Welcome to the Client Choice Food Pantry Network NYC

[Hannah Lupien]

Hello!

 

If you’re receiving this e-mail it’s because you’re now a part of the Client Choice Food Pantry Network NYC. If I’ve made a mistake in adding you to the group please let me know.

 

Below I have typed up all of the notes from our Client Choice Networking Lunch at the City Harvest conference. I hope this helps us continue the conversations that we began at last week’s workshop.

 

There are 5 models of client choice pantry (see attached document) as defined by the Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program of NYS. By understanding the different models we can see the depth and breadth of options in the client choice community. We are (excuse my misspellings):

1. Table
1. Calvary Baptist
2. New Life
3. Cathedral
4. Shiloh Brooklyn
5. Brooklyn Teen Challenge
2. Window
1. Five Loaves, Two Fishes
3. Inventory List
1. Little Sisters
2. Yorkville
4. Walk-Through
1. Grand Concourse
2. Elohim Community Development
3. Cathedral
4. St. Edward
5. QJCC
6. St. Albans
7. Riverwatch
8. Brooklyn Teen Challenge
5. Supermarket
1. Grand Concourse
2. Cathedral
3. Community Health Access
4. WSCAH
5. St. Edward
6. Our Children
7. Riverwatch
8. Brooklyn Teen Challenge

 

I didn’t get model number for either Momentum or Stapleton Staten Island. If representatives from those pantries would like to reply with their model number I’d appreciate it!

 

After we got to know each other we discussed successes, challenges, and solutions of being a client choice (as opposed to packed-bag) food pantry. The summary is as follows (this is not an exhaustive list – please feel free to add!):

• Successes:
• Saves money and avoids waste
• Serves the various healthy problems of clients more effectively
• Better organized
• Nutrition education
• Less bartering amongst clients
• Better purchasing (less waste)
• More dignity
• Less time spent packing (faster for volunteers and clients)
• Clients try new foods
• Serve more people
• Challenges:
• Food shortages
• Diverse clientele with diverse food/nutrition needs
• Operating costs, especially for vans, gas, etc.
• Need transportation to pick food up
• Hard to reach
• Shortage of specific items (leads to jealousy amongst clients)
• Early line-up
• Staffing and volunteers needed
• Multiple family members trying to work the system
• Multiple names in same household
• Non-family members in same household
• Fights over available meat
• Lack of refrigerators and/or computers
• More food than you can use
• Solutions:
• Give out numbers ahead of time (to prevent early line-up)
• “Pass through” system to speed things up
• Save some food for the end of the day
• Talk to local stores to get food donations
• Boar’s Head and other companies that donate food in bulk
• Ask for more from City Harvest
• Pick-up (from City Harvest, events, Costco, etc.)
• Talk to Asian/Hispanic/other ethnic markets to get donations
• Accept slightly damaged goods

 

That’s all I have for now. I hope this helps us support one another. Please share your ideas, concerns, and comments by e-mailing client...@googlegroups.com (it will be sent to all of us in the group).

 

Best,

Hannah

 

Hannah Lupien, Food Policy Strategist

West Side Campaign Against Hunger

263 West 86th Street I New York, NY 10024

Tel:  212-362-3662 (x 126) I Fax: 212-769-4341

Web: www.wscah.org I Like us on Facebook

 

[Jan Zimmerman]

Momentum will be doing #1 - Table model

Hannah,

Is it possible to share with the group the contact info (phone/email) that goes along with the groups listed below,so we can reach out for support and TA….

Thanks!

Jan Zimmerman, MS, RD

Administrator, Community Services

AIDS  Day Treatment Programs

VCC 20th St: 212-337-9229 Rivington House: 212-539-6458

The Momentum Project

212-691-8100 xt 2102

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[Hannah Lupien]

Yes Jan! Attached is the excel document that I am working on with all of our contact info. It is not yet complete; if everyone can take a look and give me any updates (for your program or others) that would be very helpful.

Hannah

 

Hannah Lupien, Food Policy Strategist

West Side Campaign Against Hunger

263 West 86th Street I New York, NY 10024

Tel:  212-362-3662 (x 126) I Fax: 212-769-4341

Web: www.wscah.org I Like us on Facebook