Food for Free Committees, Inc.

Transcription

1 Food for Free Committees, Inc. General Information 11 Inman Street Cambridge, MA (617) Website Organization Contact Michelle Holcomb Year of Incorporation

2 Statements & Search Criteria Mission Statement Food For Free improves access to healthy food within our community by rescuing food that would otherwise go to waste, strengthening the community food system, and creating new distribution channels to reach underserved populations. We envision a future where everyone in our community regardless of age, income or ability has consistent access to fresh, healthy, delicious food. Background Statement Food For Free was founded in 1981 when a group of volunteers sought to address a shortage of food at local food pantries. Realizing that perfectly good food was being thrown away at local grocery stores, they borrowed vans to collect or rescue this surplus food and distribute it to programs serving the hungry. Food For Free was incorporated in 1981 and received 501(c)(3) status in 1985.Today, our Food Rescue and Distribution program collects food from more than 80 donors and distributes it to more than 100 local food programs. We work with programs in 11 Greater Boston cities, collectively reaching over 30,000 individuals. Last year, we rescued nearly 2 million pounds of food equivalent to about 1.5 million meals. The abundance of prepared foods becoming available for rescue in the last few years led to the creation of our Family Meals program. This is the program for which we seek your support. Family Meals repackages rescued prepared foods into microwave-ready, single-serving meals that can be distributed to a variety of foodinsecure populations. Family Meals is just one of Food For Free's innovative programs addressing the particular needs of various food-insecure populations. Other programs include Home Delivery, which reaches home-bound seniors and people with disabilities; the Cambridge Weekend Backpack Program, which addresses the out-of-school needs of elementary and middle school students at risk of hunger; and School Markets, which bring school communities together around food and reaches families that hesitate to use food pantries. Impact Statement In the year ending June 30, 2017, Food For Free: 1. Distributed 1.9 million pounds of food to over 100 food programs in 11 Greater Boston cities 2. Transported 1.2 million pounds of food between the Greater Boston Food Bank and food programs that lack their own transportation 3. Brought twice-monthly deliveries of food to 140 low-income seniors and people with disabilities 4. Sent food for the weekend home with 550 young students, through the Cambridge Weekend Backpack Program.5. Created and distributed 24,000 meals through our Family Meals program. In the next year, Food For Free will: 1. Distribute 2 million pounds of food 2. Bring food to 150 seniors and people with disabilities through Home Delivery 3. Adopt the Somerville Backpack Program, and reach 300 young students with food each weekend during the school ear. 4. Expand our Family Meals program, with the goal of distributing 30,000 meals during the year 2

3 Needs Statement The recently enacted Massachusetts Food Waste Ban now applies to some 1,700 institutions, including supermarkets, universities, hotels, hospitals, nursing homes, and restaurants. Hundreds of thousands of pounds of food waste much of it perfectly edible will need to be repurposed each year. As the oldest and largest food rescue organization in the state, Food For Free is uniquely positioned to respond to this opportunity. But, doing so will require organizational growth at a pace unprecedented in our 34-year history. To meet the needs of large scale institutions, and to repurpose the food they can provide in ways that are useful to the community, we will need to make significant investment in our organizational infrastructure. At a minimum, Food For Free will need to expand our staff and our fleet of trucks. It may be that this program will also call for specialized equipment to repackage and/or freeze institutional foods into packaging more appropriate to individual consumers. CEO/Executive Director Statement According to the USDA, 31 percent of the of food available for human consumption in the U.S. is wasted at the retail and consumer levels. That's 133 billion pounds worth $162 billion each year. Handling food waste is expensive for both businesses and municipalities. In landfills, organic waste produces methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Recognizing the financial and environmental costs of food waste as insupportable over the long term, Massachusetts has enacted a food waste ban that applies to all businesses that generate more than one ton of organic waste a week. The ban took effect on October 1, Meanwhile, more than 500,000 people in Eastern Massachusetts are struggling to put food on their tables. This is where Food For Free makes a difference, by bridging the gap between food waste and food insecurity. The Massachusetts Food Waste Ban affects some 1,700 institutions in Massachusetts, including supermarkets, universities, hotels, hospitals, nursing homes, and restaurants. Hundreds of thousands of pounds of food waste much of it perfectly edible will need to be repurposed. There is no organization in Cambridge better prepared to help businesses address this challenge than Food For Free. But success will require additional resources, and it will require cooperation and creativity from every corner: institutions, community food programs, financial donors, and public officials. Service Categories Food Banks, Food Pantries Geographic Areas Served Greater Boston Please review online profile for full list of selected areas served. 3

