Fishes&Loaves

Fall 2013 Number 103

In This Issue:A Message from our Executive Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

21st Annual Spooky to be Hungry . . 3

MOX Project Donates . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Nathaniel Collins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Barbara Hughes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Feedback Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Walmart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Golden Harvest Food Bank is proud to announce we’ve been selected as a finalist in Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good Program. Now we need your support! Vote for Golden Harvest Food Bank at www.Facebook.com/Toyota on October 28.

Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good program will award 100 vehicles over the course of 50 days to 100 deserving nonprofit organizations based on votes from the public. Winning organizations will use the Toyota vehicles to help expand their reach and missions within their communities.

 

Golden Harvest Food Bank

October 28th

Please suPPort Golden Harvest Food Bank

on

octoBer 28

Want to triple your donation dollars? Bank of america will help you do just that. Find out how on page 2!

Our food bank is blessed to be a member of a strong national network of food banks called Feeding America. Every year, these 203 food banks join forces declaring September as “Hunger Action Month.” It’s not unusual to see team members sporting an orange shirt, shirt pen or posting hunger action phrases on Facebook and the website.

Hunger Action month is over but the call to action is still urgent. One in six persons in this country goes without sufficient food every day, and children and senior adults are the most vulnerable.

As we move into October and November, Golden Harvest, through the support of Bank of America is able to do something that we’ve never

been able to do. Because of a generous corporate $1.5 million donation from Bank of America to the Feeding America Network, our food bank is able to offer a ONE time opportunity to turn your $1 donation into $3 (your $50.00 donation into $150.00 and your $800.00 into $2,400.00). On November 18th all you have to do is to simply visit www.goldenharvest.org and make your credit card donation. When you click on Golden Harvest Food Bank, your donation will be tripled.

I’m asking for your support by faithfully responding and telling a friend. We could easily exceed $100,000 that will go a long way toward feeding the hungry.

If you would like to have a reminder call, text or e mail, please send your request to info@goldenharvest.org.

God bless you for your prayer and support.

Travis W. McNealExecutive Director

www.goldenharvest.orgPage 2 Fall 2013

Board of Directors FY 2013OFFICERSCarol Ann SnyderChairCommunity Volunteer

Robert HaglerVice ChairFulcher Hagler, LLP/Partner

Todd D. BrownSecretaryR.D. Brown Contractors, Inc.

Monique Bowen WynnTreasurerGeorgia Bank and Trust

MEMBERSWilliam Barrett, Jr.Barrett Holdings

Phillip CaldwellPublix Supermarkets Inc.

John A. CollinsE-Z-GO A Textron Company

Philip A. GaffneyGaffney Management Services

Susan HunnicuttWells Fargo

William J. Keogh, IIIHull Barrett, PC

Travis McNealGolden Harvest Food Bank

Jeffrey MillerClub Car

John PriceFulcher Hagler, LLP

Gordon RenshawCalling Post Communications Inc.

Bob Richards, Sr.Bob Richards Auto Group

Beatrice T. SandersConcerned Women, Inc.

Steven ScottGeorgia Regents Medical Center

Terry SmithCommunity Volunteer

Carol SnyderCommunity Volunteer

Hiram ThompsonThompson Building Wrecking Company, Inc.

Wayne WallaceAugusta Coating and Manufacturing

Ben WigingtonCommunity Volunteer

David WillisKellogg Company

Hunger Action Month

save tHe date!What: Bank of America Holiday Give-Back CampaignWhen: Nov. 18Where: www.goldenharvest.orghoW: Each online donation will be tripled by Bank of America.

Make sure to donate that day at our site and make sure to click “local food bank” as your donation option.

Need a reminder? Contact Deb Hamilton at 706-736-1199 for more information on the campaign, to receive an e-mail or text reminder, or to set up your contribution for that day.

Fall 2013 Page 3

MOX Project Donates 9,400 Pounds of Food, Over $15,000 to Golden Harvest

AIKEN, S.C., Sept. 12, 2013 – Shaw AREVA MOX Services and its team members donated 9,400 pounds of food and over $15, 000 this week from a food drive conducted for the Golden Harvest Food Bank. The donated funds were twice the amount raised in the MOX project’s food drive last year.

