Help End Hunger in Idaho

The U.S. Postal Service is having its annual food drive to help the Idaho Foodbank on May 8, 2010, and they are looking for some help in carrying the food donations! Would you like to help make a difference? Help get food to our neighbors? 

To help the USPS with their food drive, contact Cindy Hale at chale@idahofoodbank.org or call 336-9643 x. 236.

Have some extra stuff, want to help?

Now and again, you likely say to yourself, "I don't have cash right now to give, but I do have this extra thingamajig that is perfectly useful and I wish someone could use it."  Or perhaps you would prefer to give a very specific thing to a non-profit instead of money?

For those of you of that ilk, we would like to let you know to whom you might be able to give in that way. This post's target?  The needs of Life's Kitchen.

The mission of Life's Kitchen is to transform the lives of at-risk young adults by building self-sufficiency and independent living through comprehensive food service and life skills training and placement in the food service industry.  They run a pretty amazing eatery on Capitol Blvd., where you can grab lunch Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and know that you are not only partaking of a thoroughly yummy lunch, but you are also helping a great organization and some pretty fabulous young adults.

Their menu changes weekly, and you might want to sign up to get it emailed to you. They also cater events, and we have to say that it's generally always of darn good quality.

The young adults in the program go through a 16-week training, and, as you might gather, cooking is something that needs ... stuff.  Here are some of the items that Life's Kitchen has recently indicated would be welcome:

A Diamond elliptical steel commercial blender
New (2 yrs old or less) scanner
Black "Dickies" pants (32 x 32, 36x34, 36x30, 34x36)
Deodorant
White t-shirts (all sizes except small)
Female black pants sizes 7-12
Combination Locks

If you might be so inclined as to donate any of the items noted above, please call Kathy or Erin at 208-331-0199.

Idaho Community Foundation – Annual Luncheon

The incentive to pool resources and the need for strong administrative oversight are critical elements in today’s world.  In Idaho, the Idaho Community Foundation represents those values for funds across the state.

ICF is a statewide nonprofit organization composed of more than 370 individual funds, pooled together for efficient management. Total assets are more than $70 million. Since it began making grants in 1991, ICF has made charitable distributions totaling more than $37 million.

On Tuesday, May 12, ICF will be hosting their annual luncheon at the Boise Centre on the Grove.  A Meet and Greet begins at 11:30; the luncheon is from 12-1:30.  The guest speaker will be Jeff Noddle, CEO of Supervalu/Albertsons. 

They will also be introducing Bob Hoover, incoming CEO of ICF, who will be taking over the reins of ICF in July after retiring as president of the College of Idaho. 
 
They will also be recognizing this year’s Friend of the Foundation—an award given annually to recognize exceptional contributions to the success of the Foundation.
 
Patron tickets are $60, reserved are $50.  Reservations can be made by calling 208-342-3535 or emailing astockburger@idcomfdn.org.

To learn more about the foundation or join as a member, visit ICF’s
Web site at www.idcomfdn.org, or call 1-800-657-5357.

Giving Circles - IWCF and the Little Black Dress Club

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.  ~Margaret Meade

Idaho Women’s Charitable Foundation
In 2001, a small group of thoughtful, committed women came together to focus their giving power in order to make changes in our world in Idaho.  Called the Idaho Women’s Charitable Foundation, it was formed with a mission to inspire women with the power of collaborative philanthropy. 

The group has grown to nearly 250 members who educate themselves about the needs in our community and, through a democratic process, direct their pooled funds to where they believe it will make the greatest impact.   The pooled funds can make a tremendous difference to a nonprofit or community project that may otherwise be overlooked. 

Each member of IWCF gives an annual donation of $1,100. Half of that goes to a local nonprofit of her choice. Half goes to local nonprofits selected by the whole group.  A three-year commitment is required from its members.

Its first grant, in 2002, was for just under $20,000 to Terry Reilly Health Services' "Woman to Woman/Amiga" cervical cancer screening program in Marsing.
Since then, the group has paid for elementary school math programs, running tracks, community gardens and more. This year, its giving pool has grown to $120,000.

In March of 2009, IWCF will celebrate one million dollars in combined grants and individual designations since its inception.  Their One Million Dollar Celebration will be held on Thursday, March 5, 2009 from 6-9 p.m. in the Stueckle Sky Center at Boise State.

For more information on IWCF, go to www.idahowomenscharitablefoundation.org or call (208) 343- IWCF (4923)

Little Black Dress Club
A similar local giving circle was formed earlier this year by another group of women.  The Little Black Dress Club aims to attract women who can't yet commit as much money to a cause, but still want to play a philanthropic role in the community.

They currently have 53 members, exceeding their goal of 50 members when they formed in April.  Each woman donates $300 annually, or $25 a month  This year they will grant approximately $13,000 to selected nonprofit organizations in Ada and Canyon counties. 

With their motto: “Empowering women, creating community and making philanthropy accessible and fun!” the group also includes socializing as a part of its mission.  They participated in the St. Luke's Women's Fitness Celebration and The Komen Race for the Cure as a group.  They also coordinate a variety of volunteer projects and have periodic social gatherings.

