NourishKC 2018 USDA NIFA Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program Application

Letters of Support 1
NourishKC 2018 USDA NIFA Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program Application

Letters of Support 2
NourishKC 2018 USDA NIFA Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program Application

Letters of Support 3
NourishKC 2018 USDA NIFA Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program Application

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NourishKC 2018 USDA NIFA Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program Application

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NourishKC 2018 USDA NIFA Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program Application

November 2017

To whom it may concern:

As the Executive Director of Kanbe’s Markets, working towards a solution to food insecurity is the very
heart of our mission. The people of Kansas City have struggled for generations in an inequitable food
system that leaves thousands unsure of where their next meal is coming from. We are reaching a point
now where we have, not only the awareness of this issue but the organizations to fix it. However, this
problem is too big for any one organization to solve it alone.

We at Kanbe’s Markets strongly support the efforts for a collaborative community system to address
food insecurity city-wide. By working together in a shared warehouse space, these organizations can
share resources, eliminate inefficiencies, and eventually make sure everyone in the city has consistent
access to healthy and affordable food. These organizations have the collective experience and
community support to create a lasting systemic change in our city.

We hope that you make supporting the work of these collective organizations a top priority as we look
forward to a time when food insecurity is a thing of the past.

Sincerely,

Maxfield Kaniger
Maxfield Kaniger
Executive Director

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NourishKC 2018 USDA NIFA Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program Application

September 26, 2017

To Whom It May Concern:

As partners in providing hunger relief for our neighbors across the greater Kansas City area, we support
the work of NourishKC, formerly known as Episcopal Community Services, in Feeding Our Future. Over
the last two years, we have seen the role of NourishKC as leaders in the anti-hunger movement grow.
Under NourishKC’s facilitation and leadership, we are working together to give a voice to the
organizations and people who are addressing food insecurity every day.

Lazarus Ministries mission is to serve the unmet needs of Kansas City's urban core by providing access to
basic services, like food and clothing, in an effort to develop community and empower change. Since
1996 we have been offering hot meals on weekends in downtown KC to anyone in need. We served over
12,000 meals last year alone while offering wrap around services, including access to clothing and
hygiene products and safety net healthcare through Sojourner Health Clinic, in conjunction with each
meal. As downtown continues to thrive, we determined that a relocation further East to continue
serving the needs of the urban core was necessary and recently relocated to Linwood United in mid-
town where we learned, in addition to other needs, there was a gap in services for weekend meals. We
recently began serving Saturday lunch and as we learn more about the needs of our community we will
be adding more meals and other sevices in 2018.

We are excited at the possibility to join other leaders in addressing hunger through NourishKC’s
Warehouse Collaborative project. This special collaborative will allow each of us to pool resources to
gain a larger and more meaningful impact on the community than any would be able to achieve on its
own. As a true collaborative, we look forward to actively engaging in this adaptive project, knowing that
much of the work lies ahead.

Your support of this project will help further our combined work to transform the emergency food
system as we explore ways to better sharing resources, increase equitable access to healthy, fresh
foods, and building a community-based network for referrals and deeper relationships with our
neighbors in need.

Thank you,,

Jessica Brooks-Bryon
Executive Director

PO Box 22450 Kansas City, MO 64106|www.lazminkc.org

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NourishKC 2018 USDA NIFA Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program Application

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NourishKC 2018 USDA NIFA Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program Application

November 17, 2017

Dear Grant Reviewers,

I am writing to extend my support for the Brand KC Collaborative Warehouse Project grant request.

The mission of ATH is to prevent hunger by rescuing fresh produce that would otherwise go to waste
and distributing it to agencies that feed hungry people. Since our inception in May 2014, we’ve donated
more than 11 million pounds of fresh produce, and we are on target to meet our goal for 2017 –
providing 5 million pounds of fresh produce to agencies that serve hungry families, seniors and children,
primarily in the greater Kansas City area.

After the Harvest has long partnered with NourishKC and the other agencies participating in this project,
providing fruits and vegetables gleaned fresh from local fields and orchards and delivered right to their
doors. Over the next four years, we look forward to working with the Brand KC Collaborative Warehouse
Project to provide the most nutritious food possible to improve the health and well-being of the people
we work together to serve.

The Brand KC Collaborative Warehouse Project offers great opportunities for collaborating agencies to
reduce redundancies, improve effectiveness, and foster true cooperation. As more and more local
farmers utilize state-of-the-art growing methods to increase their production in the coming years, the
Brand KC Collaborative Warehouse Project will enable its partners to increase their capacity to acquire,
prepare and distribute larger volumes of fresh, locally grown produce. This will increase the self-reliance
of our communities with regard to food production, and promote more comprehensive local responses
to food access and nutrition issues.

While ATH will not reside at the warehouse site, we will collaborate with the warehouse partners to
capitalize on their increased refrigeration capacity, sending more and larger amounts of gleaned and
locally sourced produce to the warehouse throughout the gleaning season. It will be especially helpful to
have access to a large refrigeration space after regular business hours and on weekends. And because
most of the partners in this collaborative already receive produce from After the Harvest, having one
location to deliver produce for six or more agencies will save After the Harvest time and fuel costs
associated with the deliveries. Another benefit After the Harvest could receive through this partnership
might be the ability to store our tools and packaging at the warehouse during the off-season.

