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These are rocky times. Money is short, resources are strained, and client numbers are increasing rapidly.
These are problems the emergency food community has faced for years, but they have accelerated in recent years.
During this time, it has become increasingly clear why the Washington Food Coalition is so important.
What organization in Washington State wholly and specifically represents the interests of emergency food sites and their clients?
Only the Washington Food Coalition.
Our Mission
The Washington Food Coalition actively educates and networks with organizations that strive to alleviate hunger throughout Washington
Our Vision
The Washington Food Coalition is the unified voice for a strong emergency food system
Food for Thought
WaFoodCoalition.org
No one in Washington State should go hungry
Protections Afforded by the Good Samaritan Food Donation ActPrepared for Washington Food Coalition’s use by
Washington’s Good Samaritan Food Donation Act was enacted to
encourage individuals and gleaners to donate food to charitable organizations. It purports to protect from civil and criminal liability individuals or gleaners who donate food products or make their land available to others.
The Food Donation Act was enacted in 1994 in Washington. It was based on a model act that in 1998 was enacted into federal law as the “Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act.”
While these food donation laws appear to offer some protection for individuals donating food, the actual liability protection offered by these statutes is minimal.
The Act covers individuals and gleaners who:
•donate “apparently wholesome food” to a nonprofit organization; or
•allow the collection or gleaning of donations on your land.
This means that if a person is harmed by the “apparently wholesome food” that you donate, or is injured while on your property, he or she cannot recover from you in a lawsuit.
This does not mean, however, that you are protected from civil or criminal liability in all situations. You may be held liable if you:
•act intentionally to harm others in any way; or
•are “grossly negligent”—meaning you knew that your actions would likely be harmful to the health or well-being of another.
Unfortunately, the application of the Act is further limited by the requirement that donated food meet the Act’s definition of “apparently wholesome.” That is:
Food that meets all quality and labeling standards imposed by federal, state, and local laws and regulations even though the food may not be readily marketable due to appearance, age, freshness, grade, size, surplus, or other conditions.
Accordingly, the Act protects you from liability only when the food you donate already meets all quality and labeling standards imposed by federal, state, and local laws.
As a practical matter, the Act does not afford many protections. For example, foods contaminated with E. coli or salmonella are not likely to meet the definition of “apparently wholesome food” and, because of that, would not likely be covered by the Act. Similarly, a piece of produce that is putrid or decomposing would be considered adulterated under federal standards and also not be covered by the Act.
An example of food that may fall under the Act would be a piece of produce that may no longer be marketable, perhaps due to appearance and age, but still meets all quality standards. In practice, however, such produce is not likely to cause harm resulting in liability in the first place.
Where the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act is most effective is in the context of land owners who make their land available for the harvest of food to be donated. As long as any harm caused was not a result of intentional or grossly negligent actions, a landowner will not be liable for injuries occurring on his or her land.
Because the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, when scrutinized more closely, does not provide much protection for those that donate food directly to charitable organizations, the best course and standard of conduct to follow is to use the same care in donating food as you would in preparing food for sale to the public or for consumption by your own family.
Contact us for a full copy of this information in handout form that you can share with potential donors!
Washington Food Coalition Newsletter / Fall 2012
Washington Food CoalitionPO Box 95752Seattle, WA 98145
Working together for a hunger-free Washington
current resident or
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PAIDOlympia, WA
Permit No. 238
Is This address correct? If not,
please let us know!
This newsletter prepared with funds made available by the WA Dept. of Agriculture, Food Assistance Programs No person shall on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, national origin, age, citizenship, political affiliations, belief, veteran status or sexual orientation, be denied employment or benefits or be discriminated against as a participant, administrator or staff member under this program.
WellCard: Health Insurance Alternative & Fundraising Opportunity
Washington Food Coalition has set up an alternative health discount plan for our members and their clients who may lack quality health insurance through WellCard.
WellCard provides our members with up to 65% off prescription medication costs (brand name and generic drugs) and between 30% to 70% off dental, vision, hearing, surgery, lab, and imaging (MRI) costs. WellCard Health also provides savings on vitamins, diabetic supplies, and health products such as hearing devices and exercise equipment. With WellCard, our members may access a 24/7 medical call line to talk with a licensed physician and receive referrals to providers. Members can also receive medical bill assistance program to help them lower and/or resolve their medical bills. With WellCard, members can access over 410,00 physicians and close to 45,000 ancillary providers.
