ROTR13 Wrap Up

On September 20th - we threw one heck of a party! The Friends of the Hunger Network hosted the 7th Annual Rolling on the River event for Cleveland's finest young professionals.

The party was held at Windows on the River on the West Bank of the Flats and drew the largest crowd yet! It truly was 'Lucky #7!" The crowd of 385 gathered to enjoy a night for of casino-gaming, eating, drinking and socializing. Together, the city united to raise over $55,000 for the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland. As you know, for every dollar raise, the Hunger Network can serve 4 meals in one of their 100 hunger centers - that means this event raised enough for over 220,000 meals!! That's amazing!

Cocktailing for a cause, I'll always be up for that!

The night started off with a bang - once you registered with a volunteer from Microsoft [on their high-tech and very cool tablets] you were on the red carpet that for a quick picture, then led in to never-ending fun inside the ballroom. There was a huge silent auction featuring the coolest things in Cleveland, and there was even a raffle called the Boat Load of Booze! It was a boat full of bottles of wine, liquors, beers - you name it! There was over 150 tickets sold and 1 lucky winner took it all home - lucky guy.

We were entertained all night, even if we weren't gambling - there was an amazing magician, performances by Frank, Dean & Then Some and even a 50/50. There was another photo opportunity inside with a green screen from Mystic Image. It was awesome!

Dinner was delicious, but the best part was dessert! It was beautiful cupcakes donated from Topped With Buttercream cupcakes...yum!

There were so many people there, from groups of friends, coworkers from the sponsors and the team from Q104's Fee's Kompany - they were the celebrity hosts and rocked on stage.

You can check out photos from the event on our Facebook page here, and don't forget to like our page while you're there!

And, mark your calendars for our next event, the 24th Annual Best Party of the Year...now these folks know how to "get down!!" They love to dance...you won't want to miss it.

Stay Well Project- Year Two!

What a memorable day! After an extremely successful pilot year, this past week, the Hunger Network launched the second year of the Stay Well Project!

The Stay Well Project is a program created by the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland with the mission to educate food insecure clients about important issues that affect their daily lives. Through a partnership with University Hospitals and Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation, we host informational events and health screenings. Topics range from diabetes, to hypertension - and we even gave away flu shots in October! The pilot year of the Stay Well Project focused on 4 hunger centers; but in year two, we are excited to announce that we are expanding! Stay Well will now be available at 8 of our hunger centers and hope for even more in the future.

In addition to growing number of hunger centers participating, the Stay Well is expanding in other ways! For our second year, we are pleased to announce our new partnership with Remington College. Remington's nursing assistant students will be present at all Stay Well events, providing blood sugar screenings for our clients. It is an important addition to the program, supporting our effort to assure clients are aware of their glucose levels in order to prevent and/or manage diabetes.

We kicked-off the second year of this awesome program with a "Back-to-School Kid's Health" event on Wednesday, August 7th at our Faith Baptist Hot Meal Program. The event started at 10:30 AM and hosted over 80 adults and children learning about the importance of proper nutrition and how to avoid communicable diseases. With school doors reopening from summer break, it is such a significant and timely topic. Studies show that children who do not receive enough to eat have lower energy in school and lack memory & ability to concentrate.

Three additional events have been held, hosting hundreds of clients and offering the opportunity to go through health screenings testing their blood pressure, blood glucose, BMI and HIV. There were opportunities for private health consultations at the health fair and prizes for all who participated.

Additional August Stay Well Project Dates: 

Harvard Community Services Center, 18240 Harvard Ave:

Tuesday, August 20th, 10:30- 11:30 AM, Volunteer Check-In at 10 AM 

Garden Valley Neighborhood House, 7100 Kinsman Road: 

Thursday, August 22nd, 10 AM-12 PM, Volunteer Check-In at 9:45 AM

True Vine Baptist Church, 954 Linn Dr: 

Tuesday, August 27th, 5-6 PM, Volunteer Check-In at 4:30 PM

Cory Methodist Church- Concert Hall, 1115 E 105th St:

Thursday, August 29th, 5:30- 6:30 PM, Volunteer Check-In at 5 PM 

For more information and September dates, be sure to check out our website at HungerNetwork.org.

