Latest news with #HometownFoodSecurityProject
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Stamp Out Hunger food drive held this coming Saturday
May 5—The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) of Austin has announced the 32nd annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive to be held on May 10. They will hold their drive in conjunction with the 33rd national carrier food drive, which is conducted each year on the second Saturday in May. Carriers will be delivering bags donated by Hy-Vee the week of the food drive. In over three decades, letter carriers nationally have collected nearly two billion pounds of food to help feed the hungry. Nationally, carriers set a record collecting 11 million pounds in 2024, and Austin area letter carriers collected food and financial donations equaling over 19,000 pounds of food. Carriers are asking residents of Austin to place nonperishable food items in bags near their mailboxes for a carrier or volunteer to pick up on May 10. The donations are then delivered to the local food shelf. In Austin, it's the Salvation Army. To ensure all food donated is collected, they ask residents to have their food out at the mailbox by 9 a.m. However, if that is inconvenient or if they forget, carriers will collect the food whenever residents get it out, including the Friday before or Monday after. This is a rain or shine event. Donations can also be left at the Salvation Army or the Post Office. Monetary gifts are accepted but checks should be made out to the Salvation Army. Residents can donate directly to the Austin food shelf using northern/austin/. Residents in rural areas should check with their local post office on how to donate. In the past, food drives have been held in Rochester, Albert Lea and Mason City. The two most vulnerable groups in America and Mower County for food insecurity are children and the elderly. According to the Hometown Food Security Project, Mower's food insecurity rate is 8.4%, a number that is growing and currently exceeds the state average of 6%. It also reports that 1 in 7 kids are food insecure within the county and among those 60 and over, it is estimated that 24% of the population is considered food insecure. Those struggling to make ends meet tend to buy the cheapest least healthy food to stretch their income making healthy donations to food shelves vitally important. Stacy Wisemore, food shelf director at the Austin Salvation Army, said the items most needed include: canned beans, canned fruits and vegetables, canned meat, peanut butter, mac and cheese, cereals, rice, pasta and soups.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
New mobile app launches to combat food insecurity in Mower County
Feb. 4—The Hometown Food Security Project has launched an innovative mobile app designed to transform how our community addresses food insecurity. This tool connects all community members with food resources and volunteering opportunities, and collects critical data, representing a new approach to understanding local hunger challenges. The free app, available for both iOS and Android devices, serves multiple crucial functions. Through an interactive map with real-time updates residents can find the nearest food pantries, community meals and food resources. Using push notifications, the app can communicate with users in real-time about items needed at pantries, mobile food pantry locations, and where volunteers are most needed. Breaking down language barriers, the app is available in eight languages including Spanish, Vietnamese, Burmese, French, Tagalog, Amharic, Karenni, Anuak, and S'Gaw Karen, reflecting the diverse makeup of our community. Only a few months after launch, the tool has already garnered hundreds of active users and five national awards for "best Use of technology," and "mobile apps for public service among others. "What makes this app truly unique is that it's not just for those seeking assistance — it's designed for everyone in the community who wants to be part of the solution," says Craig Gundersen, the Snee Family Endowed Chair at the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty and a professor in the Department of Economics at Baylor University. "It encourages volunteerism, and it is also a way of gauging the amount of need and whether food insecurity is improving or decreasing." The data-gathering aspect of the app represents a significant advancement in understanding local food insecurity. Currently, providers rely on county-level data that has a two-year lag time. The novel approach of the Hometown app enables current snapshots of food insecurity rates at a more granular local level, crucial to the coalition's goal of eliminating hunger in Mower County. "The app makes clear just how much good will and generosity there is in our community," said Molly Lanke, Co-lead of the Hometown Food Security Project and Executive Director of United Way of Mower County. "The interactive map is full of dozens of resources, each one of those represents volunteers and organizations giving back to the community." Community members can download the Hometown Food Security Project app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Whether seeking assistance or looking to help, every download contributes to building a stronger, more food-secure Mower County. For more information about the Hometown Food Security Project and the new mobile app, visit or This app is unique because it is the first one to address these three critical functions together, and to embrace the entire community approach to addressing hunger: —Connecting people with free food and resources near them —Connecting people who want to help with current volunteer and donation opportunities —Collecting real-time food insecurity data, using a novel, enhanced version of the USDA screening questions.
