|
 |
|
FEBRUARY 2008
|
|
TOP NEWS
Souper Bowl 2008
Souper Bowl 2008 Scores All Time High
Twelve-hundred
tickets printed . . .twelve-hundred tickets sold! Nearly
seventy thousand dollars raised to tackle hunger relief in
New Mexico!
Those were the
final record breaking scores for Roadrunner Food Bank’s
Souper Bowl 2008 fundraiser held Saturday, January 26th.
The annual soup sampling spectacular attracted 29 of
Albuquerque’s finest restaurants serving up delicious soups
and desserts to a massive crowd of eager fans.
“It’s a win-win
situation for everyone involved,” said Melody Wattenbarger,
Executive Director. “For all the restaurants, dozens of
sponsors, loads of volunteers, hundreds of guests, and most
importantly the thousands of clients we serve, everybody
wins.”
Albuquerque
Mayor Martin Chavez attended the event, speaking to Souper
Bowl participants about the problems of poverty and hunger.
Chavez said Roadrunner Food Bank leads the way in finding
solutions to hunger and encouraged continued support from
those in attendance. He also noted that Souper Bowl has
become the Duke City’s favorite event for an extremely
important cause – ending hunger in New Mexico.
For a complete
list of participating restaurants and award winners, go to
www.rrfb.org.
Souper Bowl
2008 cookbooks can still be purchased for $10. Cookbooks
from previous years are available as well. Call Shannon at
(505) 349-8674 to order. |
|
Upcoming Events
Corrales Bosque Gallery
"Hand To Mouth"
The 9th
Annual Benefit Show
|
 |
CORRALES
BOSQUE
GALLERY |
|
Opening
Reception:
Saturday, March 1, 2008
from 10 am till 6 pm
An All Day Event
(Show runs
through June 1, 2008)
“An Annual Benefit show to benefit Roadrunner Food Bank. 40%
of all proceeds made on the opening day will be donated to the
Roadrunner Food Bank!”
Get all the details HERE
>>> |
|
|
Food
Drives |
|
Scouting For Food
 On
Feb. 9th, thousands of area Cub, Boy and Eagle Scouts collected and
delivered food to several food banks and food pantries across New
Mexico and Southern Colorado for this year's Annual Scouting
for Food drive. Roadrunner Food Bank participated as a collection
site, receiving more than 12,000 pounds of donations from the drive
to date.
Earlier in the week,
Scouts hand-delivered bags, donated by Smith’s,
to various residents to pack with non-perishable food items and
place back on their doorsteps. The Scouts returned the following
week to collect the bags and bring the donations to various
collection sties. Comcast and U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, an Eagle
Scout, also joined in the efforts by promoting the drive with public
service announcements.
Roadrunner Food Bank
thanks the Boy Scouts of America, Comcast, and Sen. Bingaman for
helping to end hunger in New Mexico. |
Volunteer News |
|
Food Bank
Volunteer
Fran Macintyre
Recognized By Mayor Chavez
|
If one can accumulate
good karma, Fran Macintyre has nothing but pure Utopia in her
eternal future.
Macintyre joined
Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico as an administrative volunteer
nearly three years ago and was recently recognized by the
Albuquerque Mayor’s Office of Volunteerism and Engagement (MOVE)
with a MOVE UP Award.
“I like the people
here,” Macintryre said. “I like our mission, how open everyone is
and the fact that Roadrunner feeds so many hungry people. It’s
something that’s been in my heart for a long time.”
Macintyre’s volunteer
efforts surfaced while scuba diving in third-world nations following
an early retirement as a bookkeeper. She said it was during her
extensive world travels that she witnessed extreme human struggle
first hand, while visiting with local people who graciously invited
her into their homes.
|
There’s something very
special about handing food
to hungry people.
-Fran Macintyre |
In August of
2005 her committed mission of altruism solidified with the
devastating wreckage brought on by Hurricane Katrina, right here at
home in the U.S.
