Launching a pantry or mobile market program can feel overwhelming. With the right partnerships, goals, and team, creating a successful program is manageable and possible. When preparing a plan to implement a pantry or mobile market program be sure to know who the program seeks to help. Some programs are in place to feed the students specifically in their school. Other programs strive to feed families or even feed the community. The specific goal of your program will ultimately how it is operated and how it will be marketed.
Start-up & Maintenance Costs
First, have an idea of how much your school is willing to help fiscally for both start up and upkeep. This will give you an idea of what kind of support you may need from donors, outside organizations, and partners. Keep in mind, monthly upkeep may fluctuate depending on food sourcing and flow of donations. Some months you may see a reduced amount of donated items - be aware that in order to properly stock your pantry or mobile market, schools may have to supply the food.
It is estimated to cost $5,000 for start up costs for a school pantry or mobile market. This amount is flexible depending on what your school already has as well as the type of program you will launch. For instance, if your program will not have fresh produce or items that need to be refrigerated or kept frozen, you will not need to purchase a cooler or refrigerator. If you are able to obtain items such as shelving or a refrigerator with the help of your vendors of school network, your costs may be significantly less. After the pantry or mobile market is up and running it is estimated that it costs $350.00 per month to maintain. This amount may fluctuate - with the right partnerships in place - some schools may be able to have a fully operating pantry or mobile market with little to no cost.
General Operations
Consider a plan for distribution. Will there be a referral program in place for teachers, administrators, or counselors - or is any member of the school community welcome to participate. Will the school provide plastic bags or reusable shopping bags to participants - or will the participant supply their own bag. Also consider if there will be a notification system in place. If a teacher, administrator, or counselor recommends a child to utilize the program - will their parent be notified? Some programs exercise a no questions asked policy and simply relay the information to all members of the school community. Other programs personally notify families of the resources available and may ask for permission for the child to participate.
When selecting which program meets the needs of your school, keep in mind where the food will be stored. Ensure that there is a large enough space where the food can be stored. The space should have or be able to have shelves installed to ensure the food is kept off of the floor, clean, dry, and away from pests.
Determine how you will measure and evaluate the success of your program. If you plan on enlisting community partners, stakeholders will want to know what was successful and how their partnership positively impacted the program. While monitoring the amount of children and families your program serves each day, week, month, and year is important, stories or narratives of how the program has impacted a family is invaluable and will be important when pursing additional partners.
Prior to distributing food - be sure to partner with your schools nurse or administration to be vigilant of any allergies or specifications. Create a plan for how students with food allergies will be identified to ensure they are not mistakenly given an allergen. It is helpful to know the student body and be mindful of dietary restraints as well as religious dietary restrictions. For instance, if your school serves many students that follow a vegetarian diet, keep kosher, or observe lent - be sure to factor this in to your planning. Give thought to the idea of choice. If a family was purchasing food at a grocery store they would choose items that meet the needs of their family. Although a pantry program is not a grocery store it does supply children and families with meals. Distributing pre-selected items can lead to food waste and lower participation.
Finally, when your program is ready to launch, be sure to register your organization in the USDA's database of hunger resources. People who call the hunger hotline, 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479) will receive your programs information.
Future Additions
Once your program is up and running you may consider expanding or adding additional programs or components.
Creating a community garden or gardening club will not only boost school community morale but will be a source for fresh produce for your program, it is important for children to eat and have access to food but to build a relationship and understand food. Gardening not only brings people together - but helps provide the foundation for children to have a relationship and understanding of food. If your program space does not have the room for a garden or would like to test engagement prior to investing you may consider purchasing hydroponic gardens. Gardening allows children to not only take part in producing their own food but also apply concepts like math, science, problem solving, and critical thinking to new settings and situations.
Creating a monthly event may help your program gain community support. Monthly events are a great opportunity to showcase what your program does on a daily basis and reach more people. Collaborate with local and non-local health and wellness centers, sports programs, and other health focused vendors to bring exciting programs to your community. Ask them to provide mini classes as an introduction to their program to your attendees. Partner with a local or non-local restaurant that is willing to showcase a kitchen skill, do live demonstrations, or teach a particular recipe. Be sure to discuss and agree in advance what vendors will be providing - ensure that it makes sense for the event and community. Find a local band or a DJ that is willing to donate their time to create a fun and inviting environment. Be sure to contact local police officials in advance and obtain necessary permits. Finally - the event does not necessarily have to be entirely free. For instance - if there is a local food truck that is a community staple - be sure to invite them. If they are unable to donate food or provide a specific good for the event - they may be willing to hand out flyers with each purchase or offer discounted meals at the event. Learn more about establishing and creating successful partnerships here. Finally, be sure to make your pantry program the main event. Partner with grocery stores, produce vendors, or other community partners to create a farmers market in collaboration with your typical pantry items. Your event will provide access to fresh produce to the community in which your program serves.
While your program will be providing food to children and families - it may be an exciting addition to create a recipe book or recipe guide. A weekly newsletter is a great platform for a featured recipe of the week. Determine who will take ownership of the weekly newsletter and what content will be featured and if will be distributed or emailed. A free website is another way that you can reach participants without incurring any cost. Creation of a physical book can be costly - if your program has additional funding or has a partner who is willing to assist or provide the service it is a great way to get information to participants. Think about the items that you typically have in stock and ways that they can be combined and transformed into another meal. For example: oatmeal, dried fruit, and nuts combined and baked to create kid friendly energy bites. For a nutritious meal: combine rices, beans, canned tomatoes, other canned vegetables, and various spices to create a vegetarian jambalaya.
