Beneficiaries
Who We Help
The Food Bank of the Southern Tier
In operation since 1981, the Food Bank of the Southern Tier distributes food and food-related products to people in need through a network of more than 160 hunger-relief agencies including food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and other non-profit organizations. Located in Elmira, NY, the Food Bank is a regional agency of Catholic Charities and a member of Feeding America. The Food Bank serves six counties across the Southern Tier of NY including Broome, Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga and Tompkins.
The Taste of the Nation funds raised help the Food Bank acquire and distribute food to neighbors in need through their network of member agencies and various programs like the BackPack Program ™. Started at the Food Bank in 2005, the BackPack Program™ distributes food to children at risk of hunger over weekend and holiday breaks when school free or reduced price meal programs are not in session. Children at risk of hunger receive a bag of nutritious, easy to prepare food each Friday during the school year. The BackPack Program™ helps children at risk of hunger return to school on Monday ready to learn. The Food Bank plans to expand the BackPack Program™ in order to meet the need of child hunger right here in the Southern Tier of NY.
For more information about the Food Bank of the Southern Tier, visit www.foodbankst.org or call 607-796-6061.
The Learning Web Youth Outreach Program
The Learning Web and its Youth Outreach Program provide a safety net for our community's homeless and transient youth and young adults; providing a long term independent living skills program, and an array of supportive services to help young people become able to support themselves.
"I feel so good that I can take care of myself now." -Patti, age 18
Patti was 17 years old when she became involved with The Learning Web's Youth Outreach Program. She had been living with her 4 year old son and her Dad who was a drug addict. They had been evicted from their apartment and Patti's Dad abandoned her. Patti was left behind to fend for herself and her child.
A friend told her that Youth Outreach could help. Staff assisted her in getting food and basic needs for her and her son and accompanied her through the process of applying for public assistance and searching for housing. Patti did receive benefits and was able to cover her basic needs and secured an apartment for herself and her son.
Knowing that the key to earning a living was completing her education, Patti used the Youth Outreach Computer Lab to study for her GED. Staff recognized Patti's potential for being a great employee and offered her an apprenticeship opportunity. Patti began her apprenticeship as an office assistant at a local non-profit. She got rave reviews from her mentor and took on more responsibilities. Youth Outreach was also able to provide her with work clothing through a local consignment shop.
Patti's commitment to herself paid off when she completed her apprenticeship and began her job hunt. Her social skills, professional presentation, and self-confidence led her to be offered an interview at a local business that was hiring. Patti was hired at the business and has been working there 8 months. Youth Outreach helped her locate good daycare for her son and was able to provide funds to start him off until she was earning enough to pay herself. Patti's full-time job pays a liveable wage and offers health insurance benefits. She would like to finish her Associate's degree and is talking to staff about options to go to school while working. Patti's mentor expressed it best: "It's always inspiring to see someone so young who is so motivated and responsible."
It is hard to imagine a group of people more alienated and powerless than homeless youth like Patti. Their daily struggles for securing the necessities of life such as food and shelter go largely unnoticed by most in the community. Unless they find themselves in the correctional or mental health systems, few community resources are devoted to helping them build the foundation for a self-sufficient lifestyle. Housing alone cannot meet the needs of these youth. A lack of education and employment skills prevents youth from amassing the resources to live self-sufficiently. SOS funding makes it possible for a program like The Learning Web to provide the supports and opportunities these youth need to develop into successful adults. SOS funds provide resources that go directly to our participants and support our independent living program activities. Patti and other Youth Outreach participants receive outreach services, intensive case-management, independent living skills training and paid apprenticeships through the program in order to develop the skills necessary for a self-sufficient, productive life.
Youth Outreach participants face a complex set of problems that must be addressed if they are to move to a healthier, more productive lifestyle. Despite the overwhelming picture this presents, our participants, like Patti, can and do overcome their life circumstances; breaking out of the cycle of poverty. Using the resources of Youth Outreach, these young people build healthy, productive, and self-sufficient lives.
Nutrition Consortium of NY
http://www.nutritionconsortium.org/
Alleviates hunger for poor and low-income residents of New York State, by expanding the availability of, access to, and use of governmental nutrition assistance programs.
Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County
Provides programs and information to Tompkins County residents.
Ithaca Community Harvest - BJM Healthy Snack Program
Ithaca Community Harvest is a collaborative effort of the Village at Ithaca with GreenStar Community Projects, the Ithaca City School District and local farms. Ithaca Community Harvest in cooperation with Gardens 4 Humanity, Healthy Food For All and the Whole Community Project of Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County and countless volunteers connects students, staff and families from Beverly J. Martin Elementary School (BJM), Greater Ithaca Activities Center and Southside Community Center with locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables. In 2010 funding for Ithaca Community Harvest came from United Way of Tompkins County's Basic Needs Fund and Hunger and Food Security Grant, a grant from Share our Strength made possible through their partnership with Weight Watchers' Lose for Good program, and by a Community Organizing Grant from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. In 2011 Share Our Strength has selected Ithaca Community Harvest and specifically BJM's Healthy Snack Program to receive a portion of the proceeds from Taste of the Nation Ithaca.
