We would like to thank the volunteers from NCI Secured Intelligence for very creatively decorating our shopping carts for the Canada Day Parade in Port Credit during the “Paint the Town Red” event.  Their hard work and creativity was not only appreciated greatly by the staff at The Mississauga Food Bank, but it won us 3^rd Place for the best float!

Carts in the Parade

Cart at booth

NCI Decorators

SOLD OUT!

Hole sponsorships still available – visit www.tmfbgolf.golfreg.com for more information.

We are very excited about our first ever mini-golf tournament that will be taking place on Thursday, August 12th.

We hope to see you there!

Sunday, September 19, 2010
1:30-4:30pm
Jack Darling Memorial park, Picnic Area A
1180 Lakeshore Road West, Mississauga L5B 3Y3

As a thank you to all of our hard-working volunteers, The Mississauga Food Bank will be hosting a Volunteer Appreciation BBQ! We could not function without the continued support and dedication of our local volunteers. So come out and join in the festivities, and bring your family and friends as we honour you!

Please RSVP to Nikki Sandhu at nikki@themississaugafoodbank.org by September 3, indicating how many adults and children will be attending. If you have any questions, please contact Nikki at 905.270.5589 x227.

Click here to see a PDF of the invitation.

The following are facts about hunger in Canada taken from Food Banks Canada.

HUNGER FACTS 2009

How many are being helped by food banks?

- Number of people assisted by a food bank in March 2009:  794,738

- Number helped by food banks for the first time: 72,231 – 9% of the total

- Change in food bank use since 2008: + 18 % – the largest year-over-year increase on record

- Change in food bank use since 1999:  + 10 %

- Number of meals served by food banks in March 2009:  3,252,134

- Number of food banks in Canada:  884 and 2,906 affiliated agencies

- Provinces that experienced the largest increases in use compared to 2008:

- Alberta (+ 61%)
- Nova Scotia (+ 20%)
- Ontario (+ 19%)
- Manitoba (+ 18%)
- British Columbia (+ 15%)
- New Brunswick (+ 14%)

- Number of provinces & territories without a food bank:  0

- Years since Canada’s first food bank opened in Edmonton:  28

Who are food banks helping?

- 37% of those helped are children and youth

- 49% of assisted households are families with children

- 39% are single people

- 12% are couples without children

- 19% of assisted households have income from current or recent employment

- 13% receive disability-related income supports

- 6.3% are on a pension

- 52% receive social assistance benefits

- 87% live in rental accommodations

- 6% own their own home

How are Canadian food banks managing the increase in need?

- 28% of food banks lack adequate funding

- 31% of food banks do not have enough food to meet the need

- 36% of food banks have been forced to give out less food than usual

- 55% bought more food than usual to meet the need

- Nearly half of food banks in Canada have no paid staff

- 23% report difficulty recruiting enough volunteers to manage everyday operations

Every year, thousands of pounds of residential fruit drops without being harvested as most tree owners can’t – or don’t – use all the fruit produced on their properties. Meanwhile, many people living on low incomes have limited access to fresh fruit, which is vital to a healthy diet.

Mississauga Fruit Tree organizes volunteers to harvest surplus fruit before it falls, and the bounty is shared between the tree owners, volunteers and food banks. This is done on a not-for-profit basis. The food is here in our community growing on the fruit trees in our backyards, but what we need are many helping hands to bring the food to those most in need.

Home owners register their fruit trees and teams of volunteers provide the hands to harvest fruit so that those living on a limited income have fresh fruit to eat.

For more information or to register for this program, please visit www.mississaugafruittree.org.

It’s a time-honored tradition with a twist. Along with the usual fundraising activities at The Mississauga Food Bank, there is a new and profitable way to make money that benefits the environment as well. The Mississauga Food Bank is tackling the growing problem of electronic waste and literally turning it into cash.

The Mississauga Food Bank is participating in the Think Recycle program, which gathers old print cartridges, cameras and cell phones in the community and exchanges them for money. Greentec, the company behind Think Recycle, then collects, processes and recycles the electronics, diverting the electronic waste from local landfill sites.

