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 style of pantry food distribution reported this year is roughly 1/3 pre-boxed items only; 1/3 choice pantry only; and 1/3 mix of choice pantry & pre-boxed items

• There was a decrease in the number of responses reporting the need for both more food and non- food resources compared to 2021 

• 7% reported consistently not being able to recruit/retain volunteers, and 33% reported intermittent problems with volunteer recruitment/retention 

• Within the last 6 months, 66% reported an increase in the number of people they turn away due to lack of food 

• Almost 50% of responders had to limit participants' visits to once a month 

• Storage/Freezer space continues to be a barrier to serving the community 

Thank you to everyone who filled out the survey this year! We really appreciate the input that you gave us as it helps us improve our services.

Partner Training Sessions 
The team at The Idaho Foodbank is offering sessions to help train your new staff and volunteers. This can also be 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: 

• Ordering/Reporting in Agency Express- August 18 at 10 am MDT/9 am MDT 

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. 

Farmworker Appreciation Day 
Farmworker Appreciation Day is August 6th, 2022. This is a time to take a moment to appreciate and thank farmers for all the work that they do throughout the year – especially during the hot summer months. Farmworkers have one of the most important roles in society: providing food. They oversee the process of planting, raising, harvesting and packing the crops so they are ready to be on our tables. The Idaho Foodbank has partnerships with farms across the state and we appreciate the hard work that they do and their generosity in providing food to The Idaho Foodbank and our partner network.  

The Idaho Crisis & Suicide Hotline has launched 988 – a new phone number that is part of a national initiative to improve mental health crisis response. If you need suicide or mental health-related crisis support, or are worried about someone else, call or text 988 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.  

The previous number for the Idaho Crisis & Suicide Hotline (800-273-8255) will still work, but 988 is an easy to remember number to call for support. 988 can be used from any location in the country. Your phone’s area code will be used to direct you to your state’s crisis hotline. A person does not need to be suicidal to call – the hotline can provide support for several crisis situations. People can visit the Idaho Crisis & Suicide Hotline website to learn more.  

True West Beef, along with The Center for Prayer and Worship, partnered up to do a food distribution in Twin Falls last week. Through the help of many volunteers from The Center of Prayer and Worship and True West Beef, they were able to prepare and give out food boxes to Twin Falls/Magic Valley residents. These boxes contained items such as pre-packaged True West Beef, milk, canned goods, and much more. They were able to hand out food boxes to around 125 families in the area. 

August is National Wellness Month. Remember to take some time for yourself! Do some activities that will help with self-care, stress management, and creating healthy routines such as mediation, better sleeping habits, trying new things, or something you enjoy doing. Here is a link that can help you think about some activities you can do during National Wellness Month.