Heroes for Hunger Highlights
Summer 2021
Here's What You Told Us

Thank you so very much for completing our recent survey. Knowing more about our food donors, volunteers, and contributors helps us plan for the future and make good decisions in our quest to end childhood hunger. We learned a lot from the survey and want to share a quick overview of the results with you. You told us that...
Local is important. 77% of respondents prefer to support an organization that works to end hunger in Guilford County, ranking higher than ending hunger in NC (50%), the US (35%), or the world (30%).
Food waste is a concern. Over half of you say that decreasing food waste in our community is important. (We agree!) For information about food waste and our RePurpose program, please click here or contact Laura Oxner at laura.repurpose@asimplegesturegso.org.
You’re motivated to help for multiple reasons. When we asked why you’re involved with ASG, 91% said you give to ASG to help feed hungry children, 84% said it’s because you trust ASG to get food to those who need it, 79% said it’s to make a difference in the community, and 74% said because giving food/time/money to ASG is easy and convenient. 
Most of you learned about A Simple Gesture from one of two sources. 43.8% learned about ASG from your house of worship and 35.6% from a neighbor or friend. (Hint, hint! Invite your neighbors and friends to become green bag food donors or get involved with ASG!)
Longstanding donors and new donors balance out. About a fourth of respondents have been contributing to ASG for less than a year, about half for 1-3 years, and another fourth for more than 3 years.
We also received lots of great questions; we’ll be adding answers to our website in a new FAQ section. If you pointed out an issue or suggested an improvement, thank you! Please know we’re working to be as effective as possible in every aspect of our organization.

We received many kind and thoughtful comments, and you'll see those sprinkled through this newsletter. We’re all working to end childhood hunger, and it goes without saying that we couldn’t do this without you.

Thank you from all of us!
The Marketing & Development Advisory Committee of A Simple Gesture
Volunteer Thanks
A Simple Gesture would like to extend a big “Thank You” to our volunteers who keep our organization’s operations running smoothly. Without you, our work would not be possible.

Specific thanks go to Marsh McClennon Agency, whose volunteer program provided bag taggers this month; Jewish Family Services for including us as beneficiaries of their Mitzvah May by providing bag taggers and bag deliverers; and Skip MacMillan and the residents of Well-Spring for all you do for A Simple Gesture!

Further thanks include Anne Hendrix and Denise Hill, who donated several Tuesday mornings to help us think through our current processes, in addition to the untold hours they spend helping us with the Herculean task of pulling off food pickups each month. Barb Puhala has donated many hours tagging bags, and Jim and Suzanne Goodell have donated their valuable systems and processes expertise by coaching staff through reviewing current systems for Saturday pickups, as well as our internal office processes.

This list does not even begin to name the countless people who drove, donated bags, shopped, volunteered at our partners' warehouses, or otherwise pitched in to keep A Simple Gesture running smoothly. Please know that we notice your work, and children in Guilford County sleep with full bellies because of your efforts.
Dear Friends,

One of the silver linings of the pandemic has been a national spotlight on how vulnerable many Americans are to hunger, with as many as 30 million adults and 12 million children wondering where they will get their next meal. Hunger is a rare bipartisan issue that politicians have been working to alleviate over the last year.

Here are a few (of the many!) actions that will help end the hunger crisis: 
  • Free school breakfast and lunches for every child, and relaxed regulations that allow schools to get food to children in a variety of ways. In Guilford County that has been through drive-through pick-ups, special food pantries, and bus delivery.
  • Increasing the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), previously known as Food Stamps, by 15% with a focus on serving the most vulnerable people and ensuring a healthy diet. One of the biggest barriers to many is physically getting to a grocery store, so now families can order food online. 
  • Increasing SNAP benefits to struggling college students as well as young adults experiencing homelessness. 
  • Increasing support to food pantries by making purchasing food easier and incentivizing the purchase of healthy options. 
  • A child tax credit that economists say will help reduce child poverty in North Carolina by half!

All of these programs are aimed at pulling our neighbors out of food insecurity and getting them back on their feet. This makes healthy food affordable and accessible and allows children and adults the vital nutrition they need to live a healthy and active life.

Cheers to that!
Leslie Isakoff
President & COO

Sixteen-year-old Jamie Danis of Greensboro has raised more than $5,000 for A Simple Gesture with his handcrafted wooden pieces. Click on the image below to see the story from WFMY 2 news!
Interested in purchasing one of Jamie's beautiful trivets or coasters? Order via the Designs by Jamie Danis Facebook page at www.facebook.com/designsbyjamiedanis or contact Jamie via email at designsbyjamiedanis@gmail.com.
The work of A Simple Gesture is possible only because of friends and supporters like you!

We are fully self-supporting, not sustained by any large institution. We are funded by people who give freely because they have seen the impact of our work. Monthly gifts help ensure we can feed thousands of hungry and food insecure children this summer while schools are closed.

Today, please make a monthly donation or sustaining gift to A Simple Gesture at www.heroesforhunger.org.

As you consider a sustaining gift, please also consider a planned gift to A Simple Gesture. Our team is happy to help you with a bequest, beneficiary designation, or other tools you may want to utilize to remember us in your estate planning.

In the meantime, please know how much we appreciate you and all you do for A Simple Gesture!
In addition to providing donated food to our food partners, we also at times join with them on special events. On May 22nd, we volunteered as a drive-thru partner for BackPack Beginnings. Here's the impact BackPack Beginnings and its partners made in the lives of children and families on that day. ---------->


For more information about BackPack Beginnings, please visit their website at www.backpackbeginnings.org.
  • 167 cars resourced
  • 515 kids and 445 adults served
  • 11,975 pounds of food
  • 1,521 books
  • 8,725 diapers
  • 456 packs of wipes
  • 515 tubes of diaper cream
  • 403 packs of baby cheek balm
  • 232 boxes of period products
  • 196 each of the following... stuffed animals, lotions, lip balms, cleaning products, and much more!
Find Free Meals for Kids This Summer:
As schools let out for summer, free meals for kids in North Carolina will continue! 

Source: Carolina Hunger Initiative, UNC & No Kids Hungry NC
A Simple Gesture is thrilled to welcome residents of River Landing at Sandy Ridge in Colfax to our growing list of green bag donors! More than 50 residents have already signed up for the June 12 food pickup. Thank you, River Landing, for helping to end childhood hunger in Guilford County! 
3 Ways You Can Help A Simple Gesture Today!
  1. Share this e-Newsletter with your friends and family to increase awareness about local hunger.
  2. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Like us and share posts with your friends and family.
  3. Support our hunger relief efforts for children at www.heroesforhunger.org.
Thank you to our friends who have held Facebook fundraisers for A Simple Gesture! Because of Facebook policies, we can not determine who has raised funds for us. You are important and we want to properly acknowledge your support and contributions. Please email us at karen@asimplegesturegso.org and let us know when you hold a fundraiser. Thank you!