“I saw how people lived
in third-world countries and they don’t have much, especially in the
orphanages,” Macintyre recalled. “Then I took a look around here
and realized many people here don’t have much more than that
either.”
In addition to
Roadrunner, Macintyre devotes a significant amount of her time to
other service agencies including Friends for the Public
Library and New Mexico AIDS Services. In all, she
spends about 35 hours a week volunteering her time.
“She steps forward with
equal willingness to take on tasks that are difficult and stressful
or tedious and repetitive,” said Melody Wattenbarger, Executive
Director. “Her selfless dedication to hunger relief, AIDS service,
literacy, animals, and the community at large are truly valued.”
Thank You Fran!
If you have any questions about
volunteering with Roadrunner Food Bank, please contact Patty Gillis
at 349-8825
or send her an
EMAIL.
Sign up to
volunteer HERE>>> |
Food
Drives |
|
Holiday Food Drive 2007 Sets Records
In its 27th
year, the Holiday Food Drive collected a record 636,798
pounds of food, compared to 602,331 in 2006. These figures
include monetary donations translated into pounds.
In a statement
from her office, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish said, “I congratulate
all of those who were generous enough to help set this
record. Hungry children can’t learn and hungry workers
can’t be productive. Simply by providing people with a
proper meal, we begin building a stronger society.”
The National
Association of Letter Carriers and National Rural Letter
Carriers’ Association contributed donations from their
“Stamp Out Hunger” Food Drive. In addition, Smith’s Food &
Drug Stores has been a strong supporter for the past decade.
Various groups helping at donation drop-off
substations included: Eldorado High School, Kirtland Air
Force Base, Paradise Methodist Church, Citi Cards and the
Boy Scouts. Galles Chevrolet, Albuquerque Uptown, and
Starbucks Coffee also served as collection sites.
Other generous
sponsors included: Albuquerque Journal, Eyewitness News 4,
Sandia National Laboratories/Lockheed Martin, KRST 92.3,
Federal Executive Board, KOB-FM 93.3, and Comcast.
See the Press Release HERE >>> |
Staff
News |
 |
Welcome Joe Gatti - Agency Relations Manager
He
may not be Joe Gatti, the boxer, but Joe Gatti, the
Roadrunner Food Bank Agency Relations Manager, certainly
packs a powerful punch when it comes to knocking out hunger
for New Mexicans in need.
Gatti joined the Roadrunner team in November, 2007.
Within that brief tenure, he’s already taken a firm grasp as
a successful liaison between the Food Bank and the agencies
it serves. Among his many responsibilities, he
qualifies new agency partners, trains agency
staff on working with the Food |
|
Bank, handles food orders, and monitors agencies to ensure
compliance with Roadrunner’s policies for food
distribution. Previously, Gatti was Programs
Coordinator for
Jewish Family Service of New Mexico and managed the Jewish Community
Pantry in Albuquerque’s Northeast Heights, a school bus
driver, a Morgan Stanley financial advisor and retired from
the military.
“Somewhere
along the road I fell in love with feeding people for free,”
Gatti said. “I do what I do today because I like making a
difference in people’s lives.”
Clearly,
Gatti’s strengths include organization, leadership and open
communications. Coworkers say Gatti’s qualities lend
themselves well to working with Roadrunner’s vast array of
partners in hunger relief.
“In addition to
his passion for helping to eradicate hunger in New Mexico,
Joe well knows the challenges faced by the hundreds of
organizations that have joined with us in this effort,” said
Art Fine, Roadrunner Program Director. “His previous
experience in having operated a food pantry has provided him
with the real world knowledge that has proven to be a
wonderful resource to our partner agencies.”
Gatti says he
plans to stay with Roadrunner for “as long as they’ll
have me.”
“The people I
work with here at the Food Bank and the people we help
outside the Food Bank are fantastic,” Gatti said. “That
makes a big part of the job very enjoyable too.”
