(31) Nonprofit Food Bank Business Plan

Executive Summary

Helping Hand is a tax-exempt not-for-profit food bank that serves all of Johnson County, Washington. Helping Hand's goal is to alleviate hunger in Johnson County by soliciting, collecting, growing, and packaging food for distribution through a network of service agencies and programs that serve our target population groups. Our services include food box programs, emergency food programs, and a youth farm that provides opportunities for self-sufficiency activities for "at risk" youth. Helping Hand receives support from the county, charitable organizations and corporate sponsorship.

Approximately 20% of Johnson County residents qualify for assistance from Helping Hand. Our client base is low-income people, mainly families, who need emergency help to put food on the table. Nearly half of those served by the program are children. Helping Hand operates a warehouse facility where we store donated or rescued food for distribution. The program actively solicits food from local food growers, retailers, wholesalers, and processors. In addition, Helping Hand collect food donations from restaurants for immediate distribution to service programs.
It is estimated that the number of children who need services from Helping Hand will increase during the next five years. Johnson County is growing and a number of new families are entering the area to look for employment. A number of programs exist to help transition these new families into the county. Helping Hand is an important resource to these programs because we can respond quickly with the one of the most important resources these families need. Food!


Our services improves the ability of families to care for children and achieve goals of self-sufficiency. Helping Hand's services, now, are a small investment in comparison to cost of ignoring the problem of hunger in the county and the influence it has on a number of health and crime issues.

  1.1 Mission

The mission of Helping Hands is to alleviate hunger in Johnson County by soliciting, collecting, growing, and packaging food for distribution through a network of agencies and programs, as well as provide opportunities for self sufficiency. Our services include food box programs, emergency shelters, congregate meal sites, residential treatment services, and children's programs.

1.2 Objectives

This new initiative is designed to create a food bank that will serve all of Johnson County, Washington. Our objectives are:

Establish donation network of local growers, retailers, wholesalers, and processors in Johnson County.
Establish youth farm that will employ "at risk" youth.
Collect over four million pounds of food the first year of operation. Increase collection amount by 20% each year.
Effectively distribute the food to low-income families that make up over 20% of Johnson County.
Acquire $200,000 of start-up funding through corporate, private charities and government financial support.
Raise an additional $100,000 in fundraising activity.

Organization Summary
Helping Hand is a food bank serving Johnson County, Washington. The program's focus is to identify and utilize resources for food in the county in order to eliminate hunger among low-income individuals and families in the area.
The program performs the following:
Solicits and distributes food to community programs.
Operates a youth farm program for "at-risk" young people.

2.1 Start-up Summary

Helping Hand's start-up cost is $200,000. A significant portion of the cost is donated trucks and collection vehicles for food, as well as a storage facility. The remainder are the expenses normally associated with opening an office. The program is funded by contributions from ten corporate sponsors, a grant from a private philanthropic trust, and Johnson County. The assumptions are shown in the following table and chart.

http://www.bplans.com/nonprofit_food_bank_business_plan/executive_summary_fc.cfm#.TiiBLKLO_vo.email

(30) Books on non profit budgeting

Record: 1 From: OutLook Online
Not-for-profit budgeting for nonprofit organizations / Edward J. McMillan. ; McMillan, Edward J., 1949- ; c2010. ; Wiley, Locations: (1) 

 Record: 2 From: OutLook Online
The budget-building book for nonprofits : a step-by-step guide for nonprofit managers and boards / by Murray Dropkin and Bill LaTouche. ; Dropkin, Murray. ; c1998. ; Jossey-Bass Publishers, Locations: (1) 

Record: 3 From: OutLook Online
The budget-building book for nonprofits : a step-by-step guide for managers and boards / Murray Dropkin, Jim Halpin, and Bill La Touche. ; Dropkin, Murray. ; c2007. ; Jossey-Bass, Locations: (2) 

 Record: 4 From: OutLook Online
Budgeting for not-for-profit organizations / Robert D. Vinter, Rhea K. Kish. -- ; Vinter, Robert D. ; c1984. ; Free Press ; Collier Macmillan, Locations: (4) 

Record: 5 From: OutLook Online
The simplified guide to not-for-profit accounting, formation and reporting / Laurence Scot. ; Scot, Laurence. ; c2010. ; John Wiley & Sons, Locations: (1) 

Record: 6 From: OutLook Online
Cash flow strategies : innovation in nonprofit financial management / Richard and Anna Linzer. ; Linzer, Richard. ; c2008. ; Jossey-Bass/John Wiley, Locations: (1)

(29) Sample budget template

This is one way to map out your project budget -- the main priority is to show where the grant funds would be used and to show where you would allocate any other funding and/or in-kind contributions.

If you have actual quotes on any of your budget items, be sure to include copies of these quotes with your application package.

