Quarterly Newsletter
Selma Area Food Bank
“Helping Hands to Those in Need”
Volume 23
2017 Board of Directors
Jack Alvey
Lafon Barlow
Nancy Bennett
Joe Bumbrey
A United Way Agency
Issue 1
Dear Friends,
I cannot start a letter without thanking all the kind hearted people for the
support that the food bank is given on a daily basis. Life can be difficult at
times but seeing the good in mankind will lift your spirit every time. We
must continue to find the best in others and to appreciate beauty where we
see it. To help the less fortunate with a hand up reminds me of the grace that
GOD has shown us all.
With warmest regards,
Jeff Harrison
Doris Butler
Janet Calame
Mobile Pantry Contribution
James Dawson
Thank you Mr.. Buddy Wiltsie of WoodmenLife Selma
Chapter 3! This organization has been great and has supported our cause last year and now this year. They continue to
donate to our mobile pantry food program. Last year alone
we distributed 322,748 pounds of free food to neighborhoods that have food insecurity. These mobile pantries usually cost The Selma Area Food Bank an average of $800.00
which this depends on the pounds on the truck. As the new
year starts we work to raise enough money to keep the truck
loaded and in route to some of the poorest areas in the country. If you would like to make a donation to help us purchase
a truck load of food for the needy, please contact Jeff Harrison 334-872-4111. We would be happy to answer any questions you may have. Again we thank Mr.. Buddy Wiltsie
with WoodmenLife. Selma Chapter 3 for reaching out and
making such a difference in our community.
Pat Deavor
Susan DuBose
James Durry
Jeff Gardner
Kellysue Giampietro
Grover Henry
Samuel Johnson
Steven South
Selma Area Food Bank Bass Tournament Fundraiser
April 1st 2017
Safe light until 3PM
Roland Cooper State Park Camden, Alabama
First place takes home $2000
Please visit our website at selmafoodbank.com for
rules and regulations as well as a printable
application.
Brown Bag Program
We were very busy on Valentines Day sharing our blessings with our neighbors that were
without food. Every month we pack 276 brown bags for the needy in our area. The bags are
packed by the agencies that will also deliver these pounds of food
to people that are disabled/elderly and homebound. This program
has continued for many years and has helped so many. This group
of agencies are some of the best friends we could have. They show
up early and work hard to get the bags packed. It often times turns
into a fun social gathering and they enjoy seeing each other. We
love these volunteers and because of them our job is the best!
Good things are happening here at The Selma Area Food Bank.
If opportunity doesn't knock,
build a door.
—Milton Berle—
To love means loving the unlovable. To
forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when
everything seems hopeless.
—Gilbert K. Chesterton—
The most important thing
about getting somewhere is
starting right where you are.
Life is 10% what happens to
you and 90% how you react to
it. —Charles R. Swindoll—
Sunday Best Fruit Salad
Ingredients
 1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks, juice reserved
 2 apples, peeled and cored
 1 (21oz) can peach pie filling
 2 bananas, peeled and diced
 3 kiwis
 1 pint strawberries
Directions
1. In a small bowl, toss the chopped apples in reserved pineapple juice. Allow to sit 5 to 10 minutes
2. In a large salad bowl, combine the peach pie filling and pineapple chunks.
3. Remove apples from pineapple juice and add to pie filling and pineapple mixture. Add chopped bananas to reserved pineapple juice and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Peel and slice kiwi and 1/2 cup of strawberries. Chop the other 1/2 of strawberries and set to the side.
5. Remove bananas from pineapple juice and add to pie filling mixture. Add chopped strawberries: toss together.
6. Arrange Kiwi slices around the edge of the serving bowl and alternate with strawberry slices. Chill and serve.
Saturday May 13th, 2017
Be a participant of the nations largest single-day food drive. All you
have to do is leave a sturdy bag containing nonperishable foods, such
as canned soup, canned vegetables, pasta, rice, or cereal next to your
mailbox on May 13th. The local mail carriers will then collect donations from the homes and deliver them to the Selma
The Southern Way
The Selma Area Food has been distributing food for almost twenty four years. Through the years we have seen
many changes in the communities we serve. We have seen our factories and local businesses close, our children grow up
and move away to other cities to find work and our citizens face food insecurity. It’s true; we have hungry people in our
town. Right here at home. This fact is not announced on television. An actor won’t come on the screen to tell you to donate so The Selma Area Food Bank can purchase food for the needy in your area. We are your food bank. Your donations
have made us who we are and allowed us to see how important it is to reach out to people who would otherwise go hungry. Hunger is not a foreign thing but sadly it affects our home as well. The families that receive food from us is not because they don’t work. Working poor is what they are called. They hold jobs and take care of their families to the best of
their ability, but they aren’t earning enough for everything they need for their families. We have also seen positive
changes. As the bad has seemed to outweigh the good, we have pulled together. Even though our area is one of the poorest in the state we have built so much with so little. Your donations have created a clean place for hungry people to come
in and sit down to a hot meal, together we have a safe haven for our battered women and children to sleep without fear,
our churches are able to reach out to their congregation and meet their needs both spiritually and physically. If you as a
community see only the worse of us then please remember what we have overcome and continue to struggle with still
today. The traits of being a Southerner can only be described as being kind, hospitable and compassionate. Even when
we have little to share, we find a way to give. It is often volunteering your time when money is not available. We pull our
resources and help each other. That’s the Southern Way. For years we have heard jokes about how we are all related to
one another. That is because we act like family. If one member is down we pull them up. So really that is a compliment
we are proud to hear. Our goal should always be to set a good example for our children. The next generation will be responsible for taking our places in society and molding another generation. These children deserve the best we can possibly give them. This includes being raised to love, respect and appreciate what life has to give. They have to be educated;
they need our time, patience and security that only the adults can provide. Many people do not realize the kids often suffer when the schools close for holidays and during the spring and summer break due to the fact that the free lunches or
reduced price lunches end. These children are at home without the food they would normally receive from the school system. We are trying to make others aware of this situation and have asked several of our agencies to help us get food to
these children. There are non-profits and churches that have opened summer programs to feed and teach children for the parents that are working. Our agency directors know better than anyone, what the need is, in their areas. We could not continue to reach so many without their dedication. The programs we currently have are
designed to feed several different groups of people. Seniors have always been a
major concern. They are on a fixed income and have no other means to cover the
cost of living increases. As an elderly person you should never have to choose between food, medication or heat for your home. This happens too often. We have
been able to reach out to four counties with the help of churches and non-profits
(501c3). Every year over one million pounds of food is distributed to some of the
poorest remote areas in the state. Without the donations and contributions from
those in our communities this would not be possible. We’d like to thank each of our
donor’s and agencies for your continued support over the years. You are helping us
make a difference in our service area and ensuring that no man, women or child
goes to bed hungry. -Lynn Henderson
Please remember that every dollar donated will purchase 13 pounds of food for the needy in our area. If
you would like to make a donation, please use the enclosed self-addressed
envelope. Thank you for your support of our efforts to provide food to the people that cannot afford it.
Sincerely,
Jeff Harrison
Executive Director
The Selma Area Food Bank is an equal opportunity employer and provider.
Selma Area Food Bank
497 Oak Street
Selma, Alabama 36701
Non-Profit Org.
U S Postage
PAID
Permit No. 33
Selma, AL