Setting up a Food Pantry FEED Workbook

Transcription

1 Setting up a Food Pantry FEED Workbook Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico FEED every hungry person today, SEED partnerships that build self-sufficiency for tomorrow, and LEAD to achieve our vision of permanently ending hunger in New Mexico Office Blvd NE Albuquerque, NM Copper Loop Las Cruces, NM

2 The number of people who struggle with hunger in New Mexico continues to increase. New Mexico is eighth in the nation for rates of food insecurity; one in five New Mexicans does not have a reliable source of nutritious food. People seeking help with food look like you and me. They are our neighbors, friends, seniors down the street, children who are classmates of your children and other community members. Hunger hits hard in these tough economic times; 89% of hungry households have an annual income of less than $20,000 or $384 a week. Paying for housing, utilities, healthcare or gas instead of buying food is a difficult choice that households have to make every month. Many households (68%) plan to obtain food on a regular basis from Roadrunner Food Bank s network of partners. Joining Roadrunner Food Bank s network of partner agencies is an important decision. We are committed to our mission: FEED every hungry person today, SEED partnerships that build self-sufficiency for tomorrow and LEAD to achieve our vision of permanently ending hunger in New Mexico. We value partnerships with organizations that share in our desire to make a significant impact on food insecurity with each household that is served and hold our partner agencies to a very high standard. We could never achieve our mission without the hard work of organizations like yours. In order to assist you on your journey in opening a pantry, we ve created this workbook. The workbook covers several topics that many first-time pantries have questions about and our suggestions for bestpractices. Each section also includes questions that will guide you to creating your pantry operations plan. Answer these questions as you read through each section and use the worksheet at the end of this document to get input from others involved in your pantry operations. We ll want to see a completed worksheet before we visit your agency for your initial site inspection. It s ok if you don t stick to all of your initial decisions; this worksheet should be an evolving document, changing based on the needs and resources of your community. This isn t a test and there are no wrong answers. Rather, it is a tool to help you think through the many decisions that will need to be made before you start distributing food. We hope to set you up for success from the start. We look forward to growing with you as we achieve our vision of permanently ending hunger in New Mexico. Why do you want to open a food pantry?

3 The face of hunger is ever present in New Mexico. One in five New Mexicans is food insecure, meaning they do not know where their next meal is coming from. If one in five New Mexicans is food insecure then it is very likely that someone in your day to day life can benefit from the use of a food pantry. People that visit food pantries are: Disabled, in poor health or a caretaker of another person (57%) Children (40%) Retired (30%) Seniors (21%) Grandparents raising grandchildren (16%) Have no income at all (13%) Letting people know about your food pantry will take some work to begin with. It is easy to start with those closest to you, your family members, friends, members of your church, etc.; however, to be effective at reducing food insecurity, you want to get in contact with food insecure individuals. We recommend talking to health clinics, schools, senior centers and community centers in your local area. Have a flyer prepared with your days and hours of operations and a phone number to call if there are questions. Thinking of your local area, you ll need to decide what area you ll serve. If you are in a small town in a rural area, your geographic area might be spread across many miles. Those in major metro areas may want to reduce to certain zip codes, quadrants of the city (ex. SW, NE), within certain streets, established neighborhood areas or other geographic boundaries. Keep boundary lines simple, quick to describe and easy to verify. You may want to request documentation from clients; this might be a piece of mail indicating residence in the local area or you may want to eliminate this barrier altogether. It is important to keep in mind that some New Mexico residents may or may not be born in the state and are wary about proving residency. Eliminate as many unnecessary obstacles as possible

4 so that you can provide food to those in need; don t overcomplicate the process. Who will you help? Where will you find people to help? How will you tell them about your organization? Will people have to bring any documentation to receive help? What will be accepted? Will people have to live in a certain geographic area to receive help? What area? Now that you ve decided who to help, think about when you ll help them. We know that 68% of our clients plan to obtain food on a regular basis from our partner agencies. Having set days and hours when the pantry is open is essential for families to plan. Take into account the need in your area and the resources you have. Having a variety of times that the pantry is open will make it easiest for the most people to participate. For example, a single working mother may not be able to come to your pantry if open hours coincide with her work hours. We recommend being open at least one weekend shift and one evening shift. You ll also need to decide how often your pantry will be open. Some organizations make a commitment to be open multiple days a week, others once a month. Take into account the need in your community and the resources you have. Clients will also want to know how often you will help them. Many organizations restrict client pantry use to once a month, others allow clients to come as often as they d like. Set a policy before you open so that you can inform clients on their first visit. When will you be open? How often can people receive help?

