Sharon Snuffin knows something about feeding people. As president of Snuffins Catering, she’s fed countless people. She’s found a way to make a difference for those who cannot afford food, as a member of Emergency Food Network’s Board of Directors. “Feeding the hungry has always been an important component of my personal charitable giving. I am convinced that my donations of time and money to EFN will be used efficiently and effectively.”
EFN welcomes four new board members: Paul Long, Vice President, AmericanWest Bank; Darren Schuldheiss, Vice President, Investment Solutions Specialist, Key Private Bank; Sharon Snuffin, President, Snuffin’s Catering; and Brenda Wiest, Organizer, Teamsters Local Union No. 117. The four new members join the eighteen-person board that oversees EFN’s finances, policies and practices, strategic planning, and fundraising activities.
“I work for working people,” says Brenda Wiest. “I feel strongly about food security, job security, and financial security. If you are hungry, nothing goes well—kids can’t succeed at school, parents worry, it’s hard to be successful at work…being hungry is in the back of your mind all the time. The Teamsters are in the food business. Our members work in trucking, they warehouse for grocery stores and restaurants, they work in dairy, bread, produce and meat. I’m excited to involve them in the community.”
The folks at EFN are happy to welcome the four rookies. “We are excited to welcome Paul, Darren, Sharon, and Brenda to the EFN team.” said Helen McGovern, Executive Director of EFN. “They will undoubtedly add invaluable expertise to the ongoing efforts of the organization. Each brings a unique skillset to help guide EFN as it moves forward with its goals and initiatives in 2012.”
In a down economy, more families and individuals turn to emergency food programs to get by from week to week and month to month. EFN is the primary distributer of emergency food in the county, distributing $12 worth of food for every $1 donated. With the demand at food programs increasing 46% since 2008, EFN’s efficiency and reliability is more important than ever. Long, Shuldheiss, Snuffin, and Wiest join the EFN board at a time when the organization is raising more funds and distributing more food than at any time in the organization’s 30 year history. They join a team that year after year has guided EFN to an annual overhead of less than 4%.
“The fact that more than 145,000 people each month seek emergency food assistance in Pierce County, and 53% are children and seniors,” says Shuldheiss, “if that doesn’t motivate you to get involved, nothing will. I am humbled to have the opportunity to serve on the Board of Directors of EFN and roll up my sleeves in the fight against hunger.”
For Paul Long, the chance to help people succeed was also a big motivator. “I chose to be a part of Emergency Food network because my wife is an elementary school teacher in a low income area here in Pierce County. I hear often of the impact that hunger has on children and its effect on their education.” Children struggle to learn when they are hungry.
Emergency Food Network’s mission is “to provide a reliable food supply so that no person in Pierce County goes hungry.” EFN distributes nutritious, staple food to 67 food banks, shelters, and hot meal sites in Pierce County. They do this through a combination of sources, including purchased food, food donated from grocery stores and food distributors, food received from food drives, fruits and vegetables gleaned from residential gardens and area farms, and food grown at EFN’s 8-acre organic Mother Earth Farm, which produced 160,000 pounds of fruits and veggies in 2011, distributed to food banks on the day of harvest. Eighty percent of all food in the county makes its way through EFN’s 22,000 square-foot warehouse in Lakewood.
For information about the Emergency Food Network, to donate, or to learn about volunteer opportunities, visit www.efoodnet.org