Description of Activities

Friends of Stir’s was organized exclusively for charitable purposes. Specifically, Friends of Stir’s will donate food to feed the hungry. 

Friends of Stir’s Purpose: To help in the fight against Hunger by donating food to those in need.

Friends of Stir’s Mission: Every penny we receive will go directly towards food for the hungry. 100% of the donations and contributions we receive will be used to purchase food for the hungry. There will be no sticky fingers. General selling and administrative expenses will be paid by contributions from the Directors for that purpose.

Friends of Stir’s was founded by Dr. Sterling C. Jack, his wife, Erin Jack, and life-long friend Scott Brady. They also act as the directors of the organization and will oversee all the operations.   

Summary:

•  What is the activity? Donating Food to help in the fight Against Hunger!
•  Who conducts the activity? 3 Directors, Dr. Sterling C. Jack, Erin Jack, and Scott Brady
•  Where is the activity conducted? The Greater Salt Lake City, Utah area and then to expand to other areas with growth.
•  How does the activity further the organization’s exempt purposes? Donating food for the hungry.
•  What percentage of the organization’s total time is allocated to the activity? 100%
•  How is the activity funded? By donations from the general public and from Stir’s Inc.

Friends of Stir’s is a not-for-profit charity that has been organized in partnership with Stir’s Inc. Stir’s Inc. is the owner of Friends of Stir’s. Because of a very unique commitment by Stir’s Inc. to donate a bowl of cereal to the hungry for every bowl of cereal they sell in their retail front. Friends of Stir’s is the charitable arm that will help accomplish this commitment. The following is the story behind Stir’s Inc.:

The Story of Stir’s, by Sterling Jack, the Founder:

One of my favorite foods in all the world is cold cereal. I grew up on it and I have always found great comfort in my bowl of cereal. I was raised in South Jordan, Utah by my wonderful parents and 7 siblings. As a family, we loved to eat cereal. I learned early in life that it was a disadvantage to be one of the youngest kids when it came to breakfast. All my older siblings would go to school before me and this meant two things: one, the powdered milk that my mother would make the night before would be gone and therefore a fresh new batch would be made for me without time to sit in the fridge and get cold, so I would be stuck with warm milk. Two, there are two kinds of cereal, the “good” kind and the “plain” kind. Every morning when I would wake up to eat, all of the “good” cereal would be gone, and I would be stuck with the plain cereal. I remember vividly eating my warm powdered milk, with a few ice cubes placed in the bowl to cool it down, on my “plain” cereal. I wanted something better.

Then one day I had a brilliant plan. When my mother returned from the grocery store, I would take the “good” cereal and pour 2 or 3 bowls, cover them in tinfoil, and hide them under the living room furniture. Then, when the good cereal was gone for everyone else, I was able to enjoy! Years would pass, the powdered milk was gone, nice cold whole milk was available, and I could enjoy my cereal in the morning, for lunch and for a late night snack. I love cereal, I love cold whole milk! Stir’s is going to change the way you eat your favorite cereal. 

Stir’s Promise!

A bowl for you is a bowl for them! 

For every bowl you buy, we will donate a bowl to feed the hungry.

There is great nutrition and comfort in a bowl of cereal. In all my travels around the world, I have seen the devastating effects of hunger. As a child, I always had plenty, but on occasion I would have to go to bed hungry and no one should have to do that.

One person alone can make a difference, one bowl of cereal does not seem like much, but it is, to someone that is hungry. Together we can make a difference, 10,000 bowls of cereal will help. 500,000 bowls of cereal are better. 10,000,000 bowls of cereal can change the world. 

Come to Stir’s, enjoy a bowl of cereal, and help feed the hungry!

Dr. Sterling C. Jack, Stir’s Founder and CEO.

Receiving Donations

Friends of Stir’s will receive donations in 2 ways: First, as stated above, donations will come from Stir’s Inc. Matching the bowl for bowl what is sold by Stir’s will be donated. Second, Friends of Stir’s will solicit donations from the public to build support around the cause of fighting hunger. These donations can be made directly to Friends of Stir’s by the public, through various channels of donating. Stir’s Inc will solicit donations in their retail stores over and above what products they offer. The employees and management of Stir’s Inc. will also help in building support for the cause of Friends of Stir’s and as the brand of Stir’s is built, so too will the reach and potential for donations increase.

