January 2023

Cheers to new beginnings! We are so happy to start off another year with your kindness and support. In the month of December our volunteers created and distributed an incredible 705 ready-to-eat meals and donated $4364 in dry goods and other items, bringing 2022’s total to 6,702 meals delivered. That’s 2,705 more meals than 2021. Just for a moment, consider the meals you make in your own home kitchen for your families, then add an additional 128 meals a week onto that, and you will get a small sense of the hard work and dedication of our staff and volunteers. We are truly grateful to all of our donors and supporters, we would not be able to continue our work without you. 

The Teach A Person to Fish Society is at a crucial moment in our expansion. This year, with your help, we hope to open several more community garden plots to supplement our meals with fresh produce, remodel our kitchen space to accommodate more volunteers, and we have several more Meal Pick-up Locations where meals will be delivered to clients set up for the future. If you have the means, please consider donating to our PayPal by clicking the image below or simply reply to this message if you would like to volunteer. All ages and abilities are welcome! Remember that every dollar you donate directly helps us create 3 meals for individuals in need and all donations are tax deductible.

Food Network Holiday Baking Champ

Our local friend & pastry chef Dru Tevis has been crowned the winner of Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship! Whether his flavors were chocolate banana, pomegranate swirl, or margarita tart, Dru wowed the judges with his creativity. As a part of the SoDel Concepts family, Dru has always been a local rock star baker, but we are so proud that the world can see it now too. A big thank you to Nelia Dolan with SoDel Cares and Chase, Dru’s husband, for organizing the watch parties held at SoDel’s Thompson Island Brewing Company, which were wonderful community events. 

“It was the most challenging yet thrilling experience in my life, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” he said, and we wouldn’t trade you for anything either, Dru!

Visit the link below to learn more about SoDel Cares, the philanthropic arm of SoDel Concepts, contributing in a positive way to the communities where they do business.

Learn More about SoDel Cares here: http://www.sodelcares.com

While many would agree that 2022 was a tough year on a personal level, let’s take a little look on the brighter side of the whole. 2022 was actually an exceptional year for the environment, for public health, and for everyday people. And the outlook is good for 2023 already! Here’s a few things to make you smile as we start a new year…

The Inflation Reduction Act

I’m starting off big! With the signing of this bill, the US will invest $369 billion in climate solutions and environmental justice. The bill will put us on a path to 40% emissions reduction by 2030, accelerate a clean energy transition that will lower energy costs for people across this country, create green jobs, protect low income communities, and so much more. It is the largest piece of federal legislation ever to address climate change. 

Here’s just a few of the more interesting initiatives included in the bill:

• $3 billion for the U.S. Postal Service to electrify its fleet of more than 217,000 vehicles, the largest government fleet in the nation.
• More than $20 billion to help farmers and ranchers shift to sustainable practices like crop rotation and cover crops.
• $2.6 billion in coastal resilience grants to fund projects to protect and restore coastal communities and ecosystems.
• Tax Credits including a 30% tax credit for installing residential solar panels, and up to $7,500 for purchasing an electric vehicle.

Of course, in politics there are always trade offs. The bill mandated the federal government to offer up parts of the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Cook Inlet for oil and gas development as well as requiring additional oil and gas leasing in order for new wind and solar projects to be approved. This bill is still a major win because climate action cannot wait.

The Omnibus Spending Bill

This is a type of bill in the United States that packages many of the smaller ordinary appropriations bills into one larger single bill that can be passed with only one vote in each house. This is an absolutely enormous bill full of defense appropriations as well as domestic program funds. And environmental issues were not left out. Let’s see what we have here…

• $3.74 billion to offset crop losses due to droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, or floods. Another $494.5 million was earmarked for livestock disaster losses.
• The National Recourses Conservation Service was allocated $941 million to provide conservation technical assistance. This program helps farmers assess needs, develop conservation plans and implement more effective conservation practices. 
• This bill also establishes a permanent Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer grocer card program. Families with eligible children will receive an additional $40 per month, per child for food. This is intended to help those who receive meals during the school year and extends those benefits to the summer months. According to statistics from Feeding America, one in eight American children experiences hunger. Food security issues intensify during the summer when schools close.

The Food Donation Improvement Act

You can’t blame me for being excited about this one! “Hunger is not inevitable. We live in a land of abundance,” says Representative Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) from the House floor. “There’s plenty of food for everyone.” Businesses frequently dispose of safe, healthy food out of fear that they will be held liable should a donated product make someone ill. But the Food Donation Improvement Act will expand protections for manufacturers, retailers, farmers, and restaurants to encourage donations. It will also make it easier for businesses to donate food directly to those in need.

In the United States, almost 34 million people lived in food insecure households in 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Yet around one third of surplus food ends up in landfills where it emits greenhouse gas emissions. In 2019, just 3.5 percent of food was donated. This is a monumental win for food policy.

“We don’t have a shortage of food,” McGovern states.
“We have a mismatch between abundance and need.”

These are just a few examples of the good things that are headed our way in 2023. I hope that these points will revitalize your spirit and sustain your resilience in the coming year! Our voices matter, and these strides are a direct result of being heard.