Santa Clara University

Sept. 28 Event Will Identify Trends and Threats Affecting Current and Future Food Security

What:     Even in wealthy Santa Clara County, the number of people who cannot meet their food needs on their own is growing, with the problem becoming more widespread. How can Silicon Valley’s community partners take action to connect new and existing hungry families with nutritious food where they live, learn, work, and play? The stakes are high for our community, particularly with reauthorization of the Farm Bill. These issues will be addressed at the fifth annual Santa Clara County Hunger Issues Forum titled “It’s Complicated: Hunger in Our Community.”

When:    Friday, September 28, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Where:    Paul L. Locatelli, S.J., Student Activities Center, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, 95053

Who:    The Hunger Issues Forum is organized by Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties and sponsored by Santa Clara University’s Food and Agribusiness Institute and Leavey School of Business. At the event, the dean of Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business, S. Andrew Starbird, will update the Hunger Index, which measures the gap between the need for food and the ability of government agencies and food-assistance organizations to provide it.

Other event speakers include:

*Keynote speaker Judi Larsen, program manager at the California Endowment, will talk about exciting changes that are happening with school-based feeding programs.

*Second Harvest Food Bank CEO Kathy Jackson will speak about the Food Bank’s recent expansion and new business model.

*USDA Western Regional Director Dennis Stewart will focus on ways to optimize federal nutrition programs.

*Santa Clara County Social Services Agency DEBS Director Jan Picolorich will share new technology innovations that are connecting people to CalFresh and other services.

*The Health Trust CEO Frederick Ferrer will talk about partnerships that have been forged to address the growing food needs of vulnerable populations.

*Dannielle Campos, senior vice president and national philanthropy program manager for the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, will focus on the Corporate Coalition to End Hunger.

*Sunnyvale Community Services Executive Director Marie Bernard will discuss ways her agency is increasing access to nutritious food for their clients.

*Santa Clara University students Courtney Robinson, Lisa McMonagle, and Mahbod Parvar will present findings from their Cost of a Healthy Meal study.

*Cindy McCown, senior director of Programs and Services at Second Harvest Food Bank, will talk about opportunities for taking action.

Why:    The Hunger Issues Forum is designed to spark conversation and action to strengthen Santa Clara County’s hunger safety net.

About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California’s Silicon Valley, offers its more than 8,800 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, theology, and engineering, plus master’s and law degrees and engineering Ph.D.s. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master’s universities, California’s oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see www.scu.edu.

About Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties
Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties is the trusted leader dedicated to ending local hunger. Since its inception in 1974, Second Harvest has become one of the largest food banks in the nation, providing food to an average of nearly one quarter of a million people each month. The Food Bank mobilizes individuals, companies and community partners to connect people to the nutritious food they need. More than half of the food distributed is fresh produce. Second Harvest also plays a leading role in promoting federal nutrition programs and educating families on how to make healthier food choices. Visit www.SHFB.org to get involved.

Media Contacts:
Deborah Lohse | SCU Media Relations | dlohse@scu.edu | 408-768-6898 cell
Caitlin Kerk | Second Harvest Food Bank | ckerk@shfb.org | 408-858-9208 cell