Transcript The Community Food Pantry - United Way of Kent County

Kent County’s
Community Food Pantry
(The Pantry)
A 501 (3) (c) non-profit corporation
established to provide nutritional food to
Kent County families who are living at or
below poverty level. The Pantry is located
at Christ United Methodist Church in
Chestertown.
Located at corner High & Mill Streets,
P.O. Box 346, Chestertown, MD 21620 –
Telephone: 410-778-0550
KENT COUNTY’S COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY
P.O. BOX 346, 401 HIGH ST., CHESTERTOWN, MD 21620
410-778-0550
WEB ADDRESS: WWW.KENTFOODPANTRY.ORG
•The Pantry) is a 501 (3) (c) non-profit corporation established to
provide nutritional food to Kent County families who are living at or
below poverty level.
•The Pantry is located at Christ United Methodist Church in
Chestertown (Mill St. entrance). It is open from 10 AM to 12 PM every
Tuesday and Thursday and second Wednesday for 20 – 30 “regular”
clients.
•Almost all clients are referred to The Pantry by The Kent County
Department of Social Services. Clients are only eligible for food
assistance once every 30 days.
•The Pantry must purchase 60% of the food that is distributed. Less
than 40% is donated. About 10,000 pounds of food a month is
distributed.
Contents
 History of The Food Pantry
 Hours of Operation
 Profile of Clients
 Source of Food and Most Needed Food Items
 A Typical Month at The Food Pantry
 Client-Related Statistics
 2010 Income and Expenses
 Support for Backpack Program
 Eat Better/Shop Smarter Workshops
 Hunger Never Takes a Holiday
History of The Food Pantry
 Established in 1991 by Christ United Methodist Church in
Chestertown.
 An independent 501(3) (c) nonprofit
corporation since 2001.
 Christ Church provides low-cost space
and food storage.
 Independent Board of Directors that
represent Kent County.
 Member of Maryland Food Bank
 Member of the Chester Valley Ministers’
Association (CVMA)
Hours of Operation
 Open from 10 AM to 12 PM every Tuesday and
Thursday and second Wednesday for 20 – 30
“regular” clients.
 Almost all clients are referred to The Pantry by
The Kent County Department of Social
Services.
 Clients are only eligible for food
assistance once every 30 days.
Profile of Clients
Profile of Clients
 Half of Kent County clients have children age 18
or younger.
 A large majority are females (71%).
 69% have annual incomes of $10,000 or less.
 47% are White and 48% are African-American.
 27% work full-time (13%) or part-time (14%).
 Most clients are between 30 and 64 (71%).
Seniors (12%) and the young (17%) are the
balance.
 Half of clients are from Chestertown and the
rest in live in Rock Hall, Galena, etc.
Source of Food & Most Needed Items
 The Pantry must
purchase 60% of the
food that is
distributed.
 Less than 40% is
donated.
 The Pantry
distributes about
10,000 pounds of
food a month.
Source of Food & Most Needed Items
Examples of nonperishable foods that
are purchased or
donated: flour and
sugar, dry cereal,
canned tuna, chicken
and salmon, canned
vegetables and fruit,
peanut butter and jelly,
pork and beans, rice
and pasta with meat
A Typical Month at the Food Pantry
 Program director Miriam
Greenlee and dozens of
volunteers provide food to about
200 different families during the
month.
 Approximately 50 pounds of food
are distributed to an average
family.
 In 2010, 118,931 pounds of food
were distributed to 612 different
families.
A Typical Month at the Food Pantry
Approximately 30 different food items are
provided to each family. Those items include:
Typical Food Items Distributed
(about 35 different items/family)
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Sugar and flour
Pancake mix and syrup
Eggs
Peanut butter and jelly
Tuna fish
Mayo
Canned meat
Hash, gravy & beef
Beans and rice
Dry milk
Spaghetti with meat
balls in tomato sauce
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Pasta with meat
Pork & beans
Cereal & oatmeal
Crackers and soup
Canned tomatoes
Apple sauce and canned
fruit
Corn bread
Beans and vegetables
Mac & cheese
Fresh produce in the
summer
A Typical Month at the Food Pantry
Joe Baker and 4 to 6
volunteers pick up food
from SuperFresh and
unload food from
Maryland Food Bank
several times a month –
about 10,000 pounds of
food are handled each
month
A Typical Month at the Food Pantry
Volunteers check
expiration dates and
stack approximately
thousands of pounds
of donated food each
month
Over 70 Volunteers Work at the
Community Food Pantry
Volunteers greet clients, unpack hundreds of boxes of food, check
labels of donated food, stack thousands of cans of food on shelves
and do what is required to serve struggling Kent Co. families
Client-Related Statistics
The number of people who need
assistance in Kent County grows
every year.
