Text Box: Executive Director’s Report Text Box: Annual Report 2006 Text Box: Page # Text Box: The Hunger Task Force of La Crosse… The first step in the fight against hunger! Text Box: 2006 Board of Directors: President: Joel Chilsen Vice-President: Sondra Le Grand Secretary: Linda Lee Treasurer: Christine Smith Past-President: Marilyn Hurt Sue Heuer Gary Klein John Schroeder Chris Stauffer Jean Madsen Sharon Imes Terry Witzke Text Box: HTF Wish List: permanent markers office paper wheel hoe bales of straw for gardens garden hoes and forks digital camera power washer Text Box: Staff: Joanne Richmond, Executive Director Todd Huffman, Garden Coordinator and Driver Text Box: It has been a pleasure and a privilege to serve as the executive director of The Hunger Task Force of La Crosse, Inc. (HTF). My memory of the day I was hired is vivid: four and a half years ago I sat across the desk from Richard Sage (he chaired the search committee). He offered me this job. I accepted. I asked him when I could begin working. He said “How about today?” I began work that afternoon. The sense of urgency remains. There is an urgent need in our community to continue to provide sustainable, local sources of donated food products to assist area agencies serving the hungry— particularly nutritious, fresh food. In 2006 we responded to this need, receiving 463,409 pounds of food from a variety of donors, food we distributed to 38 sites in the Coulee Region. There is an urgent need to continue to provide fresh, organically grown vegetables to low-income residents of our community. In 2006, 23,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables were grown at the Kane Street Community Garden and the Rotary South Community Garden. At the Kane Street Garden, there was a 9% increase in the number of volunteers, and individuals received vegetables a cumulative total of 1,147 times! There is an urgent need to increase the amount of revenue we receive in order to cover the cost of food assistance provided. In 2006, after several years of significant deficits, the urgency intensified. In response, the Board elected to eliminate a part-time position, reducing the agency staff to two. Scott Weaver had just decided to leave HTF after working over two years as our Program Coordinator. Todd Huffman accepted an increase his hours and a change in responsibilities, now working as our Garden Coordinator and Driver. This and other cuts in spending reduced annual expenditures by 8%. I think we have become better stewards of the resources provided us. That is good news. And there is more good news: in 2006 our income increased 14%! Thank you! In closing, I would like to offer a special word of thanks to Linda Lee. A founding member of this organization, Linda retired from the HTF Board at the end of 2006. The truth is, there would not be a Hunger Task Force of La Crosse without Linda’s efforts. She has served HTF as a thinker, a planner, an advocate, and a motivator. She has been our leader, our historian, our grant writer, and our friend. I will miss Linda’s wise voice and enthusiastic presence at our meetings. Thank you, Linda, for freely offering your time, talent, and energy to our mission. You have been integral to our efforts to harvest community resources to eliminate hunger. Joanne Richmond Executive Director
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