Keep in mind that the services that you provide can also act as a platform to address other issues in the community. Use monthly events or weekly newsletters to support your community in addressing food insecurity. Your program has the potential to feed families, empower the community, and influence change.
Learn more about establishing successful community partnerships, here,
Start-up & Maintenance Costs
First, have an idea of how much your school is willing to help fiscally for both start up and upkeep. This will give you an idea of what kind of support you may need from donors, outside organizations, and partners. Keep in mind, monthly upkeep may fluctuate depending on food sourcing and flow of donations. Some months you may see a reduced amount of donated items - be aware that in order to properly stock your pantry or mobile market, schools may have to supply the food.
It is estimated to cost $5,000 for start up costs for a school pantry or mobile market. This amount is flexible depending on what your school already has as well as the type of program you will launch. For instance, if your program will not have fresh produce or items that need to be refrigerated or kept frozen, you will not need to purchase a cooler or refrigerator. If you are able to obtain items such as shelving or a refrigerator with the help of your vendors of school network, your costs may be significantly less. After the pantry or mobile market is up and running it is estimated that it costs $350.00 per month to maintain. This amount may fluctuate - with the right partnerships in place - some schools may be able to have a fully operating pantry or mobile market with little to no cost.
General Operations
Consider a plan for distribution. Will there be a referral program in place for teachers, administrators, or counselors - or is any member of the school community welcome to participate. Will the school provide plastic bags or reusable shopping bags to participants - or will the participant supply their own bag. Also consider if there will be a notification system in place. If a teacher, administrator, or counselor recommends a child to utilize the program - will their parent be notified? Some programs exercise a no questions asked policy and simply relay the information to all members of the school community. Other programs personally notify families of the resources available and may ask for permission for the child to participate.
When selecting which program meets the needs of your school, keep in mind where the food will be stored. Ensure that there is a large enough space where the food can be stored. The space should have or be able to have shelves installed to ensure the food is kept off of the floor, clean, dry, and away from pests.
Determine how you will measure and evaluate the success of your program. If you plan on enlisting community partners, stakeholders will want to know what was successful and how their partnership positively impacted the program. While monitoring the amount of children and families your program serves each day, week, month, and year is important, stories or narratives of how the program has impacted a family is invaluable and will be important when pursing additional partners.
Prior to distributing food - be sure to partner with your schools nurse or administration to be vigilant of any allergies or specifications. Create a plan for how students with food allergies will be identified to ensure they are not mistakenly given an allergen. It is helpful to know the student body and be mindful of dietary restraints as well as religious dietary restrictions. For instance, if your school serves many students that follow a vegetarian diet, keep kosher, or observe lent - be sure to factor this in to your planning. Give thought to the idea of choice. If a family was purchasing food at a grocery store they would choose items that meet the needs of their family. Although a pantry program is not a grocery store it does supply children and families with meals. Distributing pre-selected items can lead to food waste and lower participation.
Finally, when your program is ready to launch, be sure to register your organization in the USDA's database of hunger resources. People who call the hunger hotline, 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479) will receive your programs information.
Future Additions
Once your program is up and running you may consider expanding or adding additional programs or components.
Creating a community garden or gardening club will not only boost school community morale but will be a source for fresh produce for your program, it is important for children to eat and have access to food but to build a relationship and understand food. Gardening not only brings people together - but helps provide the foundation for children to have a relationship and understanding of food. If your program space does not have the room for a garden or would like to test engagement prior to investing you may consider purchasing hydroponic gardens. Gardening allows children to not only take part in producing their own food but also apply concepts like math, science, problem solving, and critical thinking to new settings and situations.
Creating a monthly event may help your program gain community support. Monthly events are a great opportunity to showcase what your program does on a daily basis and reach more people. Collaborate with local and non-local health and wellness centers, sports programs, and other health focused vendors to bring exciting programs to your community. Ask them to provide mini classes as an introduction to their program to your attendees. Partner with a local or non-local restaurant that is willing to showcase a kitchen skill, do live demonstrations, or teach a particular recipe. Be sure to discuss and agree in advance what vendors will be providing - ensure that it makes sense for the event and community. Find a local band or a DJ that is willing to donate their time to create a fun and inviting environment. Be sure to contact local police officials in advance and obtain necessary permits. Finally - the event does not necessarily have to be entirely free. For instance - if there is a local food truck that is a community staple - be sure to invite them. If they are unable to donate food or provide a specific good for the event - they may be willing to hand out flyers with each purchase or offer discounted meals at the event. Learn more about establishing and creating successful partnerships here. Finally, be sure to make your pantry program the main event. Partner with grocery stores, produce vendors, or other community partners to create a farmers market in collaboration with your typical pantry items. Your event will provide access to fresh produce to the community in which your program serves.
While your program will be providing food to children and families - it may be an exciting addition to create a recipe book or recipe guide. A weekly newsletter is a great platform for a featured recipe of the week. Determine who will take ownership of the weekly newsletter and what content will be featured and if will be distributed or emailed. A free website is another way that you can reach participants without incurring any cost. Creation of a physical book can be costly - if your program has additional funding or has a partner who is willing to assist or provide the service it is a great way to get information to participants. Think about the items that you typically have in stock and ways that they can be combined and transformed into another meal. For example: oatmeal, dried fruit, and nuts combined and baked to create kid friendly energy bites. For a nutritious meal: combine rices, beans, canned tomatoes, other canned vegetables, and various spices to create a vegetarian jambalaya.
Keep in mind that the services that you provide can also act as a platform to address other issues in the community. Use monthly events or weekly newsletters to support your community in addressing food insecurity. Your program has the potential to feed families, empower the community, and influence change.
Learn more about establishing successful community partnerships, here,