“MOX team members live in areas served by the Golden Harvest Food Bank,” said Kelly Trice, president and chief operating officer of MOX Services. “All of our team members, from construction workers to management staff, enthusiastically support the work of Golden Harvest in helping our less fortunate neighbors by contributing to our successful food drive.”

The food drive was held during August and early September at buildings throughout the National Nuclear Security Administration’s MOX project on the Savannah River Site in Aiken, S.C. The theme for the project’s campaign was MOX Can Do.

The MOX project has collected more than 32,500 pounds of food and $27,800 for Golden Harvest during the past three years in food drives.

For every $1 donated, Golden Harvest can provide $7.88 worth of food.

“Each day I’m reminded that it’s an extreme blessing to feed the hungry,” said Travis McNeal, executive director of Golden Harvest Food Bank. “As you donate food and funds and volunteer, you are taking action. We ‘Feed Lives Together’ and

could not do it without you. Thank you to everyone at the MOX facility for all that you do in this community to make it a better place.”

Golden Harvest kicks of 21st Annual Spooky to be Hungry Food Drive

Augusta, GA – August 30, 2013 – Golden Harvest Food Bank is gearing up for its 21st annual “It’s Spooky to be Hungry” food drive, a community-driven effort to collect funds and non-perishable food items for the hungry in the CSRA. Now in its 21st year of operation, “Spooky” is Golden Harvest’s largest food drive of the year, accounting for more than 135,000 pounds of distributed food. This year, Golden Harvest is gearing up for a record setting goal – in order to meet the increased demand in the CSRA, by collecting a record 150,000 pounds and raise an additional $60,000 for its signature feeding programs. For every $1 donated to It’s Spooky to be Hungry, Golden Harvest can distribute $7.88 worth of groceries to a family in need. According to Executive Director, Travis McNeal, “We are incredibly excited to launch this year’s ‘Spooky’ food drive. Golden Harvest is on pace to distribute 2 million more pounds of food this year, meaning we need much more help from our ‘Spooky’ food drive. Every year this drive gets bigger and bigger, which means we are able to benefit more families and grow our mission of Feeding Lives Together.”

There are several opportunities to take part in It’s Spooky to be Hungry, ranging from sorting food donations to being a

neighborhood Captain. Non-neighborhood collection sites including local businesses, schools, and places of worship are also encouraged to participate by placing collection barrels in high-traffic areas. “We are excited to introduce Spooky to new communities and neighborhoods throughout our 30-county service area”, said Events Manager, Carrie Jones. “We can provide detailed materials, guidelines, and support to help you get involved with Spooky in your community, and our staff is always available to answer questions.” The following dates have been established for neighborhood collections:

• Oct 12th Aiken County Neighborhoods

• Oct 19th Columbia County Neighborhoods

• Oct 26th Richmond County Neighborhoods

If you would like to become a neighborhood captain, get your church, school or business involved, volunteer as an individual, or simply learn more please call 706-736-1199 or email Carrie Jones at cjones@goldenharvest.org.

Shaw AREVA MOX Services representatives, from left, Steve Marr, executive vice president; Kelly Trice, president; and Terri Mulcahy, MOX food drive chairperson; present Michael Gibbons, chief development officer of Golden Harvest Food Bank, with a por-tion of the 9,400 pounds of food collected by the project during a recent food drive.

www.goldenharvest.orgPage 4 Fall 2013

The UPS drivers in Aiken kicked off the morning of Aug. 21 with a Golden Harvest presentation. Thanks to the folks in brown for being part of our mission of Feeding Lives Together!

GRU president Dr. Ricardo Azziz and Executive Director Travis McNeal serving at Golden Harvest.

John Deere employees spent a day volunteering at The Master’s Table.

It’s been busy at the Food Bank! To view more photos, go to www .goldenharvest .org

AdvancePierre and 5 Points Church teamed up with Golden Harvest Food Bank in Easley, distributing some 15,000 pounds of food to folks in need. This is the third year for the food giveaway.

Augusta Players Les Miserables cast served the hungry at The Masters Table in September.

