On Dec. 19, 2002 seventeen individuals representing 7 area churches attended a meeting at North Danvers to hear a presentation by Alan Ostercamp about the Foods Resource Bank. The initial discussion of the concept was presented to the North Danvers church by Vern Preheim on Nov. 10 during the Sunday School hour. Then, an article appeared in the Dec. 2002 edition of the Prairie Farmer entitled," A Day For Giving-Rural Churches Turn Up to Fight World Hunger" by Mike Wilson. As a result, Rich Bucher invited area church representatives to attend a meeting to hear more about this concept and the opportunity for our community of believers to work together.

Churches that were represented were: Congerville Mennonite, Hopedale Mennonite, North Danvers Mennonite, Carlock Christian, First Presbyterian Church of Danvers, Zion Lutheran Church of Danvers, and the Apostolic Christian Church of Bloomington. Of the seventeen in attendance, 6 were active farmers, 3 farm owners, 3 ministers and 5 involved in agri-businesses. As a result of this presentation, a community committee was set up to pursue and decide the direction for 2003. The original committee is: John Malcolm, Danvers Presbyterian, Chairman.; Fred Grieder, Congerville Mennonite; Terry Winterland, Zion Lutheran; Gloria Hernandez, Carlock Christian; and Ron Zook, North Danvers Mennonite. Kathy Sizelove, Danvers Presbyterian, Sec. , Doug Greiner, Apostolic Christian of Bloomington, and Dorothy Lilienthal, Carlock Christian were added.

What is Foods Resource Bank?

Foods Resource Bank (FRB) is a Christian, non-government humanitarian organization committed to ensuring that "Food is a Basic Human Right" for all persons through support of sustainable development programs which address the human need for food security.
FRB works on behalf of its members to mobilize and increase the resources needed for Food Security projects. Resources are both material ("in-kind") and cash, and are provided to the Christian organizations that are implementing members of FRB. These members work with their in-country partners worldwide to implement assistance.

All of the proceeds of the crop we produced will be used to assist food security programs in a number of villages in Zambia Africa. Food security means "helping hungry people feed themselves so they can count on food and can experience the dignity and pride of feeding themselves and their own families." In addition, FRB has a grant from the United States Government, USAID to match our local money dollar for dollar. One hundred percent of money generated by our community growing project went to help feed hungry people feed themselves. No overhead is taken out.

OUR MISSION PROJECT IN ZAMBIA AFRICA:
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As Joan Fumetti, the manager of Rural-Urban Linkages Foods Resource Bank, said in her letter to the Pantagraph on Oct. 18, 2003, "My hope is that the great blessing of this work will rest on your communities as surely as on the people of Zambia, transforming your lives as well as together you provide a witness of peace, hope and generosity.

Foods Resource Bank seeks to engage the grassroots agricultural community, along with individuals, churches and urban communities, to grow solutions to hunger problems in our world.
FRB seeks to participate in helping to alleviate hunger throughout our world by working to establish food security through sustainable development activities. Food security is achieved "when all persons at all times have the physical and economic access to enough food to provide the nutrients they need for productive, active and healthy lives."

FRB helps to achieve this mission by:

Forming a coalition of mission-minded farmers, along with agricultural business people supported monetarily by caring individuals, churches, and communities.
Developing and implementing plans to produce and provide an effective supply of new resources. These resources may be in the form of materials or cash, and are used for food security programs proposed by implementing members, and consummated through proven in-country partners.