CHICAGO, April 18,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael McKee, CEO of Blue
Ridge Area Food Bank was awarded the 2024 John van Hengel
Fellowship by Feeding America during the organization's annual
conference this week. Seven network members and affiliates were
also recognized for their outstanding work, including: Arizona Food
Bank Network, Facing Hunger Foodbank, Feeding America Eastern
Wisconsin, Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, God's Pantry Food
Bank, Northern Illinois Food Bank, and Ohio Association of
Foodbanks.
2024 John van Hengel Fellowship
The award honors the ideals of the late John van Hengel, who developed the concept of
food banking in the 1960s. It recognizes an executive of a partner
food bank for excellence in leadership, local impact and national
influence, and entrepreneurial spirit in the area of hunger
relief.
Michael McKee has served the Blue
Ridge Area Food Bank (BRAFB) as CEO for more than 10 years and has
worked in food banking for nearly 30 years. At BRAFB, McKee has
developed a guest-centric approach to the identification of
critical needs, including broader financial stability support and
increased access to culturally familiar foods. That approach led
BRAFB to pursue strategic goals to eliminate disparities in access
to nutritious food, improve the health of neighbors, support
household financial stability, and maintain a strong and
sustainable food bank. Michael has also served as board chair for
the Federation of Virginia Food Banks for three separate terms over
10 years, championing the needs of neighbors, partners, and the
food bank itself.
"Michael exemplifies the values of the Jon van Hengel Fellowship
Award through his foresight, stewardship and commitment to
mission," said Claire
Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America. "Michael leads
with a servant's heart, with passion and with vision. His work is
grounded in his fervent belief that everyone should have enough to
eat. Of particular note has been his work on nutrition and health
and a long-term approach to benefits outreach and referral
services. This innovative work provides a powerful template for the
network. Congratulations, Michael, and thank you for all you
do."
Network Celebrations
- Arizona Food Bank Network is recognized for its
work in forming a task force to explore how to save more of the
millions of pounds of fresh produce that was going to waste
throughout the state and at the border. These diverse stakeholders
overcame differences to align on a common vision and today the 16
members of the Southwest Produce Coop, coordinated by the Arizona
Food Bank Network, facilitate access to 40-50 million pounds of
donated food each year – most of which is produce that reaches the
tables of neighbors from Arizona
to Kansas. The Coop has grown to
also packaging bulk product, repacking previously rejected loads
into mixed produce boxes, and piloting a job training program.
- Facing Hunger Foodbank of Huntington, WV, and God's Pantry
Food Bank of Lexington, KY,
are recognized for joining forces to convene officials from both
states and USDA regions. For decades, residents in rural
Kentucky had to travel over 30
miles for emergency food assistance despite the fact there were
five food pantries stocked with USDA food only minutes away across
the border in West Virginia.
Differences in federally approved State Plans and USDA regional
boundaries were barriers to access. After months of deliberations,
they aligned on a common vision to eradicate hunger in rural
Appalachia. They reached an agreement to raise the TEFAP income
eligibility threshold in Kentucky
to match West Virginia's and both
plans now allow residents of both states access to USDA food no
matter where they live or work.
- Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin is recognized for
launching the Food Leaders Lab initiative to create a pathway for
residents to identify solutions to hunger and use their voice to
advocate for their ideas to come to fruition in their community.
The food bank supports each participant's vision by offering
leadership development, communication, and advocacy trainings
opportunities. Ambassadors then collaborate with elected officials,
business leaders and government agencies to tackle urgent
challenges. As a result, leaders with lived experience have
presented at national conferences, started businesses, entered
public office, and formed a supportive community for peers.
- Food Bank of Central & Eastern North
Carolina is recognized for developing the organization's
first ever equity statement. This deliberate, inclusive process
included feedback loops and culminated with a team retreat to
ensure the Food Bank's public commitment to equity fully reflected
the diverse perspectives of their staff. Today, the Food Bank is
working towards ensuring that equity is measured by all teams
across the organization and is embedded in practices including
elevating neighbor voice, hiring, food sourcing, community
engagement, linguistic diversity, partner agency relationships, and
more.
- Northern Illinois Food Bank is recognized for
co-designing a pilot with agency partners, investing in their
capacity, and engaging them in a peer learning cohort, Northern
Illinois Food Bank and partners have launched a convenient online
ordering system called Order Ahead. Neighbors can now privately
choose from a menu of products and select the times and place of
pick up from the privacy of their phones. With support from
Northern Illinois Food Bank, this local network of agencies has
been able to significantly enhance neighbors' experience of food
assistance in their communities. In fact, 39% of the neighbors now
ordering from agencies have not sought their services before.
- Ohio Association of Foodbanks is recognized for its
pioneering approach to healthy food access by embracing the
potential of a USDA program that incentivizes purchases from local
producers for hunger relief activities. The partner state
association worked diligently to foster trusting relationships
among food banks and over 100 local farmers, most of whom were
historically underserved by federal programs. Through direct
dialogues, the state association helped partners agree on a unified
aim of a resilient local supply chain with a pipeline for smaller
growers. This approach balanced equitable prices and the scale
needed to reach more people facing hunger.
"Through collaborative and innovative solutions, these
recipients have shown what is possible when we leverage our voices
toward a shared vision," said Babineaux-Fontenot. "This honor is
earned by each person connected to the work—especially neighbors
who lend their expertise to solutions, as well as staff,
volunteers, donors and partners. From pioneering approaches to
healthy food access, to creating new communications channels for
neighbor advocacy, to partnerships that rescue millions of pounds
of fresh produce, these food banks have demonstrated the impact we
can have when we work together."
Feeding America's mission is to advance change in America by
ensuring equitable access to nutritious food for all. Feeding
America is a network of more than 200 food banks, 21 statewide food
bank associations, and over 60,000 agency partners, including food
pantries and meal programs, that provide food assistance to
millions of people each year.
Contact
Emily James
Feeding America
About Feeding America
Feeding America is committed to
an America where no one is hungry. We support tens of millions of
people who experience food insecurity to get the food and resources
they say they need to thrive as part of a nationwide network of
food banks, statewide food bank associations, food pantries and
meal programs. We also invest in innovative solutions to increase
equitable access to nutritious food, advocate for legislation that
improves food security and work to address factors that impact food
security, such as health, cost of living and employment.
We partner with people experiencing food insecurity,
policymakers, organizations, and supporters, united with them in a
movement to end hunger. Visit www.FeedingAmerica.org to learn
more.
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SOURCE Feeding America