Change Becomes Change

How Can I Change The World?

On a recent lazy weekend, my kids were creating masterpieces for an upcoming art show they’re planning. This will be their second big art show – their debut was during our Thanksgiving visit with family down in California. They charged an admittance fee (with a nice discount for early birds), and sold their art to high bidders. They decided that 100% of the proceeds would go to our local Oregon Food Bank, a collection they’ve been working on for a few months now.

While working on her creations, my four year old daughter wanted to know why people help other people, so I tried explaining to her why it’s good to give of our time or other means to people who need it more than we do. This wasn’t the easiest conversation I’ve had with her, but I think some of it came across.

Then I mentioned that, even at four years old, she could make the world a better place.

And her face just lit up. She looked at me with curious excitement in her eyes and asked, “really mommy…what can I do to make the world better?”

I’ve not spent much time here at Change Becomes Change since I’ve followed my personal passions to launch Feed Our Families, but this exchange with my daughter has inspired me to return. It’s easy for all of us – young and old, rich and poor – to forget, or not realize that, yes, we can all make the world a better place.

She’s busy making art for a show when her grandparents visit next month, and is looking forward to the spring beach clean up with SOLV. And I couldn’t be more proud of my little change agent.

Supporting the Reauthorization of Child Nutrition Programs

We see it everywhere: hunger continues to exist in our communities. Families are still struggling to find their way through this recession and find ways to feed their children. Too many times, children are showing up to school or being dropped off at daycare programs hungry. Potentially not fed since the last time they were there.

And our economy doesn't appear to be recovering fast enough to help this situation.

From this month's Oregon Food Bank Advocacy Newsletter:

Each day in Oregon, hundreds of thousands of children—nearly one in five—live in poverty and go hungry. In fact, 36 percent of those who rely on emergency food from the Oregon Food Bank Network are children. Hunger stifles their health,intellect, creativity and capacity to learn and be at their best.

We have valuable programs in place to help feed hungry children like the National School Lunch program, WIC (Women, Infants & Children), Summer Food Service Programs and others, that can help us meet President Obama's promise to end childhood hunger by 2015.

Every five years, these programs need to be reauthorized. Congress will meet this summer to address what these programs will look like and how much funding they'll put behind ending childhood hunger for the next five years. While we don't know what our economy - nationally or locally - will look like next year or in three years, we have this opportunity now to stand up and make sure our children get the nutrition their growing bodies need.

In June House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller released his bill for Child Nutrition Reauthorization which would:

• Allow more rural communities to operate summer food programs & serve more low-income children

• Provide competitive grant funds to promote the expansion of the School Breakfast Program

• Enhance the nutritional quality of food served in school-based and preschool settings

This release of Chairman Miller's version of Child Nutrition Reauthorization is a crucial step in our fight for the best possible bill.

Now it's our turn to make a difference. Ready? It's easy. 

Please contact your legislators and ask that they pass a strong Child Nutrition Reauthorization package before the end of the summer.

The easiest way for Oregonians to do this is to VISIT OFB HERE (Oregon Food Bank). They have an easy form to complete, and OFB does the rest. While there's a message that you can cut/paste into the form, I've found my representatives are most responsive when I also include a personal message - like why this is important to me.

There are many ways to help hunger issues in our communities. I'll share some new ideas later. For today, the most important action we can take is to let congress know how critical it is to reauthorize child nutrition programs.

Miss the link above to send that note to your legislature? HERE IT IS AGAIN.

Please share this with friends and family that will help reauthorize child nutrition programs. To help spread this word, this story was also featured at Activistas.

Stamp Out Hunger - Sat May 8

This might be one of the easier things EVERYONE can do to help end hunger in our local community. Really.

Last year we told you about the National Association of Letter Carriers annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive and asked that you share a bag full of nutritious non-perishable foods with hungry families in your state. And you did. You rallied to donate a record 73.4 million pounds of non-perishable food in the to restock community food banks and pantries in the nation’s largest one-day effort to combat hunger.