4 Programs Food Rescue Description Food Rescue and Distribution is Food For Free's oldest program and our central tactic for combating hunger. Food For Free's Food Rescue programs improve access to healthy foods by rescuing fresh food food that might otherwise be discarded and distributing it within the emergency food system. We get this food to the people who need it by partnering with emergency food programs, youth programs, and other programs that reach lowincome individuals. Food For Free's network of donors has grown tremendously in the last two years, and we now partner with more than 80 food donors, including wholesalers, grocery stores, universities, and farms. The Food Rescue program provides food for more than 100 local food programs in 11 Greater Boston cities. In 2017, it will distribute about 2 million pounds of food--equivalent to more than 1.5 million meals. Budget Category Population Served Program Short Term Success Program Long term Success Program Success Monitored By Food, Agriculture & Nutrition, General/Other Hunger Action Poor,Economically Disadvantaged,Indigent, Homeless, In 2015, Produce Rescue and Distribution will distribute more than 1 million pounds of food to emergency food programs in Greater Boston. Long-term success would be a 90% reduction in hunger and the health effects of food-insecurity within Food For Free's service area. Food For Free measures our effectiveness through both ongoing quantitative measures, i.e. daily tracking how much food we distribute, and also through qualitative measures, such as surveys of our recipient agencies. Data from these surveys helps us quantify the number of people we serve and make qualitative judgments about how well these programs work at reducing hunger. Examples of Program Success In 2014, Food For Free's food rescue programs diverted 1.3 million pounds of food from the waste stream and distributed 1.6 million pounds of food in all. Testimony from recipient food programs:"we could not consistently feed all our members nutritious meals without the help of Food For Free." "Our program might not exist without Food For Free." 4

5 Home Delivery Description Twice a month, Home Delivery brings a full box of healthy foods to low-income Cambridge residents who are unable to access food pantries due to long-term illness or disability. Budget Category Population Served Program Short Term Success Program Long term Success Program Success Monitored By Examples of Program Success Food, Agriculture & Nutrition, General/Other Hunger Action Elderly and/or Disabled, Poor,Economically Disadvantaged,Indigent, In 2015, Home Delivery will serve clients each month will distribute more than 70,000 pounds of food. Long-term success for Home Delivery would mean eliminating the incidence of reported hunger and meal skipping due to lack of resources among low-income elderly and.or disabled Cambridge residents. Food For Free uses internal record-keeping to track the amount of food delivered and the number of clients served each month and periodic client satisfaction surveys to assess the efficacy of this program at reducing hunger. In recent client satisfaction surveys, clients have reported a reduction in meal-skipping and an increase the the frequency with which they consume fresh fruits and vegetables. 5

6 Field of Greens Description Each summer, Food For Free supplements the produce we gather from donors with nutrient-dense vegetables grown by our own staff and volunteers at Field of Greens. Each year, Ari Kurtz lends us use of a quarter-acre of land at Lindentree Farm, where our staff and volunteers harvest between 10 and 12 varieties of organic produce for distribution to pantries, meals, and shelters. Budget Category Population Served Program Short Term Success Program Long term Success Program Success Monitored By Examples of Program Success Food, Agriculture & Nutrition, General/Other Sustainable Agriculture Poor,Economically Disadvantaged,Indigent, Homeless, In 2015, more than 50 volunteers will work at Field of Greens and learn about hunger, the emergency food system, and Food For Free's work. Field of Greens will harvest more than 3,000 pounds of vegetables for distribution to local food programs. Long-term success for Field of Greens would mean widespread knowledge of the issues of hunger, food waste, and sustainable agriculture within Food For Free's area of service, as well as food programs having consistent access to local, sustainably farmed produce. Volunteer hours and harvest weights are tracked through internal record keeping. Last year, Field of Greens hosted more than 50 volunteers and harvested 5,000 pounds of organically grown vegetables for distribution to local food programs. 6

