September is National Hunger Action Month. Here at Butte CAA we deal with hungry families every day. Our North State Food Bank helps food-insecure families fill their cupboards with essential food items. In the wake of the Camp Fire the need for food and nutrition support in this region has increased, but we are up to the task, especially with the support of local community members like you.

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Evidence shows that families who experience food insecurity, pass down that psychological stress to their children.  When parents are unable to feed their children, it leads to depression, aggravation, and anxiety.  When parents are in this constant state, that psychological trauma gets passed down to their children; which can have a severe negative impact on child development and their over all well being.

According to the Center for Poverty Research at UC, Davis:

"Such circumstances have a direct negative impact on children’s behavioral development.[4] For example, heightened parental depression and anxiety prompted by food insecurity has been linked to aggressiveness, anxiety and hyperactivity in three-year-olds."

Considering that 40% of Americans are at risk of poverty, that is an overwhelming amount of our children put at unnecessary risk. In a recent article by Kevin Gee, an Associate Professor of Education at UC Davis and Minahil Asim,  a PhD candidate in education policy at UC Davis, they highlight the detrimental impacts of parenting aggravation and how food insecurity negatively affects children's executive functioning by reducing their ability to pay attention and compromising their self- control. We have selected highlights from the article below, you can read the full article by clicking here.

 

Posted by: The Center for Poverty Research, UC Davis

Key Facts

• Parents struggling with food insecurity can experience heightened levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.
• Parenting aggravation that coincides with food insecurity is negatively associated with children’s executive functioning.
• Supporting food-insecure parents may improve parenting and thus have benefits both for parents and their children

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Since the tragedy of the Camp Fire rocked Butte County and surrounding areas, our North State Food Bank has been in full swing, getting food to people in need. This is not a short-term relief effort by an means. With people displaced from their homes and no certain timeline for returning, the need for support for the North State Food Bank remains high.

 

What Have We Accomplished So Far?

Thanks to the generosity of this community as well as outside donors, our North State Food Bank has distributed 93,000 pounds of food for Camp Fire relief efforts in collaboration with Grassroots Alliance. Community support continues to come in, recently the North State Food Bank received a generous donation from Golden State Farm Credit and several sister Farm Credit agencies from California and other states in the amount of $51,500 for Camp Fire relief. What an amazing gift! In response to this generous donation our CEO, Tom Tenorio had this to say.

We're thankful for the support of our local agriculture and ranching communities whose continued collaboration with our CAA North State Food Bank ensures that our community members have access to healthy, nutritious food.

-Tom Tenorio, CEO of Butte CAA

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2018 is quickly coming to a close and we are so grateful for all the community support we have seen. During the Camp Fire emergency and the ongoing relief efforts you showed us that Butte County is a community that cares. You took in your friends and neighbors who were displaced, you donated food and clothing and came together as a community to lift each others spirits. We are seeing light at the end of the tunnel, but there is still much work to do. Consider making your tax-deductible donation before the end of the year, or find a volunteer opportunity that's right for you. You might be surprised to find that there are several mental and physical benefits you can get from the act of giving. 

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Our North State Food Bank just got a major upgrade thanks to the CalRecycle grant and our partnership with the Jesus Center. A portion of the grant went towards installing a massive walk-in refrigerator and freezer system at the North State Food Bank. The ability to safely store more perishable foods will allow us to help families struggling with food insecurity to have fresh and healthy meals. This expansion of our perishable foods storage capacity also means we have a need for community support and donations to fill this new refrigerator and freezer with food! The crew has been working hard to get it all built and ready - check out the progress in this time-lapse video below...

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Our community is pulling together to support one another as the sheer scale of the tragedy that is the Camp Fire continues to grow, but the work has just begun and we need your help. We are now dealing with the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. According to CBS News the current Camp Fire statistics are:

• 140,000 acres burned
• 40 percent contained
• 56 fatalities confirmed, 3 firefighters injured
• 10,321 structures destroyed, including 7,600 homes

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The North State Food Bank is one of the huge programs that lies under Community Action Agency’s list of programs it oversees. NSFB is managed by Tom Dearmore who is the Community Services Manager at CAA. On August 22nd Dearmore went on air with Chico Now to talk about the North State Food Bank along with the CalRecycle Grant. Keep reading to see some highlights from the interview, or click here to listen to the radio interview.

North State Food Bank is one of the premiere programs that the Community Action Agency administers. They collect and distribute food through a vast service region. It encompasses Butte, Glenn, Colusa, Plumas, Sierra, and Tehama counties, which equals out to about 12,000 square miles.

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Childhood obesity and diabetes in children is exploding across the nation.  

In our own backyard in Northern California:

• 17% of 2 to 4-year-olds are considered obese
• 15% of 10 to 17-year-olds are considered obese

And it is getting worse. The data projects that by 2030 the number of heart disease cases will quadruple and obesity-related cancer will more than double.

Fact:

The largest majority of these increases will be in the low-income population.

The Reason:

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1 in every 5 families in our region suffers from food insecurity. They struggle with having enough food for their families and they also struggle with the quality of that food. Fresh fruits and vegetables are plentiful from the many farms around Butte County, but not every family can afford them. September is Hunger Action Month, and while the month is almost over, it's not too late to make a difference. There are thousands of people who stand up to fight hunger this month by supporting their local food banks across the nation.

If you have thought about helping before, but never find the time, make time today. If you already volunteer for the food bank, consider sharing your experience with a friend who might want to come along with you and help. The solution to hunger in America lies in our own hands. It's about community involvement, so take action!

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Our friends at Spira Yoga & Wellness just wrapped up an inspiring event. Throughout the month of June, they offered 22 free yoga classes to the public in exchange for donations of food. This food drive was done in partnership with the Community Action Agency of Butte County and Feeding America. 

We love it when businesses in our community get involved in our mission to help the 1 in 5 families that struggle with food insecurity. Yoga is a practice meant to nourish both the body and the mind. Though their food drive, Spira Yoga & Wellness was able to help spread that positive impact to the greater community. The food they collected will help feed the hungry and the very act of giving will benefit the metal and physical health of the students themselves. Helping others stimulates regions of the brain associated with social connection and trust, improving mental state and resulting in lower blood pressure in many cases. There are long-term health benefits to the act of giving.

We had a chance to speak with Amanda Correa, Program Director and Lead Trainer at Spira Yoga, about her experience. Here's what she had to say.

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