Second Harvest Mobile Pantry Food Giveaway
Purpose: To help those in need of food in the community.
When: Twice per year, late spring and fall.
Where: Faith Fellowship Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Food Distribution Time: Typically 8:30 until noon.
Counties Served: Loudon, Knox, McMinn, Roane, Anderson, Blount, Monroe
Those Served: Low-income, needy families. Many live in subsidized housing projects.
Type Foods: Mostly non-perishable, some produce if available. This is variable depending on warehouse inventory at Second Harvest.
Number of Families Served: Typically, between 140-200
Volunteers are needed to:
Number of Volunteers needed: Approximately 75.
Funding: Paid for from the church budget and possibly partner with other churches. For 2014, Marietta Cumberland Presbyterian Church is partnering with us for both Food Giveaways.
Process Description: A tractor trailer load of food (~16,000 pounds) will be purchased from Second Harvest Food Bank. It will be delivered to our church parking lot, typically on Friday. That evening, beginning at ~5 pm, volunteers will off load the food from the trailer into the sanctuary, which we will have set up with lots of tables. Some sorting of food may be required to put each type of food together on tables. Some items may need to be bagged together for easier distribution.
On Saturday, a volunteer will be assigned to each table in the sanctuary. These folks will assist the “shoppers” as they come by. They will keep their tables stocked. People from the community (“shoppers”) who need food will come with a grocery cart, aside a volunteer, and take their selections of food from the tables (there are limits per person on each item). Volunteers will accompany these folks to their vehicles and will load their groceries in their car/van/truck.
Contacts:
Regina Stinnett reginastinnett@tds.net
Jim Stinnett jimstinnett@tds.net
For more information on Second Harvest, including volunteer opportunities, go to their web site here.
Purpose: To help those in need of food in the community.
When: Twice per year, late spring and fall.
Where: Faith Fellowship Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Food Distribution Time: Typically 8:30 until noon.
Counties Served: Loudon, Knox, McMinn, Roane, Anderson, Blount, Monroe
Those Served: Low-income, needy families. Many live in subsidized housing projects.
Type Foods: Mostly non-perishable, some produce if available. This is variable depending on warehouse inventory at Second Harvest.
Number of Families Served: Typically, between 140-200
Volunteers are needed to:
- Bring in plastic grocery bags and boxes (weeks ahead)
- Prepare flyers about the event for distribution (3
weeks ahead)
- Prepare mailers for distribution (3 weeks ahead)
- Prepare volunteer badges ( 2-3 days ahead)
- Help unload food from pallets in sanctuary and place
on tables (Friday)
- Sort food onto tables (Friday)
- Package food items in bags to make easier distribution,
if needed (Friday)
- Pick up grocery carts at grocery store (Friday)
- Help unload grocery carts from trailer (Friday)
- Put up signs inside and outside church for various
things, i.e., No Smoking, etc. (Friday)
- Bring breakfast items (Saturday)
- Remove cardboard and take to recycling (Friday and
Saturday)
- Be assigned at each table for handing out the items
(Saturday)
- Assist guests with completing their registration cards
(Saturday)
- Escort guests from outside in pavilion to sanctuary
(Saturday)
- Assist guests with shopping/”driving” the grocery
carts (Saturday)
- Fill returning empty grocery carts with boxes/bags for
next use (Saturday)
- Help load grocery carts into trailer (Saturday)
- Return grocery carts to grocery store (Saturday)
- Remove empty tables to storage (Saturday)
- Clean up floors, anything else (Saturday)
- Set up sanctuary for worship on Sunday (Saturday)
Number of Volunteers needed: Approximately 75.
Funding: Paid for from the church budget and possibly partner with other churches. For 2014, Marietta Cumberland Presbyterian Church is partnering with us for both Food Giveaways.
Process Description: A tractor trailer load of food (~16,000 pounds) will be purchased from Second Harvest Food Bank. It will be delivered to our church parking lot, typically on Friday. That evening, beginning at ~5 pm, volunteers will off load the food from the trailer into the sanctuary, which we will have set up with lots of tables. Some sorting of food may be required to put each type of food together on tables. Some items may need to be bagged together for easier distribution.
On Saturday, a volunteer will be assigned to each table in the sanctuary. These folks will assist the “shoppers” as they come by. They will keep their tables stocked. People from the community (“shoppers”) who need food will come with a grocery cart, aside a volunteer, and take their selections of food from the tables (there are limits per person on each item). Volunteers will accompany these folks to their vehicles and will load their groceries in their car/van/truck.
Contacts:
Regina Stinnett reginastinnett@tds.net
Jim Stinnett jimstinnett@tds.net
For more information on Second Harvest, including volunteer opportunities, go to their web site here.