Hungry For Heros

Program Director: Susan Tollett

Forum Link: Hungry For Heroes

Goal: To deliver food to families in situations of need.

2009 Program Expense Goal: $3000

Application Submissions: We will be accept applications on a continual basis.

Application Selection: Will be on a first come first serve basis.

Application Requirements:

* Must be a certified member on wishuponahero.com in good standings and have a wish for the Foundation to grant
* A member may only receive basic food assistance from the Foundation every 12 months.

Food Delivered: 7 days

HillBilly Housewife

I'm Susanne, the new owner and creator of the Hillbilly Housewife. The focus here is on low-cost, home-cooking from scratch. The recipes are all tested in a real kitchen with hungry children, stalking cats, begging puppies and a playful husband underfoot. The ingredients are affordable and readily available in most areas.

Many of us are feeling the squeeze at the supermarket these day, and all of us are feeling it at the gas pump. The government continues to deny inflation, but I see the results of it in my grocery bill and my gas tank. The official USDA cost of food has risen to $500 a month for a family of 4 on the Thrifty Plan! As most of us tighten our belts, we may be wondering how to juggle expenses that only seem to rise.

Many of us have played the credit card game, using one card to make payments on another and then having no choice but to charge everyday expenses like gas and food. We know how fast a few charges can add up to an almost insurmountable mountain of debt. We sympathize with your situation because we've been there.

That's where this site comes into play. We are designed to help you reduce your grocery bill as low as it can go. It won't solve all of your financial woes, but it may give you some breathing room so you can make a significant dent in your situation. We teach you the best foods to buy on a budget and how to cook them so the family will be better fed than they've been in years. You'll find tips and techniques here that you won't find anywhere else on the web. Everything here is free, provided by God's grace. If the information you find here helps you and your circumstances, then please share what you have learned with others, so they too can benefit from your new knowledge.

WIC

The WIC target population are low-income, nutritionally at risk:

* Pregnant women (through pregnancy and up to 6 weeks after birth or after pregnancy ends).
* Breastfeeding women (up to infant’s 1st birthday)
* Nonbreastfeeding postpartum women (up to 6 months after the birth of an infant or after pregnancy ends)
* Infants (up to 1st birthday). WIC serves 45 percent of all infants born in the United States.
* Children up to their 5th birthday.

Benefits

The following benefits are provided to WIC participants:

* Supplemental nutritious foods
* Nutrition education and counseling at WIC clinics
* Screening and referrals to other health, welfare and social services

Program Delivery

WIC is not an entitlement program as Congress does not set aside funds to allow every eligible individual to participate in the program. WIC is a Federal grant program for which Congress authorizes a specific amount of funds each year for the program. WIC is

* administered at the Federal level by FNS
* administered by 90 WIC state agencies, through approximately 46,000 authorized retailers.
* WIC operates through 2,000 local agencies in 10,000 clinic sites, in 50 State health departments, 34 Indian Tribal Organizations, the District of Columbia, and five territories (Northern Mariana, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands).

Examples of where WIC services are provided:

* county health departments
* hospitals
* mobile clinics (vans)
* community centers
* schools
* public housing sites
* migrant health centers and camps
* Indian Health Service facilities

Feeding America

Feeding America is a Network

Our organization is made up of individuals, local food banks, national offices, as well as corporate and government partners. Together, we are bigger, better, stronger and more efficient than the sum of our parts. Working as a cohesive system is the only way we can truly solve the hunger crisis.
Securing Food

Feeding America works with large corporate donors to secure food and grocery products on a national level to distribute, as needed, to local food banks. The relationship that the Feeding America organization builds with larger corporations also helps facilitate a relationship between your local food bank and your local grocery store, for example.
Providing Funds

Through a grant process, Feeding America provides national funding to local food banks. It’s easier and more efficient for a single, larger charity to procure grants, than it would be for many local food banks to compete for a limited amount of funds. The grants that our organization receives are most often created to fund innovation at the local level, so that food banks can test new and better ways to secure and distribute food.
Standardizing Care

Because we’re a national organization, we can work toward ensuring that all food bank members across the country are equally and properly trained. We also help set standards for food safety, financial systems and record keeping as well as transportation and donor relations.
Advocating

Because we are a national group, it’s easier for us to give a voice to those who aren’t heard. Because of our strong relationship with the U.S. government, Feeding America is the primary recipient of government commodities, such as those from the Emergency Food Assistance Program. As a charity with national reach, we can engage the public and raise awareness of this critical issue on a national and local level.
Food Distribution

At times of natural disaster, or simply in everyday business, working as a national organization helps us to see where needs are strongest. One local food bank may receive an excess of a certain commodity, while another is feeling a need for that product. Moving food and employees where they are needed most is a strategic advantage in the fight against hunger.

Share Food Network

The SHARE Food Network distributes high quality, affordable nutritious food as a way to build community and strengthen families. Organized through 320 churches and community groups, participants perform two hours of volunteer service and pay $19.00 monthly to purchase groceries worth approximately $40.00 - $45.00.

People are empowered through SHARE (Self Help And Resource Exchange) to stretch their family's food budget, access information on health and nutrition, and develop partnerships to prevent hunger in communities.

Established in 1990, the SHARE Food Network provides approximately 13,500 food packages each month. By combining buying power and volunteerism, SHARE is able to offer quality foods and substantial savings to it's participants.

Angel Food Ministries

Angel Food Ministries is a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing grocery relief and financial support to communities throughout the United States. The program began in 1994 with 34 families in Monroe, Georgia (between Atlanta and Athens), and has grown to serve hundreds of thousands of families every month across 35 states. Angel Food Ministries crosses denominational lines and has spread the good news of the gospel of Christ through salvation tracts that are placed in each food order.
Blessings by the box

Angel Food is available in a quantity that can fit into a medium-sized box at $30 per unit. Each month's menu is different than the previous month and consists of both fresh and frozen items with an average retail value of approximately $60. Comparison shopping has been done across the country in various communities using a wide range of retail grocery stores and has resulted in the same food items costing from between $42 and $78.

Generally, one unit of food assists in feeding a family of four for about one week or a single senior citizen for almost a month. The food is all the same high quality one could purchase at a grocery store. There are no second-hand items, no damaged or out-dated goods, no dented cans without labels, no day-old breads and no produce that is almost too ripe.

Also offered are specialty boxes such as steaks, chicken and pork. Many participants in this bonus program appreciate the expanded choices. Additionally, there is no limit to the number of units or bonus foods an individual can receive, and there are no applications to complete or qualifications to which participants must adhere. Angel Food Ministries also participates in the U.S. Food Stamp program, using the Off-Line Food Stamp Voucher system.