Giving to the Hungry

Once donations / contributions have been received, Friends of Stir’s will distribute / disperse in the following pattern: Donations received in kind, like bowls of cereal, will be donated directly to the national food bank or local equivalent. Donations received in cash or cash equivalents will be used to purchase food to be donated to the national food bank or local equivalent. As the scope and scale of Friends of Stir’s grows with the success of Stir’s inc. and as the brand builds, Friends of Stir’s will begin to donate food directly to the hungry through various means and with local partners who are also committed to the fight against hunger. 

All donations will be given according to the proper and recommended shelf life for the food we receive and purchase and donate.  Donations are expected to be given at least monthly with current projections but may change to even weekly if needed.

The right to food is a human right derived from the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). The United Nations Special Report in 2002 defined it as follow:It is our duty to be available when we are capable to provide one of the most important yet basic human rights to ordinary people during times of extraordinary tribulation by trying to help them to secure their humanity through the provision of food.

“Right to adequate food is a human right, inherent in all people, to have regular, permanent and unrestricted access, either directly or by means of financial purchases, to quantitatively and qualitatively adequate and sufficient food corresponding to the cultural traditions of people to which the consumer belongs, and which ensures a physical and mental, individual and collective fulfilling and dignified life free of fear.”

The right to adequate food is realized when every man, woman, and child, alone or in community with others, always have the physical and economic access to adequate food or means for its procurement. However, at certain times and for circumstances unforeseen, some are unable to meet the immediate need for food, therefore we will be able to help in the immediate need.

We also chronicle our efforts and activities on the corporation’s website. One feature that will be incorporated into the website is a summary of donated goods as well as clear documentation of where the food is going and how it was donated. Company Domain: www.bowlforbowl.com

The funds received through the entirety of the corporation’s activities will be used exclusively for the charitable purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and will not be used for personal gains of any sort.

Distribution to Other Organizations and Individuals

We do not fundraise for any specific organization Friends of Stir’s. is not organized solely to contribute or fundraise for any specific entity. However, at the discretion of the board of directors we may at times, choose to contribute to other organizations who share a similar mission and only if the contributions further our exempt status, with the objective to continue the fight against hunger.

One example of an organization which we may contribute to is the “Friends of the World Food Programme” (EIN 13-3843435) which is a U.S.-based, nonprofit, nonpartisan 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization that focuses on building support in the United States for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and other hunger relief operations which shares a similar mission to Friends of Stir’s. WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, working to put hunger at the center of the international agenda and promoting policies, strategies and operations that directly benefit the poor and hungry. The National Food Bank is also a key partner which we may contribute to. 

Friends of Stir’s. may exercise its right under law to contribute to non 501 (c)(3) organizations only on the condition that Friends of Stir’s. retains control over the use of the funds and maintaining records showing that the funds are used for exclusively charitable purposes in accordance with our mission.

Programs for Volunteers

At times, per the discretion of the board of directors, we may provide internships or volunteer opportunities which will provide opportunities for involvement in outreach activities and programs to have a greater impact for change. One of the activities that volunteers may be involved in is the distribution and serving of the food we are donating. Such activities shall always be free of charge to participants and will not include compensation to the volunteers.

Multimedia

It is our goal to bring awareness from every medium possible and this does not exclude documentaries and photos of our activities, projects, programs, and expeditions. By documenting and reporting our efforts we intend to broaden our outreach. These multimedia features will be recorded by our volunteers during the aforementioned activities and will be available to the public.

Food Drives

As part of our activities, we may organize local food drives to help in the fight against hunger. These may be in connection with other local companies or business’s or schools. All proceeds from such drives will be added to our general fund and shall be used to further our exempt status.

Please Note:

• Section 1.501(c)(3)-1(d)(2) of the regulations states that the term “charitable” is used in section 501(c)(3) of the Code in its generally accepted legal sense and includes the defense of human and civil rights secured by law.

• Section 1.501(c)(3)-1(d)(2) of the Income Tax Regulations states that the term “charitable” is used in section 501(c)(3) of the Code in its generally accepted legal sense and includes the advancement of education.

• Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code provides tax exemption for organizations organized and operated exclusively for charitable and/or educational purposes.

Financial Information

The sources of the corporation’s income derive from personal resources and public donations.  Additional income sources will include sponsorships and fundraising. The corporation disposes its income through the decisions made by its board of directors or through the decisions of the duly elected treasurer, whose power to pay expenses is set out by the board or the corporation’s bylaws in accordance with the corporation’s purpose.  

