CAFB President & CEO Hank Perret (left) with Tyson Foods Representative, John H. Cottrill, Jr.

During April,  Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest hunger fighters shared a special message about hunger in Central Texas.  What made it special, was that it did more than help raise awareness about the hunger crisis in our area;  it also triggered a 100 pound donation of food for every share.  Today 37,000 pounds of protein, one of the most expensive items for us purchase, and  rare for us to receive as a donation, was delivered to our Food Bank thanks to your efforts.  We weren’t the only Food Bank to benefit.  Through the Share your KNOWledge campaign, eight of our sister food banks also received food.

With the nation’s hunger relief programs under attack in both the Farm Bill and Congressional budgets, food banks across the country are simultaneously fighting back to ensure these programs are available to families in need, and preparing for the surge in clientele during the our busiest time of the year.  A truckload of chicken, and a heaping serving of hunger awareness will help in our preparation for a long and brutal summer.  Thank you, social media-savvy hunger fighters and Tyson Foods for lending a helping hand.

Click on this image.

We have a unique opportunity to bring a truckload of food to CAFB but we have less than 10 days to do it.   Here’s how it works:

1. Visit the Tyson Foods Hunger Relief blog post about the campaign.

2. Share the blog post on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pintrest (or all of them if you’re feeling mighty social).

That’s it.

For each “share” between now and April 20, Tyson Foods will donate 10 pounds, up to a 35,000 pound truckload.

We’ve analyzed the product’s nutrition information, and according to our CHOP (Choosing Healthy Options Program) nutrition ranking system, this donation would be rated #1 – the highest nutritional value – for its protein content.   Help us fill the warehouse with the best quality products possible by participating in this campaign.

About the campaign:

Share Your KNOWledge is a part of Tyson Foods’ KNOW Hunger campaign, which strives to help everyone understand the scope and nature of hunger in their community.  This April, up to 10 truckloads of food will be deliverer to select Feeding America food banks.

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It’s that time of the year again – time to join the biggest youth-led food and fund drive in Central Texas.  Each year we like to mix it up and encourage more people to participate.  Last year, Tyson Foods challenged you to comment on their blog , which triggered a 100-pound food donation.

This year, along with Austin’s competing television networks, radio stations, print publications, grocery stores and other community  partners, we’re teaming up with the Boy Scouts of Central Texas to reach our goal of one million meals.  We can achieve our goal with fun activities for you online and in your Central Texas community. Here’s how you can get involved:

1. Join a team. Search online to find your team or start a new team and get registered.

2. Register your team for MLK Day. When you register online, you’ll receive your monthly e-newsletter and a free Resource Kit to help promote your event.

3. Enter the CAFB Souper Bowl of Caring Blog Contest.

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Show off your creative talent by sending us a blog post with a photo gallery or video about your work with Souper Bowl of Caring.  Winning entries will be featured on our blog at blog.austinfoodbank.org and on our Facebook page.

You’ll also get a limited edition Hunger is UNacceptable t-shirt and water bottle, as well as a special guided tour of the Food Bank for you and your friends.  This is a great opportunity for youth to build their resume, for college applications, and to demonstrate leadership in your community. Click here to enter.

Contest Rules

• It must be about Souper Bowl of Caring.
• It must mention our goal of raising 1 million meals.
• It must include the words “Hunger is unacceptable.”
• Videos must be no longer than 3 minutes.

4. Donate online. Take a virtual shopping trip by putting food items into your online shopping cart. Then click “Donate” to donate the cost of those items to the Food Bank. It’s a fun way to help end hunger!

5. Support the “Scouting for Food” Food Drive

The Capitol Area Council Boy Scouts will be conducting a Food and Fund Drive in many areas throughout Central Texas. Scouts will leave door hangers on your door the week of January 22 – 29 and return to pick up non-perishable food items the following Saturday.  Your donation will support a Capital Area Food Bank Partner Agency in your community.