For more information on the LBDC, e-mail littleblackdressclubboise@gmail.com.

Idaho Community Foundation – Giving in Idaho

Last week we talked about considering making a charitable contribution as a method for holiday gift-giving.  Whether through a national online service or through a specific nonprofit, giving a donation is a way of ensuring that your gift is returned to the global or local community, never to a store.

Another way of giving is to focus on the needs of Idaho.  An organization that provides both broad and specific support throughout the state is the Idaho Community Foundation.  Whether as a charitable holiday gift or as part of your own year-end giving, ICF can help provide good stewardship and allocation of resources with an eye on the needs of our state.

The Idaho Community Foundation is a statewide nonprofit organization composed of over 370 individual funds, pooled together for efficient management. To achieve its mission of enriching the quality of life throughout Idaho, ICF accepts and invests funds from donors and grants the funds for a broad variety of philanthropic projects statewide.

Since its inception in 1988, ICF has made charitable distributions in Idaho totaling more than $31 million.  In the last calendar year alone, the Foundation awarded grants totaling $4.5 million to nonprofit groups in all of Idaho’s 44 counties.

You can choose to donate to one of the hundreds of existing funds, a list of which is available on ICF’s website.  Such funds include scholarships for particular areas of study, support of regional area or local needs, assisting in statewide conservation, and others. 

You can also choose to establish your own fund and determine its objectives and guidelines.  The kinds of such funds, as well as information on initial monetary requirements, are available on ICF’s website.

If you don’t have a specific philanthropy in mind, you can make a donation to one of the “Greatest Need” funds which address the ever-changing needs throughout Idaho, including regional needs.

For more information on the Idaho Community Foundation, go to www.idcomfdn.org or call 342.3535. 

Idaho Foodbank – Empty Bowls

You can almost feel the sniffles coming on, and could that possibly be a headache you feel?  Since you were a kid, you probably went to the best cure of them all – a nice, hot bowl of soup – to make yourself feel better.

Every culture has a signature soup.  From mulligatawny to matzoh ball, ajiaco to zurek, soups are those special meals that are like filling your tummy with love.  You can usually taste centuries of recipes being handed down in each bowl, from kitchen to kitchen, mother to child.  In many ways these soups can help build a sense of community.

You can help out others in our community with some delicious soup at the 11th Annual Empty Bowls fundraiser for the Idaho Foodbank.  On Friday, November 28, go down to the Boise Centre on the Grove starting at 11 a.m. (warm up before the BSU game!) until 8 p.m. and pick one of 2,000 handcrafted bowls that have been donated for the occasion, and fill them with gourmet soup and enjoy some bread on the side. 

The Idaho Foodbank has distributed over 70 million pounds of food to Idaho families since 1984.  The demand that has been placed on the Idaho Foodbank is greater than ever.  The USDA has ranked Idaho the 13th hungriest state, with an average of 67,281 Idaho families worrying that they could not afford to buy food from 2004-2006.  Just in the last year, though, the Foodbank has distributed over 5,560,000 pounds of food through 211 outlets around the State.

Your purchase of a bowl at the fundraiser can bring smiles to many children in Idaho.  Nearly 1 in 8 Idaho children go to bed hungry every night.  This can have far reaching implications on their brain and physical development, affecting their ability to learn and keep up with their peers.  For your purchase of $10 for a bowl, you can provide 30 meals to children and their families, and help ensure them a full tummy and brighter future.

So come on down the day after breaking bread with friends and family at Thanksgiving, and break bread with the whole community.  As you enjoy your delicious soup, you know you are providing food, care and comfort to many other families around Idaho. 

For more information, go to www.idahofoodbank.org.

United Way - Flapjack Feed

The ultimate comfort food just may be the flapjack. And the ultimate comfort to the Treasure Valley is the United Way. For over 80 years, the United Way has been there for the Treasure Valley, acting as a safety net to our neighbors in need and providing a common way for us to join together.

Whether it is providing funding to a clinic to be able to serve more underinsured residents of the Treasure Valley, leading the way in informing parents and grandparents about the importance of quality learning experiences, or organizing an alternative spring break where area teens work together to create a safe and fun neighborhood gathering place, the United Way is there for all of us.

Through its extensive network of individuals and corporations, the United Way garners financial resources, community input and intellectual acumen to address the issues we face today. As their tag line says, it mobilizes the caring power of our community to improve lives.

On Thursday, August 28, the United Way is gathering everyone together for a little comfort at the First Annual Flapjack Feed. Tickets are just $5 for this “all you can eat” pancake feast, with the goal of making it accessible to anyone.

Join the whole community from 7:30-10:00 a.m. at the Boise Centre on the Grove Plaza to take in fluffy pancakes, and share your goodwill and spirit with all. There will be live entertainment and local celebrities flipping the cakes. This will be the perfect kickoff to their annual campaign.

For more information, please call 336-1070 or visit www.unitedwaytv.org .  Pass the syrup, please!