Sobering reality.
One of the required classes for my Leadership program is Leadership for Social Change. I submitted my final paper Monday, and recorded my class presentation yesterday. All I have left to do is respond to a couple of classmates' presentations and I will have completed this course. One more course and I get my certificate!
The research I did was on food bank donations, and my proposed project was to fill in the gaps. You donate the box of mac and cheese, and I will donate the milk and butter. The challenge was in how to get the donations, then how to deliver it to those in need. The ultimate middle man challenge.
My final paper was 17 pages long, but the summary for the video presentation was only two, so I'll drop it here:
Essentially, how to get the items needed to complete a meal.
I reviewed the operations of five area food pantries, interviewed a food truck volunteer, and researched articles on national problems, as well as solutions. I also reviewed the top 10 meal subscriptions services, as my original concept was to possibly develop a meal plan for those in need.
My goal for the project was to fill in those gaps, and offer choice and dignity.
First, I found the sheer volume of food boxes donated by the food trucks, as well as the randomness of the food donated prohibits creation of a meal plan.
What I did find is space for these needed items exists in the form of free pantries where patrons can shop based on their needs. From there, the goal became how to fill the pantry.
I found this mission to be personal – food is essential, but a meal is an invitation. I liken it to being known for your signature dish, like my husband’s key lime pie or my chicken noodle soup. Let it be known that I made three batches of homemade soup while working on this project! Therefore, to start, this mission should be grassroots, and start with a directed food drive.
Going off my connections to Grand Valley and the local figure skating club, my proposal is to have a Fill the Fridge food drive connected either to a hockey game or an annual Christmas exhibition. In lieu of an admission, patrons would donate frozen foods, pantry items, or gift cards to benefit Replenish. Those donations would be delivered from the arena directly to campus.
I did want to share a few of the outstanding programs I discovered along the way:
While a subscription meal plan didn’t work for my general idea, something like this is in place. South Michigan Food Bank has Fresh Food Pharmacy program, which provides 2 week’s worth of groceries in a meal plan for low-income recipients with dietary restrictions in a partnership with a regional health care network.
Sears Food Pantry in Osceola County gives those in need a Dairy Card, which can be used to redeem at Foster’s Food Market in Evart. That way, they can receive fresh milk, eggs, butter, and more when they need it, reducing spoilage.
Rapper Gunna teamed up with social entrepreneur Jasmine Crowe to open a free store inside a Georgia middle school to provide low income households access to food, household items, toiletries, clothes, and shoes. I need to provide the link to this story, it’s just incredible. The store is stocked with easy to make meals, vegan options, and fresh produce. The students are given shopping bags, and the parents are given access code via the store app to set up shopping times as well as the opportunity to request special items. For Crowe, it’s been a decade of making programs like this happen, and for Gunna, he vows to keep the store open for as long as he lives.
Downtown Food Pantry will accept homemade canning, fresh produce, and fresh baking as a donation which is unlike most any other pantry I’ve encountered.
On a personal note, this project has made not only me, but my whole family reconsider our giving. I will be presenting this to our board as an option for our Christmas show. We have made our annual gift to Zion, and there will be a box of spices going to the pantry at Peace.
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