COMMUNITY STOREHOUSE SERVES THOUSANDS IN 2013

Over a decade of service, Community Storehouse has provided programs and services essential to the health and betterment of the community.

Community Storehouse exists to solicit, warehouse, and distribute food to individuals living in impoverished conditions.  Its food pantry focuses on the working poor, disabled, elderly, and otherwise disadvantaged.  In 2013, Community Storehouse served 2,229 families with 10,083 food boxes comprised of perishable and nonperishable groceries. 

The organization reduces food waste by reclaiming food that would otherwise go to our landfills.  Every day Community Storehouse volunteers collect produce, dairy, meat, bakery, and shelf-stable items from local grocers.  Thousands of pounds of high-quality, nutritious food that would otherwise be discarded is rescued and delivered to where it’s needed most. In 2013, Community Storehouse rescued 225,601 pounds of food.

The organization operates the Food for Kids:  School Backpack Program which makes a difference in the lives of impoverished children by providing kids identified by school personnel as being at-risk for hunger, with discrete backpacks, filled with nutritious, child-friendly foods.  This program is designed to meet the needs of children who rely on free school meals as their only - or only reliable - source of food.  This school year, Community Storehouse is serving 585 participants.

Community Storehouse also provides community leadership and education on issues related to food, nutrition, and hunger. 

Stats: April 2012

• 992 different families received food boxes, filled with a variety of nutritious foods, from frozen meats, to deli, fresh produce, and shelf-stable foods
  
  Our food program participants consist of the working poor, the unemployed, disabled, and elderly.

• 2,832 backpacks benefited over 700 children attending Martinsville & Henry County schools;
  
  Each child was referred to the program by a teacher, counselor, or school nurse who personally identified the participant as being food insecure.
  

Save the Date!

Don't forget to place your nonperishable donations by your mailbox on May 12th to help Stamp Out Hunger in our community. 

Your mail carrier will pickup your donations & forward them to a local food bank. 

Martinsville donations benefit Community Storehouse.

Feinstein Challenge



Feinstein Challenge to March Gifts from March 1 to April 30

Donations of cash and food made between March 1 and April 30, 2012 to the Community Storehouse are eligible for the Feinstein Challenge.  During this nationwide challenge, the Feinstein Foundation will provide a partial match for every dollar raised or pound of food donated.

For the 15^th consecutive year, $1 million will be divided among hunger-fighting agencies nationwide, including the Community Storehouse.  The Feinstein Foundation was founded by Alan Shawn Feinstein and is dedicated to the alleviation of hunger, the importance of community service in education and the values of caring, compassion and brotherhood.

First Annual Charity Golf Tournament

Community Storehouse recently held its first annual HOPE charity golf tournament, benefiting the Food for Kids: School Backpack Program.

Food for Kids makes a difference in the lives of impoverished children by providing kids identified by school personnel as being at-risk for hunger with discrete backpacks, filled with nutritious, child-friendly foods. This program is designed to meet the needs of children who rely on free school meals as their only - or only reliable - source of food.

We'd like to thank our team sponsors:

Professional Network Services

JBS Cabling

Martinsville Speedway

Sodexho

Jeffrey Butker

We also wish to thank our hole sponsors:

Osteonex, LLC

David Hudson Construction

Rehab Dynamics

Lee's Tire and Wheel

Martinsville First Savings Bank

Chip Wyatt - State Farm Insurance

American National Bank

Walsh's Chicken & More

Storage Center

Robinson Ventures, LLC

Martinsville Surgical - Dr. O'Neil & Dr. Lentz

Geoff & Sherry Schofield

Special thanks is due to Ben David Jewelers and Ratatouille.

If you see anyone associated with these businesses, please tell them thank you!

Stuff the Bus - 2011

The 3rd annual Stuff the Bus event, hosted by Community Storehouse - this year, in a partnership with Community Fellowship - concluded at Walmart this weekend with two school busses full of food and school supplies for our community's needy children. The organization also raised over $1,000 in donations. We'd like to thank the Martinsville City Schools bus division, the community for their loyal support, our volunteers, and Walmart for allowing us to host this event!

Preview our new PSA ...

Community Storehouse is beginning a new video ad campaign.

Preview our first public service announcement ad; the first in a series of six!

Ready for some good tax news?