On February 5, you’re invited to join us for the 101st anniversary celebration of the Scouting movement at the 62nd annual Boy Scout Parade and Report to the State of Texas in conjunction with the Souper Bowl of Caring. Watch the Boy Scouts State Parade on Congress Avenue where the scouts will collect healthy, non-perishable food donations for our Central Texas neighbors in need.

6. Donate at your local Randalls, H-E-B and Central Market’s

While you’re shopping for snacks for game day, consider sharing a meal with those in need. Purchase pre-packaged bags of most-needed items or look for tear-off coupons in the amounts of $1, $3 and $5 at checkout stands in area Randalls, H-E-B and Central Market grocery stores.  Your purchase of a pre-packaged bag at either retailer provides two meals for a family of four.

7. Participate in Souper Bowl of Caring and save on Harlem Globetrotters tickets

The Harlem Globetrotters “4 Times the Fun” World Tour is coming to Austin on Friday, January 28.  When you support Souper Bowl of Caring you’ll save $7 on tickets. Learn more.

Thank you, Partners:

HEB, Central Market, Randalls, FOX 7, News 8, KEYE TV, KVUE-TV, TeleFutura, Telemundo, Univision, The CW, My Austin TV, KVET, KASE 101, AM 1300 The Zone, Buena 104.3, La Jefa 107.7, Relevant Radio 970 AM, The Statesman, The Jewish Outlook, Ahora sí, Capitol Area Council Boy Scouts of America, and Harlem Globetrotters.

Last month, Tyson Foods and Lift Up America came together to donate more than 30,000 pounds of protein to the Food Bank.  Volunteers from Austin Aztex, Austin Toros, Lift Up America and Tyson Foods helped load the donation onto the trucks of CAFB Partner Agencies.

Watch Lift Up America volunteers and CAFB Partner Agency, Joseph’s Food Pantry, share the urgency and impact of hunger relief in central Texas.

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“This significant food donation from Tyson will allow us to impact lives when the need for food has never been greater,” said Adrienne Longenecker, chief development officer for Capital Area Food Bank. “Donations of high-protein foods are especially valuable as they allow us to provide our agencies with more healthy, nutritious options.”

Our mission requires that we nourish those in need of emergency food assistance, not simply provide food.  With so much at stake – 41 percent of our clients are children – donations like these bring us closer to a well-nourished community and a brighter future for our youngest clients.  Thanks to all who participated to help make this event a success.

Thank you to our friends, Tyson Foods, Hum. Minds at Work., MediaSauce and Kompolt for joining forces to help raise awareness about childhood hunger in America!

 The Pledge to End Hunger is a critical step in changing people’s thoughts about how we treat our youngest neighbors, and what social conditions are unacceptable. It takes bold leadership to create social change, and we applaud this effort to bring the hunger conversation to the social media landscape.

How it works:

One Click Feeds 140 Kids
By signing an online pledge to share the website with others, volunteer, and/or give financially, you’re helping to bring a 35 lb food donation from Tyson to CAFB. That means every person who joins the movement will help feed 140 children. With 1,000 people taking the pledge, we can make sure the Tyson semi-trailer will arrive in Austin during the SXSW ’09 interactive festival.

Join the Wall of Champions
Help promote this website so we can meet the goal of 1,000 pledges. The national co-captains are Chris Brogan and Beth Kanter. The website includes a list every individual, corporation, and non-profit helping us promote the Hunger Pledge. To become a Champion, all you need to do is:

• Sign the Hunger Pledge
• Write a blog post (if you have one) endorsing the Hunger Pledge 
• Encourage others to join you 
• The website will have a wide variety of social media sharing tools, banners, avatars, and other tools to make it easy for you to share and promote. (Note: The Twitter hashtag is #HungerPledge.)

But wait – there’s more!
If we surpass 1,000 pledges, Tyson has agreed to send up to two more truckloads of food to the states that generate the most pledges. So by helping send a semi-trailer truck to CAFB, you can send a truckload of food to another community, too.