WellCard is free to WFC Members (and their clients!), never expires, and can be used by individuals and family members. There are close to 60,000 USA pharmacies that accept WellCard, including leading USA drug stores such as Walgreens, Longs, CVS, RiteAID, Target, Wal-Mart, and Costco.
Every member attending our annual conference will receive a WellCard member card. They’re also available for any other member that would like to request 1 or more!
Philadelphia Insurance: Insurance Discounts for Washington Food Coalition Members
Trying to save valuable funds while still staying covered? Washington Food Coalition members can now receive exclusive discounts on insurance products from Philadelphia Insurance.
Philadelphia Insurance Companies (PHLY) headquartered in Bala Cynwyd, PA, designs, markets, and underwrites commercial property/casualty and professional liability insurance products, incorporating value-added coverages and services for select industries. By maintaining a disciplined approach to business, we provide greater security for our policyholders and superior value for our shareholder.
Every Washington Food Coalition member is eligible for a 5% discount on insurance through this service. This applies for products such as property insurance, liability insurance, Directors & Officers insurance, and more.
Be sure you have the best coverage possible to keep your agency covered! Contact your insurance broker and let them know about this discount program through Philadelphia Insurance.
Don’t have an insurance broker? Feel free to contact Washington Food Coalition’s broker: Donna Haynes of Pilkey,-Hopping & Eckberg, INC at 253.284.9354 or [email protected].
NEW Member Benefits
WFC Newsletter Fall 2012.indd 1 10/15/12 10:28 AM
Seasoned grant writing professional Katie Howard has more than 10 years of professional grant writing experience and has raised approximately $60 million using her highly successful proposal-writing approach. She has also trained thousands of nonprofit professionals in the skills that yield competitive proposals. Her highly rated live training is now available in a four-DVD set covering nine training modules with a workbook and samples. It is available at www.thinkwritegrow.com. You can reach Katie directly at [email protected].
Interested in more information on fundraising and grantwriting?
Visit our website at www.wafoodcoalition.org and click on the ‘Resources’ tab
Board Members WFC Chair Kris Van Gasken Des Moines Area Food Bank
WFC Immediate Past Chair Robert Coit Thurston County Food Bank
WFC Vice Chair Helen McGovern Emergency Food Network
WFC Treasurer Yvonne Pitrof Vashon Maury Food Bank
WFC Secretary Nancy Wilson Inter-Faith Treasure House
Roger Trapp Rural Resources Comm. Action
Dan Speare Rural Resources Comm. Action
Bob Soule Chelan-Douglas Comm. Action
Peny Archer Comm Services of Moses Lake
Scott Kilpatrick Comm Services of Moses Lake
Connie Nelson Spokane Valley Partners
JoAnn Rushton Hope Source
Lisa Hall Northwest Harvest
John Neill Tri-Cities Food Bank
Chris Gerke Cascade Blue Mountain Food Share
Kathy Covey Blue Mountain Action Council
Wendy Gonzalez Helpline Walla Walla
Leann Geiger Volunteers of America WW
Mike Cohen Bellingham Food Bank
Joe Gruber University District Food Bank
Kevin Glackin-Coley St. Leo’s Food Connection
Robin Rudy Tenino Community Service Center
Kellie McNelly ROOF Community Services
James Fitzgerald Sal. Army-Stop Hunger
Vicki Pettit Coastal Community Action Program
Anthony Airhar Coastal Harvest
Hoyt Burrows Central Kitsap Food Bank
Marilyn Gremse Bainbridge Island Help House
Bonnie Baker Northwest Harvest
Scott Hallett Council on Aging & Human Services
Shayne Kraemer Meals Partnership Coalition
Dorothy Palmer Colville Confederated Tribes
What is our role as advocates? Should we even be playing that role? These are questions nearly every emergency food program has had to grapple with. In the last few years that question has become vital for the very integrity and reliability of our programs to adequately serve the people coming through our doors.
Here are some good reasons to get involved:
1The Farm Bill that is up for reauthorization this year will almost certainly impact those you are serving and result in even more people relying on
non-government emergency food services. All proposals on the table currently entail significant cuts to SNAP (food stamps). These cuts in one form or another will affect the people you serve and bring more people to your doors.
2Washington State cuts to the State Food Assistance Program (SFA, the SNAP food stamp look alike program that provides aid to legal immigrants that
have been here less than 5 years) went into effect July 1, 2012. This was a 50% cut to benefits for all in that program, resulting in more strain on food banks and meal programs to fill in the gap.