Roadrunner certainly enjoys Joe Gatti’s dedication and
service as a valued employee, and hopes to do so for a long
time to come as well. If you have any questions
about any of the agencies Joe is working with, you can reach
him at 349-8853 or
joe@rrfb.org. |
|
|
Agency
News |
|
Program Training Schedules
Program
Training is scheduled the third Friday of every month from
9:30am–11:30am for new programs and staff. You’ll learn how
to use the online scheduling system for making shopping or
delivery appointments and receive training on the Agency
Express online ordering system. All new programs must
attend training prior to ordering from Roadrunner Food
Bank. Programs can also use these sessions to train new
shoppers and other staff members or volunteers.
|
Advocacy
Food
Bank Urges Swift Passage Of Farm Bill
Food insecurity has
increased from 35.1 million people a year ago to more than 35.5
million, including 12.6 million children. Alarmingly, New Mexico
has the second highest percentage of people who are forced to wonder
where their next meal is coming from.
That’s why Roadrunner Food Bank of New
Mexico is calling on legislators to swiftly pass the Farm Bill, a
safety net that provides food assistance. Competing versions
of the Farm Bill have already passed both chambers of Congress.
Over the coming weeks, a House-Senate conference committee will
draft, and hopefully approve, a final Farm Bill to send to President
Bush for his signature. It is imperative that Congress and the
President pass the Farm Bill quickly so vulnerable families, seniors
and children can count on putting food on the table.
To learn how you
can help, visit
the Hunger Action Center at
www.hungeractioncenter.org, where you can send a letter to
Members of Congress.
Hunger
Videos |
 |
Want to know the truth
about hunger in our state? We've made a video that helps to
explain the growing problem of hunger and poverty in New Mexico (and
right here in Albuquerque). Meet the people who are working to
feed our hungry neighbors every day and hear the stories of those who
find themselves in need. A must see!
See the Video Page
NOW
>>> |
|
Take
Action Now |
|
|
Full
Plate Society |
|
You Can Join Anytime!
Full
Plate Society
members make a minimum annual commitment of $1,000 for five years.
Pledges may be paid yearly ($1,000), quarterly ($250), or monthly (for
only $84/month) by check or credit card. Additionally, you may
designate through the United Way or Combined Federal Campaign.
To download a Full Plate Society Sign Up form,
CLICK HERE.
To join the Full Plate Society
right now, please go to our
DONATIONS
page. Fill out your information and select "NEW
Full Plate Society" as the answer for the "I Belong To This
Group" question.
To see how much a monthly payment will be for different yearly
giving levels,
CLICK HERE
If
you would like to join or learn more about
the
Full Plate
Society, please contact Stephanie Silver at 505-349-8678
or send an email to
stephanie@rrfb.org.
|
Food
For Thought Tours |
|
Do you
want to know more about the food bank? Come see how you can
help us end hunger. Our next regularly scheduled tour is
Wednesday, March 12, 2008 at 8:00am.
If you
would like to arrange a tour for your civic or business group, we
would be happy to set up a special tour of our facility at your
convenience.
For more
information on Food For Thought Tours please contact Stephanie
Silver at
505-349-8678 or send an EMAIL
for more information. |
Tell Your Friends and
Colleagues! |
Please help us to spread the
word! FORWARD THIS NEWSLETTER.
Share with
your friends, family, neighbors, colleagues, or anyone you
know that cares about making a difference in the lives of our
hungry neighbors. Our success in the fight against
hunger depends on the support of people like you.
|
Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico
2645 Baylor Drive SE
● Albuquerque, NM
87106
Albuquerque Metro: 505-247-2052
Toll-Free: 866-327-0267
Food Assistance Line:
505-349-8686
Web:
www.rrfb.org
Email:
info@rrfb.org
Copyright ©
2000-2008
Roadrunner Food Bank, Inc
all rights reserved
Thank you for your continued support of Roadrunner Food
Bank's mission to end hunger in New Mexico! For more
information on what we're doing about hunger, please visit our web
site at www.rrfb.org.
|
To be removed from our
mailing list, please click the link below to send an
email to our webmaster: |
|
Remove Me From Your List |
|
