How to Run a Food Pantry

Food pantries offer help to families and community leaders who need food supplies for people in need

Food pantries are important in many communities, providing food to needy families and service organizations. In running a food pantry, you need to balance a number of factors. First, you need to arrange a steady food supply. The foods must be stored in a convenient and safe manner. It's important that you stay aware of your community's needs through research because this will give you ideas on how your pantry can be more effective.

Instructions

1. Develop a plan of maintaining food in your pantry. Meet with local bank directors, library directors, supermarket managers and school leaders and ask if they would like to partner with your food pantry. They could hold food drives two or three times a year where city residents and community leaders can drop off non-perishable food items for the pantry. Also contact local restaurants and seek out leftover food items that are still in good condition for you to use. Finally, apply for grants which will allow you to purchase foods for the pantry.

2. Store your foods in a way that will be safe for clients to eat. Keep foods away from rooms which have household cleaning supplies and never leave foods on the floor. Also keep your food storage room smelling clean and free of mold and mildew, and keep a thermometer in your refrigerator to monitor the temperature of cold foods. Finally, examine the foods you receive and check to see if products are spoiled or expired after a certain date.

3. Have flexible opening hours for clients. If a majority of your clients get off work after 6 p.m on weekdays, keep your pantry open until 8 p.m. and have service hours on Saturdays for those families who can't get to the pantry on weekdays.

4. Get input from your staff. Hold a meeting with them to discuss the current needs of the pantry and then ask them for suggestions on improving the quality of the pantry. If some volunteers know about a new local nonprofit organization that's currently awarding grants to food pantries and they feel you could benefit from it, ask them how you can apply for the grant. Or if another staff member mentions that more clients have been wanting the pantry to open on Sunday afternoons, consider this idea.

References

• Feeding America: How to Run a Food Pantry
• Sedalia Democrat: Poker Run to Benefit Sweet Springs Food Pantry