2021 ANNUAL REPORT
from Board President Bob Rohla:
The spring of 2020 brought a pandemic that affected us all, and the following months forced us to accept a new “normal” that would last through all of 2021. Throughout this tumultuous time, CDC guidelines regarding vaccines and masking have helped the Emergency Food Pantry make consistent decisions to keep our clients, volunteers, and staff safe.
community agencies that helped keep us faithful to our mission during a second pandemic year. We are grateful for your generosity, determination, work ethic, and positive attitudes. Because of you, the Emergency Food Pantry’s efforts to keep people safe while continuing this important work has been successful.
Sincerely,
To this day, clients receive food baskets outside and we continue to use technology to evaluate and improve the service we provide. Staff and volunteers continue to uphold our mission of supporting the community by providing food to reduce hunger. 2021 saw a continued trend of serving fewer clients and giving out less food; however, monetary support from the community remains strong. Giving Hearts Day 2021 saw donations amounting to a record $91,000. Food basket offerings remained consistent and we have been able to maintain a strong supply of food to provide for families in need. As we look to the future, the Board of Directors continues to work on a five year strategic plan that is guided by these priorities:
COMMUNITY EDUCATION VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES FUNDING AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS AND SERVICES On behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to thank the Pantry Staff, our volunteers, and the many churches, businesses, and
Bob Rohla, President of the Board of Directors
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Stacie Loegering I am extremely proud of what the Emergency Food Pantry team accomplished in 2021. In the midst of the ongoing pandemic, a small group of staff and volunteers made a massive difference in people’s lives with the support of community volunteers and generous donors. Throughout the year, we connected with more than 4,800 unique families and provided over 9,300 food baskets, which included nourishing foods like milk, eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen meat, canned foods, cereal, juice, pasta or rice, as well as toilet paper and soap. We continued to accommodate dietary needs the best we could and added birthday bags for kids, as well as prenatal vitamins for people who were pregnant.
gather feedback. One of these families stood out to
This is what the Emergency Food Pantry does.
me, and I’d like to share their story with you.
When tragedy and hardship strike, our community
Matthew and Amanda both grew up in poverty
is there to lend a hand–to help individuals and
and remember receiving food baskets as children.
families navigate challenging times, and to ensure
Their experiences taught them how to handle hard
no one in our community goes hungry.
times, but even they never expected things to get as bad as they did. When their second child was
Matthew and Amanda are similar to many
born with unique medical needs, Matthew and
individuals and families the Emergency Food
Amanda began to struggle financially. Then, right
Pantry serves. Most are working, but they
as their third child was born, they experienced a
experience a hardship that makes it challenging to
loss of income due to the pandemic.
consistently have enough food.
The first time she asked for help, Amanda was
Our mission is to serve these people; to ease the
nervous and embarrassed. When she learned that
food financial burden so they can regain stability
the Emergency Food Pantry receives food and
in other areas of their life. Thanks to donors,
funds from the community, she said it brought
employees, and volunteers, the Emergency Food
tears to her eyes thinking about the complete
Pantry has continued to provide its quality service
strangers who care about her and her family.
through the second year of a global pandemic.
When she served her family the first meal made of Pantry food, she felt her table was surrounded by the love of everyone who supported the Pantry. Without food from the Emergency Food Pantry, the couple said they would not have been able to pay their rent or utility bills. With support from the Emergency Food Pantry, they focused on a budget and began to successfully manage their resources.
meet community needs, we reached out to a group
Today, their income is back to normal and they can
of clients who received a food basket in 2020 to
finally feel financially stable.
THANK YOU
To ensure the Emergency Food Pantry continues to
2021 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Bob Rohla, President Megan Myrdal, Vice President Caileen Heuertz, Secretary Sonja Hunter, Treasurer Aaron Nissen
Thank you,
Matt Lachowitzer Melissa Schmidt Pam Sommer Pat Podoll Tyler Mayfield
EMPLOYEES Stacie Andrea Greta Hailey
Emily Carissa Anna Dora
Stacie Loegering, Executive Director
Melissa Katie Ron
VOLUNTEERS
Regularly scheduled, businesses, churches, individuals, and service clubs
GOVERNMENT GRANTS
3%
MISCELLANEOUS
18%
2021 FINANCIAL SUMMARY
DONATIONS
$337,631.54
DONATIONS
75%
GOVERNMENT
$15,688.00
MISCELLANEOUS $18,370.52
4%
GRANTS
$78,850.57
Total Income: $450,540.63
EMERGENCY FOOD PANTRY
CLIENT FOOD & SUPPLY
$70,343.50
(15% of Total Expences)
EXPENSES
$150,632.52
(34% of Total Expences)
PERSONNEL
$235,624.55
(51% of Total Expences)
Total Operating Expenses: $456,600.57
2021 CLIENT & FOOD STATISTICS
Total Individuals Served: 29,695 CHILDREN
ADULTS
SENIORS
12,357
15,344
1,994
*Includes all repeat households served and the total members in those households
Total Carts of Food Provided to Households: 9,347 Total Unduplicated Households Served: 4,805 *
Total Unduplicated Individuals Served: 14,894 **
*An unduplicated or unique household is defined as the first time a household received services from the pantry in 2021.
