Harvesters—The Community Food Network

Harvesters celebrated #HispanicHeritageMonth yesterday with a salsa-making contest, a full spread of Mexican pastries and hot chocolate and a chance to honor loved ones who have passed by bringing pictures of them to be included in an ofrenda. We relish the opportunity to share in each other's cultures and learn from one another!

We are excited to share that Harvesters CEO Stephen Davis was nominated by his peers and elected to the National Advisory Council (NAC) for Feeding America during their recent Feeding America Fall Forum for food bank CEOs. He will take his seat in January 2025 to serve his initial 3-year term. There are 14 food bank CEOs who serve on the council to represent the 200 food banks in the network. The NAC is responsible for ensuring all network perspectives are fully considered in "shared space" decision-making. The shared space includes the development of network strategy; network contracts and policies; network systems and operating models; donor partnerships, programs, and public policy. We're proud of him, and know he's going to make sure our network is doing the best work it can for the most people it can!

Congratulations to Kristen Fairbanks, our Community Engagement Manager, for winning this month's Can-Do award. Here's what one teammate says about her: "Kristen has been coming up with new and exciting ways to engage groups in a sustainable way at Harvesters! She has developed the Student Service Squad which not only provides an opportunity to engage young volunteers outside of the VEC, but it also encourages them to take action on giving voice, money, and food. We just met with Avila University who had initially asked to bring 800 people to Harvesters, never fear she wasn't going to let that happen! Instead, Kristen developed a pitch to engage all of them at their location in the four calls to action and then worked with the contact to select the ones she was most excited about. The current plan is mission-driven, engaging and will not over extend the staff capacity. Kudos my teammate - well done!”

Please join us in congratulating Angela Holcomb, who was promoted to Chief Human Resources Officer. Angela joined the Harvesters team in September 2016 as the Director of Human Resources. In this position, she has played a key role in shaping the organization’s people strategies for the past eight years. We look forward to continuing to follow her leadership in this new role!

Thank you to Cat's Cupboard at Kansas State University for presenting us with your Community Ice-Barrett Champion Award. We're honored to partner with you to ensure all K-State students have access to the nutritious food they need. If you're a K-Stater in need of food assistance, make sure to pay them a visit!

Today is DAF Day! DAF Day is a new kind of giving day all about Donor Advised Funds! DAF Day was created by a collaborative group of leading nonprofits, fundraising platforms and DAF providers that came together to create a single day of unprecedented generosity with DAFs on October 10. A Donor Advised Fund (DAF) is a tax-advantaged charitable giving account. DAFs are often compared to a 401(k) for retirement savings or a Health Savings Account (HSA) for healthcare expenses. Any person, couple, family–or even company–can open a DAF account. DAFs have surged in popularity in recent years because they are incredibly effective at increasing giving capacity. Learn more at https://ow.ly/QTcc50TJhg8

This week, we sent two truckloads of bottled water and four truckloads of food to two food banks in Georgia as they courageously respond to the aftermath of #HurricaneHelene. It's never a good feeling when we get the call because we know thousands of people's lives have been turned upside down, but we are proud to be a disaster relief site for Feeding America and help play a small role in providing aid and hope to families impacted by floods, tornadoes and hurricanes. We applaud our fellow food banks and Feeding America for their lifesaving work! We hope you'll find it in your hearts to support them by donating food, money or time.

Join the conversation on hunger in Kansas City! Harvesters invites you to Food 4 Thought, a panel discussion addressing food insecurity in our community. Learn how these organizations are reducing hunger and discover how we can collectively create a healthier, more equitable Kansas City. 🗓 Thursday, October 17, 2024, at 6:00 PM 📍 Unity Temple on the Plaza, Kansas City This event is FREE, but RSVPs are required. Don’t miss this chance to be part of the solution! RSVP here: https://ow.ly/AIuG50TAzn0 The Prospect KC Uplift Organization Inc Kanbe's Markets Food Equality Initiative, Inc. Pete's Garden #Food4Thought #HungerAwareness #KansasCityNonprofits #CommunityImpact

Today is the last day to donate to our Fill the Fridge drive with 41 Action News KSHB, so please consider making a donation! Money raised goes toward making sure individuals, children and families in our neighborhoods have fresh veggies, fruit and other nutritious food they need to stay full and healthy. Donate now at https://lnkd.in/epCAn9bA.

Update, we're currently sitting at $1196 raised for Fill the Fridge in partnership with 41 Action News KSHB. Donate now at https://lnkd.in/epCAn9bA and help us purchase fresh food for our neighbors!