Client-Related Statistics
2006 through 2010
Average for
each year
Families Served
per Month
2010
200
Total men,
women and
children per
month
554
2009
207
544
2008
167
430
2007
119
300
2006
107
267
Family Units Served Monthly:
2008 -2011
Summary - 2010
 Serviced 612 individual
families
 2,404 family-visits
 3.9 visits per family
Number of Family Visits - 2010
Percent
1 Visit to Pickup Food
Number of
Families
201
2 Visits
90
15%
3 times
72
12%
4 Visits
51
8%
5 Visits
6 Visits
7 or more Visits
44
31
123
7%
5%
20%
33%
It’s about food…and more…
2010 Income and Expenses
Income
Expenses
 Individual donors: $46,248 
 Churches:
$22,298
Purchased food and non-food
items:
$60,732
 Clubs/businesses: $10,937 
Food director (salary and
taxes):
$13,103
 United Way:
$13,459
 Kent Co. and State of MD:
$2,000
 Weinberg Foundation:
$10,700
 Value of non-cash items:
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Donated food:

Volunteer hours:
$55,795
1,500+
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Weinberg workshops: $6,637
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Office supplies, rent,
telephone, postage and
utilities:
$5,393
Over One Thousand Students Qualify for
Free Lunches in Kent Co. Public Schools
Kent County Schools: 2011-2012 School Year
Total
Enrollment
Free Lunch
Reduced
Lunch
Total Free
or Rediuced
Percent
KC High School
and Alternative
School
654
265
55
320
49%
KC Middle School
450
192
39
231
51%
Garnett
207
132
17
149
72%
Galena
184
56
8
64
35%
Millington
181
109
10
119
66%
Rock Hall
208
112
19
131
63%
Worton
290
152
10
162
56%
Total Enrollment
2174
1018
158
1176
54%
Elementary Schools
Data provided by J. Bramble, KCS Food Service 9/27/11
Backpack Program Helps Make
Healthy Kids!
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Provides food assistance
over the weekend to
children in need
Program is national, but
Kent County program is
being run independently
Approximately 50% of Kent
Co. public school student
participate in reduced lunch
or free lunch program –
those children most in need
are provided backpacks
Schools with sponsors:
Middle School and Galena,
Garnett, Millington, Rock
Hall and Worton Elementary
Schools
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Food Pantry is purchasing
breakfast, lunch and snack
items from Maryland Food
Bank
Churches are packing and
delivering hundreds of food
items to Kent County
schools each week
In September we purchased
1,464 pounds of food (98
cases -- $1,367)
Examples: cereal bowls,
white milk, juice, tuna, fruit
snacks, noodles, ravioli,
peanut butter crackers,
applesauce, pudding, pop
tarts and granola bars
Eat Better and Shop Smarter
 2010/2011 workshops, attended by over 100 clients,
are supported by a grant from Harry and Jeanette
Weinberg Foundation Grant and Washington College
SIFE.
 Surveys are used to gauge changes in behaviors and
attitudes.
 Dietitian has designed recipes and is helping clients
deal with obesity, blood pressure and diabetes.
 Washington College SIFE is helping clients with
budgeting and comparison shopping.
Marcia Yeager, a dietitian, and WC SIFE students
discuss food purchases and budgeting, portion
size and food labels.
Hunger Never Takes a Holiday
 The Pantry needs your donated
food every month.
 Support The Pantry with a
contribution during Food Pantry
Nov. fund drive and support the
United Way.
 A donation of $50 will buy 3 bags
of food for a family of four. Each
month The Pantry distributes
600+ bags of food.
 For more information, visit:
www.kentfoodpantry.org