If you’re age 70 ½ or older –– you may be able to take advantage of an important incentive for charitable giving. Congress has re-authorized the provision that allows donors to make gifts from their IRA accounts to one or more charities, without first incurring income tax on the withdrawal. This means that you can direct that amount to Community Storehouse with no federal income tax liability! The IRA Rollover may provide you with an excellent opportunity to make a gift during your lifetime from an asset that would be subject to multiple levels of taxation if it remained in your taxable estate.


To qualify:

• You must be age 70 ½ or older at the time of gift.
  


• Transfers must be made directly from a traditional IRA account by your plan provider to Community Storehouse. Funds that are withdrawn by you and then contributed do not qualify. Gifts from 401k, 403b, SEP and other plans do not qualify.
  


• Your plan administrator may make the check out to Community Storehouse and mail the check to you. But you must postmark the check to us by December 31, 2011 for the 2011 tax year.
  


• Gifts must be outright. Distributions to donor-advised funds, certain supporting organizations, or life-income arrangements such as charitable remainder trusts and charitable gift annuities are not allowed.

Benefits – Qualified Charitable Distributions:

• Can total up to $100,000;
  


• Are not included in your gross income for federal income tax purposes on your IRS Form 1040 (no charitable deduction is available, however);

Example:

Suppose John has $500,000 in an IRA and he also wants to contribute $20,000 to Community Storehouse. He can authorize the administrator of his IRA to transfer $20,000 to Community Storehouse and $5,000 to himself. The $20,000 distributed to Community Storehouse will not be subject to federal tax and will be counted toward his annual minimum required distribution.

Donate. Volunteer. Advocate.

Did you know,

28% of the people receiving emergency food are children?

Learn more about hunger and poverty in your own community,

and how you can help!

Visit http://www.communitystorehouseofmhc.org/ today!

2011 Feinstein $1 Million Challenge

From March 1 to April 30 all contributions to the Community Storehouse will be partially, proportionally matched by the Feinstein Foundation.

For the 14th year, the Feinstein Foundation is offering $1,000,000 to be spread among poverty-fighting organizations who participate in the Feinstein Challenge. The more money we raise during March & April, the more of the $1 million we receive from the Feinstein Foundation.

Now is the time to give!

Will you help us reach our goal? Remember - the greater your gift amount, the greater the Feinstein contribution to the Community Storehouse. Help us get as much of the $1 million as possible.

Make your tax-deductible donation today!
www.communitystorehouseofmhc.org/money

September 1, 2010 is Lunch Money Day

Nobody in our community should ever go hungry; especially when every $10 donated can provide 20 fresh and nutritious meals for someone in need. You can help us provide life-changing food support for local families simply by donating the equivalent of your lunch money for a day. For many, spending an average of $5 - $10 a day on lunch is not unusual, or a strain on their finances. We support many of whom providing a simple, healthy meal for themselves and their families is an everyday challenge. Brown bag it and donate to make a difference!

Stuff the Bus 2010

Community Storehouse will host the second annual Stuff the Bus event on August 20 & 21 at Wal-Mart in Martinsville. Volunteers will be setup at the entrances to collect school supplies and food to benefit needy children in Martinsville & Henry County. This event is the kickoff for the agency's Food for Kids: School Backpack Program, which plans to serve 1,000 students this year. Stop by Wal-Mart between 9am and 6pm & help us STUFF THE BUS!

This year's Food for Kids thank you

The loyal support of our Backpack Buddies combined with the generosity of Memorial Hospital of Martinsville and Henry County employees, the Martinsville Area Community Foundation, numerous churches and civic groups, has accomplished a great deal in the lives of our community's impoverished youth. Again, this year backpack program participants expressed their thanks through cards and drawings - all of which will be mailed to top donors. Thank you for your generosity.

The Harvest Foundation & MARC Workshop team to fill backpacks

Harvest Foundation staff, as well as the director and participants of MARC Workshop gathered today to assist the Food for Kids program - an initiative of Community Storehouse - to fill backpacks. The Food for Kids program makes a difference in the lives of impoverished children by providing kids identified by teachers, counselors, and school nurses with discrete backpacks, filled with nutritious, child-friendly foods to utilize on weekends and holidays, when other resources - such as school breakfast and lunch programs - aren't available. The program is designed to meet the needs of children who rely on these resources as their only, or only reliable, source of food.

Every week, over 800 bags of food go out to impoverished youth in Martinsville and Henry County who rely on the nutrition they provide. Community Storehouse would like to thank the Harvest Foundation and MARC Workshop for their involvement with accomplishing this worthwhile task.

