BLAINE COUNTY HUNGER COALITION INC
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : d*********t@t****************n.o*g
Mission Statement
The Hunger Coalition builds a healthy community through access to good food and addresses the root causes of food insecurity in collaboration with key partners.
About This Cause
Vision The Hunger Coalition envisions a community where everyone has access to good food regardless of economic circumstances, where human connections grow, and all are empowered to speak up and be heard. Values ACCESS to healthy food as a human right INCLUSIVITY and respect where all voices are recognized as essential parts of the good food community ADVOCACY for social justice to create lasting change at the systemic level EFFICIENT USE of donor resources where the generosity of the community is maximized to make the greatest change A culture of INTEGRITY where accountability, fairness, honesty and transparency define us An EQUITABLE community where opportunity is not limited by one's race, class, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, citizenship, disability or religion Background Founded in 2003, the Coalition consists of 12 inter-related programs ensuring dignified access to nutrition and support. In the last twenty years, we’ve grown from giving out a few food boxes from a closet to a comprehensive solution to hunger replete with a community food center, community farm and garden, cooking and nutrition classes, children’s food programs, and youth internships. We are working to move beyond the band-aid approach of a traditional food pantry, where instead of simply handing out food, we are collaborating with local organizations to provide wrap around services, serving our participants in a more holistic manner. Bloom Community Food Center -The food center hosts our food pantry, community kitchen, year-round greenhouses, and partner collaboration hub providing more ways for people to connect through food and education. Bloom Truck -Bloom Truck is a food truck and bookmobile that provides healthy sack lunches and enrichment activities to children throughout the summer. It travels with The Community Library to six locations throughout our country during the summer, ensuring every child has access to a healthy meal and a safe place to learn and engage with their peers during the summer months. Backpack Program -The Hunger Coalition is working with Blaine County School District social workers to ensure children have healthy meals and snacks to take home on the weekends. Daily Bites -Providing pantries of healthy snacks in each of the schools and to various community partners who provide out of school activities for at risk children. The Hope Garden -The Hope Garden is a 10,000 square foot productive fruit, vegetable & herb garden responsible for contributing more than 1,200 pounds of fresh, organically grown produce to the Mobile Food Bank in its first year. Bloom Community Farm -The farm’s intent is to provide a place for diverse partnerships with local organizations and continued expansion of food production programs supporting the health and well-being of all community members and their families. Bloom Youth Project -Working with partner organizations, our Bloom Youth Project provides kids an avenue to build life skills while participating in food production and a mobile market, selling produce to vulnerable populations. Youth-focused programs help to develop resiliency, foster life skills, and teach coping mechanisms to help our local youth blossom into healthy, contributing community members. Infant Formula Initiative -The Hunger Coalition’s Infant Formula Initiative ensures babies requiring supplemental nutrition can receive formula every month during their first year. As a supplement to the Women, Infants, and Children program (WIC), the Infant Formula Initiative provides essential nutrition during the critical first months of an infant’s life. Food Rescue Program -Beginning in 2008, The Hunger Coalition instituted a grocery store food rescue program targeted at recovering fresh produce and perishable items from four of our local grocery stores. These efforts, and a program to accept excess produce from local gardens, helped us distribute over 40,000 pounds of donated perishable food through our Healthy Food Pantry last year.