Shaw’s Receipts.The Shaw’s “Community Rewards” program (formerly “Receipts Rewards”) will donate 1% for all qualifying purchases made at Shaw’s to the Jonnycake Center of Peace Dale.More than $8,800 was raised through this program since 2007, until Shaw's eliminated the program in 2010. Senior Delivery.Over 100 seniors living in the surrounding area are in need of food assistance yet lack access to transportation or are physically unable to get to the food pantry.A Senior Delivery Project was piloted by URI nutrition students under the supervision of Task Force members in 2008. The successful pilot is now an ongoing program which delivers monthly food baskets to elderly and disabled clients of the Jonnycake Center who need this assistance.Southern Rhode Island Volunteers (formerly SHO) is responsible for training and coordinating drivers.To volunteer some time to making home deliveries, please contact SRIV at 789-2362. Community Hunger Awareness Day.For the past four years hundreds of community members have joined together at the Village Green in Peace Dale to share a meal to remember those in need.Plans are underway for a fifth annual event in June of 2011.Please contact the Jonnycake Center’s Director, at 789-1559 ext. 11 if you are interested in more information about this event. Business Expo. The Hunger Task Force participated in the South Kingstown Business Expo in 2007 and 2008 to raise awareness about both the costs of having hunger in our community (e.g., lost wages, low productivity, and poor school attendance/performance) as well as the economic benefits of improving access to food (e.g., increased participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program yields as much as 17 million dollars a month to the Rhode Island economy in direct benefits plus economic activity). For more information, contact Steve Maciel at endhunger@cox.net. Food-Drive-A-Week Program.At the 2008 Business Expo the Jonnycake Center launched an effort initiative to encourage local businesses to conduct food drives throughout the year.If your business is interested in participating, contact Bob at the Jonnycake Center’s Emergency Food Pantry, 284-0303. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. (SNAPformerly the Food Stamp Program).Since spring of 2007, URI SNAP Outreach Project has been working with staff at the Jonnycake Center to make sure that all eligible households have an opportunity to apply for and receive SNAP benefits.Efforts are ongoing to enroll as many eligible participants as possible and to connect those in need with other available services.For information, contact Judy Walker at the URI Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America at judy_walker@mail.uri.edu. School Breakfast Program.South Kingstown middle schools implemented a pilot universal school breakfast program in 2008 where all children, independent of income, could eat for free.Unexpected cost overruns led to cancellation of this program. Plant a Row for the Hungry.Local gardeners can help fight hunger and provide better nutrition to food pantry clients by planting extra crops specifically for donation to the Jonnycake Center’s emergency food pantry.You don’t need a big garden to help – even people who grow vegetables in containers can participate.Contact Bob at the Jonnycake Center’s Emergency Food Pantry at 284-0303 to sign up. South Kingstown Community Garden.An ambitious community effort which arose from a collaboration between Hunger Task Force Members, the Peace Dale Neighborhood Revitalization, and others has secured town land adjacent to Broad Rock Middle School for this garden.Gardeners donate a portion of their crops to the Jonnycake Center, and Jonnycake Center clients have access to plots of their own, free of charge.For more information, contact Lisa at 789-1559 x14.
Jonnycake Center of Peace Dale - 1231 Kingstown Rd., Peace Dale, RI 02879 phone: (401) 789-1559 - fax: (401) 284-1286 - email: info@jonnycakecenter.org