“Our usual fundraising activities are great, but the Think Recycle program directly protects the environment,“ says Meghan Nicholls, Director of Marketing and Fund Development. “This way we can stop filling up our landfills with electronic waste and fundraise at the same time.”

Over 300 million empty printer cartridges are generated in North America every year, or 900,000,000 pounds of waste that can potentially end up in a landfill. The Think Recycle program has been responsible for the diversion of more than one million cartridges from landfills and has provided nearly $3 million in funding to its participants. More than 20,000 schools in North America participate in the Think Recycle program, says Tony Perrotta, President of Greentec.

In addition to giving money for these used electronics, Greentec also donates one tree to Tree Canada for every 24 qualifying cell phones or cartridges that The Mississauga Food Bank returns. The Think Recycle program has paid for the planting of more than 50,000 trees, effectively removing 8,700 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere.

“With Think Recycle, not only are you helping The Mississauga Food Bank raise money to feed the hungry in our community, but you get to directly protect the environment,” says Meghan Nicholls.

The public can drop off old cell phones, digital cameras or laser and ink jet printer cartridges at The Mississauga Food Bank (36-2550 Goldenridge Road) during office hours.

Share your story for a chance to win a $100 Loblaws gift card!

Your story is a powerful tool in the fight against hunger and its root causes.

Sharing the experiences of real people helps make difficult and often complex social issues easier to understand. We may choose your story to be featured on our website or marketing materials to better illustrate the struggles residents of Mississauga face in securing enough food.

If you’re not sure what to write about, you could tell us a story about your experience with any of the following issues:

• Going to a food bank for the first time
• Losing your job in this tough economy
• Having trouble making ends meet
• Working for wages that don’t support your family
• Difficulty with medical bills
• Difficulty affording rent
• Being homeless
• Difficulty accessing food or services where you live
• Living with a disability and waiting for ODSP benefits

Submit your story to meghan@themississaugafoodbank.org with the subject line “My Story”. Entries received on or before July 31 will be entered for a chance to win. A representative of The Mississauga Food Bank will contact the winner by email after July 31.

The fine print: By submitting my story, I hereby consent that I am 18 years of age or older and that The Mississauga Food Bank and its representatives and agencies may use my story to promote the Food Bank in its efforts to feed the hungry.  I understand that my story may be used in some promotional materials in a way that does not accurately reflect my lifestyle or me and that my name will not be used in any situation where my likeness is not used to reflect my actual circumstances.  I agree that all originals and reproductions of any likeness produced by and/or for The Mississauga Food Bank will remain property of the Food Bank.  I irrevocably hold The Mississauga Food Bank and its agencies and representatives harmless from any and all claims, liabilities, damages and expenses associated with authorized use of the above materials.  I understand that my representatives or I cannot revoke this release.