Brandon's Story

Brandon's parents have a familiar story to tell. They both worked at a local factory, and both are now unemployed. Their unemployment benefits have run out, and they're left with some difficult decisions to make.

His dad started working part-time at a fast food chain, but that barely pays the house and car payments. "I never thought I'd find myself in this mess," he said.

Brandon tells us, "most of the time there's something at home to eat... most of the time." He goes on to explain, there's almost always not enough.

His parents go without a lot of the time, and he notices that.

Brandon says, the only 'real' meals he receives are at school. We know, balanced meals and nutrition aren't a priority when you're struggling to put food in the table in the first place.

Brandon receives a backpack each week, filled with enough child-friendly, nutritious food to last him weekends away from school. His teachers tell us, he's more attentive in class, and from his test scores, is retaining more knowledge. His parents have one less thing to worry about right now. He says, very simply, "the backpacks rock!"

Over half the children living in Martinsville and Henry County are classified as living in poverty. Won't you help Brandon, and the children struggling just like him, in our community?

Take a moment to read more about what the Food for Kids program is doing in the lives of children in our area, www.communitystorehouseofmhc.org/ffk.

It's not just food for today; it's hope for our tomorrow.

What is THE HUNGER GAP and how can I help?

Who falls within the hunger gap?

The answer may be surprising.

They are the children who sit next to your kids in class every day and go hungry every evening.

They are the hard-working families in your neighborhood who struggle with the decision to pay bills or buy food. They are the seniors who live around the corner from you and quietly wonder where their next meal is coming from.

Since 2001, the Community Storehouse has assisted over 22,000 unduplicated individuals, consisting of over a quarter of a million boxes of groceries; right now, 800 backpacks find their way to deserving, underpriviledged children every week; and our community store assists hundreds of families a year who have been devistated by housefires and other disasters.

With your nominal donation, we can bridge the hunger gap for another deserving, underprivileged family. If you don't help, who will?

Visit our website & make a donation. What you're really giving is hope.

www.communitystorehouseofmhc.org

1 in 4 Children

Did you know, 1 in 4 children living in Martinsville and Henry County live in poverty?

Their parents, many being the working poor, struggle to balance paying the bills and providing enough food for a growing child. A rising number of families, some with both parents laid off from their jobs, have maxed out their unemployment benefits, and are left in an impossible situation with nowhere to turn.

The Community Storehouse offers hope to those who would otherwise be hungry. That's what the agency means to thousands of Southside Virginia's citizens. We are passionately pursuing a hunger free community. Won't you join us? With your nominal donation, we can make a huge difference in the lives of our needy neighbors.

Help us feed a hungry child & get your TAXES done FREE!

Where?

Liberty Tax Service 1910 Virginia Ave., Collinsville, located in the Holiday Shopping Center

When?

Saturday, November 21, 20099:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

How?

Bring 5 of our requested food items & receive a certificate for FREE tax preparation!

What's Accepted?

All foods that are nutritious, child-friendly, and individually wrapped, including: - Breakfast Bars - Individual Cereal Boxes - Pop Tarts - Breakfast Cookies - Granola Bars - Ramen Noodles - Quick Lunches - Pop Top Meals - Microwavable Pasta - Juice Boxes/Pouches - Individually Packaged Chips, Pretzels, Crackers, & Cookies


Each donor contributing five or more items from our list will receive free tax preparation (up to $1,000 value!) in the upcoming tax season, thanks to Liberty Tax Service & American Cash Center. Raffles and giveaways will be provided throughout the event.

Food for Kids ... A Community Effort

Food for Kids - Thank You

Thanks to the generosity of local donors becoming Backpack Buddies we have served over 8,000 bags of food to children participating in our Food for Kids program this year. To show their appreciation, participants of the program took the time to write, draw, and color cards of appreciation, featured here. Top donors of the program will receive their own card from a sponsored child. Cards are also featured at the Community Storehouse on display in the lobby.

"With your donations and time, we have been able to flourish in our first year, but we don't plan on this program being a one shot deal; therefore, we need your support throughout the summer months leading into next school year as we plan to be as successful as we have been this year. These children are our future leaders and this is a way to show them that people do care and it is possible to dream." - Peyton Gravely, Program Coordinator

To learn more about the Food for Kids program click here.