetables that morning. This years Crop Hunger Walk raised a total of $10,525.65 To participate in the next Crop Walk, , contact April Hill, e-mail: aprhill52@sbcglobal.net.
Summer Lunch Program:
This year’s Summer Lunch Program served 15,000 lunches at 13 sites throughout Tulare County, to children who might otherwise not eat while school is out of session. FoodLink was awarded a $5,000 donation from Land O'Lakes California Grants Regions to help support the cost of this much needed program. Special thanks to Becky Kennedy, who recruited and coordinated a wonderful team of volunteers to keep the food flowing in spite of budget cuts. Without the help of volunteers and all of our incredible site leaders, FoodLink would not be able to host this program. Many thanks to you all.
Letter Carriers Food Drive:
On Saturday May 10th letter carriers throughout Tulare County collected 46,000 pounds of donated food along their routes.Volunteers unloaded the donated food into waiting FoodLink trucks. The donations where then taken back to Foodlinks warehouse, sorted and repacked. Donations where distributed back to needy families through 80 different agencies in Tulare County. Special thanks to all our volunteers, Boy Scout Troop 317, Kennedy family, Cibrian Family along with FoodLink staff members.
14th Annual Golf Classic:
FoodLinks 14th Annual Golf Classic took place on Friday July 11th at the Visalia Country Club. This was a fun filled event with a course of 24 players. The $45,000 raised at this event goes to help FoodLink in their mission that " No Child Goes Hungry". The winning team this year was Quality Jewelers who's players included Paul Heidenreich, Ron Wiley, R.B. Jefferies, and Daniel Bonin. Special thanks to Golf committee members; Keith Gomes, Harley Roberts, Marc Librizzi, Lee Mirviss, Tony Casares, Diane Wagner, Denise Palmer and FooLink staff Becky Kennedy and Chris Burrows.
Thank you to all our sponsors,donors and players !
Save the date for our 15th Annual Golf Classic July 10, 2009
 FoodLink for Tulare County, Inc.
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 1544 Visalia, CA. 93279
Physical address:
7427 W. Sunnyview Visalia, CA. 93291
Phone: (559) 651-3663 Fax: (559) 651-2569
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