Golden Harvest Food Bank recently received a $2,525 donation from the Woodforest Charitable Foundation and Woodforest National Bank. Presenting the check (left to right) is Talina Buckhiester, WNB Branch Manager, Greenwood, SC; Paul Harris, WNB Branch Manager, Seneca, SC; Alison Mercado, WNB Branch Manager, Anderson, SC; Jessica Valentine, Senior Vice President - East Coast Division, WNB; Andrew Rabuck, Vice President - SC / GA/ FL, WNB to Michael Gibbons, Chief Development Officer, Golden Harvest Food Bank; Kim Marling, Vice President & Executive Director, Woodforest Charitable Foundation; Shane Hyatt, WNB Branch Manager, Aiken SC; Jeff Leeper, WNB Branch Manager, Clemson, SC; Vicki Young, WNB Branch Manager, Aiken, SC and Meagan Baumgarner, WNB Branch Manager, Anderson, SC.

Mercy Ministries distributed fresh peaches to youth in Richmond County during the hot summer days.

Fall 2013 Page 5

Millbrook Baptist Church’s VBX group invited Mike Gibbons, Golden Harvest’s Chief Development Officer for S.C., to speak about our work Feeding Lives Together. The middle schoolers helped to package up food packs to feed the hungry in our community, and also collected more than 100 pounds of food.

Longtime volunteer Carlton Morse dropped off this wishing well at the Aiken warehouse today. Mr. Carlton constructed it out of scrap pallets. It will reside in front of the Aiken ware-house and is open for wishes. Our first wish: Continued support from the wonderful volunteers like Mr. Carlton and so many who give their time toward our mission of Feeding Lives Together. Pictured with Mr. Carlton are Aiken warehouse staffers Grace Renken, Mike Gibbons and Debbie Grimes.

Members of the Board of Directors for the Downtown Cooperative Church Ministries toured the Augusta warehouse with Golden Harvest executive director Travis McNeal.

Charles Greenaugh from The Bunch presented Golden Harvest with $500.

Kaolin Civitan Club of Washington County sponsors two children for Backpack.

Golden Harvest Augusta Staff participated in Chick-fil-A day in July.

Find us on and

Owen Quinn, Brooks Quinn, and Addison Quinn volunteered at Golden Harvest Food Bank.

Fall 2013www.goldenharvest.orgPage 6

Caring Rose Week is November 18 – 23, 2013. At participating florists for $10 and 2 cans of food you will get a dozen assorted colored roses. They are wrapped and ready for presentation. If you don’t have the 2 cans $2 can be substituted. For a list of participating florists please see our web site.

Barbara Hughes has joined Golden Harvest Food Bank as the Retail Store Donation Coordinator.

Hughes came on board in July through Feeding America, thanks to a Walmart Foundation grant. She is one of 16 coordinators throughout the country and is working with retailers throughout our 30-county service area — in-cluding Walmart, Kroger, Sam’s, Publix and Bi-Lo — to ensure donations of food and non-food products are at an optimal level.

“I am humbled and honored to be serving in this capacity through Feeding America and GHFB. The face of hunger is

constantly changing in our country, and the need to provide ser-vices to the hungry continues to grow. This challenge presents opportunities to think outside the proverbial box, employing creative and innovative approaches. My life is touched each day by those we serve. ”

Her focus is linking the retailers with our partner agencies to route donated product to those in our community. By getting this donated product to our partner agencies, Hughes is a key part in our mission of Feeding Lives Together.

A native of Oxford, Ohio, Hughes is a graduate of the Uni-versity of Cincinnati and the Culinary Institute of Charleston. She served as Editorial Illustrator/Magazine Editor for Gannett, Inc. for 15 years and is the founder of People Helping People, a non-profit full-service agency in Cincinnati area. Hughes was also the founding manager of a retail grocery based on a co-op model in Oxford, Ohio.

Nathaniel Collins serves as a deacon at Gethsemane Baptist Church. But when he is not serv-ing in the church you can find him at Golden Harvest Food Bank. Specifically, you will see him volunteering at Faith Food Factory where he has served for more than five years.

His volunteering was the direct result of a desire to give back to the community by helping oth-ers. Every day Collins would pass by the Faith Food Factory on Old

Savannah Road. One day he was led by the Holy Spirit to stop in and find more about this building that demanded his atten-tion. He found out that the building was a part of the nonprofit organization, Golden Harvest Food Bank and was called the Faith Food Factory.

After a guided tour of the Faith Food Factory and its daily operations, he eagerly asked to volunteer that day. He wanted to help in any area that would benefit those in need of food assistance.

