Hello!

Welcome to your bimonthly source of information from The Idaho Foodbank. Please contact us if you have information to share, need to add someone to this distribution list, or have other inquiries: Partnerships@IdahoFoodbank.org.

The Idaho Foodbank Updates
Jif Peanut Butter Recall
On Friday May 20th, Jif announced a voluntary recall of some of its peanut butter products that have the lot code numbers between 1274425 – 2140425. The Idaho Foodbank recommends destroying any of these recalled Jif products you have on hand. You can learn more from their website and, as a reminder, please sign up to receive recall information from the USDA through this website.

Southwest Partner Conference
Many thanks to the partners for joining us for a conversation on bridging the Hunger to Health continuum at the Southwest Partner Conference last month. If you are interested in a recording from the guest speaker or would like to see the slides and takeaways from the breakout sessions, you can find and download the documents by clicking here. Our guest presenter, Bethany Hendrickson from Leah’s Pantry, mentioned The Meaning of Food in Life quiz during her presentation. You can find that online quiz here.

Baby Formula
As many of you have been hearing in the news, baby formula has been in short supply on grocery store shelves. Due to the strict expiration dates or lack of excess inventory. It has historically been rare for The Idaho Foodbank to receive donations of baby food and formula. The strict food safety requirements associated with baby food and formula also means that when we receive a donation it must move through our system very quickly. Unfortunately, baby food and formula are not food items The Idaho Foodbank can afford to purchase in high volume. If you have a local group willing to participate in a food drive for your pantry, you may consider asking for donations of baby food and formula.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has answered common questions resulting from the baby formula shortage, which you can find here. If someone is unable to find formula, they can call their pediatrician because they may have samples in stock or information about other locations with formula.

Partner Training Sessions
The team at The Idaho Foodbank is offering sessions to help train your new staff and volunteers or as a refresher session for your existing food distribution team members. Please save the date for the next session and use this Zoom link to join on the following days/times:

Nourish Toolkit Training – Access the recording by clicking here (passcode: 3vv.N?KX)
TEFAP on Mobiles – June 9th at 2 pm MDT/1 pm PDT
Mobile Pantry Reporting Refresher – July 13th at 3 pm MDT/2 pm PDT

If you have ideas on sessions that would be helpful to your organization and team, please let us know by sending an e-mail to Partnerships@IdahoFoodbank.org.

Upcoming Conversations - Save the Date

Local Meetings by Region - held on this Zoom link

Partners in Clearwater, Idaho, Latah, Lewis & Nez Perce Counties
- Join us at 12 pm PDT on May 18 & June 15
Partners in Adams, Canyon, Gem, Owyhee, Payette & Washington Counties
- Join us at 3 pm on June 7, in-person, for a tour of our Meridian warehouse. If you can only join virtually, please use the Zoom link above at 4 pm to join us for a combined virtual & in-person meeting.
- Future meetings will be August 4 & November 3 at 3 pm
Partners in Ada, Blaine, Boise, Camas, Cassia, Elmore, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka, Twin Falls & Valley Counties
- Join us at 3 pm on June 7, in-person, for a tour of our Meridian warehouse (3630 E. Commercial Court). If you can only join virtually, please use the Zoom link above at 4 pm to join us for a combined virtual & in-person meeting.
- Future meetings will be on August 4 & November 3 at 4 pm
Partners in Bannock, Bear Lake, Bingham, Bonneville, Butte, Caribou, Clark, Custer, Franklin, Fremont, Jefferson, Lemhi, Madison, Oneida, Power, & Teton Counties
- Join us at 12pm MDT on August 11 & October 28

Nonprofit Updates
Employee Retention Tax Credit
Although the Employee Retention Tax Credit ended in September 2021, there is still time for eligible nonprofits to claim this refundable tax credit that can offset employment taxes and generate refund payments. You can find information about this tax credit in this National Council of Nonprofits blog article. It includes information about claiming the Employee Retention Tax Credits for 2020 and 2021. It answers questions from nonprofits while sticking to plain-English discussion of a complex tax topic.

Empowering Parents Program
Idaho’s Empowering Parents program was created earlier this year to provide funding to Idaho families and their students to purchase education resources and services such as computers, tutoring and instructional materials. This new program is modeled after a similar, temporary program to make money available for education needs earlier in the pandemic. The Empowering Parents program is still being set up, but people can sign up here to receive updates and learn when and how to apply.

Partner Highlight

Loaves & Fishes in Council
The Loaves & Fishes Pantry has been operating in Council for about 12 years. Once each month, about 10 enthusiastic volunteers work as a team to provide food to their neighbors. The team prepares boxes of food according to household size. During the food distribution, neighbors drive up and are greeted by the intake team and a box is loaded into the car. Loaves and Fishes is the only pantry in Council and they provide a wonderful service to their community.

Wellness Corner
Senior Nutrition
As we close out Older Americans Month, it is a time to think about the nutritional needs of seniors. Senior nutrition can be overlooked in the continuum of health and nutrition. That begs the question: How do we ensure nourishment throughout life? You can learn more here about some of the nutrition needs and challenges for older Americans and find an easy and delicious oatmeal recipe.

Chef Ann’s Healthy Kids Meal Wheel
The Chef Ann Foundation is dedicated to empowering schools nationwide with the tools, training, resources and funding they need to serve meals. They believe that our relationship with food starts at home and that healthy food can be fun! They have put together educational resources to start a healthy food journey, like easy home recipes and a meal wheel for kids. We especially love the meal wheel, which helps kids understand what a healthy day of eating looks like.

Community Health Worker Learning Collaborative
The upcoming Community Health Worker Learning Collaborative (conference) through Idaho State University will be free and held online this year. This great learning opportunity is intended for Community Health Workers, resource navigators, and anyone else who works to connect community members to resources – like you! If you would like to attend on June 21st from 8 am until 4 pm, please register using this link.

Happy to help.

Reach out to us if you have a highlight to share, have questions, or would like to connect with a Community Partner team member. Email us at: Partnerships@IdahoFoodbank.org.