Branford Food Pantry. General Information. Contact Information. At A Glance. Nonprofit. Branford Food Pantry Address

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1 Branford Food Pantry General Information Contact Information nprofit Branford Food Pantry Address 30 Harrison Ave. Branford, CT Phone (203) Web Site Web Site Facebook Facebook At A Glance Year of Incorporation 1978 Former Names Branford Food Council Inc. Organization's type of tax exempt status Organization received a competitive grant from the community foundation in the past five years Public Supported Charity 1

2 Mission & Areas Served Statements Mission The mission of the Branford Food Pantry is to provide groceries to families in need. Background We have been serving the Branford community since After several moves from garages and basements, we now operate out of the Town's Volunteer Services Center at 30 Harrison Ave. We have storage, freezers, refrigerators and space for client choice food selection as well as an overflow storage shed for major food drives. The Branford Food Pantry was started by churches that continue to play an important, but not exclusive, role in our current operation. We are a 100% operation with no salaries; thus we are very efficient. Impact 1. Last fiscal year we helped an average of 179 different families a month ( about 448 people) and over 400 different families for the year. 2. Distributed an average of 15,000 pounds of food/month and 180,000 pounds for the year. 3. Provided 150,000 meals for the year. 4. Delivered complete turkey dinners for Thanksgiving and Christmas to about 230 families each holiday. 5. Gave out 4,500 dozen eggs. Goal: To continue to meet all the needs of struggling families and improve the nutritional content of the food provided. Needs 1. Cash to purchase supplemental food beyond what is obtained from the CT Food Bank and local food drives. Low cost food from the CT Food Bank provides about 50% of our food. Most of the balance has to be purchased. 2. Periodically we lose a key (s) and need to recruit new help. CEO Statement We have none. See the statement below from our president. 2

3 Board Chair Statement In 1986, my mom asked me to come and help her pack groceries for the Food Council (now the Branford Food Pantry). When we gave a woman a box of saltines she was thrilled because her children hadn't had "cookies" for so long. I began to see the need in this community. When I helped my dad deliver Thanksgiving groceries I saw areas of town that I didn't know were so broken down with people being in such need. Since then I have been involved in every aspect of this organization from packing, ordering, purchasing, and checking groceries to helping establish new ways of doing things. For example, helping to establish the client choice and reusable bags programs we are now using. I even helped with the demolition in the old building to get this new facility. I remember a family of four, with two small children, who came in for the first time. We were giving out canned hams that week along with the other foods. I mentioned to the mother that they were lucky because we usually don't have the canned hams. She responded smiling, "That is okay, at least we will eat today." During the distribution of turkey dinners for Thanksgiving, our high school s brought the food to the door of an elderly woman. When they handed her the food she stood there and cried. In this country of such wealth and resources there is no reason people, especially children, should be allowed to go to bed hungry. So for the past 24 years I have been working to help get and give groceries to those in need. Wendy Cowles, President Service Categories Primary Organization Category Food, Agriculture & Nutrition / Food Banks, Food Pantries Areas Served Branford Families seeking assistance must be residents of the Town of Branford, CT,

4 Programs Programs Branford Food Pantry, Inc. Description We provide groceries to families in need. After being qualified by the Branford Counseling Center, families may obtain food one day a week; the amount of food allowed is proportional to family size; they select what they like from a container rack and then are given butter/meat from our refrigerators and can select bakery goods and fresh fruits and vegetables as available. Food is taken home for preparation. For example, a family of four is allowed about 60 lbs. of food per week. In addition to this we have also started supplying snacks for kids that can be taken to school. Budget $0.00 Category Food, Agriculture & Nutrition, General/Other / Food Population Served Families / / Short Term Success Long Term Success Program Success Monitored By Examples of Program Success We have met every need and turned away no family qualified for help. For some, it keeps the family fed while looking for work or while recovering from an injury. Help with food costs allows limited family funds to be used for utilities, rent and other needs where help may not be available. Our program has been in operation for 32 years and we have progressed through several operation sites to our present location in the town's Volunteer Services Center. Management has become more sophisticated and this has allowed us to continue to serve those families needing help even as that number expands and the economy has become difficult. Fund raising has been expanded, more stores are participating with donations or discout sales, food drives are encouraged and s have been recruited as needed for the all effort. This is a simple program, we provide food for those families who need it. Thanks and comments from clients let us know how we are doing. Since adopting client choice some two years ago, they now take what they like so there is no waste and resources are extended. Two years ago we served 129 families per month and last year we were able to help 151 families per month. It is not unusual for a new family to say that now they can eat. Program Comments CEO Comments Operating an all organization has its challenges due to no full time professional help to pursue opportunities or to formalize practices. However, we have been fortunate in obtaining enough mostly retired professionals to manage the operation since 1978 while conserving financial resources for food purchasing. Our overhead is very low thus we are very efficient. Our members participate because they have a passion for the cause. There are two basic challenges: 1. As national food supplies reaching food banks decrease we must encourage more local food drives and make more retail purchases to cover any shortfall. For example, in 2005 we obtained 146,100 lbs. of food from the Connecticut Food Bank vs an estimated 113,000 lbs for while the average number of families 4

5 served per month increased from 118 to The base is mostly retired folks. We constantly lose people to infirmity so recruiting is continuous. We now have board representatives from the Lions Club and Alcoa-Howmet Corp. so their resources can help in a crisis. The local churches are also engaged and assist in finding necessary help. 5

