Photo courtesy of Taste of the Nation

Boobs4Food SF is thrilled to volunteer at Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation event in San Francisco on Thursday April 29, 2010 at AT&T Park. Taste of the Nation events are happening all across the country, with the mission of ending childhood hunger.

Over 40 of San Francisco Bay Area’s finest chefs, wineries & bartenders are participating at this year’s event, by donating their time, talent & passion.  100% of ticket sales supports Share Our Strength’s efforts to end childhood hunger.  Proceeds from this year’s Taste of the Nation San Francisco will support three amazing local organizations: FoodRunners.org, Playworks.org & Children of Shelter.

For a complete list of participating chefs, restaurants & wineries, click here.

Share Our Strength: No Kid Hungry

In 2004, Share Our Strength developed its national strategy to end childhood hunger in America. This strategy focuses on long-term solutions that support access to nutritious foods and healthy choices—the difference between feeding a family tonight and ensuring that they never have to worry about when their next meal will come. It is designed to bridge the gaps between existing, effective programs and the families who need them. Learn More »

At its core are three sensible goals:

• Increase access to public and private programs that provide food to children and their families.
• Strengthen community infrastructure and systems that connect children to healthy food.
• Improve knowledge about available programs and how to get the most from limited resources.

How We Share Our Strength

Since 1988, Taste of the Nation has raised more than $70 million. Funds from Taste of the Nation are directly invested in the most successful organizations committed to ending childhood hunger in America. Working with state and local organizations across America, we implement our national childhood hunger strategy as well as its supporting 10-point plan. Learn more about our childhood hunger strategy and 10 point plan »

Internationally, Taste of the Nation has raised 85% of the more than $10.3 million Share Our Strength has granted to organizations. We focus our efforts in four priority countries, Ethiopia, El Salvador, Haiti and Mexico, that are working toward sustainable solutions to underdevelopment, poverty and hunger.

More information regarding the local organization benefiting from Taste of the Nation San Francisco 2010:

FoodRunners.org

Photo courtesy of Foodrunners.org

The mission of Food Runners is to help alleviate hunger in San Francisco to help prevent waste and to help create community. Food Runners is a California 501.C3 Corporation – with a Board of Directors and an Advisory Committee made up of concerned individuals from throughout our community.

Food Runners is currently delivering approximately 10 tons of food a week that would otherwise be thrown away. With help from our volunteer coordinator, our paid truck driver and people like you, we can provide enough food for 2,000 meals a day in San Francisco.

We recently volunteered with FoodRunners on the Divisadero/Grove Farmers Market route. It was raining cats, dogs & orangutans but that didn’t stop the market vendors from donating their produce & baked goods. Barely any room was left in our trunk space & back seat, as we piled in bags & bags of farm fresh produce, baguettes & mountains of baked goods. We’re definitely coming back.

Playworks.org

Image courtesy of Playworks.org

The Playworks Mission: To improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

Playworks is a national nonprofit organization that supports learning by providing safe, healthy and inclusive play and physical activity to schools at recess and throughout the entire school day.

Playworks currently provides on-site program coordinators, or coaches, to 170 schools in 10 cities across the nation. We serve more than 70,000 students at low-income, urban schools every school day. If you don’t see us nearby, click here to learn how to bring Playworks to your city.

Children of Shelter

Photo courtesy of Children of Shelter's website

Children of Shelters’ mission is to provide for the educational and emotional needs of the estimated 4,000 children living in or being served by transitional shelters in San Francisco. As advocates of the children we serve, we are committed to addressing both their basic and more in-depth needs. By funding tutoring, activities that enhance self-esteem, and college tuition assistance, our grants support their academic achievement and character development. Ultimately, we believe education and self-esteem are keys to breaking the cycle of poverty for children.

COS raises funds to implement and underwrite programs for children in transition and in shelter, including:

• Summer camp
• College and secondary school tuition assistance
• Back-to-school clothing and educational materials
• One-on-one tutoring
• Cultural experiences, such as musicals, plays, sporting events and museums
• Empowerment opportunities with mentors and/or resources
• Support for talent and skills of individual children such as music lessons, sports, etc.
• Special holiday programs, picnics and other family events
• DrawBridges, an art program designed for therapy for youth

In addition, COS has awarded grants to fund more “macro” initiatives in 2008/9:

• The SF Unified School District’s Educational Empowerment Program, which helps homeless/transitional students with special needs be more quickly identified.
• Tuition assistance at both the elementary and college level. Currently, we fund scholarships at Star of the Sea, UCSB and Columbia University.

All info taken from:

Share Our Strength http://www.strength.org/

Food Runners http://foodrunners.org/

Playworks http://www.playworks.org/

Children of Shelter http://www.cos-sf.org/index2.php

See you at AT&T Park!

-Team Boobs4Food

San Francisco Food Bank

In San Francisco, 150,000 people struggle each day to feed themselves and their families. Hunger manifests itself as a consistent lack of enough food to meet nutritional requirements. It can mean fewer meals each day and poor-quality food that is calorie-rich but nutrient-poor.