7 Transportation Partnership Description The Transportation Partnership picks up food from the Greater Boston Food Bank and delivers it to twelve food programs that lack their own transportation. This program began in 2010 at the Greater Boston Food Bank's request. Budget Category Population Served Food, Agriculture & Nutrition, General/Other Hunger Action Unemployed, Underemployed, Dislocated, Homeless, Program Short Term Success In 2015, The Transportation Partnership will transport 850,000 pounds of food between the Greater Boston Food Bank and 12 local food programs. Program Long term Success Program Success Monitored By Examples of Program Success Long-term success for The Transportation Partnership would mean a 90% reduction in hunger and the health effects of food insecurity within our service area. The Greater Boston Food Bank provides Food For Free with delivery weights for the food transported through this program. In 2014, this program delivered 868,000 pounds of food. Family Meals Description Using surplus foods rescued from university dining halls and other sources, Family Meals creates heat-and-eat meals for families sheltered in hotels and others who face barriers to cooking for themselves. Budget Category Population Served Program Short Term Success Program Long term Success Food, Agriculture & Nutrition, General/Other Food Distribution Families, Homeless, Program will increase weekly production of meals by 50% over the next year Program participants will report a decrease in meal-skipping due to lack of access to food Program Success Monitored By Examples of Program Success A quote from a meal recipient:"i was wondering who made the real food meal. That was so helpful to me during the blizzard. Whoever brought those or made those, I just want to hug them!i was so happy to have real vegetables, a grain, and meat in a healthy way in a real meal.when I'm not at school, I don't have meals with multiple food groups in them. I don't have access to a variety of healthy foods, so that meal helped me be healthier. I felt more like a normal person, too." 7

8 Cambridge Weekend Backpack Program Description The Cambridge Weekend Backpack Program sends a weekend's worth of food home with elementary and middle school students at risk for hunger. Budget Category Food, Agriculture & Nutrition, General/Other Food Distribution Population Served Children Only (5-14 years),, Program Short Term Success Program Long term Success At least 30% of parent/teacher respondents will report improvement in at least one health or academic success indicator. Parents and teachers of participants will report improved health, school participation, and academic outcomes for participating students. Program Success Monitored By Examples of Program Success Of the 83 students whose teachers provided evaluations in the teacher final evaluation survey, 33.7 percent showed improved school performance and attention in class, 31.3 percent showed improved behavior, 30.1 percent showed improved attendance, and 14.5 percent showed improved health indicators. 8

9 Management CEO/Executive Director Executive Director Term Start July Ms. Sasha Purpura Experience Sasha Purpura joined Food For Free as Executive Director in July After graduating from Boston University with a degree in computer science, Sasha spent the next 15 years working in the private sector as a software engineer, product manager, and manager. She worked for Lotus Development Corp., Nokia, and Iron Mountain. In 2006 Sasha helped her husband establish Plato's Harvest, a small organic farm in Southeastern, Massachusetts. In 2009, Sasha left the private sector to work full time on the farm while pursuing and receiving her MBA in Sustainability from Antioch University. Sasha is an active member of the local food community, sits on the steering committee of Slow Money Boston, and is a founding member of Sprout Lenders a local investment club working to build the local food system. Former CEOs Name Term Mr. David R. Leslie Dec June 2012 Mr. R.B. Michael Oliver Aug Sept 2004 Senior Staff Ms. Michelle Holcomb Title Development Director Experience/Biography Mr. Ryan Lee Title Operations Director Experience/Biography Ms Alanna Mallon Title Experience/Biography Program Director Founder of the Cambridge Weekend Backpack Program, Alanna joined Food For Free in January A long-time Cambridge resident, she was Education Liaison under Mayor David Maher. As program director, in Alanna oversees the Backpack Program, School Markets, Home Delivery, and Field of Greens. 9

10 Ms. Fiona Crimmins Title Experience/Biography Staff Information Full Time Staff Part Time Staff Volunteers Contractors Retention Rate % Staff Demographics - Ethnicity African American/Black 3 Asian American/Pacific Islander 0 Caucasian 13 Hispanic/Latino 3 Native American/American Indian 0 Other 0 Staff Demographics - Gender Male Female Unspecified Formal Evaluations CEO Formal Evaluation CEO/Executive Formal Evaluation Frequency Senior Management Formal Evaluation Senior Management Formal Evaluation Frequency NonManagement Formal Evaluation Non Management Formal Evaluation Frequency Annually Annually Annually Plans & Policies Organization has a Fundraising Plan? Organization has a Strategic Plan? 10

11 Years Strategic Plan Considers Date Strategic Plan Adopted Dec 2017 Does your organization have a Business Continuity of Operations Plan? Management Succession Plan? Organization Policy and Procedures Nondiscrimination Policy Whistleblower Policy Document Destruction Policy Directors and Officers Insurance Policy Permit? 3 No No Under Development Collaborations Food For Free's work is rooted in collaboration--with food donors, recipient food programs, community partners like the Greater Boston Food Bank and Boston Area Gleaners, and business partners like Boston Organics. Here are just two examples of our collaborative work: Food Food Free collects food from more than 80 sources, including farms, produce wholesalers, grocery stores, and other retail businesses. We distribute this food to more than 100 local food programs. For some of these collections and deliveries, we work with Metro Pedal Power, a local tricycle-truck delivery service. This allows us to reach multiple farmers' markets that are open at the same time without adding additional trucks to our operation, and allows us to make some smaller deliveries without putting a truck on the road at all. We also work closely with Boston Area Gleaners, a nonprofit that harvests the produce left after a farm's market harvest, thereby preventing this food from being plowed under. Food For Free distributes much of the produce that BAG gleans from local farms each year. 11