Some additional Stay Well Project topics for the second year include: diet and wellness, cancer, pain management, ins-and-out of taking meds, respiratory issues, and hearing & vision.

If you're interested in supporting the Stay Well Project in any way, we would love to have you! Contact our Stay Well Coordinator, Sara at scontinenza@hungernetwork.org.

No Summer Vacation for Hunger

Time away from school during summer months brings an end to school-funded meal programs. These programs provide children with healthy, filling meals that they have come to rely.  Children experience hunger over summer months because their families lack the ability and resources to make up the deficit from missing these school-provided breakfasts and lunches. The Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland is working to fill this void and we need your help to feed these hungry children.

Nelly lives at home with her grandma and attends school in Cleveland. During the school year, she is provided breakfast and lunch, but in the summer her grandma must somehow supply these extra meals for her. Nelly’s grandmother has been coming to the Hunger Network on-and-off since 2006, ever since a heart-attack left her disabled and unable to work. The Network food pantry gives her nutritious emergency food to help keep them from being hungry.

Throughout the summer, Nelly volunteers at the Redeemer Crisis Center which is part of the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland. Nelly chooses to spend her time at Redeemer to stay safe and off of the streets; she doesn't want to be negatively influenced by her peers.  Her grandmother is so thankful that Nelly volunteers at the center because she thinks it helps her stay focused and teaches her how to work with different kinds of people. Nelly has big goals for her future; she dreams of one day being a forensic scientist.

Help stop Hunger – Donate Today!

Hunger Network- 4 out of 4 Star Honor!

It's time to celebrate here at the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland! It is with great pride I announce our receipt of the coveted 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America's leading independent charity evaluator. Charity Navigator works to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health, accountability and transparency of 6,000 of America's largest charities.

As you can probably tell, this is a pretty big deal and our entire team could not be more excited for this privilege. Earning this desirable 4-star rating by Charity Navigator means the Hunger Network has notable fiscal management and commitment to accountability and transparency. Receiving 4 out of 4 stars is commendable, especially when it has been accomplished for a second consecutive year by our organization. This puts us in a category with only 17% of America’s charities, a rare feat achieved by the few adhering to good governance and other best practices....pretty awesome, huh?!

“This ‘exceptional’ designation from Charity Navigator differentiates the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust,” said Ken Berger, President and Chief Executive Officer of Charity Navigator.

As more and more non-profits appear in the Cleveland community, donors are demanding more accountability from the non-profits to which they fund. Our supporters want certainty that their hard-earned dollars are donated to successful charities that reliably execute its mission in a financially responsible way.

The Hunger Network can provide that confidence as they are able to give 94 cents of every dollar donated towards their programs, leaving only 6% towards administrative costs. As many of you know, we are the largest hunger relief program in Cuyahoga County, dispensing
75% of all emergency food in our community.

This 4-star rating from Charity Navigator of the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland allows our supporters to give with confidence! You can rest assure that every $1 donated will provide 4 meals at a hunger center, allowing our creditable organization to feed over 60,000 Clevelanders every month.

Thank you to Charity Navigator for this honor, and thank you to our donors for their continued support!

ROTR Kick-Off Happy Hour Party!

Plans for the 7th Annual Rolling on the River are well-underway! The Friends Committee of the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland is very excited for the casino-themed party to be held on Friday, September 20th at Windows on the River. Please mark your calendar for this event!

In fact, the Friends are so excited for ROTR '13, they have decided to host a Kick-Off Happy Hour Party this Thursday! These young professionals are so energetic, sometimes it's hard for me to keep up! Meet & mingle with the Friends and learn more about Rolling on the River, as well as the Hunger Network! The Kick-Off Happy Hour Party will be hosted at Reddstone in Battery Park at 1261 West 76th Street in Cleveland.