How can you help fight hunger in SF?

Join Boobs4Food SF as we return to the San Francisco Food Bank on Saturday April 24, 2010 from 12:30-3:30pm for Round 3 of some more hairnet action.

Duties in the past have included sorting fresh produce, packing frozen green beans & pasta, and assembling food boxes. Adults & Kids ages 8+ are welcome to participate, just be sure to state how many you’re bringing. This is a great way to get some of your volunteer hours logged before the end of the school year.

Date: Saturday, April 24, 2010 1230-330pm
Location: SF FOOD BANK – 900 Pennsylvania Ave at 23rd Street, San Francisco, CA

The organizations we support depend on our specific headcount so please let us know for sure if you’ll be able to attend. If your schedule changes, let us know as soon as possible.

Boobs4Food @ SF Food Bank 9/2009

For any additional questions, you may:

Email Us:  info[at]boobs4food.com

Facebook: Event Page

Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Boobs4Food.

ATTIRE: It’s important to dress in layers, as the temperature in the warehouse is often cool.  Because you’ll be helping to repack food, please wear casual and clean clothing, long pants, securely fastened jewelry, and comfortable (no open-toe) shoes.  Anyone wearing sandals, flip-flops, or any other shoe with an open toe will not be able to participate in the project.

PARKING INFORMATION:

You’re welcome to utilize the parking lot as agencies do not shop at this time. Additional street parking is free and abundant.

WHERE TO REPORT: We ask all volunteers to sign in upon arrival.

Please report to the south side of the building, entering through the central pedestrian door. Signs will direct you to the volunteer break room.

OUR VOLUNTEER DEPARTMENT STAFF: George Gracia, Robert Alvarez, Jeremy San Juan, Andy Breunig, Will Carpenter, and Nick Eitz, the Project Leaders, will be training your group and managing the food sorting projects.

MORE INFO: You may wish to visit SanFrancisco Food Bank’s web site (www.sffoodbank.org) or encourage others to do so if they’re interested in learning more about this wonderful organization.

DIRECTIONS to the SAN FRANCISCO FOOD BANK, 900 Pennsylvania Avenue (PLEASE NOTE: if you are using another website for directions, Cesar Chavez St may be called Army St.)

FROM HWY 80/580 SOUTH:

1. Take the Bay Bridge to San Francisco. Stay in the left lane.

2. Exit at 5th Street/Golden Gate Bridge, and go straight (slight left) onto Harrison Street.

3. Turn left on 6th Street.

4. Take 280 South (6th street dead ends into the on-ramp).

5. Exit at Cesar Chavez Street/25th, and immediately turn right on Pennsylvania Avenue.

6. Continue for less than one block on Pennsylvania. The Food Bank is on the left just before the intersection of Pennsylvania and 23rd Street.

FROM HWY 101 NORTH:

1. Exit at Vermont Street. Go straight through intersection onto Mariposa Street.

2. Turn right on Pennsylvania Avenue, traveling until you reach 23rd Street. The Food Bank is on the right.

Note: If coming from the airport or other locations south of the city, exit from 101 North onto 280 North and follow the directions below.

FROM HWY 280 NORTH:

1. Exit at Cesar Chavez Street.

2. Go straight through Cesar Chavez Street intersection onto Pennsylvania Avenue.

3. Continue until just before you reach 23rd Street. The Food Bank is on the left.

FROM HWY 280 SOUTH:

1. Exit at Cesar Chavez Street/25th, and immediately turn right on Pennsylvania Ave.

2. Continue until you reach 23rd Street. The Food Bank is on the left.

FROM DOWNTOWN SAN FRANCISCO (Surface Streets):

1. Travel south on 4th Street until it intersects 3rd Street.

2. Turn right on 3rd Street.

3. Continue on 3rd Street until it intersects 23rd Street.

4. Turn right on 23rd Street.

5. Continue on 23rd Street until it dead-ends into Pennsylvania Avenue. The Food Bank is in front of you and slightly to the left.

Note: An alternate route from downtown is to travel south on 6th Street until it dead ends into the 280 on-ramp, then follow the directions from 280 South as listed above.

USING MUNI TRANSPORTATION:

We strongly recommend using the Trip Planner on http://transit.511.org

Thank you. See you with your hairnet on!

-Team Boobs4Food

We showed you our cans, you showed us your  cans – all to support SF Food Bank

Boobs4Food manning the cans with @HotFoodPorn & @LineCook

Thank you all for making our first ever Boobs4Food SF Holiday Happy Hour Food drive a success!

Our Boobs4Food SF Holiday Happy Hour Food Drive brought together old & new faces, supporting the SF Food Bank.

