food insecure

On June 24th, Bread & Broth’s Monday Meal fed 96 community members who arrived at St. Theresa’s Grace Hall between 4:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to be served beef stroganoff, sautéed zucchini, a green salad, fresh apricots and a lovely assortment of desserts. Sponsoring the meal for the evening was Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, whose $300 donation helped cover the costs of the meal, and who provided five Hard Rock team members to participate in their Adopt A Day of Nourishment sponsorship.

Do you know what it is like to be hungry? I mean really hungry and not just a little growl in your stomach. I do and so do over 49 million Americans who are what we call “food insecure.” It is a feeling that can best be described as a fist inside of your stomach ever-so-slowly tightening until you are writhing in pain.

Having a nutritious diet has a direct correlation in academic success, psychological well-being, growth, and overall health. A lack of proper nutrition is estimated to cause 678, 000 deaths in the US each year.

The Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce's annual Connect for a Cause on January 18 had a great turnout from the community, bring in both cash and food donations for Bread and Broth.

Over 100 people attended the charity mixer at Riva Grill and they enjoyed appetizers and Riva Grill’s signature cocktail, Wet Woodies during the event.

Bread and Broth serves the community with weekly food giveaways and two hot meals a week, and their Bread and Broth 4 Kids programs gives over 170 South Lake Tahoe children in grades K-8 a backpack of weekend food.

The Mueller family really enjoys making people happy! As owners of Adventure Mountain Lake Tahoe, the sledding, tubing and snow play resort located at the top of Echo Summit, they provide winter activities that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

Working the serving line at Bread & Broth’s Monday Meal on September 25th were members of the Tahoe Douglas Elk Lodge #2670. J.J. Clause, Steve Kurek, Jim Plamenig and Gary Wendt came prepared to represent their fellow Elk Lodge members at the organization’s Adopt of Day of Nourishment and this enthusiastic group did a fine job hosting the 94 dinner guests who arrived at St. Theresa Grace Hall for the evening’s meal.

“So gratifying to see the hungry being fed,” said Steve. “We feel lucky to be able to help.”

Children from the South Shore of Lake Tahoe no longer need to go hungry during the summer months. Thanks to a generous donation of $125,000 by Rob Katz, Vail Resorts CEO, and his wife Elana Amsterdam, “Summer B&B 4 Kids” will launch on Wednesday, June 21, with a focus on helping the over 50 percent of local children who are receiving free or subsidized school meals during the school year.

In line with their mission, the Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra (SITS) participates in local programs based on the specific needs of the South Shore Community. On Monday, February 6th, the Soroptimist (SITS) joined with Bread & Broth to provide a full course, nutritious meal to food insecure community members who attended B&B’s Monday Meal at St. Theresa Grace Hall.

On Monday, September 12, Tim Edison, a member of Kirkwood Mountain Resort’s Security Team, spent three hours volunteering at Bread & Broth’s dinner serving folks who struggle with hunger. “Having this opportunity to help the community and the less fortunate, has been an amazing experience,” said Tim. “Bread & Broth sends people away with a full belly and a smile. This is an experience I will always remember and want to do again.”

Hosting their fourth Bread & Broth “Adopt A Day of Nourishment” dinner this year, Kirkwood Mountain Resort’s $250 sponsor donation fed 92 guests at B&B’s Monday evening dinner on July 18th. B&B’s partnership with Kirkwood has provided so many meals to the food insecure of our community and has helped eased the struggle many face every day to secure nutritious and filling food.

The members of the South Lake Tahoe Yacht Club (SLTYC) are a fun and active group who have a common interest in boating and enjoying beautiful Lake Tahoe. However, this social club is also committed to community involvement and on Monday, June 13th, the SLTYC sponsored their annual Bread & Broth “Adopt A Day of Nourishment” dinner held at St. Theresa Church Grace Hall.

Bread & Broth, a non-profit, all volunteer organization whose mission is to ease hunger in the South Tahoe Community, would like to recognize the Heavenly Ski Patrol for hosting their second “Adopt A Day of Nourishment” this year. Heavenly’s Ski Patrol organization provided the funding for the 138 meals served at B&B’s Monday evening dinner on February 29th. This Adopt A Day was a follow up to their sponsorship on January 18th.

Are you, or someone you know, in need of emergency food supplies, especially for Thanksgiving? The Food Bank of El Dorado County, in partnership with California Emergency Food Link, will be in South Lake Tahoe to host a Mobile Food Pantry Distribution on Wednesday, November 25, 2015, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. to bring food to those who need it most.

In 2012, Page and Sage was started in order to address the growing problem of hungry children in South Lake Tahoe with the help of Tahoe Douglas Rotary Club. With over 2,000 students qualifying for free or reduced breakfasts and lunches in the community, the need for extra food in homes was apparent then, just as it is now.

The Food Bank of El Dorado County and the California Emergency Food Link are reaching out to the community of South Lake Tahoe to ensure everyone has enough food to eat.

They are providing a "Free Farmer's Market" to individuals and families in need on Wednesday, May 27 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the American Legion located at 2748 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

There is one allocation of food per family.

The goal is simple, "Helping the youth of South Lake Tahoe to be well read and well fed."

Hunger isn't just an inner city problem. Hunger isn't just a third world problem. Hunger affects approximately 16 million children in the United States with 3 million rural community households being "food insecure."

How can children focus on solving a math problem or writing an English paper when he or she is trying to ignore the persistent pangs of hunger? School work is forced to compete with hunger.