Webinar Series for Hunger Relief Organizations
Food Bank of Wyoming, Wyoming Hunger Initiative, and the Cent$ible Nutrition Program have partnered to provide a webinar series designed to empower hunger-relief organizations in funding, marketing, managing, recruiting volunteers, and grant writing. This series is especially designed to help Wyoming nonprofits think strategically about serving their communities, developing brand and image, navigating funding opportunities, and writing grants that could sustain their organization into the future.
While the first webinars were in conducted on April 17, 24, and May 1, the recordings are now available online. There are still webinars opportunities coming up on May 7, 14, and 20.
Register today! |
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May 7 – Webinar, Your Library Tool Box May 11 – NALC National Food Drive
May 14 – Webinar, Recruit, Engage & Retain Volunteers May 20 – Webinar, Grant Writing Workshop
May 27 – Memorial Day; Food Bank of Wyoming is closed End of June – Annual inventory July 1 – Beginning of fiscal year 2025 July 4 – Independence Day; Food Bank of Wyoming is closed |
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Partner Spotlight: Friday Food Bag Foundation
The Friday Food Bag Foundation in Cheyenne was established in 2007 by the Holland & Hart firm to deliver food bags to Title 1 schools. At first, they distributed 50 bags a week, but over the years the program grew and now the Foundation is delivering over 1,100 bags to the schools per week.
At the beginning of each school year, the Foundation assesses the food bags' ingredients with nutritionists, social workers, and the feedback collected from the year prior, then selects food based on the students' needs while ensuring a diversity of options. Volunteers participate in filling bags every Tuesday during the school year at 5:30 p.m. They can also drive to pick up and drop off the bags at the schools no later than Friday morning.
In the fall of 2022, the Foundation's board of directors worked to identify creative solutions to reduce the cost per food bag. They built partnerships with Food Bank of Wyoming, the Wyoming Hunger Initiative, and Arrow Moving and Storage and changed the way they were doing business. The Friday Food Bag Foundation now sources the majority of their bags' contents through Food Bank of Wyoming. That change resulted in a reduction of the cost per bag from approximately $9.00 a bag to $3.50 a bag.
With that savings, they were able to increase the number of items in each bag and, more importantly, improve the quality of the food by increasing the amount of protein and reducing the amount of sugar in the items provided. "We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with Food Bank of Wyoming, and in doing so, we're able to support more students in our community than ever before," shared Susan Robbins. |
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The Pivot of Summer 2024
Remember when nonprofits could identify a season that was quieter and slower than others? At Food Bank of Wyoming, that time used to be the summer. Not anymore! Now, it seems that no season is slower than another. The slow season used to be a great time to refocus on all areas to set a nonprofit up for success for the rest of the year. Without a slow period, we suggest a focus on just one area this summer. If you haven’t picked a project for this summer, consider a “Focus on Your Facility” approach: What one thing could be improved to serve your clients? enhanced to engage your volunteers? or upgraded to serve your staff?
The Area Housing Your Mission – Do you own or rent? Is it a building, a room, or a closet? Does this space meet or hinder your mission? If you have an open pantry offering client choice shopping, your space's needs will be very different from a drive-through food box distribution. Is there anything you need to change about your facility?
Curb Appeal – Walk through the process of a first-time visit to your agency, from driving down the road to the first intake conversation. Is your organization easy to see from the street? Can your front door be found and accessed with little effort? Is the entry welcoming? It's hard enough to ask for help, it shouldn't be difficult to access. (These same tasks can be applied to services access for internal programs. Don't assume that once someone is engaged with one of your services that they know or feel comfortable accessing all of them.)
Equipment Maintenance – Take a quick assessment of your equipment; everything needs maintenance, from a forklift to a microwave. You may find that some things are at the end of their usefulness. Summer is a great time to source office equipment from social media marketplaces. By setting aside some time now, you can plan for replacements and even have your team on the lookout for opportunities to fund or secure free items throughout the year.
Safety Drills – We don’t often think about these, but they are important tools for effectively handling emergencies. Consider these drills: Fire, Weather, Active Shooter, Aggressive Person, Accidental Injury, and Food Recall. Aside from the act of correct responsiveness, consider the documentation that goes along with each of these events. Clean and Shuffle – Fung-Shui, it’s a thing! Consider your entire space and how you could use that space to better serve your mission. Moving offices or equipment can seem radical, but it can also provide a refresh for your team and a better flow of services. This is also a great time to repaint, rethink, and retool. |
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Nurturing Your Volunteers Spring volunteers attract summer volunteers! Regular acknowledgment of what volunteers bring to your organization can help you recruit volunteers for the future. Here are a few ideas to do so: Frame Their Work into the Overall Impact of Your Mission: Highlight their contributions and share success stories to demonstrate the positive impact of their efforts. Training and Skill Development: Invest in the growth and development of your volunteers. This not only enhances their abilities, but also demonstrates your commitment to their personal and professional growth. Volunteers stay engaged when they see their time is contributing to their personal development.
Regular Feedback Sessions: Foster a culture of continuous improvement by conducting regular feedback sessions with your volunteers. Ask for their input and demonstrate that their opinions matter. This enhances the volunteer experience and helps make improvements that contribute to overall volunteer satisfaction. Creating a culture of appreciation and support is key to retaining (and ultimately recruiting) volunteers. A well-appreciated volunteer feels valued, recognized, and motivated. |
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This institution is an equal opportunity provider. |
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