Dear Friends: At a recent hunger summit for Navarro county, representatives from our Member Agencies, churches, and city of Corsicana officials were discussing hunger issues in their community. "You know, I go into houses and they don't have food, but they'll have beer. Or sometimes I want to say, 'Get a job!' Or I see people taking their money to go get high," said one person, frustrated with the bad decisions he sees. The room was quiet after the man spoke; no one knew what to say next. Then a pastor from a local church stood up in the back of the room. "You know, I'd like to address those comments," he said. The audience turned around to watch him. "As a pastor, I see couples every day who tell me they are happy at home and are trying to be a loving spouse, but are they really? I don't know what goes on behind closed doors. And people deceive me from time to time—they deceive themselves. But does that mean I stop reaching out to them? Stop trying to spread the word of God? And I think it also shows that hunger is not an issue in of itself. It encompasses many things: drug abuse, addiction, alcoholism, homelessness, poverty. So it's important to keep the broader picture in mind when dealing with any one person's individual choices." Wow. What a speech. And what a reaction, too! From there, citizens opened up about the hardships their neighbors faced and how they must all work together to unite the community, educate them on the causes of hunger and find solutions as one body. Another woman spoke up, a woman who served at a Member Agency and stands on the frontline of hunger. "I do think people are generally good," she said. I bring this up because this month at the food bank we are trying something new: an initiative called Full On Faith, focuses solely on faith-based communities. Whatever the denomination, whatever the religion, whatever the doctrine, whatever the beliefs, we want to encourage people of faith to come to the North Texas Food Bank and give back (more information and a letter from the volunteer who brilliantly devised the plan below). Because whether you're in a small town or a large metropolitan area, it's easy to forget the broader picture, it's easy to throw up your hands and walk away. But isn't it much more rewarding to embrace your fellow citizens and go home thinking, "You know, I do think people are generally good." In gratitude, Jan Pruitt President and CEO Full On Faith Launched in July The Food Bank could not achieve its mission without the help from North Texas faith communities. Daily, groups and individuals come to volunteer, invite NTFB to speak to their congregations, and support NTFB efforts by donating food and funds. Additionally, nearly 75% of our Member Agencies are connected to a faith-based organization. The NTFB's "Full on Faith" program is a year-round celebration and awareness campaign intended to focus North Texas faith based organizations and their members on the hunger issue and needs in our community. Partner with other faith groups to live out your faith and help end the fight against hunger! Learn about special volunteer opportunities for your faith group, including the NTFB's Faith Week, July 19 through 23. Don't miss an opportunity to get your faith members involved today! Visit www.ntfb.org/fof for more information. The Man Behind Full On Faith Justin Chatigny was a transplant to Dallas looking to get involved in his new community when he found the North Texas Food Bank. After a discussion with our marketing and development teams, he dreamed up Full On Faith 24 hours later. This is his story about why he felt compelled to get involved. Justin: "I had been volunteering for an organization supporting the homeless in Houston. Finding a place to serve wasn't easy – many organizations offer opportunities only during business hours. Relocating to Dallas, I was eager to help those down on their luck, but didn't know where to start. Jon Wolkenstein, an NFTB Board member and partner at my employer, Grant Thornton, introduced me to Jan Pruitt, NTFB CEO. I mentioned to Jan that I am a marketer by trade, so she introduced me to Colleen Brinkmann, NTFB Chief Philanthropy Officer, and her colleague Sayeda Mahler, senior manager Corporate Engagement. They shared the exciting marketing initiatives NTFB was pursuing and discussed some needs. One issue involved engaging North Texas's faith-based communities in NTFB programs on a sustained basis. This was particularly interesting to me as my faith compels me to serve, but – as mentioned – I had found it surprisingly difficult to find a place to do so consistently. NTFB makes it easy to give of your time with weekend volunteer hours and various service projects. Colleen challenged me to provide some ideas on how NTFB could address this need. Full on Faith addresses two issues simultaneously: 1) raises awareness about a genuine need and 2) provides an avenue for people of faith to serve others – an imperative of most religions. While the hunger issues is well-documented, I'm not sure there is an appreciation for how widespread it is in North Texas and how much can be done for so little money and time. I certainly didn't when I moved to Dallas recently. I was invigorated by the chance to provide some thoughts on a marketing campaign that would link people who want to serve with those who would benefit from it. I'm grateful that NTFB invited me to participate in this project." News From D.C. The fight for a fully-funded Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill continues. At the beginning of June, over 1,100 organizations signed a letter urging the Senate leadership to pass a reauthorization bill by the end of the summer. Finally, in mid-June, the House started their side of the process with a draft bill authored by Chairman George Miller (D-CA) and co-sponsored by our own Ruben Hinojosa (D-McAllen). The House bill goes much further than the Senate version, investing an estimated $8 billion in new money in the child nutrition programs over the next ten years (the Senate's bill only has funding for $4 billion). The Texas Food Bank Network (TFBN), which serves as the voice for Texas' 19 food banks, has made a score card for the House bill and as you'll read, there's room for improvement. Click here to review the score card. Look for more on this issue in the coming months because TFBN's primary objective is to get the House version of the reauthorization bill funded and passed by the end of the summer. Next Steps: July 12, the House Committee on Education and Labor will marked up (i.e. revise) the House version of child nutrition reauthorization, H.R. 5504. This bill will expand access and improve the quality of crucial anti-hunger programs like school meals, summer meals, CACFP & WIC. After this, House leadership will need to identify funding for the bill before it can be voted on. Most of this money is likely to come from the Committee on Ways & Means, of which Austin Congressman Lloyd Doggett is a key member. ACTION We need Rep. Lloyd Doggett to know that the Texas nonprofit community is watching him, and wants a fully funded child nutrition bill! Please demonstrate your support by signing this letter by Friday, July 16. Feeding America News On July 1, Feeding America and the ConAgra Foods Foundation released state-level child food insecurity estimates for the entire nation. The study found that nearly 1 in 4 Texans under 18 years of age—or 1.6 million children— that don't have access to the foods that they need to lead active, healthy lives. This means Texas has one of the highest rates of child food insecurity in the nation, virtually tied with Arkansas and Arizona. The rate of childhood hunger in Texas has gone up over 2 percentage points since last year's report, which means 163,525 more kids are hungry today. That's more kids than seats in the new Cowboys stadium! Texas Legislature News The North Texas Food Bank would like to thank Rep. Tan Parker and Sen. Chris Harris and their staff for taking time out of their busy schedules to meet with North Texas Food Bank representatives and the Tarrant Area Food Bank. We appreciate your efforts to understand the issues and fight hunger in the Lone Star State.