Kent County’s Community Food Pantry (The Pantry) A 501 (3) (c) non-profit corporation established to provide nutritional food to Kent County families who are living at or below poverty level. The Pantry is located at Christ United Methodist Church in Chestertown. Located at corner High & Mill Streets, P.O. Box 346, Chestertown, MD – Telephone:

KENT COUNTY’S COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY P.O. BOX 346, 401 HIGH ST., CHESTERTOWN, MD WEB ADDRESS: The Pantry) is a 501 (3) (c) non-profit corporation established to provide nutritional food to Kent County families who are living at or below poverty level. The Pantry is located at Christ United Methodist Church in Chestertown (Mill St. entrance). It is open from 10 AM to 12 PM every Tuesday and Thursday and second Wednesday for 20 – 30 “regular” clients. Almost all clients are referred to The Pantry by The Kent County Department of Social Services. Clients are only eligible for food assistance once every 30 days. The Pantry must purchase 60% of the food that is distributed. Less than 40% is donated. About 10,000 pounds of food a month is distributed.

Contents  History of The Food Pantry  Hours of Operation  Profile of Clients  Source of Food and Most Needed Food Items  A Typical Month at The Food Pantry  Client-Related Statistics  2010 Income and Expenses  Support for Backpack Program  Eat Better/Shop Smarter Workshops  Hunger Never Takes a Holiday

History of The Food Pantry  An independent 501(3) (c) nonprofit corporation since  Christ Church provides low-cost space and food storage.  Independent Board of Directors that represent Kent County.  Member of Maryland Food Bank  Member of the Chester Valley Ministers’ Association (CVMA)  Established in 1991 by Christ United Methodist Church in Chestertown.

Hours of Operation  Open from 10 AM to 12 PM every Tuesday and Thursday and second Wednesday for 20 – 30 “regular” clients.  Almost all clients are referred to The Pantry by The Kent County Department of Social Services.  Clients are only eligible for food assistance once every 30 days.

Profile of Clients

 Half of Kent County clients have children age 18 or younger.  A large majority are females (71%).  69% have annual incomes of $10,000 or less.  47% are White and 48% are African-American.  27% work full-time (13%) or part-time (14%).  Most clients are between 30 and 64 (71%). Seniors (12%) and the young (17%) are the balance.  Half of clients are from Chestertown and the rest in live in Rock Hall, Galena, etc.

Source of Food & Most Needed Items  The Pantry must purchase 60% of the food that is distributed.  Less than 40% is donated.  The Pantry distributes about 10,000 pounds of food a month.

Source of Food & Most Needed Items Examples of non- perishable foods that are purchased or donated: flour and sugar, dry cereal, canned tuna, chicken and salmon, canned vegetables and fruit, peanut butter and jelly, pork and beans, rice and pasta with meat

A Typical Month at the Food Pantry  Program director Miriam Greenlee and dozens of volunteers provide food to about 200 different families during the month.  Approximately 50 pounds of food are distributed to an average family.  In 2010, 118,931 pounds of food were distributed to 612 different families.

A Typical Month at the Food Pantry Approximately 30 different food items are provided to each family. Those items include:

Typical Food Items Distributed (about 35 different items/family)  Sugar and flour  Pancake mix and syrup  Eggs  Peanut butter and jelly  Tuna fish  Mayo  Canned meat  Hash, gravy & beef  Beans and rice  Dry milk  Spaghetti with meat balls in tomato sauce  Pasta with meat  Pork & beans  Cereal & oatmeal  Crackers and soup  Canned tomatoes  Apple sauce and canned fruit  Corn bread  Beans and vegetables  Mac & cheese  Fresh produce in the summer

A Typical Month at the Food Pantry Joe Baker and 4 to 6 volunteers pick up food from SuperFresh and unload food from Maryland Food Bank several times a month – about 10,000 pounds of food are handled each month

A Typical Month at the Food Pantry Volunteers check expiration dates and stack approximately thousands of pounds of donated food each month

Over 70 Volunteers Work at the Community Food Pantry Volunteers greet clients, unpack hundreds of boxes of food, check labels of donated food, stack thousands of cans of food on shelves and do what is required to serve struggling Kent Co. families

Client-Related Statistics The number of people who need assistance in Kent County grows every year.

Client-Related Statistics 2006 through 2010 Average for each year Families Served per Month Total men, women and children per month

Family Units Served Monthly:

Summary  Serviced 612 individual families  2,404 family-visits  3.9 visits per family

Number of Family Visits Number of Families Percent 1 Visit to Pickup Food20133% 2 Visits9015% 3 times7212% 4 Visits518% 5 Visits447% 6 Visits315% 7 or more Visits12320%

It’s about food…and more…

2010 Income and Expenses  Individual donors: $46,248  Churches: $22,298  Clubs/businesses: $10,937  United Way: $13,459  Kent Co. and State of MD: $2,000  Weinberg Foundation: $10,700  Value of non-cash items: Donated food: $55,795 Volunteer hours: 1,500+  Purchased food and non-food items: $60,732  Food director (salary and taxes): $13,103  Weinberg workshops: $6,637  Office supplies, rent, telephone, postage and utilities: $5,393 Income Expenses

Over One Thousand Students Qualify for Free Lunches in Kent Co. Public Schools Kent County Schools: School Year Total EnrollmentFree Lunch Reduced Lunch Total Free or RediucedPercent KC High School and Alternative School % KC Middle School % Elementary Schools Garnett % Galena % Millington % Rock Hall % Worton % Total Enrollment % Data provided by J. Bramble, KCS Food Service 9/27/11

Backpack Program Helps Make Healthy Kids!  Provides food assistance over the weekend to children in need  Program is national, but Kent County program is being run independently  Approximately 50% of Kent Co. public school student participate in reduced lunch or free lunch program – those children most in need are provided backpacks  Schools with sponsors: Middle School and Galena, Garnett, Millington, Rock Hall and Worton Elementary Schools  Food Pantry is purchasing breakfast, lunch and snack items from Maryland Food Bank  Churches are packing and delivering hundreds of food items to Kent County schools each week  In September we purchased 1,464 pounds of food (98 cases -- $1,367)  Examples: cereal bowls, white milk, juice, tuna, fruit snacks, noodles, ravioli, peanut butter crackers, applesauce, pudding, pop tarts and granola bars

Eat Better and Shop Smarter  2010/2011 workshops, attended by over 100 clients, are supported by a grant from Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation Grant and Washington College SIFE.  Surveys are used to gauge changes in behaviors and attitudes.  Dietitian has designed recipes and is helping clients deal with obesity, blood pressure and diabetes.  Washington College SIFE is helping clients with budgeting and comparison shopping.

Marcia Yeager, a dietitian, and WC SIFE students discuss food purchases and budgeting, portion size and food labels.

Hunger Never Takes a Holiday  The Pantry needs your donated food every month.  Support The Pantry with a contribution during Food Pantry Nov. fund drive and support the United Way.  A donation of $50 will buy 3 bags of food for a family of four. Each month The Pantry distributes 600+ bags of food.  For more information, visit: