The document announces staff changes and additions to the Agency Relations Department of the Lowcountry Food Bank. Joanna Bruno was promoted to Director and four new staff members were added, including Sarah Pinson as Agency Relations Manager. It also announces Erin Fisher as the new Vice President of Community Initiatives. Upcoming events are listed, such as training sessions on nutrition and grant writing. The vision and mission of the food bank are provided, along with its guiding principles and core values.

1. You may have noticed some new faces in the Agency
Relations Department!
 Joanna Bruno (jbruno@lcfbank.org; 843.747.8146
ext. 115) was promoted to Director of Agency
Relations and we welcomed the following staff to our
Agency Relations team:
 Sarah Pinson (spinson@lcfbank.org; 843.747.8146
ext. 114) - Agency Relations Manager.
 Barbara Miller (bmiller@lcfbank.org; 843.714.1013) -
Agency Relations and SNAP Outreach Coordinator
for Horry, Georgetown, and Williamsburg counties.
 Toni Kimble (tkimble@lcfbank.org; 843.870.0766) -
SNAP Outreach Coordinator for Jasper, Hampton,
Colleton, and Beaufort counties.
 Sydney Singhass (ssinghass@lcfbank.org;
843.747.8146 ext. 103)- Client Services Coordinator
working out of the Charleston office.
We also are very happy to have a new Vice President of
Community Initiatives. Returning to the Lowcountry
Food Bank after several years of absence, Erin Fisher is
back leading the team. Erin can be reached at
efisher@lcfbank.org or 843.747.8146 ext. 148.
Look for many exciting things in the coming months as
we work together to grow an even stronger member net-
work and help each agency thrive. We hope our mis-
sion, vision, and values will be reflected in all that we do.
MARCH is National Nutrition Month
April 12-18 is National Volunteer Appreciation Week
March 19 USDA Training - Yemassee
March 19 Healthy Foods Initiative - Yemassee
March 26 Nutrition in Your Pantry - Charleston
April 9 Nutrition in Your Pantry - Yemassee
April 23 Healthy Foods Initiative &
Nutrition in Your Pantry - Myrtle Beach
May 7 How to Write a Successful Grant Proposal
Myrtle Beach
Vision: The vision of the Lowcountry Food Bank is to
end hunger in coastal South Carolina.
Mission: The mission of the Lowcountry Food Bank is
to lead the fight against hunger in our
community.
Guiding Principles: Feed · Advocate · Empower
Core Values:
 Respect - inclusiveness, courtesy and
perceiving worth and excellence in others
 Integrity - honesty, responsibility and
adherence to ethical principles
 Collaboration - consensus decision making
and commitment to working with and through
others
 Commitment - high level of quality work and
support of LCFB mission
 Stewardship - responsible oversight and
accountability
FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2015
AGENCY CONFERENCE
Charleston, SC
Lowcountry Food Bank Agency Relations Department  2864 Azalea Drive, Charleston, SC 29405  lfbmemservices@lcfbank.org

2. Catholic Charities
of the Pee Dee Region
Conway, SC
Regional Coordinator -
Kelly Kaminski
Pantry is open to
walk-in clients
Monday - Thursday
10am - 1pm
Other Times by Appointment
Clients are allowed to visit
once per month, if needed.
LCFB Member Since
January 2008
Distributing over
319,218 lbs. of food
Volunteers at Catholic Charities
of the Pee Dee Region do not spend
the majority of their time pre-packing
boxes and bags to hand out assem-
bly line style to their clients; rather,
they have meaningful interactions
with their clients, helping them navi-
gate their way through the food pan-
try and make healthy choices. It is
empowering for clients to be able to
choose items their families need,
like, and will use.
Food in the pantry is organized
according to the five food groups-
fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins,
and dairy. There are also categories
for packaged meals or combination
foods, condiments, snacks/desserts,
beverages, personal care items, and
special needs items which include
things like baby formula and nutri-
tional supplements. Within these cat-
egories food is organized into green,
yellow, and red color-coded shelves.
Items on the green shelves are the
most healthy choices to be eaten
anytime, food on the yellow shelves
is slightly less healthy and should be
enjoyed with moderation, and the red
shelves are reserved for occasional
food that should only be eaten as a
treat.
Based on the individual’s family
size, the volunteer shares a sheet
with the client that gives the number
of choices that may be selected from
each food group. The clients are
then guided through the pantry and
assisted with making their choices.
This is a great time for volunteers to
engage with clients about healthy
lifestyle choices and concerns like
diabetes, high blood pressure, and
cholesterol. It also gives the volun-
teers an opportunity to listen and
hear the clients’ stories about what
brought them to the pantry. This ex-
perience has proven to be equally
rewarding for both the client and the
volunteer.
When Catholic Charities began
the change from a traditional food
pantry to the wellness center con-
cept, clients were surprised by the
choices and availability of fresh fruits
and vegetables. Kelly Kaminiski,
regional coordinator of Catholic
Charities, said people were excited
by the change but also had a bit of
culture shock at first. Certain items
like zucchini weren’t picked up at all.
“Most people just didn’t know what
to do with it, or even what it was,”
Kaminiski said. “If you are used to
getting canned vegetables that you
put into a pot and boil, then you’re
just not used to fresh vegetables.”
Staff at the wellness center solved
the problem by creating a simple
recipe card showing clients how to
bake the zucchini with a little olive
oil, salt and pepper.
The client choice pantry elimi-
nates waste of time, food, and mon-
ey while respecting the dignity of the
clients and recognizing that food is a
personal choice based on prefer-
ences, ethnic background, and med-
ical conditions. It is a win-win for all
involved.
Catholic Charities serves approxi-
mately 450 individuals per month.
Other services they offer include
Benefit Bank counseling, nutrition
education, budget/credit counseling,
emergency assistance and prescrip-
tion assistance To learn more, con-
tact Catholic Charities at 855-377-
1357 or
KKaminski@catholic-doc.org 
Kelly Kaminski,
Regional Coordinator
Appleseeds for AgenciesPage 2

3. In the spring of 2013, member agencies were asked to participate in a survey for Feeding
America which kicked off the Hunger Study. After the agency surveys were completed, a
cross section of member agencies were selected and visited during the summer months of
2013. Clients at these feeding programs were asked to give their response to a series of
questions about their life and the choices they must make on a daily basis. All of the data
collected was then compiled by Feeding America and was released in September 2014.
Below are some of the findings from clients in our Lowcountry Food Bank network as well as
statewide. In the coming months, you will learn more findings and ways we can all use these
findings to advocate on behalf of our clients with public policy makers and potential donors.
Volume 1, Number 1 Spring 2015 Page 3
LOCAL STATEWIDE
Total people served each year 192,500 631,300
Children under 18 23% 26%
Seniors [age 65+] 19% 16%
Household members with diabetes 42% 42%
Household members with high blood pressure 70% 72%
Report desire for more produce 57% 57%
Choose between food and medical care 75% 72%
Choose between food and utilities 72% 77%
Choose between food and housing 59% 59%
Choose between food and transportation 69% 73%
Coping Strategies: purchasing inexpensive, unhealthy food 78% 83%
Coping Strategies: help from family and friends 48% 57%
Coping Strategies: watering down food and drinks 38% 40%
Household members who served in the military 23% 20%
Reside in non-temporary housing 89% 95%
Reside in temporary housing 11% 5%
Incomes that fall at or below the official federal poverty level 67% 76%
Household annual incomes less than $10,000 42% 48%
Employed household members who work 31-40 hours per week 38% 32%

4. Page 4 Appleseeds for Agencies ~ Volume 1, Number 1 Spring 2015
One way of empowering clients is to help them ac-
quire the skills and tools necessary to make good choic-
es at the grocery store and to make the most of their re-
sources, including SNAP benefits.
As part of the Healthy Food Initiative, working to em-
power low-income families, kids, and adults with
knowledge and skills to prepare healthy and tasty meals
on a budget, the Lowcountry Food Bank partners with
Share Our Strength to bring Cooking Matters at the
Store tours to our community.
Through interactive grocery store tours, participants
learn to shop smarter and use nutrition information to
make healthier choices and affordable meals. Tours
equip families with the skills they need to stretch their
food dollars and maximize the benefits they receive
through public nutrition programs like SNAP (food
stamps). This skills-based education empowers shop-
pers to make healthier choices more affordable. There
are two training options of Cooking Matters at the Store
tours available — one for adults and another tailored to
WIC parents. Participants learn to find whole grains, buy
fruits and vegetables, compare unit prices, and read
food labels. Each tour ends in a $10 Challenge where
participants apply the skills they’ve learned to buy the
ingredients for a balanced meal for a family of four for
under $10. Participants also receive a guide book with
recipes, hints and tips, and a reusable cloth shopping
bag.
Tours are led by trained volunteers who have com-
pleted an hour-long online training course and have
been mentored with an experienced tour leader. The
tour is very interactive as participants share their own
experience and knowledge with each other. Any agency
can have volunteers trained to offer these tours. The
feedback from tour participants is always positive.
To learn more please visit CookingMatters.org.
Cooking Matters at the Store tours are just one of the
many nutrition education strategies we hope to encour-
age all of our agencies to offer this year. Our registered
dietician, Dana Mitchel, will be offering a two part class
this spring in all of our regions called “Healthy Foods Initi-
ative & Nutrition in Your Pantry”. This class will offer eve-
ry-day strategies to allow your agency to easily incorpo-
rate nutrition education opportunities for your clients into
existing practices. Be sure to check your training sched-
ule to see when they will be coming to your region.
This year, the Lowcountry Food Bank will be focusing
on four nutrition education strategies ranging from the
very simple to the more involved. You will be hearing
more about these in Dana’s nutrition classes:
To learn how to attend a training to lead Cooking Matters
at the Store tours, please contact Dana Mitchel at
dmitchel@lcfbank.org 
 March 12 Healthy Foods Initiative - Charleston
 March 19 Healthy Foods Initiative - Yemassee
 March 26 Nutrition in Your Pantry - Charleston
 April 9 Nutrition in Your Pantry - Yemassee
 April 23 Healthy Foods Initiative &
Nutrition in Your Pantry - Myrtle Beach