Network News | May 2017

May 2017

Memories made at 2017 Agency Conference

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he 2017 Agency Conference has come and gone, but the memories made and lessons learned by attendees are here to stay.

The conference kicked-off with an inspirational presentation by keynote speaker and award-winning photographer Randy Bacon. His presentation included heart-wrenching, powerful images and stories of homeless individuals persevering and overcoming obstacles.

His presentation aimed to remind agency volunteers and employees that each person served has a story.

Following Bacon’s presentation, Dan Prater, founder and director of the Center for Nonprofit Communication at Drury University, spoke about how to make plans for leadership transition to ensure that agencies stay on track with their mission and day-to-day activities throughout the process. This session was intended to encourage member agencies to create a proactive plan for a major staffing change, whether that be a change in leadership or a large turnover.

“I absolutely enjoyed Dan Prater and his presentation during the general session,” said Marisa Andrews, senior center administrator at SeniorAge Nixa and lead administrator and board member at C-Street Connect Food Pantry at Crimson House Ministries. “I enjoyed the part when he discussed how to have a successful and productive leadership team and board within non-profits.”

IN THIS ISSUE

LISA BISHNELL AND LORI HUNTER FROM MISSION JOPLIN POSE AT THE CONFERENCE PHOTO BOOTH.

After lunch and a special treat of cheesecake, attendees got the opportunity to attend a breakout session. One session focused on new ideas for pantries to increase efficiency, and another session focused on how to order from The Food Bank’s menu to increase cost-effectiveness.

The day ended with a rapid-fire question and answer session with the Wizard of Boggs, aka Scott Boggs, director of operations at Ozarks Food Harvest. Boggs answered a variety of questions, some complex and some as simple as, “Why does Ozarks Food Harvest refrigerate bananas?”

Before everyone headed home, several

member agencies were recognized for their outstanding work.

The Community Kitchen located in Hood United Methodist church took home the award for Best Social Media Partner, Mission Joplin was awarded Best Client Services Partner and Helping Hands Community Food Pantry in Eagle Rock won Best SNAP Referral Partner.

Attendees were encouraged to guess the weight of a pallet full of donations, and the winners were Center City Christian Outreach in Springfield and Lafayette House in Joplin.

Member Services is already at work drafting up ideas for the next conference.

Best practices for OFH delivery preparation New food safety class schedule Marshfield Senior Center moves location Give Ozarks 2017 recap

OFH REUSES BANANA BOXES BECAUSE THE UNIFORM SIZE IS IDEAL FOR STORAGE.

Help deliveries go smoothly With summer fun unfortunately comes summer pests. Did you know The Food Bank once brought back a snake after picking up a load of pallets?

To avoid this from happening again, we ask that you please make sure to store pallets for the next delivery day inside if possible.

If this is not possible, please make sure they are not stored in dirt, mud or any grassy areas where there is a tendency to attract bugs or snakes.

We also appreciate when they are stacked on dry ground so the driver can load and go.

It is also helpful for the drivers to make sure

tree limbs are trimmed in the area the truck accesses.

This will help prevent our trucks from being scratched or damaged. If the trees aren’t trimmed, we will not deliver.

Please make sure when product is being received that it is being stored immediately.

This is especially important during the hot summer months.

Agencies picking up product at The Food Bank should always have their freezer blankets available.

There is some confusion on banana boxes versus regular boxes, so please refer to the picture to the left to identify what a banana box looks like.

These boxes are important to The Food Bank because of their uniform size and the drivers will be glad to pick them up, but please be respectful of their time and have the boxes on a pallet and ready to go.

If there is no pallet available, please have them nicely stacked. They are on a strict delivery schedule and do not have time to dig through various boxes to get to the banana boxes.

Thank you in advance for helping Ozarks Food Harvest with the delivery process!

Hungry children, adults and seniors would not be able to access the food they need without the network of pantries and feeding sites who are committed to providing safe and nutritious food.

Feel free to contact Member Services today with any questions regarding proper delivery protocol.

Food safety training offered monthly on fourth Wednesday We are now offering monthly food safety trainings. Trainings will occur every fourth Wednesday of the month from 1-3 p.m. at The Food Bank.

With over 270 agencies, we all share the same mission to provide food assistance, but the important thing to remember is how to keep this food safe. Two staff members from each agency (pantry and feeding sites) are

required to be trained in food safety. Pantries are required to attend the training here due to targeted and specific messages that apply to safety in food banking.

Feeding sites are allowed to take advantage of the online course offered through the Springfield Greene County Health Department. Even if your agency has met this requirement, please feel free to send other

staff members or volunteers that handle food regularly and receive recall information.

To register for training, visit ozarksfoodharvest.org/our-network/memberagencies or contact Member Services. Or register for training with the Springfield Greene County Health Department, at statefoodsafety.com/food-handler/missouri/ greene-county?location=springfield.

DID YOU KNOW? May is Older Americans Month. OFH encourages member pantries to honor the seniors that are served this month!

A volunteer’s time equates to $21.57 an hour, according to the Independent Sector.

Items on the menu that are marked as purchased have no delivery fee attached to them until the end of June.

TEFAP corner

Recent state findings

The following information reflects recent state findings. Please review these paragraphs to make sure that the agency you represent is following the state guidelines for TEFAP. Please make sure you are using the correct nondiscrimination statement when posting on your agency’s website. Information concerning the statement was sent in a recent email to all TEFAP providers. If you did not receive this email, please notify Member Services immediately.

Please make sure you are no longer referring to the food provided by the government as commodities in all communication pieces. The term has been replaced with USDA foods and should be updated on your website, brochures and all other communication pieces to reflect this change.

Make sure you are using the most current Distribution Chart (FD-19D) form and that it is posted for all recipients to see.

