Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/623506
FROM COAST TO COAST: SPECIALTY FOOD ASSOCIATION EVENTS HELP MEMBERS GROW, NETWORK, AND LEARN The Specialty Food Association hosted a variety of events across the U.S. designed to help members grow their businesses, network with other members and industry players, as well as learn more about educational opportunities and resources available from the Association. association news New York Common Pantry (New York). The New York Common Pantry's mission is to reduce hunger through- out New York City while promoting dignity and self- sufficiency. It accomplishes this through its food pantry and meal distribution programs, nutrition education, basic hygiene services, homeless support, and related services. nycommonpantry.org Second Harvest Food Bank (New Orleans). With one in six households in Louisiana struggling with hunger, Second Harvest Food Bank's life-changing, life-saving programs are providing food access, education, and life- skills support to 210,000 South Louisiana residents each year. no-hunger.org Share the Harvest Foundation (Danbury, Texas). In 1984, John T. "Jack" Garrett, Sr. began donating one truck load of rice per year. Industry vendors were approached to donate, and other growers were chal- lenged to contribute as well, which ultimately led to the establishment of Share the Harvest Foundation in 1999. Since then, Share the Harvest has been helping to feed families in 18 counties in Southeast Texas by providing rice to the Houston Food Bank and beyond, when sup- ply allows. With its help, the Houston Food Bank is able to distribute enough rice to provide more than 11 million servings each year. Southeast Missouri Food Bank (Sikeston, Missouri). Southeast Missouri Food Bank's Grocery Rescue Program secures and recovers nutritious food that is close-dated, slightly ripe, or too plentiful from grocery stores and farms, quickly distributing it to struggling families. semooodbank.org Urban Gleaners (Portland, Oregon). The Urban Gleaners mission is two-fold: preventing hunger while reducing food waste. Its most important initiative, the Food to Schools program, includes weekly deliveries of fresh, healthy food for home consumption. Funding from the foundation will allow Urban Gleaners to add six new schools and four Section 8 Housing complexes to its delivery roster. urbangleaners.org Working Landscapes (Warrenton, North Carolina). Working Landscapes is an entrepreneurial nonprofit based in and serving rural northeastern North Carolina. Dedicated to getting healthy, locally grown food onto local plates by building relationships across the region, its farm-to-cafeteria program provides fresh, local produce to schools in communities with limited access to healthy local food. Its Main Street cafe is a community gathering place serving locally sourced, ready-to-eat meals, and provides convenient take-away food items for busy and low-income families. workinglandscapesnc.org In San Francisco on Nov. 10, local Bay Area specialty food producers, including host Kathy Wiley, owner of Poco Dolce Chocolates, gathered with journalists for an exclusive press preview. The event, called "Best of the Bay," gave attendees a glimpse of what to expect at the upcom- ing Winter Fancy Food Show, taking place Jan. 17 to 19 in the city. On Sept. 21, the Association hosted a Go-To-Market workshop in Charleston, South Carolina, designed to help specialty food producers learn how to take their products to market and reach new consumers. On Oct. 1, the Association held a one- day workshop in Sonoma, California, to teach specialty food manufacturers how to promote their products to the trade and press by using social media and social good. Speakers included Dave Hirschkop (pictured) of Dave's Gourmet. 116 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com