While networking, enjoy complimentary appetizers from Reddstone, drink specials, raffles PLUS Reddstone’s amazing patio and cornhole! Our fingers are crossed for good weather.

Glenn Anderson & Allan Fee of Q104's Fee's Kompany are ROTR '13's Celebrity Hosts and will also be in attendance on Thursday! Swing by to meet them and roll the dice for your chance to 2 tickets to a concert at Blossom on July 17th featuring Train/The Script/Gavin DeGraw [donated from Q104].
In addition, the Friends Committee will also be selling tickets to Rolling on the River with a $5 per ticket discount! If you purchase at that Kick-Off Happy Hour Party, you can snag your tickets for only $54 vs. $59! That includes everything for the party - dinner, drinks, gaming, entertainment and more!

Can you believe it, all this fun wrapped up into 1 night?!

You won't want to miss either event! Mark your calendar for this Thursday, June 27th - all of our Friends hope to see you there!!

And, don't worry Cavs fans! The NBA Draft doesn't start until 8pm that night...plenty of time for fun with our Friends before that 'tips off!' Go Cavs!!

Planting Day at the Mange Garden!

Saturday, May 11th was a special day at Crocker Park's North Union Farmer's Market - it was Planting Day in the Mange Garden.
I went along with a group of kids from the Garden Valley Hunger Center who volunteered their time and energy, to plant vegetables that will soon be donated to our hunger centers on the west side of Cleveland. The Crocker Park Team welcomed us to the Mange Garden that morning and we quickly got started planting all sorts of fruits and veggies like: cantaloupe, lettuce and onions, oh my! There was a separate area for oodles of tomato plants and an area for cucumbers - yum!

We learned about the importance of nutrition and how beneficial fresh veggies and fruits are to our daily diets. After planting all morning, we had worked up quite an appetite. Crocker Park treated us to lunch outside of Liquid Planet, and we enjoyed it under the sunshine!

This new partnership with Crocker Park's Mange Garden is in support of the Hunger Network's Garden for Giving. The Garden for Giving program was created approximately 3 years ago and continues to grow. Fresh fruits and vegetables are one of the most difficult food items to get into the hands of our clients, but most important to a nutritious diet. The program's goal was to establish gardens at hunger centers that had enough land, a water source and the volunteers to run the garden. For the centers that are not able to host their own gardn, we are working hard to establish connections with local community gardens, such as the Mange Garden.

The Mange Garden hopes to donate over 1,000 pounds of fresh produce to the Hunger Network this year. We are so grateful for their support!

You can visit the Mange Garden during Crocker Park's North Union Farmer's Market - every Saturday from 9:00am-1:00pm. More information on the Farmer's Market can be found at http://www.crockerpark.com/events/family-activities/information/north-union-farmers-market

Celebrating 25 Years!

It's hard to believe the 25th Annual Majestic Steel Walk for Hunger was 10 days ago - but, what a wonderful day it was! Last Saturday, although a tad chilly, we gathered to celebrate this anniversary and continue the tradition of walking to raise funds and awareness for the hungry in our community. 

It was a jam-packed morning full of fun as we welcomed all walkers with breakfast provided by Earthfare and Marc’s and entertainment from the St. Ignatius Circus Company and Cleveland Gladiators Goddesses. Our annual Kick-Off Ceremony was lead by 19 Action News Ed Gallek and Jason Handman.  They had a lil’ help from the Cleveland Cavaliers Moondog and Sir CC. Sir CC has already posted pictures from the event at http://www.flickr.com/photos/cavs_sircc/sets/72157633495494374/. [More photos to come in the next week!]