And if there are items that are 'estimates only', be sure to mention this so the assessment committee / jury is aware that they are estimates.  You may be asked later to provide actual amounts.

http://www.fphlcc.ca/arts/arts-toolkit/grant-writing-handbook/sample-budget-template

(28) Templates for standard budgets

To estimate the budget of your proposal you can use the templates at your disposal


http://grantsoffice.epfl.ch/budget/budgets-template

(27) Non profit works

http://www.nonprofitworks.com/downloads/default.asp

(26) Grant Writing/Budget Templates ‏ #1

http://www.rosecharities.info/forms/Financial%20info/Budget%20Template%20and%20Samples%20Guide.pdf


The Budget section is the backbone of the grant proposal. Some grant reviewers turn
right to the budget before even reading the proposal to see what the money will be used
for. Program activities must drive the budget. The program narrative should match the
budget perfectly. There should be no “surprises” in a budget.
 Cost estimates should be credible and realistic.
 Inflated budgets will damage your credibility with the grant reviewer.
 Never use the word “Miscellaneous”.
Most Foundations ask for two types of budgets to be included in a grant proposal:
1. Organization or Operating Budget
2. Project or Program Budget
The Operating Budget is the financial statement that is submitted annually for approval
by the nonprofit organization’s Board of Directors. It is a projection of Income and
Expenses for the organization’s fiscal year.
A template for the Organization Budget is included on the next page, though formats can
vary depending on the organization.
The Project or Program Budget enumerates the resources required to carry out the
program or project which is being proposed for funding.


Budgets can be presented in a variety of formats, but should contain the following
common features.
 Is for a set time period, which should be identified (ie. Fiscal Year 2005)
 Expenses should be divided into two broad categories:
o Personnel
o Non-personnel
The Project Budget may also include support to be received or revenue to be earned.
If there are some unusually large expenses in the budget or if something requires an
explanation, include a Budget Narrative that explains the details and shows the
calculations used to arrive at the numbers.
Page 3 shows a template for a Program or Project Budget. There are examples of
Program Budgets on pages 4 and 5

(25) Food banks: how useful are they?

http://www.queensu.ca/skhs/ContactUs-2/Faculty-1/Faculty-ElainePower.html


As a food bank recipient and also as a volunteer at one of the local foodbanks for the past few years, I have often felt ambivalent about their existence. While there is no question that they are heavily, even exhaustively used, they were never intended as a long-term solution to the problem of hunger in our society. And while I have met many people sincerely dedicated to feeding the poor, I can't help but wonder if there aren't better ways of addressing the problem, if we have the political will to do so, a big question given the current selfish emphasis by the right on the good of the individual over that of the collective.

Then I heard on CTV News a question raised, "Should Canada close its food banks?"

Elaine Power entitled It's time to close Canada's food banks, which makes for some instructive reading.


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/opinion/its-time-to-close-canadas-food-banks/article2106989/


Food banks have become a serious obstacle in the fight against poverty. By promising to “end hunger” by feeding hungry Canadians, they provide a comforting illusion that no one is hungry – or if they are, it’s their own fault. They shelter us from the harsh reality that millions lack the basic necessities of life.

It’s time to close our food banks. I’ve reached this conclusion after 18 years of researching food, hunger and poverty; volunteering at food banks; serving on a food bank board; and recently taking part in a challenge where I ate from a typical food bank hamper for three days.

The first problem is that food banks can never end hunger.

Most people who could officially be classified as “hungry” simply don’t use them. In the only national survey that bothered to ask (conducted by Human Resources Development Canada), one in four hungry Canadians used food banks. Many would rather go hungry than accept charity. Or they choose to leave the food for those who, they tell themselves, “really” need it.

Research shows that even those who use food banks go hungry. That’s because food banks can only supply what is donated. Given the overwhelming demand for their services and their limited supply, food banks must ration how much they provide to clients. Most restrict households to a once-a-month hamper.

No one wants to see Canadians go hungry. This reaction led to the creation of food banks in the first place. That was in the early 1980s, when a deep recession pushed up unemployment. The good-hearted people who started them thought food banks would be a short-term response. Now they’re a normal feature of our landscape.

I’m not trying to blame food banks. The staff and volunteers who fed almost 900,000 Canadians last year are caring and dedicated, and they work hard to reduce the indignities of charity for those who receive it. But food banks are unable to do what they promise. They allow some people to experience less hunger. The problem, however, is too big for community-based charities to solve. Food banks have had 25 years to “end hunger.” Instead, demand continues to grow. It is time to stop applying a “solution” that isn’t working.

Food banks also serve many unintended functions. To start, those of us who donate, volunteer or participate in food drives “feel good” about making a difference in the lives of others. But we need to look beyond this aspect of our volunteer experiences.

Food banks also let governments off the hook from their obligation to ensure income security for all Canadians. They undermine social solidarity and social cohesion by dividing us into “us” (those who give) and “them” (those who receive).