Side Note
For more ways you can help address food insecurity in Texas children, send a letter to your Texas Legislative Representative in support of Senate Bill 944 (SB 944).

EXTENDED: Emergency food packages are available at the Food Bank for evacuees staying in Central Texas. You can pick them up NOON - 5 p.m. NOW THROUGH SATURDAY, SEPT. 20.

After Saturday, evacuees can receive emergency food packages from CAFB Partner Agencies throughout Central Texas. We are working closely with our Partner Agencies to make sure they are stocked to meet the demand. View our referral list here. (pdf)

MOST NEEDED: Canned meats with pop-top lids, diapers (adult and baby), granola bars, peanut butter, personal care items including shampoo, toothbrushes, soap and feminine hygiene products.

**We no longer need bottled water or pet food.**

Tyson Foods - You might remember Tyson Food’s generous donation earlier this month. In response to disaster relief they have also donated truck loads of emergency food to affected Texas Food Banks including an additional truck to us. Thank you, Tyson Foods!

Save-A-Lot – Based in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, Save-A-Lot is an extreme value grocery store with several stores in Houston.

Save-A-Lot driver

They wanted to assist the local area evacuees and researched online, came across our blog and contacted us.

They donated almost 20,000 pounds of emergency items, including items we needed that weren’t on the list. Thank you, Save-A-Lot!

H-E-B – On Wed., Sept. 17, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., the H-E-B on Parmer Lane and IH35 collected food and financial donations from the community for Hurricane Ike disaster relief.

With your help, we raised approximately 138,000 pounds of food and supplies and $65,000 in financial contributions.

David Davenport (left) and Mr. Everything (right)

In addition to the donations, we met David Zurovetz, a resident of Austin for 39 years who supports the community with enthusiasm and flare. He’s a friend of the Bucky & Bob show on 98.1KVET and is known to them as “Everything.”

Ed Nicholson & David Davenport

You may remember that a couple weeks ago, Tyson Foods pledged to the Capital Area Food Bank 100 pounds of food for every comment left on the company’s hunger relief blog. http://hungerrelief.tyson.com/

We turned to our Web friends for help. We posted the challenge on Twitter, Facebook and our blog. You tweeted about it and added the challenge to your Facebook pages and blogs. So did your friends.

Once the word spread on social networking sites, the blog surpassed the 350 comments needed to fill the truck within six hours, and continued to receive more than 640 comments!

On Monday, Tyson Foods delivered the truckload of food, and pledged to donate another truckload of food in recognition of the more than 640 comments received. Special thanks to Ed Nicholson of Tyson Foods, and Mike Chapman and David Neff of the 501 Tech Club and Social Media Club Austin, for helping make this opportunity possible. And of course, thank you all for raising 70,000 pounds of food for hungry Central Texans.

Yesterday, Ed added this video he shot at his visit to the Food Bank to the Tyson blog. View photos of this event on flickr.com.

Tyson Foods Hunger Relief Blog

Here’s food for thought – how about some thoughts for food?

Tyson Foods’ philanthropic focus on hunger relief now comes to the aid of hungry Central Texans. Visit their blog to learn more about hunger in Central Texas, and post a comment on the blog post. For every comment, Tyson Foods will provide 100lbs of protein for the Capital Area Food Bank, up to 350 comments. That’s a truckload of much-needed protein for hungry families!

Our mission is not just to feed the hungry, but provide nourishing food. And with school back in session, it’s critical for children to start the school year right with good nutrition, including access to protein products.

As you can imagine, fresh meats are some of the most expensive items for the Food Bank to purchase. Please share this giving opportunity with your networks and friends and help us fill that truck.

Thank you, Tyson Foods for this most generous offer, and to Ed Nicholson, Director of Community and Public Relations for Tyson Foods for being a champion on this effort. Follow Tyson Foods on Twitter @TysonFoods.

UPDATE: Thanks to the overwhelming community response, the truck was filled in 6 hours. We hope you learned more about the challenges we face in Central Texas. Thank you for your support.