During the Kick-Off Ceremony we were honored with a proclamation from Mayor Frank Jackson’s Office announcing May 11, 2013 “WALK FOR HUNGER DAY” throughout the City of Cleveland. It was such a privilege to have Karen Butler, Director of Public Health, there to present the proclamation to our Executive Director/CEO, Dana Irribarren.

Dana then presented the Legends Awards to 25 very special honorees from the 24-year history of the Walk for Hunger. The Legends were chosen because of their hard work and strong commitment and dedication over the years... helping feed our communities most vulnerable citizens.

*We have 3 wonderfully supported companies who were among the first sponsors and continue to support the event today: Dominion East Ohio, The Plain Dealer and Baker Hostetler.

*We honored past and present Team Captains, as it is such an important role in the success of the Walk for Hunger each year: Fred Schulze of the Thrivent Team, Hank Doll of the Fairmount Presbyterian Church Team, Mary Levtzow of the Lutheran Team, Ogie White of the Presbytery Team and the late Ingrid Matz of the Mayfield United Methodist Team.

*We also awarded walkers and volunteers that have helped build the event to what it is today: Jerry Hoegner, Bob Long, Jeannette Throne, Dee Whitzler, Nancy Wheaten, Diane Zellmer, Mr. Hero, Marc's, Orlando Baking Company, Burt Saltzman, Dave's  Supermarkets, and the late, Grace Blum.

             *And finally, we wouldn’t be able to draw the vibrant crowd that we do without our amazing Media Sponsors: Emily Davis, WUAB-43 & WOIO-19, WMJI Majic 105.7, Ed Gallek & Jeff Tanchak

After warming up with the ladies of Jazzercise we were off on a venture throughout Downtown Cleveland! It was a 3 mile walk and walkers were able to see all of the exciting additions to our city. We ended at Voinovich Park on the East 9th Street Pier for a 25th Birthday Celebration. As walkers crossed the Finish Line, we were greeted by the CSU Cheerleaders and Rudi, the official mascot for the Cleveland Gladiators.

We enjoyed lunch from Mr. Hero and celebrated with an awesome popcorn Birthday Cake from Campbell’s Sweets Factory. We danced to music from Majic 105.7 and they even brought their prize wheel for folks to win cool stuff! There was a tent for crafting donated by PatCatan’s and the Red Bull Wings Team was passing out free samples. It was such a fun afternoon and all came to an end way too quickly. 

By the end of the month we will have the opportunity to announce the total money raised – donations are still coming in to the office and we welcome them! At this time, we will also announce all of the winners! Teams have the opportunity to win $200 gift cards to Petitti Garden Center and individual walkers that raised of a minimum of $250 for the Hunger Network qualify for a raffle with some pretty stellar prizes from Legacy Village, Liquid Planet, Mitchell’s Ice Cream and more!

We are so grateful for all of our walkers and volunteers! We cannot thank our Walk Committee enough for all of their hard work preparing for this day over the past year – especially the Committee Chair, Chris Szuch and our Honorary Chair, Jonathan Leebow of Majestic Steel USA.

The event would not have been possible without our sponsors:
Title Sponsor: Majestic Steel USA
Platinum Sponsors: Baker Hostetler, Conway Family Foundation, Dominion, Marc’s
Diamond Sponsor: University Hospitals       
Gold Sponsors: Dave’s Supermarket, Third Federal Bank, Wells Fargo
Bronze Sponsors: Lutheran Urban Community Ministry, AK Steel Foundation, Jay Auto Group
Media Sponsors: CBS 19 and MY 43, WMJI Majic 105.7, Cleveland Magazine, the Plain Dealer
Prize Sponsors: Petitti Garden Centers, Panera, Liquid Planet, Legacy Village
Meal Sponsors: Mr. Hero, Earthfare, Marc’s, Nestle Waters, New World Ideas and Inventions, TLC Spring Water, Campbell’s Sweets Factory

 






We cannot wait for the 26th Annual Walk for Hunger- mark your calendars now for
 Saturday May 10th, 2014!