The Mississauga Food Bank regularly solicits input from a Registered Nutritionist to ensure that the food received by clients is in compliance with Canada’s Food Guide. We recently received a report from the nutritionist who visited with us, and would like to share the report with you.

~~~

This letter is in response to your request for a nutritional assessment of donated food by The Mississauga Food Bank to its clients.  This report is based on three cart samples that were provided by your establishment; one cart contained food for one client which is to last them for seven to ten days, the second cart contained food for a family of four for seven to ten days and the last cart was for an infant approximately six months to one and a half years old for seven to ten days.

This analysis is based on Canada’s Food Guide and except for the infant cart, represents their daily recommendations for an adult between the ages of nineteen to fifty.  Canada’s Food Guide is broken down into five categories and their servings which are as follows;

Vegetables and Fruit: 7-10 servings per day where a serving is equivalent to approximately one half cup of fresh, canned or frozen produce.

Grain Products: 6-8 servings per day where a serving is represented as one slice of bread, ½ bagel or ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta.

Milk and Alternatives: 2 servings per day where a serving is represented as 50 g of cheese, 1 cup of milk or soy beverage or ¾ cup yogurt.

Meat and Alternatives: 2-3 servings per day where a serving is represented as 75g of meat, fish or chicken, 2 eggs, 2 tbsp peanut butter or ½ cup beans.

Oils and Fats: 2-3 tbsp per day.

Canada’s Food Guide ensures that if the above requirements are met, then a person is receiving all of their daily essential vitamins and minerals to maintain a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

Cart #1 – Food for one client for seven to ten days
This cart contains approximately 45 servings of grains, 29 servings of protein, 60 servings of fruit and vegetables, 10 tbsp fat and approximately 8 servings of dairy, but there are approximately 10-12 servings of calcium available from the other foods listed. This more than meets the daily requirements listed in Canada’s food guide and this cart will last one person for seven to ten days with proper portioning.

Cart #2 – Food for a family of four, to last seven to ten days
This cart contains approximately 130 servings of carbohydrates which would be enough for 4.5 servings per day per person for seven to ten days.  The protein value of this cart is approximately 33 servings which gives each person about 1 ½ servings per day for seven days. Fruits and vegetables total about 112 servings which will allow for five servings for each person for seven days.  Dairy will only allow for one serving per day for seven days, but calcium will be obtained through other food items such as beans. It could be increased by offering another bag of pasta or a box of cereal per week and a couple more tins of fruit or vegetables or a bag of fresh or frozen produce. All other categories are within reasonable limits.

Cart #3 – Food for an infant approximately 6 months to 1 ½ years old
This cart contains all the recommended allowances for fruit and vegetables, protein and carbohydrates and dairy needed for seven to ten days.

Based on the items above, it is with confidence that The Mississauga Food Bank can state that it is offering its clients a well balanced and nutritional supply of food with only the one recommendation pertaining to the family of four.

~~

We are pleased that a Registered Nutritionist has stated that we are offering a well balanced and nutritional supply of food. We can only do this with your generosity and support – thank you! As you can see, dried pasta and canned fruits and vegetables are two items we are always in need of, so as you do your shopping this weekend, please pick up an extra few items for the food bank!

I am pleased to announce that our 2010 Gala raised $83,560.75 representing a 9% growth in net revenue over 2009. This is a great indication of the support we receive  from our community.

A special thank you to those who sold tickets and procured silent auction items. The silent auction items we procured this year raised $10,263!

We have begun planning and are looking ahead to our 2011 Gala to mark the milestone of our 25^th anniversary.

-Meghan Nicholls, Director of Marketing and Fund Development

“Be Full of Beans” program encourages children and their families to grow extra for those in need

A handful of seeds, well-prepared soil and Plant a Row • Grow a Row JUNIOR help teach the “how to’s” of veggie gardening and harvest sharing

Canada – April 5, 2010 – Growing beans and all kinds of other vegetables is becoming a snap, thanks to Plant a Row • Grow a Row JUNIOR, a veggie gardening and sharing initiative for children and their families, sponsored by the Garden Writers Association, Food Banks Canada and The Compost Council of Canada. And to kick off the gardening season, a free package of beans and growing instructions is available to gardeners interested in supporting this initiative, thanks to the support of McKenzie Seeds.

“Whether it’s beans, zucchini, carrots, herbs or tomatoes, growing vegetables offers the possibility of harvests for children and their families beyond just the food that is grown,” said Susan Antler, Program Advocate and Executive Director of the Compost Council of Canada. “From planting the seed and nurturing its growth to the harvest and its sharing with local food banks and those in need, all of these actions offer experiences as well as a sense of accomplishment that will help a child grow and develop. And importantly, it can be a lot of fun at a pretty low cost.”

“Plant a Row • Grow a Row JUNIOR is a great way for children and their families to come together for an amazing cause,” said Britt Lawson, Brand Manager, McKenzie Seeds. “We are thrilled to support this program, and encourage families to get their hands and knees dirty in the garden this summer. The benefits of this project will last for years to come as young Canadians learn the joys of gardening and community service simultaneously.”

In addition to the free bean seed package and planting instructions, a special section devoted to children and veggie gardening has been posted on www.growarow.org, thanks to the support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and care from organizations such as Rittenhouse, icangarden and Scotts Canada. Posters and other support materials are also made available for those interested in promoting the initiative within their community.

Call 1-877-571-GROW(4769) for a free package of beans to grow in your garden this summer and share some of the harvest with your local food bank. One request per family or organization. A total of 5000 bean seed packages available. Call early.