August 2003

Note: Adopt-A-Family is the previous name of Local Foods Connection

ADOPT-A-FAMILY IN THE NEWS
The following are excerpts from an article was published in the Wednesday, July 9, 2003 Iowa City Gazette, on the front page of the Community Section! Reprinted with permission. Thanks, Gazette! Author: Susan Demas.

Unlike most 10-year-olds, Levi Dalnodar always eats his vegetables. Thanks to the Adopt-A-Family program, he gets to dine on locally grown organic produce all summer. "Now he's bugging me to become a vegetarian," his mother, Lynda, said with a laugh.

The Dalnodars, of Iowa City, are one of five Johnson County families that have been "adopted" by the local non-profit organization. Founded in 1999, Adopt-A-Family purchases fresh produce for low-income families from two community supported agriculture (CSA) farms, ZJ Farms in rural Solon and Gooseberry Hill in Iowa City. Families periodically receive chicken from As The Crow Flies, a farm in Solon. Henry J.C. and Ila Miller of Kalona provide families with turkeys at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

"We are having the greatest meals," Lynda Dalnodar enthusiastically said of Adopt-A-Family. "If it weren't for this, we'd be eating macaroni and cheese out of the box." Just after Dalnodar, 48, graduated from Mount Mercy College with a degree in business administration in January, she dislocated her left shoulder and fractured it in four places. She worked extra hours at her job scoring test results at NCS Pearson to save for her surgery in June and said she lost her food stamps as a result of the additional income. Dalnodar discovered Adopt-A-Family through the organization's founder, L Dowd, whom she met at a Johnson County Community Leadership Team meeting. The program makes it possible for Dalnodar and her two sons to eat healthfully and save money on food until she recovers from surgery and finds a job this fall.

Dowd said some people-because of income, social calls, trauma in their lives or disabilities-can't afford to purchase from local farms or are unable to. And small local farms want to sell their goods, she added. Adopt-A-Family provides the perfect solution-fresh food for those in need and income for small farmers trying to stay afloat. Dowd created the program after volunteering for two years at Local Harvest CSA, of which ZJ Farms is a member . . .

Dowd said many people aren't aware that hunger exists in the Iowa City area. "But I'm not surprised," she said. "Hunger and poverty can be hard to see - it's often on the outskirts of town. "And sometimes it's hard to know that your neighbor is having hard times."

For Susan Zacharakis-Jutz, owner of ZJ Farms, the best part of participating in Adopt-A-Family has been meeting the families that enjoy her produce every week. Many have never set foot on a farm before. "It's been great meeting so many families," said Zacharakis-Jutz, who runs the 80-acre farm with her husband, Jeff and their four children. "They've been involved in various stages of planting. It's great that they get to see where the stuff come from." In addition to helping needy families, Dowd says the goal of Adopt-A-Family is to increase awareness and support for locally grown food.

At least one of the families, the Dalnodars, plans to buy produce from community supported agriculture after it leaves Adopt-A-Family. "We can get every vegetable in the world," Lynda Dalnodar said. She said of community supported agriculture, "I tell everyone you've got to get involved with that."

MORE ABOUT THE DALNODAR FAMILY
Lynda Dalnodar and her family met L Dowd, President of Adopt-A-Family, at a Johnson County Community Leadership Team meeting. They were officially sponsored for Adopt-A-Family by Goodwill Employment Industries. Lynda shattered her shoulder 2½ years ago in a car accident, and underwent shoulder replacement surgery this spring. Lynda describes her family as follows: "Our family enjoys fresh fruits and vegetables. We enjoy trying new foods. The rule in our house is you don't have to eat anything you don't like, but you must try it with an open mind. Now they tell this to their friends who visit. Also, they will eat most foods."

Erin Barnes tells us about Goodwill Industries of Southeast Iowa: "Goodwill Industries serves people with workplace disadvantages and disabilities by providing job training and employment services, as well as job placement opportunities and post-employment support. Our mission is to advance the social and economic well-being of people who experience barriers to independence."

WELCOME BACK THE KLEIN FAMILY
The family of Bette and David Klein were adopted by the Adopt-A-Family program in 2000 and 2001. They join us again for six weeks this year, enjoying the share of a Local Harvest CSA family who is on an extended vacation. The Bette and Dave have nine children, seven are adopted!

MEET THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Adopt-A-Family is enriched and empowered this year with the support of Dayna Ballantyne and Anne Rhomberg, who serve on the Board of Directors with President L Dowd. Dayna Ballantyne is Director of the Johnson County Crisis Center Food Bank and first learned about Adopt-A-Family when contacted to ask for referrals of needy families to the program. Anne Rhomberg is a four-year member of Local Harvest CSA and has been an ongoing supporter of our charity. Board Members serve one-year terms. Board Membership is open to anyone who has taken an active interest in Adopt-A-Family for at least six months; contact L Dowd if you are interested in a position for 2004. (319) 338-2010.

SAY HELLO TO A FAMILY FROM LONE TREE
Raymond and Carolyn are the parents of three special-needs adult children. Their family is sponsored by the Crisis Center Food Bank and receives a half-share from Local Harvest CSA. Carolyn wrote, "We thank you for adopting us as a family. We will use the fresh vegetables and other things given to us."

THANKS AGAIN TO THE UI COLLEGE OF LAW NONPROFIT CLINIC
This summer, student intern Daniel Cook, supervised by Professor Richard Koontz, helped structure the recent growth of Adopt-A-Family by teaching the Board about Risk Management. The Board will be making changes to the organization based on Mr. Cook's recommendations. Some examples of changes include creating a training class for volunteers and teaching adopted families about food handling and storage safety issues.

A REVIEW OF ADOPTED FAMILIES AND THEIR SPONSORS
Adopt-A-Family adopted five families this year! Two of the families dropped out of the program, and two more were sponsored as replacements. St. Andrew's Church sponsored one family; the United Action for Youth sponsored the second replacement family.

St. Andrew's Church referred to the Board a single mother with two teenage sons. The mother, writing in English as foreign language, tells us about her family, "I became a single mother finding myself with two kids to raise when my husband left us. My kids are wonderful. The eldest is in E.L.P. and gifted children program. He plays baseball, football, and basketball. He is in Tae Kwon Do and won gold medals in the Regionals. My younger son tries to keep his GPA at 3.5. He plays basketball and softball. He is also in Tae Kwon Do and has won gold medals and silver." The mother is a graduate student at the University of Iowa.

St. Andrew's Church compliments Adopt-A-Family: "We think you are doing a wonderful service to the community."

The United Action for Youth (UAY) provides programs for youth ages 12-18 in Johnson County. Projects within UAY include Shapes: the UAY Zine, the Street Outreach Program, Friday movies, a music production studio, as well as the Teen Parent Program, which offers information and support for pregnant and parenting teens and their families. The UAY-sponsored family will be introduced in the next newsletter!