Can you do it again?

With more than half of our nation's food banks reporting that they are turning people away from emergency food services (20% say this happens "frequently"), it's time for all of us who can, to step up and help with a donation. Big or small...let's all give what we can to help feed a hunger family.

Let me remind you how easy this is:

1. When you're at the market this week, buy a few non-perishables to fill up a bag (or more, if you can). The most wanted foods include:  canned meats (tuna, chicken, salmon), canned and boxed meals (soup, chili, stew, macaroni and cheese), canned or dried beans and peas (black, pinto, lentils), pasta, rice cereal, canned fruits, 100 percent fruit juice (canned, plastic or boxed), canned vegetables, cooking oil, boxed baking mixes)
2. Leave it at your mailbox this Saturday, May 8 - make sure to get it out there before your letter carrier arrives. Need a reminder? Schedule one HERE
3. Your letter carrier does the rest. They'll make sure the donations get to your local food bank or pantry - the food will stay in your community

That's it. You in with us?

Help Us End Childhood Hunger With Cupcakes

Last month I shared with you a bake sale that I was planning to help raise funds to end childhood hunger - a cause so very near to my heart because every child deserves a healthy future. Well, for a long list of reasons out of my control, the bake sale has changed...a bit.

We are absolutely still raising funds for Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale which will come back to help Oregonian children in summer programs. Here in Oregon they contribute funds to our St. Vincent De Paul Society, Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon and the Oregon Food Bank. 

The biggest difference is that there won't be a physical bake sale...but there's still a bake sale!

In exchange for your online donation at THIS SECURED PAGE, you'll receive a virtual cupcake customized just for you by my favorite four year old baker (yep, my daughter) as a small token of our personal appreciation.

And, really, isn't that easier for you? There's no driving to a location, waiting in line, potentially in the rain or making sure you have cash since no one really carries that anymore, right? Your waist will thank you too.

As will the many children your donation will help feed through the local summer programs. And that is really what this is all about. Making sure our children are getting the food they need.

Want to know how you can help?

I hope you'll visit our Great American Bake Sale site and make a donation in exchange for a virtual cupcake. We're going to accept donations through April 24 - just two weeks. The total goal for Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale is $1,800,000 and we can't make it without everyone giving a little bit.

Remember...small steps, small donations, do add up.

Help Feed the Hungry While Shopping For Yourself

Ok, it doesn't get much easier than this to help feed hungry Americans. With spring around the corner, there's likely some shopping to be done soon, right? Well, if you shop this weekend, not only do you save money, at the same time you can send part of your purchase amount to Feeding America.

Here's how...

WHAT: You save 30% on your total purchase (yes, everything) and they give 5% to Feeding America when you designate them

WHEN: Wednesday March 18 thru Sunday March 21

WHERE: The Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy (and their factory outlet stores too!)

IMPORTANT:

1. You must tell the cashier that you want Feeding America to receive the 5% donation - if you don't, no donation is made
2. Some of the brand name lines they carry like Converse aren't eligible but you can get all the details on the coupon

So, CLICK HERE to get to the coupon, print it out & go shopping. Just make sure to tell them that you want to help feed the hungry with your donation to Feeding America.

We Can End Hunger

Some really smart folks are working together to end hunger in America. It's a problem we all see in our communities every day and helping is something we can all do in a small or big way.

WeCanEndThis is having a Digital Can Drive – March 4th thru March 17th, the Digital Can Drive rewards people who commit to take action: Give, Share, and Volunteer. Every person who commits can donate a digital can of food to the their state. On March 18, the Top 10 States with the most digital cans of food will each win a semi-truckload of real food.

The three components of the WeCanEndThis campaign are:

Give - It's easy to give one can, one box or one bag. You can drop them off at your local food bank, church and most schools. We do this often and have made it a habit to pick up a couple extra things we see on sale while doing our usual grocery shopping. Make it work for you in a way that fits your schedule and budget.

