Establishing a community food pantry for your church may seem such a complicated task but with the right tools and a lot of persistence on your part it can be done. Since you will need the support of a lot of volunteers and local businesses, you will have to find ways to raise food donations and funding for your project. Aside from church outreach products that promote your food pantry drive, you will need to get very organized in the way you campaign for funding and support.
Need
The first step is to ensure that there is really a need for an outreach food pantry in your community. Look and investigate the existing ones and see if there are areas that they do not serve. Find out the limits of their services and determine if the amount of food they serve is sufficient to people needing it. By knowing the logistics and need for such a pantry, the easier it is for you to convince others to pitch in.
Find Community Partners
One of the best ways to enlist the help of community partners is to distribute church leaflets that outline your plan and the need for a food pantry in your community. Develop a simple but persuasive presentation about your vision and present this via mail or flyer. Get local schools involved by speaking at their PTA meetings and get the students involved by starting a food drive or collect change from the school cafeteria. Arrange to speak with different civic groups such as Jaycees, Lions and Kiwanis so you can get their support. To get assistance for start-up cost, talk to a local community foundation and get some financial aid for the project. They may contribute some logistical items like refrigerators, freezers, shelving and other necessary equipment.
Get Volunteers
Nothing is stronger than the heart of a volunteer. Begin with your church members and their families but do not limit yourself to your group. Enlist also the help of other churches so as to maximize people that can help with the drive. Two volunteers per session is usually adequate. For each day that you operate, you may need at least 8 to 10 volunteers who each contribute a day per month of their time.
To learn more on how you can drum up interest for your food pantry project log on to Growth Partnership International.