Gainesville Harvest

Gainesville Harvest agency/program agenda is to meet food related needs in our community.  As a non-profit, we are on a mission to bridge the gap between needs and resources.  Presently over 40% of the people, we serve lack the accessibility to nutritious foods.   The lack of information is one of the main causes for many living with food insecurity.   Resources include prepared foods, fast foods, pantry stables, fresh vegetables and fruits, meats, and dairy items.   

GOALS

            a. Accessibility.  Gainesville Harvest continues to work with “Mom & Pop” operations to insure that the least eats.  There are many elderly and disabled citizens in  rural areas of our county who may not qualify for benefits or assistance.  Some lack family or contacts that will assist them with day-to-day necessities.   Our goal is to assist missions such as Mama Hunt’s Ministries in Newberry where 60 people are served once a week through distribution from the public park and 30 more are served through her home mission ministries.  Rural area missions care for those not included in statistics of those served without a person/s that are willing to serve but are not supported by big business.   Support from agencies like GH allows missionaries to give service and love to the forgotten.  We are establishing at least one site in every city where there are at least forty participants.

            b. Resources.  Our goal is to insure that the least among us receive the most nutritious foods that are available in the community.  According to the Center for Disease Control, the obesity rate has risen to 22.9% from 15-19% in 2000.  These rates go on to cost the government billions of dollars in treatment. In 2000, the total healthcare cost of obesity related diseases in Florida was $3.99 billion, and $4.92 billion in 2007(CDC, 2007).  “Good nutrition may also lift a financial burden on the economy since over $33 billion in medical costs an $9 billion in lost productivity are related to heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes-all associated with diet”(Health Communities Foundation and Affiliates, 2008).  

During a site visit in November 2008, I was amazed at the number of recipients considered obese, although many of the recipients talked of living with food insecurity for at least 3 to 4 days out of the week.   Many did not get fresh vegetables or fruits for weeks.  The bread and sweets counted for 70% of their diet.  Many sites only served the high carb items given by major food stores.  Vegetables and fruits are priced out of the budgets of most citizens in the distribution area.   

There are farms and growers in our community that will donate leftover items, but cannot bring them to the area.  Our goal is to create opportunities through our “Sweat Equity” programs to make these items available.    This will give families access to nutritious foods and make them available to the disabled and the working poor.  Those residents in need of food will be able to glean in the field and assist those unable to do so.

The other resource, prepared foods, is in abundance in Alachua County.  Prepared foods are about 80% of the resources available daily.  It is the least expensive but requires special handling, strict timelines, and safety and refrigeration guidelines.  It could resolve a great portion of food shortage by 40%, instantly.    Hot kitchens are needed in rural areas of the county to meet the needs after school programs, summer programs, and the elderly.  There are many elderly raising their grandchildren and go hungry to ensure that children eat.

 Our goal is to purchase a refrigerated truck and food related supplies to distribute prepared and frozen foods from sites equipped (volunteers, space, time, etc.) to handle the process.  This process alone can create volunteer opportunities for recipient and the community.      

            c. Information.   Only 7 out of 10 people are aware of resources within the community.  Only 3 out of 10 used other facilities in the community (healthcare, fitness, parent classes, clothes closets) that are designed for poverty reduction.   There are more than 300 elderly citizens waiting for services through Eldercare. Most do not know or have access to other services that can help with day-to-day needs.  In rural areas, most elderly receive resources through community or church contacts.  Our community partners will conduct surveys for the food stamp programs, utilities and other services offered to low-income citizens. 

Gainesville Harvest goal is to collaborate with churches and community centers to filter information to those living in semi-isolated areas.   University of Florida Community Campaign assist our organization in placing purchased resources such as hygiene, toiletries, diapers (infant and adults), household products and gas cards in the hands of missionaries. Our mission is to aid missionaries in their efforts to serve their communities. Many are themselves living on the edge of poverty.  Without missionaries in a community homelessness, hunger and isolation would be even higher in this recession.

            d.  Gleaning.  Gleaning is the second largest resource in the county.  Crops left in fields grow by 10-15% each year.  We must engage those who need food in the process of harvesting.   We can no longer say, “Come and get it.”  We must teach people to fish.  The experience children receive through the process of gleaning is priceless.  Over 98% of the young people who volunteer are from middle and upper income families.   We have convinced people that someone else will pull them out of poverty.  The education this process garners is worth the degree of life.  Many people who glean diminish stress, increase self-esteem, save money, and increase the nutritional value of their food.  They also feel a satisfaction in assisting someone else in acquiring resources.     

 

Gainesville Harvest site training is geared to grassroots organizations that are familiar with their community and the needs of the people they serve.  Many of the beliefs are forces that change lives.  We believe social skills are the keys to many locked doors.  We believe that every contact has a teachable moment.  We practice and model desired outcomes.  Sites are clean and orderly; rules are followed and Sites mentor those who wish to become volunteers.  We believe the receiver should become the giver.    

  Gainesville Harvest is the chameleon of nonprofits, and constantly changes to meet the needs of the community.  Our volunteers and donors save the county over $200,000 in work force alone.   We pickup seven days a week and sites are serving where needed.   

Gainesville Harvest grassroots level of service gives us the ability to serve in the rural areas, to speak directly to those who can influence the outcome measures that we need during these turbulent economic times. 

Our staff, volunteers, and donors are committed to eliminating hunger, reducing waste and empowering those who are willing to be a participant in their economic recovery and the well-being of everyone in the community.

Your involvement in this process will assist us in this mission.

Please go to our website to become a partner in our events for the largest food drive of the year.  It is the “Feinstein Challenge.”  It offers a buck for a pound of food and a buck for a buck. 

You can make the difference in our community by taking the challenge at your business, church, school, community or collegiate organization. 

www.Gainesvilleharvest.com                         Office-352-378-3663/665-0726©

www.feinsteinfoundation.org     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Volunteers meeting the challenge and raising the bar for service”