6 Leadership & Staff CEO/Executive Director Ms. Wendy Cowles President Term Start Feb Experience A registered nurse who has been with the Branford Food Pantry for 25 years, performing all the tasks. Staff Number of Full Time Staff 0 Number of Part Time Staff 0 Number of Volunteers 45 Number of Contract Staff 0 Staff Retention Rate 0% Staff Demographics - Ethnicity African American/Black 0 Asian American/Pacific Islander 0 Caucasian 0 Hispanic/Latino 0 Native American/American Indian 0 Other 0 0 Staff Demographics - Gender Male 0 Female 0 Unspecified 0 Plans & Policies Organization has a Fundraising Plan? Organization has a Strategic Plan? Management Succession Plan? Organization Policy and Procedures ndiscrimination Policy Whistleblower Policy Yes Yes 6

7 Document Destruction Policy Former CEOs and Terms Name Term Mr. Peter DeBono Feb Jan 2003 Mr. Jay Webb Feb Jan 2007 Formal Evaluations CEO Formal Evaluation CEO/Executive Formal Evaluation Frequency Senior Management Formal Evaluation Senior Management Formal Evaluation Frequency n Management Formal Evaluation n Management Formal Evaluation Frequency N/A N/A N/A 7

8 Board & Governance Board Chair Ms. Wendy Cowles Company Affiliation Volunteer Term Feb 2017 to Jan 2018 Board of Directors Name Mrs. Dorothy Bjork Ms Barbara Clark Ms Maria Cusano Mrs. Dru Dodd Mr. Parker Fox Mr. Richard Glynn Ms Cheryl Kaiden Mr. John Mansfield Mrs. Joan Mansfield Mr. Anthony Milici Ms Karen Murratti Mrs. Diane Rowley Mr. Jay Webb Affiliation Lions Club Arconic, Inc. Board Demographics - Ethnicity African American/Black 0 Asian American/Pacific Islander 0 Caucasian 14 Hispanic/Latino 0 Native American/American Indian 0 Other 0 0 Board Demographics - Gender Male 5 Female 9 Unspecified 0 Governance Board Term Lengths 1 8

9 Board Term Limits 20 Board Meeting Attendance % 77% Number of Full Board Meetings Annually 9 Written Board Selection Criteria Written Conflict of Interest Policy Yes Yes Percentage Making Monetary Contributions 83% Percentage Making In-Kind Contributions 100% Constituency Includes Client Representation Risk Management Provisions Umbrella or Excess Insurance Automobile Insurance Commercial General Liability and Medical Malpractice Crime Coverage Directors and Officers Policy Standing Committees Community Outreach / Community Relations Volunteer Communications / Promotion / Publicity / Public Relations Development / Fund Development / Fund Raising / Grant Writing / Major Gifts CEO Comments See above from the president who is the senior officer. 9

10 Financials Financials Fiscal Year Start Feb Fiscal Year End Jan Projected Revenue $91, Projected Expenses $64, Endowment Value $0.00 Spending Policy N/A Percentage (if selected) 0% Detailed Financials Prior Three Years Total Revenue and Expense Totals Chart Fiscal Year Total Revenue $140,492 $115,245 $96,243 Total Expenses $74,213 $65,473 $56,302 Prior Three Years Assets and Liabilities Chart Fiscal Year Total Assets $440,593 $374,305 $324,534 Current Assets $48,142 $326,163 $276,392 Long-Term Liabilities Current Liabilities Total Net Assets $440,593 $374,305 $324,534 Prior Three Years Top Three Funding Sources Fiscal Year Top Funding Source & Dollar Amount Second Highest Funding Source & Dollar Amount Third Highest Funding Source & Dollar Amount Solvency Short Term Solvency Fiscal Year Current Ratio: Current Assets/Current Liabilities Long Term Solvency Fiscal Year Long-Term Liabilities/Total Assets 0% 0% 0% 10

11 Capital Campaign Currently in a Capital Campaign? Yes Capital Campaign Purpose To purchase supplemental food and for normal operating expenses (insurance, maintenance, truck expenses, office expenses, postage, printing). Goal $65, Dates v 2017 to Jan 2018 Amount Raised To Date 0 as of Oct 2017 Capital Campaign Anticipated in Next 5 Years? Yes Comments CEO Comments As the supply of food from the CT Food Bank has been reduced, we had to develop a plan to obtain more food and raise more money to purchase the shortfall. We took a four pronged approach: 1. A board member was appointed to spearhead food drives and to encourage more groups to conduct them for our benefit. We were able to add support from sports team and churches and engage a local market to sell bags of holiday foods for donation to us. 2. Our fund raising had consisted of direct mailings to a known long term developed list of potential donors. To increase donations, a director of development was named, grant applications were made and our list was augmented by a careful inclusion of members of high potential groups. 3. One board member, and his wife, are assigned to professionalize the purchasing of food. They follow specials/sales, develop a relationship with several stores and purchase at great prices and large volume if worthwhile. For example, they may buy 2000# of juice if the price is right. 4. We developed good relationships with food stores to get their "day old" bakery items, produce and meats. These steps allowed us to make incremental improvements and continue full service to needy families. Foundation Staff Comments This profile, including the financial summaries prepared and submitted by the organization based on its own independent and/or internal audit processes and regulatory submissions, has been read by the Foundation. The Community Foundation is continuing to receive information submitted by the organization and may periodically update the organization s profile to reflect the most current financial and other information available. The organization has completed the fields required by The Community Foundation and updated their profile in the last year. To see if the organization has received a competitive grant from The Community Foundation in the last five years, please go to the General Information Tab of the profile. 11

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