5 We ve asked you to think about your community need and your organization s resources. When we talk about resources we are referring to two very valuable things: funding and volunteers. These resources are essential to the successful operation of a food pantry. By partnering with Roadrunner Food Bank you are eligible to receive food from us. However, it still does cost a minimal amount of money to feed people in the form of shared maintenance fees. Shared maintenance fees are nominal fees that are paid to be part of our network. When planning your food distribution, you will need to take into account where and how you will raise the funds to cover the cost of your fees. It is important to vary the sources of funding. For example, many organizations rely on donations from their church parishioners, others actively host their own events raising funds for their food distribution program, and others apply for grants. Your fundraising plan should include a variety of tactics, including things like community events, corporate sponsorships and grant applications, as well as individual donations. All partner agencies must have one designated point of contact. This is the person responsible for the operations of the food pantry, our main go-to for questions, concerns and other information. This person should be technologically savvy, as almost all of our communication is done via . This person should have decision making power and oversight of the overall operation. This person may or may not be the same person that orders food and staff distribution. During pantry hours you will need staff to help clients. This is where you will rely heavily on volunteers. Volunteers are the lifeblood of non-profit agencies. Many organizations utilize volunteers for all areas of their food pantry; in fact, very few of our partner agencies have any paid staff! Volunteers place orders, receive food, stock food shelves, create food boxes, welcome clients, record client intake information, distribute food, help clients load groceries into cars, keep the pantry clean and inviting, submit reports and ensure that food safety policies are adhered to; all with a smile on their face. It s no easy task! No one volunteer has to do it all though. Assign volunteers to specific tasks based on their interests and skill sets. Schedule volunteers based on their

6 availability and on the need for each task. Busier sessions will need more volunteers. Recruiting and retaining volunteers is a significant piece of operating a pantry. You can find volunteers within your immediate network: friends, family, coworkers and church members often help at food pantries. You ll want to recruit a core number of volunteers that you can rely on. You ll also need larger groups from time to time. You can reach out to the schools in your area, many sports teams and afterschool clubs participate in community service projects throughout year. Creating a community outreach plan will help with both fundraising and volunteer recruitment. This doesn t have to be overwhelming. Think about the ways that you can inform the community about the great things your organization is doing. Utilize social media to post regular updates about events, photos of the pantry and maybe even video tours. Prepare a flyer or brochure with information and statistics, where you are located, how often you serve, who you help and why you do it. Start a mailing list and send out a newsletter, include interesting information about the pantry, upcoming events and specific volunteer requests. We also recommend taking photos of volunteers during pantry hours and putting together a slideshow; this is a great way to show appreciation to your volunteers. Just be respectful of client privacy and keep the camera focused on volunteers or obtain permission from your clients. Who will run your pantry? Where will you find volunteers? How many volunteers will you have each shift? How will you show volunteer appreciation? How will you pay for food? How will you conduct community outreach?

7 The location of your food pantry is important. Most pantries are located in a low-traffic area of a church or neighborhood community center where the rent and utilities are donated. Seeking out a donated location will help maintain a low operating budget; however, not all spaces will meet the requirements for a Food Pantry. Our Agency Handbook provides detailed requirements; we ve outlined the highlights below. Food Pantries need to have designated dry-food space with off the floor storage. Metal shelving units or wall lockers work very well. Shelving must keep the food 6 off the floor and 2 away from the wall. The space must be safe, sanitary and secure. Regular pest and rodent control is required. Thermometers must be placed in refrigerators, freezers and dry storage area. You need to have a separate refrigerator/freezer unit from the one your organization kitchen uses. Temperature control logs are required to monitor temperature and keep it within acceptable range. Lastly, determine a secure area to maintain client records. Now that you understand the minimum requirements, think about the client experience; how do you want clients to feel at your pantry? Consider the location s accessibility to the clients you will serve. Consider the need for a vehicle to transport food or availability of public transportation. You ll also want to think about a separate area for clients to register and wait unless they will be invited into the pantry area. Where is your storage area? Does it include space for fresh and frozen food? Will you keep client paperwork at the pantry? Will you have a separate check in and/or waiting area for clients? Is the location easily accessible by public transportation? Is there adequate parking? Will it be easy to carry groceries from the pantry location to the client s vehicle?