Food banks are good for corporations, especially food corporations. They can use food banks to offload edible food they can’t sell, then advertise themselves as caring businesses. And holding corporate-wide food drives builds company morale. None of these corporate benefits are problematic in themselves, but they mean that corporations have a vested interest in the status quo.

Food banks can never solve the problem of poverty. It’s time to hold our governments accountable to their obligation to ensure that all Canadians have a standard of living adequate for health and well-being.

Giving food to those who are hungry is a simple response that everyone supports. Tackling poverty means wrestling with diverse ideas about causes and solutions. It’s time to begin that political conversation. But first we have to remove the obstacle that food banks have become.

Elaine Power, an associate professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queen’s University, has served on the board of the Partners in Mission Food Bank.



MORE RELATED TO THIS STORY
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Welfare recipients not receiving volunteer supplements

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-politics/welfare-recipients-not-receiving-volunteer-supplements/article2089238/

How paying people’s way out of poverty can help us all

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/how-paying-peoples-way-out-of-poverty-can-help-us-all/article2011940/

Teaching people to cook outside the box

Food banks aren’t the problem, poverty is

http://www.dailybread.ca/food-banks-arent-the-problem-poverty-is/

In response to a commentary published in the Globe and Mail on July 25th about closing Canada’s food banks, Daily Bread’s executive director and chair of the Board of Directors sent the following reply to the paper. Today, a portion of that letter was published in the Letters to the Editor. You can find the full text of our response below and the original commentary by Elaine Power here:  ‘It’s time to close Canada’s food banks’.

Elaine Power has far more in common with food banks that she probably realizes. We’re actually fighting the same fight, looking for solutions to the same problems and educating people about the complex issues around poverty in Canada. Yet the idea that a non-profit by its very existence must be covering up the problem that it seeks to solve is ridiculous. It would be similar to saying that Evergreen Youth Centre hides homelessness or Casey House is hiding HIV. In any event, it is hardly a battle one would want to have on the backs of those who are living in poverty and going hungry. As much as we continue to push for solutions to poverty, we don’t have the luxury that Power has in saying we shouldn’t exist. Even close to three years after the recession, we still have over a million visits to food banks across the GTA. They cannot be fed by ideology and hyperbole.

Food banks aren’t hiding the poor from any one. We’re not here to make people feel warm and fuzzy about giving – to say something so glib shows a lack of respect for the intelligence and compassion of thousands of people who volunteer at food banks and community agencies across Canada.  Yes, studies show doing good makes you feel good – but the volunteer program at Daily Bread is also an educational one. We’re here to show you not just that there is a problem, but that it is far more complex than just hunger because we see firsthand the extent of it.

Daily Bread’s mission has always been two-fold: we’re here to fight hunger by providing emergency food assistance when needed and we’re also here to fight hunger by educating people about the issues and advocating for solutions. Ontario has made some steps in the right direction towards alleviating child poverty through the Ontario Child Benefit — Daily Bread Food Bank was instrumental in making that a reality.

Food banks are often more than just providers of food. For many, providing emergency food services is a small part of a larger reality that if you are coming to a food bank for food there are other issues at hand such as housing, employment, domestic abuse or health issues. Daily Bread has an entire department dedicated to advocacy services. Many food banks do. To simplify and stereotype food banks as simply procurers and distributors of donations shows how very little Elaine Power actually knows about food banks, though she professes to have intimate knowledge of them. Her comments are also at odds with a 2005 position paper on food insecurity in Canada that she authored for Dietitians of Canada where she referenced another’s work by saying that: “…Canadian food banks, particularly Daily Bread in Toronto and the national association, CAFB [now Food Banks Canada], have remained politicized; they are tireless advocates for eliminating hunger through improved social security programs.”

Daily Bread provides food to The Stop Community Food Centre’s food bank and meal programs, but many of our other member agencies across Toronto, as well as Daily Bread, also run innovative programs supporting and empowering people on low incomes and work to keep the conversation about poverty at the forefront of people’s minds. Food banks, community food centres, meal programs, drop-in programs and community agencies are doing more than just providing food.

That’s because we know simply providing food will never solve hunger. We also know that food banks cannot solve hunger — alone. Power’s rant discounts the incredible amount of work agencies on the ground are doing to provide support and find solutions. To Elaine Power we’d like to remind her that her fight is our fight; not to end support for people who are struggling, but to empower, educate and defeat hunger at its root causes. If academics, policy makers and anti-poverty advocates can’t work together for a common purpose, how can we ever expect anyone to listen to any of us, let alone act on what we have to say?

Eric Meerkamper, Chair, Board of Directors, Daily Bread Food Bank

Gail Nyberg, Executive Director, Daily Bread Food Bank

Will Closing Food Banks Help End Hunger?

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/07/will-closing-food-banks-end-hunger.php