We are Raising Our Response to Hunger
Mary Arter, Former Agency Relations Coordinator: I’m giving to the capital campaign because I’m so proud to say that I played a small part in the construction of the new Food Bank center…people helping people, that is who we are…as our neighbors’ needs grow, so do the needs grow at our center.
Arielle Eschbaugh, Route Driver/Distribution Center Assistant: I’m giving to the capital campaign because a lot of people rely on us and our mission. Now, more than ever, the work we do is vital to thousands in the community. We are that sigh of relief, that respite that helps people get through to the next day. Rain, snow, sleet, or pandemic, hunger doesn’t stop, so neither will we.
Amanda Fahrer, Communications Coordinator: I’m giving to the capital campaign because having access to food is a right—not a privilege. A modern efficient facility will enable the Food Bank to not only reach more of our neighbors experiencing food insecurity today, but well into the future. The pandemic will hopefully fade soon, but the economic effects will be long-lasting. The Food Bank will continue to be here through it all.
Patti Flynn, Inventory Control Director: I’m giving to the capital campaign because I 100% believe in the Food Bank’s mission and commitment to the people in our communities. The new building will help the Food Bank continue to serve our communities with the highest level of service and dignity with great quality food and commitment to produce, dairy and meat to help provide a healthy diet for all.
Corrine Gernhart, Special Events & Corporate Partnerships Coordinator: I’m giving to the capital campaign because building a new facility will position the Food Bank to better serve more people who are struggling to meet one of the most basic human needs: food. But the mission is about more than meals. The Food Bank is providing relief, sharing hope, offering support and resources and showing genuine compassion to our neighbors every day.
Jami Gordon, Front Office Specialist: I’m giving to the capital campaign because our new facility will be streamlined to make our food banking operations more efficient. With efficiency, we will be able to expand and create more opportunities to alleviate hunger in Southeast Nebraska.
Nancy Gritz, Assistant Executive Director: I’m giving to the capital campaign because I’ve been fortunate to work at the Food Bank for 30 years and love our mission. I’ve worked in two different buildings and we’ve definitely outgrown our current space. I believe our efforts to serve our 16 counties will be greatly improved when we move into our new space.
Nick Harral, SNAP Direct Service Coordinator: I’m giving to the capital campaign because I believe in the Food Bank’s mission. There are many people in need of food in our community that would otherwise go hungry without the efforts of all of us here at the Food Bank. I cannot think of a more important cause than getting food to people who cannot afford to feed themselves and their families.
Jason Helgren, Child Hunger Coordinator: I’m giving to the capital campaign because I believe that a new facility will help the Food Bank be more efficient in our work, which will make donor dollars go even further in the future. With a more efficient space we’ll be able to better accept, hold, and distribute more food, which means more resources available to those facing food insecurity.
Michaella Kumke, Community Engagement Director: I am giving to the capital campaign because we have seen, met and know neighbors who face hunger. As an organization, we work to address food insecurity because food is security. For children, families and individuals who live in communities across our service area and beyond, this work is personal. My spouse and I are invested in helping raise the collective response to hunger.
John Mabry, Development Director: I’m giving to the capital campaign because this work of alleviating hunger in our 16 counties is really important to me … because the pandemic has made it abundantly clear that we are fighting an uphill battle with our current facility … and because people gotta eat.
Scott Young, Executive Director: I’m giving to the capital campaign because my grandparents, parents and family have provided me with so much, and a gift to the capital campaign is a reflection of gratitude for the opportunities I have had. We are all better off when we are all better off.
Neither of us has ever gone hungry a day in our lives, so it’s very difficult to know that many people in our area don’t have enough to eat. Given the limitations of the current outdated and inefficient facility, the staff at the Food Bank of Lincoln has done an amazing job of providing food for hungry people in the area it serves. The new facility will allow that dedicated staff more space to store and pack food, and the location will make it easier to disperse food with efficiency to supply an increasing need. We support the new facility whole-heartedly!
The Food Bank of Lincoln has been providing hope in our community for almost 40 years. At times this year, hope has seemed hard to find. Yet, amid all of the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, the Food Bank has redoubled its efforts to feed even more hungry neighbors. The Food Bank has been an essential lifeline for Southeast Nebraskans for so long and will continue to meet these needs long after the pandemic has faded. As a result, Acklie Charitable Foundation is honored to help the Food Bank ensure it is equipped to see out its mission of alleviating—and one day hopefully eliminating—hunger in our community.
In recent years, it has become increasingly apparent that in Lincoln and Southeast Nebraska, many of our fellow Nebraskans lead very challenging lives, working endlessly simply to meet their most basic needs: food, clothing and shelter. It is imperative that all who are able to do so, immediately contribute in a meaningful way to alleviate this suffering. Working with the Food Bank of Lincoln, I am committed to vanquishing hunger in Lincoln and Southeast Nebraska. On a humanitarian level, hunger is not acceptable and together we can do something about it.
As donors to the Food Bank, we have long recognized the increasing requirements to provide meals to the hungry who live in Southeast Nebraska. The pandemic, as well as other economic circumstances, have multiplied as well as magnified the challenges facing the Food Bank regarding its mission “…to alleviate hunger in Southeast Nebraska.” We strongly believe that contributions to the campaign for a new facility will greatly assist the Food Bank in attaining its mission.