12 Board & Governance Board Chair Board Chair Mr. Elan Ezickson Company Affiliation Scholar Rock, Inc. Term Jan 2017 to June Board Members Name Affiliation Status Mr. Marc Becker Concert Pharmaceuticals Voting Mr. Abe Ceesay scpharmaceuticals Voting Ms. Anne Cushman Advise and Consult Voting Mr Elan Ezickson Scholar Rock, Inc. Voting Ms. Alison Gray Cambridge Savings Bank Voting Mr Justin Kang City Awake Voting Mr. Michael Monestime Central Square Business Association Voting Mr. Bruce Posner MIT Sloan School of Management Voting Mr. Stephen Pratt Impact Catalyst Voting Ms Marina Seevak The Beautiful Stuff Project Voting Ms. Kirsten Sims Hello Small Studio Voting Ms. Hannah Clark Steiman Peak Support Voting Mr. Robert Steinberg Kronos Incorporated Voting Ms. Kristen Watkins Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab Voting Board Demographics - Ethnicity African American/Black 2 Asian American/Pacific Islander 1 Caucasian 11 Hispanic/Latino 0 Native American/American Indian 0 Other 0 Board Demographics - Gender Male Female Unspecified

13 Board Information Number of Full Board Meetings Annually Board Meeting Attendance % Written Board Selection Criteria? Written Conflict of Interest Policy? Percentage Making Monetary Contributions Constituency Includes Client Representation 6 89% Under Development 100% No Standing Committees Finance Governance and Policy 13

14 Financials Fiscal Year Fiscal Year Start July 01, 2018 Fiscal Year End June 30, 2019 Projected Revenue $1,279, Projected Expenses $1,294, Endowment? No Credit Line? No Reserve Fund? Months Reserve Fund Covers 3 Detailed Financials Revenue and Expenses Fiscal Year Total Revenue $4,374,791 $3,893,954 $3,728,308 Total Expenses $4,298,526 $3,793,224 $3,728,587 Revenue Sources Fiscal Year Foundation and Corporation $330,052 $472,478 $187,829 Contributions Government Contributions $0 $0 $0 Federal State Local Unspecified Individual Contributions $411,710 $268,758 $260,605 Indirect Public Support Earned Revenue $33,627 $21,950 $8,550 Investment Income, Net of Losses $592 $975 $429 Membership Dues Special Events $287,141 $226,234 $195,648 Revenue In-Kind $3,311,669 $2,903,559 $3,054,967 Other $20,280 14

15 Expense Allocation Fiscal Year Program Expense $4,014,381 $3,527,469 $3,500,097 Administration Expense $125,025 $132,793 $108,475 Fundraising Expense $159,120 $132,962 $120,016 Payments to Affiliates Total Revenue/Total Expenses Program Expense/Total Expenses 93% 93% 94% Fundraising Expense/Contributed Revenue 15% 14% 19% Assets and Liabilities Fiscal Year Total Assets $729,306 $650,030 $463,304 Current Assets $494,561 $426,427 $193,386 Long-Term Liabilities Current Liabilities $49,042 $46,031 $14,393 Total Net Assets $680,264 $603,999 $448,911 Short Term Solvency Fiscal Year Current Ratio: Current Assets/Current Liabilities Long Term Solvency Fiscal Year Long-Term Liabilities/Total Assets 0% 0% 0% Top Funding Sources Fiscal Year Top Funding Source & Dollar Amount Second Highest Funding Source & Dollar Amount Third Highest Funding Source & Dollar Amount Capital Campaign Currently in a Capital Campaign? Capital Campaign Anticipated in Next 5 Years? No Comments CEO Comments Historically, Food For Free has not accounted for the value of donated food in our financial statements. We have recently implement the appropriate systems to support accounting for this beginning with fiscal year As a result, our FY15-17 audits show a significant increase in both income and expenses from previous years, over $3 million of which is the value of the food we rescue and distribute. Foundation Staff Comments Financial summary data in the charts and graphs above is per the organization's audited financials. Please note, this organization changed its fiscal year in 2014 from a calendar year (Jan. 1 - Dec. 31) to fiscal year (July 1 - June 30). As such the fiscal year 2014 Form 990 and Review posted above cover a 6 month period (Jan. 1, June 30, 2014) and the data is not included in the charts and graphs. Created Copyright 2018 The Boston Foundation 15