Volunteer - Food Banks and organizations who help feed hungry people need volunteers to sort and pack food, sometimes deliver packages to home bound people and a variety of other necessary but easy duties to get the food where it's needed most.

Share - Spread the word with me. Forward this article to everyone you know on email, Facebook, Twitter or other social sites you visit. Encourage your employer to hold a food drive. Talk about the importance of helping the hungry in your community with friends and family. Awareness of this growing problem is critical.

You can sign up to Give, Volunteer or Share (or all three!) right here at WeCanEndThis. Make it easy on yourself, make it fun. Last year Missouri won a truck through the Pledge to End Hunger campaign because one woman called and emailed everyone she knew. See...it can be that easy to make a difference! You in?

If you have some creative ideas around taking on the barriers to alleviating our hunger problem, there's a way to share your thoughts and be part of the solution. Here's the simple concept straight from the Share Our Strength site:

You can also join in on March 15 for the launch of CauseLab at the SXSW Festival in Austin. The WeCanEndThis.com team will kick off an unprecedented 30-day virtual brainstorm to develop the most powerful, effective, and innovative ideas to end hunger in America. Some of the most creative thinkers from across the country will tackle touch questions like, “What will a hunger-free community look like?” Follow along and participate online from March 15 through April 15. 

CauseLab will showcase the best thinking ideas on addressing the root causes of hunger. WeCanEndThis will choose the best ideas to share and implement with the campaign's nonprofit partners

Why does this excite me? Food drives are really important to help feed the hungry today - but we also need solutions for tomorrow. 

Check WeCanEndThis out at Facebookand Twitter too - more easy ways to share the word.

Bake Sale to Help Hungry Children in Our Communities

You've heard it before: Childhood hunger is at an all-time high and increasing every day. What most of us probably don't even realize is that there is likely hungry children in your neighborhood, your child's school and your church. The signs aren't always obvious, but hunger is still there.

Many of these hungry children rely on programs funded by donations from organizations and people like you and me for breakfast, lunch and after-school meals year-round. Did you know that many public schools  provide "school lunches" for children during the summer break? Or that for many, the lunch they get at school or breakfast at their neighborhood care program might be the only nutritious meal they get all day?

Ready to help?

On April 17, food bloggers in communities across America are coming together for the Great American Bake Sale which benefits Share Our Strength, a national organization passionate about ending childhood hunger.

Change Becomes Change will offer three ways that you can help us in this effort.

1. You can donate to our "virtual" Bake Sale RIGHT HERE today through April 18. Please share this with friends and family too.

2. Visit our Bake Sale in Portland, Oregon DETAILS TO COME but please put this on your calendars now.

3. Help us find bakers to donate goods, promote the Bake Sale or volunteer with us at the event - we need lots of friends with passion to help make this happen! Email me at GinaMRau(at)gmail(dot)com or leave a comment to let us know how you'd like to help.

Share Our Strength supports many anti-hunger organizations all across the country and in Oregon they fund our St. Vincent De Paul Society, Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon and the Oregon Food Bank. Our family has special connections to the Oregon Food Bank that we personally support in many ways, and to St. Vincent De Paul Society that our school contributes to on a regular basis.

Our Bake Sale will specifically support efforts to help fund after school and summer feeding program grants that many of our community programs are probably applying for right now. As one of the hungriest states, Oregonian families rely on these services to provide nutrition for their children year-round.

Thanks for your support.

MLK Day "On" for Service

Today is Martin Luther King Day, an ideal time for us to reflect on our shared values and -- more importantly -- to act on them.  Americans from all over will come together to honor Dr. King with a Day of Service.  With Haiti utterly devastated by a recent earthquake, and with our country still reeling from the economic crisis and job losses, we are reminded that our country and the world need service now more than ever.

If you have the day off, make it a "day on" to help others in need. Even if you don't have the day off, there are many simple ways you can make a difference in your community today. Here's a few:

• Make a donation to your local food bank
• Drop off used books to your library or school 
• Clean up a park near your home
• Start up a bottle cap recycling program at your office
• Get your kids involved in helping others (they'll probably love it!)