This project is forward-thinking in its approach and After the Harvest is eager to see it succeed. It will
mean savings in terms of time and money for our organization, and will improve service to the clients.
For these reasons and more, I ask that you support the Brand KC Collaborative Warehouse Project.

Sincerely,

Lisa L. Ousley
Executive Director

406 W. 34th Street • Suite 816 • Kansas City, MO • (816) 921-1903 • www.aftertheharvestkc.org
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 NourishKC 2018 USDA NIFA Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program Application

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

To Whom It May Concern:

This is a letter of complete support for NourishKC’s BRAND KC collaborative

centralized distribution warehouse project in the East Bottoms of Kansas City,
Missouri. This infrastructure development could not have come at a more
appropriate time as emergency food assistance needs, collaborative energy, and
the local food movement are all intensifying in the greater Kansas City area. This
local-centralized model will increase the ability of numerous organizations to
better serve our fellow Kansas Citians in need of a good meal by: (i) intensifying
the synergy associated with being in a common space, and (ii) reducing the cost
to each organization to fulfill their mission. Additionally, this infrastructure
development will strengthen the distribution side of the local food movement,
reduce food waste in the city, and provides a space to plug the local food
movement into the local emergency food system.

NourishKC, in deep collaboration with other key players in the Kansas City food
system, are more than capable of the proposed project. The talent, leadership, and
2017 Board of Directors
Shannon Berry, Treasurer
systems thinking provided by Beau Heyen and his team, through this project, will
Investment Analyst, American
Century Investments
bring us one-step closer to our goal of a sustainable Kansas City.
Bill Davison
Director of Strategic Initiatives and
Programs, Lendlease
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns.
Ray Domino
Senior Accountant, McLain
Restaurant Group
Keith Harris
To health and diversity,
Assistant Professor Agricultural
Economics, K-State University
Emily Lecuyer
Matthew A. Kost, PhD
Social Impact Coordinator, Program Director, Cultivate Kansas City
MO Bank
Brenda Kumm
matthew@cultivatekc.org
Community Volunteer 913-401-6822
Jim Lammert
Compliance Officer
Community Volunteer
Pete Malone, Vice Chair
Customer Knowledge Leader
DEMDACO
Christina Long
Chief Culture Officer
Redemption Plus
Cary Rivard, Secretary
Fruit and Vegetable Extension
Specialist, K-State University
Joann Schwarberg
Joann Schwarberg Landscape
Architecture
John Sharp
Former Councilman
City of Kansas City, MO
Andrea Shores
Corporate Communications Leader
DST
Jake W agner, Board Chair
Associate Professor, UMKC,
Dept. of Architecture,
Letters of Support 4223 Gibbs Road, Kansas City, KS 66106
Urban Planning & Design 913.831.2444 www.cultivatekc.org 10
NourishKC 2018 USDA NIFA Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program Application

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 NourishKC 2018 USDA NIFA Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program Application

President
Fay Balk
November 17, 2017
Vice-Presidents
Lara Pabst
Kelly Somberg
National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA
Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program (CFPCGP)
Treasurer
Adam Matsil
1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Mail Stop 2271
Washington, DC 20250-2271
Secretary
Erin Berger
Re: NourishKC’s application for Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program (LN.C)
Board of Directors
Diane Azorsky
Gail McCann Beatty Dear Grants Council:
Jeff Bell
McClain Bryant
David Garrett Jewish Family Services is honored to support the efforts of BRAND KC Collaborative
Sam Goller
Evie Grant centralized distribution warehouse project and partner on the ground floor of this initiative.
Jenny Isenberg
Beth Liss
Rochelle Pelofsky The BRAND KC Collaborative Warehouse project is in alignment with the goals of Jewish
Ken Schifman Family Services, offering dignity to those who are food insecure by providing access to a wide
Jill Shapiro
Noah Slabotsky variety of food items to prepare healthy meals for their families. Through the Collaborative,
Jeff Stolper eight area organizations dedicated to addressing food security have joined forces and are
Immediate Past President preparing to work together to address the concerns facing Kansas City’s emergency food
David Kaseff service network. The special partnership allows these emergency food providers to pool
Executive Director & CEO resources to have a larger and more meaningful impact on the community than any would be
Don Goldman able to achieve on its own. The collaborative is committed to providing the most nutritious
food possible to improve people’s health and well-being by providing education, wellness,
Member nourishment, and strength.

The joint warehouse will reduce redundancies, improve effectiveness, and foster true
cooperation for both JFS and the area emergency food service providers and their partners.
Partnerships

This program will afford Jewish Family Services Food Pantry to ability offer a wider array of
nutritious perishable items in our client choice food pantry, reduce expenses though shared
capital and staff and assist us as we scale up our own services to serve the food insecure in
our area. We hope you will fund the BRAND KC Collaborative as it will provide additional
resources to agencies and provide a sustainable solution towards food security.

JFS at the J We appreciate the leadership of NourishKC in taking the lead to provide this service for food
5801 W. 115th Street
Suite 103
insecure families in our community.
Overland Park, KS 66211
913-327-8250
Fax 913-327-8222 Sincerely,
JFS Brookside East
425 East 63rd Street
Kansas City, MO 64110 Don Goldman
816-333-1172
Fax 816-333-1776 Executive Director and CEO
www.jfskc.org
In the spirit of Tikkun Olam, we are repairing the world.
Letters of Support One person, one family at a time. 12
NourishKC 2018 USDA NIFA Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program Application

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