December 23, 2022
New program supports postpartum moms, offers safe space
Thanks to funding through a Delaware Fund for Women grant, Food Bank of Delaware’s Nutrition Educators Alisha Beckford and Chong Yi launched a pilot program in October providing nutritional support and a safe space for WIC recipients dealing with postpartum challenges. Although the program is for WIC eligible families, not everyone attending is on WIC…
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December 22, 2022
Food box home delivery called ‘game changer’ for grandmother
The faces of rural poverty can be hidden, particularly in coastal Sussex County where new housing communities overshadow older mobile home parks. Yet these isolated poor neighborhoods provide shelter for the state’s most vulnerable people: senior citizens and children. For example: Carol and her grandson. Carol is a 79-year-old grandmother raising her 8-year-old grandson. They…
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December 2, 2022
Backpacks help kids: ‘Kids won’t learn when they’re starving.’
As a behavior interventionist, Alicia Sierra is well aware that hungry children struggle to learn, are unable to focus, and may act out in the classroom. Sierra coordinates the Food Bank of Delaware’s Backpack program at Clayton Elementary School. Right now, 13 of the school’s approximately 490 students receive a weekly Backpack filled with weekend…
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November 28, 2022
Training program helps provide path to self-sufficiency
Richard Lambert and his L.O.G.I.C. (Logistics, Operations, General Warehousing and Inventory Control) classmates graduate from the 11-week training program on Thursday. Since September, Richard and his classmates have been working under the guidance of Operations Instructor Joe Cunha to learn how to use major equipment like forklifts, end riders, lift trucks, order pickers and pallet…
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November 23, 2022
‘There’s no stigma here.’: Hungry kids appreciate Backpack meals
When heavy morning fog delays the start of school, for some kids it’s time for a little celebration. For others, though, it means a no-breakfast and an empty-belly kind of day. Crystal Thompkins, school counselor, at Towne Point Elementary School in Dover, knows what to expect when kids face a two-delay delay in their routine….
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November 22, 2022
Warehousing/logistics program provides a second chance at success
The Food Bank of Delaware’s L.O.G.I.C. (Logistics, Operations, General Warehousing and Inventory Control) training program was the second chance Karen needed. She has been in recovery since November 2021 and arrived at Sojourners’ Place, a shelter that provides comprehensive services, in February 2022 to get her life back on track. Karen describes the shelter as…
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October 27, 2022
Culinary student learns skills he plans to use in the future
Jeffrey Laplante came to the Food Bank of Delaware’s Culinary School in Milford with a bit of kitchen experience and a serious interest in cooking. He’s a young man who enjoys cooking at home too, especially a variety of pasta dishes. In fact, this Milford resident already works as a line cook in a chain…
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October 26, 2022
A student with a dream: Culinary School offers training for the future
When Milford resident Maritza Figueroa lost the job she had held for 15 years, she pivoted and landed at the Food Bank of Delaware’s Culinary School in Milford. At age 60, Figueroa realizes she may be older than a typical student, but in a professional kitchen – as in other locations – age is simply…
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October 12, 2022
34 Delawareans enroll in the new Economic Mobility Pilot Program
Education, training, and connection offer participants hope for a brighter future We know that many of the neighbors we serve go to work every day, yet they aren’t earning enough to house and feed their families. Many of them — due to lack of technology, training, education, or skills – may feel stuck, with little…
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October 7, 2022
‘A perfect example . . .’: Culinary School grad earns accolades for work
Pictured: David Cassey and Ashley Cox To say that David Cassey is thriving in the food service industry is an understatement. This young man relishes time spent in the kitchen, the folks he works with, the challenges that accompany being a team player, plus embracing a larger mission of serving his community. David completed his…
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