Friends of Stir’s was organized to help the fight against hunger. Here are some reasons why, 1 in every 6 Americans faces hunger.

Hunger & Poverty Statistics

Although related, food insecurity and poverty are not the same.  Unemployment rather than poverty is a stronger predictor of food insecurity.

Poverty [i]

• In 2012, 46.5 million people (15.0 percent) were in poverty.
• In 2012, 26.5 million (13.7 percent) of people ages 18-64 were in poverty. 
• In 2012, 16.1 million (21.8 percent) children under the age of 18 were in poverty.
• In 2012, 3.9 million (9.1 percent) seniors 65 and older were in poverty.
• The overall poverty rate according to the Supplemental Poverty Measure is 16.1%, as compared with the official poverty rate of 15.1%. [ii]
• Under the Supplemental Poverty Measure, there are 49.7 million people living in poverty, 3.1 million more than are represented by the official poverty measure (46.5 million). [iii]

Food Insecurity and Very Low Food Security [iv] 

• In 2012, 49.0 million Americans lived in food insecure households, 33.1 million adults and 15.9 million children. 
• In 2012, 14.5 percent of households (17.6 million households) were food insecure. 
• In 2012, 5.7 percent of households (7.0 million households) experienced very low food security. 
• In 2012, households with children reported food insecurity at a significantly higher rate than those without children, 20.0 percent compared to 11.9 percent. 
• In 2012, households that had higher rates of food insecurity than the national average included households with children (20.0 percent), especially households with children headed by single women (35.4 percent) or single men (23.6 percent), Black non-Hispanic households (24.6 percent) and Hispanic households (23.3 percent).
• In 2011, 4.8 million seniors (over age 60), or 8.4% of all seniors were food insecure. [v] 
• Food insecurity exists in every county in America, ranging from a low of 2.4 percent in Slope County, ND to a high of 35.2 percent in Holmes County, MS. [vi]

Ten states exhibited statistically significant higher household food insecurity rates than the U.S. national average 2000-2012: [vii] 

United States                    14.7%

Mississippi                        20.9%

Arkansas                            19.7%

Texas                                  18.4%

Alabama                             17.9%

North Carolina                   17.0%

Georgia                               16.9%

Missouri                              16.7%

Nevada                                16.6%

Ohio                                      16.1%

California                             15.6%

Use of Emergency Food Assistance and Federal Food Assistance Programs 

• In 2012, 5.1 percent of all U.S. households (6.2 million households) accessed emergency food from a food pantry or soup kitchen one or more times. [viii] 
• In 2012, 59.4 percent of food-insecure households participated in at least one of the three major Federal food assistance programs –Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly Food Stamp Program), The National School Lunch Program, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. [ix] 
• Feeding America provides emergency food assistance to an estimated 37 million low-income people annually, a 46 percent increase from 25 million since Hunger in America 2006.[x] 
• Among members of Feeding America, 74 percent of pantries, 65 percent of kitchens, and 54 percent of shelters reported that there had been an increase since 2006 in the number of clients who come to their emergency food program sites. [xi]

 National and State 2012 Annual Average Unemployment Rates [xii]  

Unemployment Rates for States Annual Average Rankings Year: 2012

Sources:

[i] DeNavas-Walt, C., B.D. Proctor &J.C. Smith. (2013). Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2012. U.S. Census Bureau.

[ii] The Research Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2011. (2012). U.S. Census Bureau.

[iii] Ibid.

[iv] Coleman-Jensen, A., Nord, M., & Singh, A.. (2013). Household Food Security in the United States in 2012. USDA ERS.

[v] Ziliak, J.P. & Gundersen, C. (2013.) Spotlight on Food Insecurity among Senior Americans: 2011. National Foundation to End Senior Hunger (NFESH).

[vi] Gundersen, C., Waxman, E., Engelhard, E., Satoh, A., & Chawla, N. (2013). Map the Meal Gap 2013, Feeding America.

[vii] Coleman-Jensen, A., Nord, M., & Singh, A. (2013). Household Food Security in the United States in 2012. USDA ERS.

[viii] Ibid.

[ix] Ibid.

[x] Cohen, R., J. Mabli,, F. Potter & Z. Zhao. (2010). Hunger in America 2010. Mathematica Policy Research, Feeding America. 

[xi] Ibid.

[xii] U.S. Department of Labor.Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2012 Annual Average Unemployment Rates.