Friday’s Boobs4Food Happy Hour Food Drive event drew a diverse crowd from local chefs, food bloggers, Twitter “tweeps”, community outreach supporters, college students, working professionals around the Bay Area and many of our friends. Everyone came together for a worthwhile cause with their canned goods in hand and for an opportunity to network with one other to continue the Boobs4Food purpose of bringing together passion for food and passion to fight hunger in addition to various community-oriented causes. With many families and individuals seeking assistance being those who never thought they would have to ask for help such as homeowners, middle managers and working couples, we here at Boobs4Food are working to bring together our circle of friends and supporters to assist our local food bank to keep those in need fed and nourished without having to turn away anyone seeking help. Read more about Food Banks nationwide calling for support: (SFGate.com article)

Please take a moment to view our photo recap of our Boobs4Food SF Happy Hour & Food Drive event and we look forward to seeing you at our next volunteer and mixer events! (Photos from our Boobs4Food Facebook Group)

Boobs4Food Girl Power with the incredible Amy Brown leading the way!

For more information, please visit:

SF Food Bank www.sffoodbank.org

Feeding America www.feedingamerica.org

John Colins www.johncolins.com

Boobs4Food www.boobs4food.com

Follow Us on Twitter www.twitter.com/boobs4food

Perfect combo: happy hour & fighting hunger on a rainy day!

December in LA this year has proved to be a mix of tumultuous weather and it was definitely pouring with the clouds raining happiness on Boobs4Food for our first ever Boobs4Food LA Holiday Happy Hour and Food Drive. We organized this event in LA the week before our Boobs4Food SF event of similar nature – fighting hunger and getting together with our existing and new Boobs4Food supporters.

We held our Boobs4Food LA Happy Hour + Food Drive at the incredible Copa D’Oro Bar – a quintessential establishment that truly knows the meaning of a hand-crafted cocktail…and a hard to beat Happy Hour Drink List. With their $5 Happy Hour offerings of amazing libations such as the Gold Rush, Pisco Sour and Moscow Mule, we invited many of our friends to come out with their bounty of non-perishable foods to support LA Regional Food Bank during this holiday season. Los Angeles is often seen as a city of glitz and glamour yet few realize that many residents of LA County struggle alongside over 45 million Americans who are “food insecure” – meaning that they are deprived of daily access to adequate amounts of nutritious food, as noted by the LA Regional Food Bank press release in November.

Boobs4Food Co-Founder Jessica stuffing the donation box with Beef Stew.

With the help of our Boobs4Food supporters, we pulled together more non-perishables than we anticipated while having an amazing time catching up with old and new friends who had not yet had a chance to come out to one of our volunteer events since the inception of Boobs4Food this past summer. Since our start, Boobs4Food LA has devoted much of our Southern California efforts to support LA Regional Food Bank given it’s strength within the region and being one of the largest food banks in the United States. Through their organization and a network of over 500 charitable agencies, they supply enough food for 750,000 meals weekly in Los Angeles County. LA Regional Food Bank’s President and CEO Michael Flood has even noted that the demand at the food pantries served by the Food Bank is up approximately 34% percent since this time last year. (LA Food Bank Press Release)

Please take a moment and enjoy the photo recap of our Boobs4Food LA Happy Hour and Food Drive. We look forward to seeing you at our next event this January 17th at The Midnight Mission. For more information on upcoming events, please contact us at info@boobs4food.com or Follow Us on Twitter.

Comfort Me with Apples, Carrots & Green Tomatoes

We here at Boobs4Food can’t believe autumn is already here in full force!!

After a busy summer filled with a few fun B4F events around the U.S. to celebrate the official launch of Boobs4Food, B4F celebrated the beginning of the season of harvest with a return to the SF FOOD BANK. This time around we rallied a few new friends to join us in the incredible weather and participated in some intensive arm workouts as we sorted through 4000 lbs. of Granny Smith apples, 2900 lbs. of bright orange Carrots and 8000 lbs. of under ripe Tomatoes. We left no apple, carrot or tomato unchecked as we even executed double duty inspection in order to save everything edible and worthy of donation to the hungry. There would be no wasted produce under our watch!

Once packed and stacked, the fruits and vegetables of our labor were en route to support multiple food agencies around SF. Another month, another Saturday, another B4F event, another avenue for all of us to contribute to a bigger cause than ourselves. Thank you to all of our devoted friends who volunteered!

For a quick photo recap of our afternoon at the SF Food Bank, please click here.

Special thanks to Elgin of Orson & Citizen Cake for taking time out of his busy kitchen schedule to help fight hunger with Boobs4Food.

Stay tuned for info regarding our October Boobs4Food events in Los Angeles & San Francisco, which will be available this week.

- Team Boobs4Food SF

September 26, 2009

www.replate.org’s definition of REPLATE:

v. (re*plate) : to place unwanted leftovers, typically in a doggie bag, on top of the nearest trash can so they don’t go to waste.

Instead of trashing your leftover goodies, place your leftover Chicken McNuggets, Fries, KungPao Chicken, PadThai, half eaten burrito, you get the picture, on TOP of a public wastebasket in a pedestrian area.

Think again before you trash your takeout box, brown bag, foil wrapped treasure of half eaten good eats.