**Total unduplicated or unique individuals served is the total number of persons within a unique or unduplicated household.
Total Distributed Pounds of Food: 1,370,336lbs (Pounds in carts was 1,173,893 and pounds in lobby was 196,443)
Total value of distributed food at $1.79/pound: Average household size Average amount of food given per person in carts Value of food given per person
$2,452,901 3 39lbs $69
PROVIDING MORE THAN MEALS The Emergency Food Pantry’s mission extends beyond providing food for people who would otherwise go hungry. We lean into our values of compassion, connection, and collaboration to further support the community. When you are in a survival state, it can feel impossible to think about meeting more than your basic needs. That is why, when we prepare food baskets, we ask clients a few questions to gain a better understanding of their needs beyond hunger. Then, we partner with outside organizations to help meet these additional needs. Thanks to a grant through Vitamin Angels, we can provide six months of prenatal vitamins to someone who is pregnant. With support from St. Benedict Catholic Church, we are able to consistently provide a birthday bag to each child. Other churches, individuals, and service
clubs also donate birthday bags so our local
many individual farmers, Growing Together
youth can celebrate their special day. At the
Community Gardens, and NDSU Master
beginning of each year, we receive crayons and
Gardeners, we can provide fresh fruits and
other materials so young children can start
vegetables grown in local gardens. Thanks to
the new semester with fresh school supplies.
individuals and Fargo Gateway Lions, we often
For many holidays, we provide families
have small holiday gifts to distribute near the
with holiday decor that is donated by local
end of the year. Thanks to individuals, we are
grocery stores. There is so much joy watching
sometimes able to offer quilts or blankets to
a family receive a Halloween costume or
families who do not have any bedding.
food dye to decorate Easter eggs! Thanks to
The Emergency Food Pantry’s effort to do more than just provide food is evidenced by our sustainability initiatives. Many of the food donations that we receive would traditionally end up in the landfill; however, we have developed a system to share food and reduce, reuse, and recycle food packaging. We are part of a collaborative effort with the Great Plains Food Bank network and the Cass Clay Hunger Coalition. When one partner has too much of a specific food, they reach out to see if the other facilities need that particular food. Partners have become resourceful by offering excess items in pop-up pantries and we offer extra items individuals can take in our parking lot during Pantry hours. We handle a lot of cardboard throughout the week. We reuse any sturdy medium-sized boxes in our food baskets. We reuse sorting boxes as we restock our warehouse. We compact and bale boxes that are too large or too flimsy to safely reuse in the facility. Local businesses provide us with additional boxes to use in the food basket. We accept, pick up, and utilize recycled plastic grocery bags so they are used more than one time. We sort and send appropriate plastic packaging to a local warehouse that ensures the items are shredded and recycled.
845 unique volunteers served 14,334 hours (These hours are approximately 7 full-time workers. At $10.00 an hour that is $145,600 worth of labor.)
.5% .5% 4.5% USDA PURCHASED FOOD
FILL THE DOME
2021 SOURCES OF FOOD 43%
GREAT PLAINS FOOD BANK
51% COMMUNITY
*Great Plains Food Bank (GPFB) is the regional food bank. GPFB runs the Daily Bread program which recovers surplus product and distributes to organizations such as the Emergency Food Pantry (EFP) that directly feed people in need of food. Also, each month EFP can order food from GPFB. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) oversees The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) which provides federal food to food pantries throughout the United States.
Emergency Food Pantry 1101 4th Avenue North Fargo, ND 58102 701-237-9337 EmergencyFoodPantry.com
2022 WISH LIST If you are wondering how you can be part of the Emergency Food Pantry’s mission, please consider a financial contribution. Your dollars allow us the flexibility to purchase fresh items such as milk, eggs, and meat, as well as pallets of bulk products. We are also always grateful for donations of the following:
• • • • • • •
Boxed food Canned food Cleaning products Hygiene items Pet supplies Plastic and paper grocery bags Medium-sized boxes (Approximately 12’ x 12’ so that an average person can pick up if filled with food).
For a complete list of the Pantry’s current needs, visit our website: www.emergencyfoodpantry.com or scan the QR code.
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