8 Your organization has made a lot of decisions about operations and the last step is to create a plan to guide how you will stock your pantry. First, think about the multiple sources of food you have. Roadrunner should be one of, but not the only, place to source food. Many pantries also supplement with trips to the grocery store to stock up on sale items, food drives for specific items that can store in the pantry or even localized food rescue. Your plan should include multiple sources of food. The food you select will vary based on your storage area; more space for dry storage means you might stock up on pantry essentials, a refrigerator and freezer means you can also include fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy and frozen meat. Regardless of your storage situation, we highly encourage stocking for well-rounded meal boxes. Simply, provide options that can combine to create satisfying and healthy meals. Beans and rice are staples that combine to make a filling protein and store well. Try to provide a variety of food items, from each of the major food groups and follow USDA guidelines. After your pantry is stocked, you will need to determine the distribution method. We highly encourage client-choice, allowing clients to shop the pantry area and select the products that are most applicable for their household. This method reduces waste and allows clients to shop with dignity. If client-choice is not an option, your pantry can prepare boxes before distribution hours, or during distribution. Your organization will need to determine how much food to give out each distribution. Take into account how often clients can use your service and how often you are open. Decide an ideal number of meals to provide to each family. We calculate about 1.2 pounds into a meal. You can use this formula to decide how many pounds, based on how many meals you d like to send the client home with. If you are preparing a box to last a single person about two weeks, you can plan on distributing around 50 pounds of food. 14 days x 3 meals a day = 42 meals 42 meals x 1.2 pounds per meal = 50.4 pounds You can vary the amount of food in each box based on the family size and family members. A single mother with two teenagers will have different needs than grandparents raising a toddler grandchild. Also, try to

9 accommodate different dietary needs; low sugar or low sodium products are helpful to have in stock. The following is a suggested guideline for the amount of food to distribute for up to four people for three days. Note the different food choices and the variety of foods possible to use. What types of food will you provide? 2 Loaves bread 1 Jar peanut butter 1 Jar jelly 6 Cans soup 6 Cans fruit 1 Can juice 2 Boxes cereal or oats 6 Cans vegetables 1 Lb. pasta or rice 1 Lb. pasta (macaroni or spaghetti) 1 Box crackers 1 Lb. cheese 1 Box crackers 1 Box tea 2 Cans pork & beans 1 Lb. margarine 1 Lb. dry milk 1 Can stewed tomatoes 1 Jar spaghetti sauce 4 Cans meat, chicken or stew 1 Box pancake mix 1 Bottle cooking oil 1 Bottle pancake syrup 5 Lbs. potatoes 1 Dozen eggs 1 Lb. flour 1 Lb. sugar 1 Lb. dried beans Where will you get food from? How many pounds (approximately) will you provide? Will clients be able to shop for their own groceries (client choice) or will you provide a pre-packed box/bag? Will the amount of food provided change with family size? Will food types change with dietary needs?

10 Why do you want to open a food pantry? Who will you help? Where will you find people to help? Worksheet Questions How will you tell them about your organization? Will people have to bring any documentation to receive help? What will be accepted? Will people have to live in a certain geographic area to receive help? What area? When will you be open? How often can people receive help? Who will run your pantry? Where will you find volunteers? How many volunteers will you have each shift? How will you show volunteer appreciation? How will you pay for food? How will you conduct community outreach? Where is your storage area? Does it include space for fresh and frozen food? Will you keep client paperwork at the pantry? Will you have a separate check in and/or waiting area for clients? Is the location easily accessible by public transportation? Is there adequate parking? Will it be easy to carry groceries from the pantry location to the client s vehicle? What types of food will you provide? Where will you get food from? How many pounds (approximately) will you provide? Will clients be able to shop for their own groceries (client choice) or will you provide a prepacked box/bag? Will the amount of food provided change with family size? Will food types change with dietary needs?