SFP Volunteer Update – June, 2022

Written By Joyce Donohue

Hi, everyone. As we move into summer, and the cost of food and gas continue to rise, we hear the strain from our clients. In response, we continue to provide as much food as we can including meat, cheese, bread, milk and eggs at every opening.

Below is a summary of 2022 visits to date:

There are many moving parts and many kind souls who come together to make our Pantry a warm and safe space providing nourishment to our clients. If you receive this message via email, it is because you are an active volunteer, volunteered in the past or are a community member who has supported the Pantry ~ we thank each of you for your support.

Survey Results

We recently sent out a survey asking how we can do better. Here’s a summary of what we heard:

1.    What do you enjoy most about volunteering at the Pantry?

a.    Working with others and giving back to the community.  

2.    What do you least enjoy about volunteering at the Pantry?

a.    Language barriers, when we are not busy or not knowing what to do.

i.    In response to this feedback, we have documented the volunteer roles on our website and within each sign-up. If you have suggestions on how to more clearly define the roles, please let us know.

ii.    We are also researching different translation applications to help with on-site clients and have a new volunteer, Cecilia, who will be available by phone to translate Mandarin / Chinese.

3.    Do you have any suggestions on how we can improve our service for our clients?

a.    The Pantry is well organized.

b.    We should be mindful that once clients are introduced to the process, they should be given autonomy to shop independently.

i.    We want all clients to have the freedom to shop independently, with support from our In Pantry volunteers as they need. Our regular volunteers have established relationships with many of the clients which lends itself to a comfortable, friendly atmosphere.

ii.    One respondent asked if we want to consider adding a morning session. Right now, the Pantry is open an average of 6 times a month (5.5 hours on 2 Tuesdays and 6.5 on Wednesdays) with each client family invited to come twice or more if necessary. We feel a 1PM start allows our seniors to come early and the later hours accommodate our working families. We are also available for emergency visits as needed. We don’t anticipate extending the hours at this time, but appreciate the input and if you hear from a client who cannot make our open times, please capture their information so we can discuss how best to help them.

4.    Do you have suggestions on how to improve our volunteer experience?

a.    The Pantry offers a really strong volunteer experience…assistance is offered when needed, we know when we are registered to volunteer, the environment feels safe and the management team is open to listening.

b.    Tell me exactly what’s required from me at each station and have all volunteers on the same page understanding the Pantry mission and goals.

i.    Please refer to the volunteer roles on our website or as listed within each sign-up.

ii.    Our mission is to work together as a community to provide supplemental, nutritionally balanced food to those in need while respecting the dignity of each person we serve.

5.    Please describe any skills or expertise in an area you think would benefit us and our mission.

a.    I am bi-lingual.

i.    This is such a benefit to us. If you are fluent in a 2nd language, please be sure to let the Pantry Supervisor know! We may ask for your help translating during a shift.

6.    Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

a.    I think the pantry is run really well. It is amazing to see how many people are helped each opening. The amount of food the clients are given is amazing. It is great to see how all the volunteers work together.

Did you know? In addition to the roles listed on our site, we have a team of volunteers who ensure we have bread every week? Working with Anne Dowd, they rotate selecting, transporting and unloading anywhere from 100 – 280 loaves of bread each week for our families donated by Freihofer’s in Nanuet. Shout out to the team who, in addition to Anne, includes: Glenn Thompson, Larry Quinn, Kevin O’Hara and Larry Sedwick. If this is something you would like to help with, please let us know.

Haven’t Made It To All Souls Yet?

For those of you who have not seen our new space, we welcome you to come visit even if you cannot stay to volunteer. The more people who know about the Pantry and how we work helps to spread the word to those who may be in need or who wish to support our mission. Visitors are always welcome to stop by. Please check the website to confirm our open dates.

June Openings

Below are links to the sign-ups for June. Please check out any dates you may be interested in and available to volunteer.

Once again, thank you for your ongoing support. If you do not want to receive these communications going forward, please reply to: SloatsburgFoodPantry@gmail.com.

Wishing you a wonderful day.

Respectfully yours,

Joyce     

Joyce Donohue
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SFP Volunteer Update – October / November, 2022
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SFP Volunteer Update – March, 2022