Food pantries are vital for the health of communities. When people fall on hard times, it is important for them to have somewhere they can go for basic supplies and sustenance. Running a food pantry, however, is not always easy. Many food pantries find themselves with not quite enough funding, not quite enough food, and not quite enough volunteers. If you run a food pantry foundation and are in this situation, here are some ways you can bring in more funds, food, and assistance.
Contact local grocery stores.
Visit local grocery stores and speak with the managers of various departments. Grocery stores often have foods that they remove from shelves because they will reach their sell-by date within a day or two. If the store is willing to give you these items, you can get them into the hands of those in need before they reach the sell-by date. Your recipients will want to use them quickly, but the food will usually stay fresh for at least a couple of days after the sell-by date.
Organize an event and request food as an admission fee.
Consider hosting a community event such as a 5k race or a community walk. Make the cost of admission a certain number of packages of food. For example, you could require that all entrants bring three non-perishable food items. If you are more in need of funding than food, you could give participants the option of paying an admission fee instead. For example, you could give participants the option of paying $15 or bringing three food items.
Find volunteers through local youth organizations.
Contact local scout troops and other youth organizations, and see if they would be interested in volunteering. Sometimes kids in these groups need to meet certain volunteer requirements in order to earn certain badges or awards. Or, the organization may simply be interested in bringing some kids out for the day so they can learn to work together and give back to the community. The kids' parents may also be interested in donating some food, which will essentially allow you to satisfy two needs at once.
Running a food pantry is not easy, but you can take comfort in the fact that you are truly trying to help those who are most in need. If you implement one or more of the ideas above, you can do a better job of getting the resources you need.
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