Answering your questions about stocking the food pantries & preparing for winter
By MARK HALL
Feeding Team Feature
Thank you, neighbors! A total of 1,800 people attended the 2022 Feeding Team Festival at Federal Hill Commons. Almost 6,000 meals were donated and over $15,000 were raised. It was a beautiful fall day with great bands and vendors. Thank you to bands, sponsors, vendors, and volunteers! The feedback we received was extremely positive. It is rewarding to see neighbors step up and serve alongside FeedingTeam.org volunteers. Hungry neighbors appreciate your contributions.
Ask us Anything
When I stopped by a pantry, it was almost empty. Have you stopped stocking? What’s going on?
We regularly receive notes from neighbors reporting a pantry that is low on resources. Occasionally, and it breaks my heart, a neighbor will complain that we aren’t doing enough or worse yet, that we have stopped placing food in the pantries. I assure you we continue to load food in the pantries as we have for the last several years.
During 2022, pantry use has exceeded what we can supply. We have no way to control what neighbors take out of a pantry. Our “Take What You Need Give What You Can” approach, is open to abuse through overuse. We do not have unlimited resources to buy food for the pantries. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit with no paid employees, we do all we can within our budget to provide as many meals as possible. We moderate food volume and rotate stocking days in response to abuse and overuse. Unfortunately, we have seen hundreds of meals gone within a day of a pantry being stocked.
Our mission is to provide a few meals to many people. Our locations target GAP families. In today’s world we have many neighbors taking dozens of meals, much more than is intended. Personally, when I speak with them, they are hurting and afraid. Embarrassment has been overridden by fear. Often, they can’t afford the combination of daily life expenses and lean on the pantries as a primary food source. Volunteers observe these painful circumstances and offer referrals to organizations built to handle these situations. Pantries regularly receive hundreds of meals each month. They are not designed to be a neighbor’s personal grocery store, but unfortunately that is a regular occurrence presently.
How do the pantries get food in them?
Through the work of volunteers, food is distributed every other Wednesday afternoon at our offices. Volunteers stock, clean and organize their pantries at least once a week and usually twice weekly. Last month, 9,000 meals were stocked in pantries. Countless other meals were donated by the public.
How best can I or my group help FeedingTeam.org?
Get involved. Donate at FeedingTeam.org or volunteer by reaching out to charity.rosandich@feedingteam.org. You can drop off some canned goods directly in any pantry or at our offices. We all have items in our home that could help a neighbor. Every time a call goes out for public assistance in stocking a pantry that is low on food, neighbors step up. I’ve seen it numerous times.
As we head into winter, what items will be in highest demand?
Canned proteins, ramen, soup, vegetables, canned fruit, pouches of baby food, protein bars, powdered drinks and boxed pasta are all higher demand items in the winter. We don’t stock glass items through the winter.
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With over 27,000 food-challenged neighbors in Hamilton County, FeedingTeam.org is a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that provides outdoor 24/7/365 no-questions-asked free food pantries throughout the county.
The pantries exist to meet the food insecurity needs of gap families, neighbors who may not qualify for public assistance and could use a few meals before payday. The pantries serve as many food-challenged neighbors as possible, and our hearts are with those who, like my family, could not always make ends meet.
Thank you for embracing the pantries. We love serving with so many neighbors across Hamilton County. In future columns, we will share more stories about how your generosity served neighbors in times of need. The face of hunger in Hamilton County is not what you may think.
In practical terms, this straightforward way to help neighbors is having real impact on lives, families, and our communities. Thank you. A few meals can change the course of a person’s life. A can of green beans means so much more when you have nothing to feed your kids.
Would you like to get involved? Volunteer opportunities are available. We are evaluating new pantry locations. If you think you have a potential location, please contact us.
Mark and Lisa Hall are the Founders of Feeding Team. They may be reached at lisa@feedingteam.org and mark@feedingteam.org or by calling (317) 832-1104.