Please ensure that emergency contact information is available for clients to access food in the event of an emergency outside regularly scheduled hours of operation.

CONTACT US Ozarks Food Harvest Member Services 2810 N. Cedarbrook Ave. Springfield, Mo., 65803 memberservices@ ozarksfoodharvest.org (417) 380-5007 ozarksfoodharvest.org

Director Q & A

Terri O’Reilly

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erri O’Reilly is the director of The Community Kitchen, an Ozarks Food Harvest member pantry located in Republic. She has been with the organization since its creation in February 2012.

Read the interview below to learn more about her!

Q: Did you start out as a director or were you in another position prior to becoming director?

A: Our organization was a little loose at first. Becoming director sort of evolved as strengths became apparent. The director hat really depends on what day it is though.

We’ve got a good team and great community support. It wouldn’t work otherwise.

Q: What led you to working at The Community Kitchen?

A: We saw a need in Republic that went beyond the help that our local pantry could provide. We wanted to serve meals as well as provide a place to receive social support within the community. Our guests have developed friendships and help each other out in other ways. We’ve seen more senior citizens lately.

Q: What is the best part of your job?

A: I really enjoy meeting people where they are. We have great volunteers and everyone has a unique take on life. It’s fun.

Q: What is your favorite moment at the kitchen?

A: Some of my favorite moments have been cooking with youth volunteers. One group of 7th grade boys was probably one of my favorites. I don’t think they said three words

between them but jumped in and worked hard to cook and serve.

Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?

A: My husband, Scott, and I like to garden and travel with our extended family. We spend a week at the beach every year with anywhere between 20 and 30 family members from both sides of our families. We usually have some extra friends along as well. In fact, our honeymoon thirty years ago was spent on this same beach vacation. So cooking for a large group of people comes like second nature to me.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?

A: Becoming a member agency of OFH has been such a blessing. We are very thankful for the hard work you all do.

Take advantage of free delivery From now and until the end of June, purchased items on the menu will have the six cents per pound delivery fee waived.

Some of the items currently on the menu that fall into the purchased category include cheeseburger dinner boxed meal, tuna dinner boxed meal, bagged rice and canned items which include sliced pineapple, peaches, pinto beans, tuna, green beans, peas and lowsalt diced tomatoes.

This is just to name a few. If you are unsure

which items are considered purchased, they are noted on the menu after the description of the item as purchased.

The Food Bank continues to look for frequently requested items so we can buy in bulk at discounted rates. This allows members a one stop shopping experience where products can be purchased at a cost equal to or less than any other source.

If you have any questions, feel free to call Member Services today.

MARSHFIELD SENIOR CENTER IS NOW OPERATING FROM A NEW, LARGER LOCATION.

Marshfield Senior Center moves

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everal Ozarks Food Harvest member agencies have moved locations within the past year, and now Marshfield Senior Center, a SeniorAge agency, has joined the list of feeding sites with a new operating center.

Marshfield Senior Center moved from a 2,300 square-foot facility into a 10,100 square-foot facility located at 427 W. Washington Street in Marshfield. The previous center was located in a building owned by the city of Marshfield, and it was sold to the

county in order to open up land for a new justice building to be constructed.

The staff at Marshfield Senior Center saw the move as an opportunity rather than a setback. They moved into a temporary location in the basement of a Catholic Church in town and focused their time into raising money for a new, larger facility through fundraisers such as Give Ozarks. “[At our old location] we had a postage stamp kitchen, dining room, my office and

Good news at The Food Bank Community rallies together to raise money for Weekend Backpack Program For the third year in a row, Ozarks Food Harvest participated in Give Ozarks, a community-wide event hosted by Community Partnership of the Ozarks that encourages online giving to various charities.

The Food Bank raised $28,317, which set a new record for the event! Among all 240 participating nonprofits in the region, over $1.39 million was raised.

A special thanks goes to OFH sponsors and partners who helped make the day a success including DairiConcepts, Commerce Bank, BlueCurrent Credit Union, Mercy Health, Cox Roofing, Bohannon Auto, Kingdom Coffee, Neighbor’s Mill Bakery & Cafe and Big

Momma’s Coffee & Espresso Bar! Ozarks Food Harvest will use all of the money raised to help fund the Weekend Backpack Program.

In addition, there were 27 agencies in Ozarks Food Harvest’s network who participated in the event.

Among participating agencies was About Our Kids in Barton County, Least of These in Christian County, Council of Churches, LifeHouse Crisis Maternity Home, Arc of the Ozarks in Springfield, Boys and Girls Club of the Ozarks, senior centers in Branson, Hollister and Marshfield, The Community Kitchen in Republic and several more!

a room with a pool table which doubled as our pantry,” said Chris Parker, senior center administrator at Marshfield Senior Center. “[Now] we have a roomy kitchen, large pantry, lots of office space, a conference room, multipurpose room and a full basement.”

With more room, the senior center is able to serve more seniors and is already seeing an increase in attendance.

“We can have a lot more programs and maintain confidentiality, which has been difficult in the past,” Parker said. “And we don’t have to worry about the integrity of the food we receive because we have state of the art equipment and storage areas.”

Other OFH member agencies with new locations are Harmony House and Jesus Was Homeless. Least of These in Nixa is currently in the process of raising funds for a new, larger facility as well.

Member Services congratulates all of the member agencies who have spent countless hours planning and fundraising for building improvements to better serve clients.

SENIORS ENJOY SOCIALIZING OVER A GAME IN THE NEW BUILDING.

LOOKING AHEAD...

The Food Bank will be closed Monday, May 29 in honor of Memorial Day. Food Safety classes are on the fourth Wednesday each month.

Regional meetings are on June 2, 5, and 12.