FICAH CHAIRMAN CALLS FOR INDUSTRY, CONSUMER AID

ELLIOT ZWIEBACH

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- The Food Industry Crusade Against Hunger needs you!

That's the message FICAH intends to convey to the industry and to consumers this year as it seeks to increase its visibility, according to Robert J. Emmons.

Emmons, managing partner of Emmons Capital Investments here and retired chairman and chief executive officer of Smart & Final, Vernon, Calif., is FICAH chairman for the next two years.

When FICAH was founded 15 years ago, its mission was to provide help during the Ethiopian famine. As a result, Emmons said, many within the industry believe the organization still exists solely to provide overseas assistance. (See related editorial, Page 2.)

"But that's not the case, and it hasn't been so for many years," he explained. "In fact, approximately 70% of FICAH's funds are invested in urban, suburban and rural areas of the U.S., with the other 30% invested in creative programs overseas.

"FICAH's special niche is not just distributing food through food banks -- its focus is to help people help themselves, one person at a time, so they can become self-sustaining," Emmons said.

Domestically, FICAH donations help fund urban gardens, job-training, nutrition programs for the young and the elderly, and food banks, Emmons said. On the international front, FICAH helps fund agricultural training centers, loans to women who head families, animal-husbandry programs, crop-irrigation programs and the introduction of drought-resistant crops, he added.

Over the last 15 years FICAH has invested more than $29 million in programs in the United States and in 64 foreign countries, affecting the lives of 6 million people, Emmons said.

This year FICAH, which is based in Washington, expects to raise $3.5 million to $4 million, he said.

Emmons' goal over the next couple of years, he said, is to increase the donations base by increasing the level of appreciation for what FICAH does among consumers and within the industry.

"Few people understand what we do, but it's an important part of the food industry," he said, "and we need to increase our visibility among all components of the industry as well as the public."

Currently, more than 75% of FICAH's funding comes from the Food for All point-of-sale program at supermarkets -- a program that allows consumers to add $1, $3 or $5 to their grocery bill to feed the hungry, Emmons pointed out, with additional funding emanating from corporate donations.

He said he'd like to see the industry's portion increase.

"Industry support for FICAH needs to be significantly improved," he told SN. "This is an important initiative for the food industry that was started by the entire industry. It's the industry's crusade, and it must be recognized as such.

"FICAH should be included in companies' charitable-giving programs and in their longterm plans for support because it's a wonderful way to give something back."

However, only a handful of companies are making major commitments to FICAH, Emmons said, "and that number could be significantly expanded. What we'd like to see is more major food companies dealing FICAH in for a small part of the proceeds from major promotions, as Coca-Cola will be doing for the second year in a row this fall with its Fall Harvest program."

Emmons said Supervalu is another company that is setting a positive corporate example. "Supervalu has an ongoing relationship with food banks and other hunger programs in areas where it does business, and it is an excellent example of the impact a corporation can have on its own community as well as the nation and the world," he noted.

Corporate partnerships don't have to be ongoing, he added. "Some companies could support us for two or three years and then lay off and come back later. So we need to talk to more manufacturers and find ways for them to assist us and expand their support programs."

Emmons said he will stress the need for more partnerships in talks with individual companies and at various industry conventions and other events over the next couple of years.

But rather than stress cold statistics, Emmons said, he wants to convey a more emotional message by stressing the heart of FICAH.

"FICAH is all about compassion and taking care of other people -- compassion for the hungry child alongside the road, or for inner-city families stuck in a poor environment, or for women who are heads of household with no job prospects, or for families in Appalachia living on $5,000 a year or for abused and battered spouses who want to become self-sufficient.

"Most of us who work in this industry have so much, and FICAH provides us with an excellent way to give back to our less fortunate neighbors in a way that allows them to keep their dignity while learning to support themselves and their families.

"We want to convey the scope of what FICAH is doing and the thousands of individuals we are helping.

"With so much poverty around us, many people simply say we might as well give up. But my view is that we need to look at poverty on a micro basis, seeking ways to help people as individuals.

"I don't want to sound religious, but we are our brothers' keepers, and FICAH is an opportunity to help others who are struggling to sustain themselves, their families and the quality of their lives."

Besides encouraging more vendor participation, Emmons said, he'd like to see more retail involvement in the Food for All checkout program, which encompasses 7,000 supermarkets.

"We'd like to increase the number of participating supermarkets by about 10% a year over the next three years, which would mean 700 or more additional retailers a year, or something approaching 10,000 participants within three years," he said.