These are the easier things that take little to no planning but can really have some impact.

What are we doing? We're taking advantage of the open invitation from the Oregon Food Bank to tour their west side facility. They usually only allow older kids to tour the grounds but will open their doors to children of all ages. We're going to stop off at the store to pack up donations and head over.

So, what will you do?

12 Days of Sharing: White Chocolate Raspberry Slices

My mom and I did some serious holiday baking and cooking growing up. Serious. And those special times together in the kitchen are some of my favorite childhood memories. Since my own children are just 5 and 3, we're not quite at that same experience...yet. But they try.

They like to help me measure and pour ingredients and do a little mixing of their own. They enjoy rolling dough, making shapes and decorating but can be distracted by shiny objects inherent to the holidays. Still, I love just having them in the kitchen with me, even if it is between rounds of Yatzee!

For the Share Our Strength Share Your Season holiday campaign, we decided to participate to end childhood hunger in a couple ways: we planned a weeks' worth of low-cost meals and donated the difference between what that week's grocery bill and our usual budget to Share Our Strength, and today we're co-hosting the 12 Days of Sharing virtual cookie jar (see all of the holiday treats shared right here).

I'm so pleased to share with you one of our favorite cookie recipes: White Chocolate Raspberry Slices. We love almost all things berries up here in the northwest and these are no different! They go great with a cup of cold milk!

We hope that you'll enjoy the cookies as much as we do - and that you'll donate what you can to Share Our Strength to help hungry children across America. Now, more than ever, they need our help. You can CLICK HERE to donate (feel free to share this too!).

White Chocolate Raspberry Slices

1/2    cup   Butter, room temperature
1/4    cup   Sugar
1       tsp    Vanilla
1 1/4 cup   Flour
1/4   cup    Raspberry Jam
2       oz     White Chocolate, chopped or chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir in flour and mix until the dough comes together. Depending on many different factors like humidity and altitude, you might need to add a bit more butter to get the dough to come together. 

Divide the dough into thirds. On a floured surface, roll each third into a rope about 1" thick. Place the ropes approximately 3" apart on a buttered baking sheet. With your finger, press into the dough to make 1/2" wide bowls about 1" apart. Spoon 1/4 (or a little more) teaspoon of raspberry jam into each bowl.

Bake until edges are light brown, about 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool.

Melt white chocolate and drizzle across the ropes as you want. Chill until chocolate is firm to touch (about an hour is good). Cut each rope, diagonally between jam bowls.

Enjoy!

 

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12 Days of Sharing

For my family, many of our favorite holiday memories involve food: the cookies I baked with my mom and grandma, our family's special Italian dressing that I overindulged in each year, and our traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner with grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. Lots of food, fun and family.

For many families, the holidays won't be about food. In fact, they might not have anything special at all. If you're been to Change Becomes Change before, you know that hunger in our communities is rising and affects many children each day. While it might seem like a really big problem to tackle, there are simple ways we can all help out.

I'm pretty excited to tell you about the 12 Days of Sharing fund-raising campaign and virtual cookie swap hosted by In Jennie’s Kitchen that I'm participating in this year. Our virtual cookie jar will include cookie recipes from the amazing participating food bloggers.  Each day, there's a different co-host who will help spread the word about how you can make a difference too. Change Becomes Change will co-host the virtual cookie jar on December 16th so make sure you're signed up to receive our updates to your e-mail box.

Did I forget to mention the prizes? If you make a donation by CLICKING HERE, you'll earn a ticket that will enter you for a chance to win one of many fantastic prizes.  Yes – giving has its privileges!

Want to participate in our virtual cookie swap?  Simply post a recipe on your blog with the badge above (and its link too!) and send an email to: injennieskitchen@gmail.com. Include a link to your post and a recipe photo if you want to be a Featured Pick.

Check out the virtual cookie jar every day to discover new holiday treats and help us spread the word by sharing this with friends, family and strangers too, on Facebook, Twitter or however you share your news.