Collins is a highly motivated individual and incredibly resourceful. So far he has logged in more than a 1,000 volunteer hours within the Faith Food Factory. Collins assists with the managing of small and large volunteer groups. With the help of volunteers, he ensures that the sorted food products are prop-erly packed and documented according to Faith Food Factory operating procedures. He has also assisted in the development and setup of various work stations to make food sorting and packing efficient.

In addition to working alongside the volunteers, he strives to develop a meaningful relationship that offers guidance and direction for daily living. Collins is an outstanding volunteer that follows the mission of Golden Harvest: feeding lives together. He is an excellent example of a person’s desire to give back to the community.

Deacon, Volunteer, Golden Harvest Food Bank Faith Food Factory

Nathaniel Collins

Page 7Fall 2013

Golden Harvest Food Bank’s Feedback Sessions continue to pack the house and thrill the crowds, all the while working to fulfill the mission of “Feeding Lives Together.” The intimate, acoustic concerts, which began in March of this year, have been held in Aiken and Augusta. The previous event – singers James Otto, JTX and Kristian Bush (of the band Sugarland) – filled Enterprise Mill in Augusta with guests who enjoyed the storytelling-style concert to benefit Golden Harvest. In July, Collective Soul lead singer Ed Roland played to a delighted full house at The Willcox in Aiken.

The next concert, scheduled for Nov. 6, will feature renowned singer/songwriter Edwin McCain, whose hits include such well known songs as “I’ll Be” and “I Could Not Ask For More.” The event will be held at Enterprise Mill.

For more information on the concert and Golden Harvest Food Bank, visit www.goldenharvest.org.

Golden Harvest Food Bank Feedback Sessions continue to thrill

Golden Harvest Food Bank would like to offer a special thank you to Walmart, our “Partner in Hunger Relief.” Walmart is Golden Harvest’s largest corporate donor, both in terms of food and funds. Every day throughout our service territory, individual Walmart stores donate food and other grocery products to Golden Harvest. In the 11 months since October 1, 2012, Walmart Stores have donated a tremendous 1,919,054 lbs. of food that has helped to feed the hungry. In addition to the direct product donation, the Walmart Foundation has donated an incredible total of $228,120 to feed the hungry in the past year. $100,000 of this total came through the Walmart Georgia State Giving opportunity and has been used to feed seniors through the Senior Food Box Program. The South Carolina State Giving opportunity provided $26,120 to fund the distribution of food in Upstate South Carolina. A Walmart grant opportunity through Feeding America, the nation’s Food Bank Network, provided $55,000 to fund a Retail Sales Donation Coordinator who is helping to increase the food donations from individual retail stores in our community. The final $45,000 was won thanks to our supporters who voted on

Facebook for Golden Harvest and will support our BackPack Program. On top of this, Golden Harvest has received 2 $1,000 store grants to support feeding the hungry in Oconee and Aiken County. Walmart’s incredible generosity and focus on hunger relief has enabled Golden Harvest to feed thousands of hungry families, seniors, and children. Golden Harvest is truly grateful for their continued support.

Walmart, our “Partner in Hunger Relief”

Mark your calendar and support

Golden Harvest Food Bank

on

octoBer 28100 cars for Good voting day

and

novemBer 18Bank of america Holiday giveback

Fall 2013CFC # 79048

upcoming eventsOctober 12 – It’s Spooky To Be Hungry Neighborhood Collection in Aiken County

October 19 - It’s Spooky To Be Hungry Neighborhood Collection in Columbia County

October 26 - It’s Spooky To Be Hungry Neighborhood Collection in Richmond County

Oct 28 – 100 Cars for Good voting day

Nov. 6 – Feedback Sessions, featuring Edwin McCain, at Enterprise Mill

November 16 – It’s Spooky To Be Hungry Weigh In Celebration drop in 10am – 1pm at the Augusta Warehouse and Aiken Warehouse.

Nov. 18 – Bank of America Holiday giveback

Nov. 18-23 – Caring Rose Week

November 19 – Annual Italian Thanksgiving Feast at Garlic Clove in Evans 11am – 3pm

December – TBA Stuff Santa’s Sleigh

Visit goldenharvest.org for more information on any of the events listed above

Food drives were held at the AgGeorgia Farm Credit branches in Washington and Sandersville. The two of-fices combined to collect nearly 500 pounds of food.

Representatives from our Feedback Sessions Media Sponsor WAGT posed with singers Patrick Davis, Kristian Bush and JTX during the latest concert in the series.