3Emergency food programs have seen a significant increase in demand since the start of the recession at the end of 2008. Meanwhile, food donations
have been down overall, forcing many programs to purchase more than ever before and/or offer less to more people.
What you can do: √ Gather info and share
√ What increases have you seen at your program? Longer lines? People running out of food earlier in the month?
√ Talk to your clients affected by SFA cuts – what are their stories? Are they skipping meals? How are they coping?
√ Talk to clients about the potential impact of cuts to their food stamps benefits.
There are great resources available from Northwest Harvest to collect stories from clients about the impacts of SNAP cuts. Send these to your congressmen and use them in your communications in opposition to SNAP cuts
√ Contact your local legislator/congressmen and 1) make sure they understand the affect SFA cuts have had, and the impact SNAP cuts would have, on your program and on your clients, their constituents 2) invite them out to your program to see it first hand, preferably on an open day/time to get the full impact of the work you do and their constituents in need 3) ask them to support full restoration of funding for SFA (state level) and oppose any cuts to SNAP (federal level).
√ Let your community and your local legislators know how your agency has been affected by the increased need and demands. Let them know where you are struggling to keep up – enough food, staffing capacity, volunteer capacity, storage and refrigeration capacity, transportation challenges etc. Let them know what you could strengthen with additional funding through the state.
You are the voice for your program, and your clients. Together, we can be a strong voice that resonates through Washington, and reaches our legislators, our congressmen, our leaders. Together, we can call for action to keep Washingtonians from going hungry.
In the grant writing world, the audience is an important variable, yet analyzing and understanding what each individual funder will respond to best is a step that many people skip. Every funder you approach with a grant request is a unique audience, which means each proposal you write is a new story.
Your goal in proposal development is to tell the story that will best resonate with the funder. That may mean describing your program in a new way or emphasizing a different aspect of your program. For a funder that focuses on social justice, you might choose to write about the way your program promotes food security, whereas nutrition may be more important to a health-focused funder.
Four key steps can help your proposal connect with your readers, ensuring they leave the proposal understanding the story you’ve shared with them and more likely to give you an award.
1 Review the information the funder makes available.
Most funders publish information about their grant-making process, usually on their website. Nearly all private foundations and corporate funders also regularly update their listing with the Foundation Center’s Foundation Directory Online. Other funders may have written materials you can request. Review all of this information to help you determine if the funder is a good fit for your organization and program. Then review it again to help you decide how to structure your proposal. Keep asking yourself, “What is the story that will speak to this funder?”
2 Conduct additional research.
Learning about a funder’s grant-making history is a vital piece of the puzzle. Some funders
make this information available on their website. In other cases, you’ll need to dig deeper. One of the best ways to review funders’ recent awards is to look at their 990 tax form. These are available at Guidestar.com and in the Foundation Directory Online. Both resources require subscriptions. It is likely that your local library has a subscription to the Foundation Directory Online.
3 Schedule a meeting.
Remember, funders are people just like we are! The best way to learn about a funder is to
have a dialogue. If the funder has staff, schedule a telephone call or face-to-face meeting to talk about your program. But go to the meeting prepared! Be sure you’ve done your research before you meet.
4 Have someone else read your proposal.
After you’ve done your research, planned your proposal, and created a draft that you think
is ready for submission, a fourth and final step is essential: outside review. When you’ve authored a proposal, it is likely that what you’ve written will make sense to you. But someone who knows nothing about your program might not understand what you’ve written. The best solution is to have an outsider assess the proposal, using the funder’s guidelines and evaluation criteria as a review guide. I’ve often asked Accounting staff to serve as my reviewer because they tend to have impeccable attention to detail and aren’t directly involved with program delivery. Asking a neighbor, friend, or colleague is another option.
Taking the time to understand your audience each time you write a proposal is vital to grant writing success. In the event your proposal isn’t funded, remember to contact the funder to ask for feedback so you can learn from the process and enhance your chances of winning in the future.
Advocacy UpdateBy Yvonne Pitrof, WFC Advocacy Committee Chair & Executive Director, Vashon Maury Community Food Bank
Audience Essentials: Tailoring Your Proposal to Each Funder By Katie Howard, Owner and Principal Consultant, KH Consulting|Think.Write.Grow.
Food for Thought A publication of the Washington Food Coalition
P.O. Box 95752 Seattle, WA 98145-2752
P 206.729.0501
F 206.729-0504
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