Pioneers Dish It Up! Feeding Families Healthy Food

Planning and preparation for the first ever Pioneers International Centennial Project continues.  We hope you will choose to be involved in the largest focused North American-wide project in Pioneers history – Pioneers Dish It Up!  
 
The goal of the project is to create an opportunity that will mobilize and unite as many of our 620,000 Pioneers as possible over a two week period in September to help the ever-growing food insecure population across North America. 

Food banks have experienced severe shortages for the past few years as many people have reduced their charitable giving and more people have needed a helping hand.  While there are many people doing great things around this issue, our research brought to light some harsh realities about the food being provided to those in need.  For example, many families have to eat canned, highly processed foods that are full of preservatives and lack nutritional value, as that is the only food available at their local food pantry.  We all know that a healthy diet helps children grow, develop and do well in school and enables people of all ages to work productively and feel their best.  What people eat can also help reduce the risk for chronic diseases and reduce the risk of obesity, high blood pressure and more.

Pioneers can help address this issue by collecting and donating nutritious food to the organizations that provide food, as well as by participating in other service projects that help feed those who are “food insecure.”  This builds on our Pioneers history of food drives, work in soup kitchens and other food projects.

Pioneers Dish It Up will kick off on September 11, 2011, the National Day of Service and Remembrance, with a focus on collecting nutritious, non-perishable food that will go directly to support local food banks and other food service agencies.  The project will be completed the weekend of September 24-25, 2011.

All project materials and information will be distributed in the June timeframe, so we hope we can count on your participation!

Currently the following chapters/units have signed up to participate:

Northeast #125
Paumanok #85
Mississippi #36
South Texas Chapter
Tennessee Chapter 21
Iowa Chapter
Texas Pride / Fort Worth Council
Minnesota Chapter #18
Wisconsin Chapter #4
Georgia Chapter #124
Kansas Chapter
Silver State Chapter #101
L H Kinnard Chapter
Eagle Rock Club, Idaho
Golden Bear Chapter
Utah Chapter#67
Oklahoma Chapter
Old Dominion Chapter #43 (Virginia)
De Anza Chapter
William J. Denver Chapter
Maryland Chapter
Florida Chapter #39
Chapter 105
Golden Gate Chapter
Louisiana Chapter
Nova 5 Chapter
Bell Aliant Pioneers - Acadia Chapter #49
Oregon Chapter #31
West Virginia Chapter #42
Mid-Atlantic Chapter #126
Wyoming Chapter
Ohio Chapter #2
Virginia Council - Atlantic Coast Chapter #133
Dallas Life Council
Pioneer Michigan Chapter #10
Alabama Chapter
Telcordia Pioneers
Jewett Chapter #132, South Jersey Council, South Life Member Club
Chapter #131
Fredericton Chapter
Alaska Chapter
Illinois Chapter # 1
Missouri Chapter #11
South Carolina Chapter, Midland's Council
San Diego Life Member Club
Pacific Chapter
Fort Sumter Club
Reading-Berks Council
Upstate Council – SC #61
Chapter #51 - New Brunswick
Kentucky Chapter #32
AT&T Pioneers Chapter #139
Colorado #8
Penn-Jersey #132, Reading Council, Phil/Del/Mar Club
West Texas Rattlers Club
Gulf Coast Council
Arkansas
Frontier Genesee Chapter
Chapter #16 Indiana
De Anza Chapter #68 - Inland/Orange Council - Orange Life Member Club
Alexander Graham Bell Chapter #15
Thomas Sherwin #14
Montana #122
Mountain Valley Empire Chapter#97
Idaho Chapter #121

Watch for additional project information from your chapter, or call Kari Biesendorfer at Pioneers Headquarters at 303-571-9262 for more information on leading a project in your area.