This week, it was brought to my attention that there was an online discussion about the fact that we charge for clothing.
Wow! People are noticing us.
Of course, the more people notice the more I want to be publicly transparent about our operating procedures.
We offer food, books, Bibles, and assorted random items for free. (Random things could include paper products, toiletries, school supplies, small toys, and most recently Christian CDs and DVDs and lots of educational "My Plate" plates.)
We charge for clothing. Usually.
Our clothing closet, called The Dollar Shop, is a small area in one corner of our pantry that most highly exemplifies the "us" concept, and the spirit of empowerment and individual development that we strive for.
Anyone can donate. Anyone can shop. This includes church attenders, those receiving help from the food pantry, and unchurched community members looking for a place to plug in.
When someone receiving help from the pantry is seeking a tangible way to give back, this is a simple and direct path for them to do so. They bring in things the kids have outgrown or that they no longer wear, and know those donations can turn into extra funding to support our programs.
When someone shops, they can get a great bargain and know their dollars matter.
We regularly have folks find suits, dresses, coats, shoes, and every day wear for $1 an item. Those who shop are proud of their purchases.
I'm pretty proud of the $1 Nikes I picked up. One of the dear ladies who uses our pantry tried them on first, we compared sizes, and when they didn't fit her, she had me try them on. I have funky to fit feet, so we were both delighted (and surprised) that they fit me. I really needed some new shoes and was waiting until I had the extra funds, so we talked about how God provided. It wasn't just the bargain and the much needed shoes, but that little piece of community in the transaction that made me so happy.
On the other hand, this is still a charitable clothing closet when it needs to be. We want people to be warm in the winter. We want their kids to have clothes for school. We want them to have clothes for work. If there is an emergency need, we give away what we have, and often solicit additional donations in needed sizes.
For example, we are currently collecting polo shirts, khakis, and black pants to benefit students at an area alternative high school. We have helped families after fires. We have helped get kids clothes for back to school. We have provided for a senior who lost her clothing in an eviction.
We also give things that have been hanging around in The Dollar Shop too long. The ladies who run this part of our ministry are getting ready to switch out clothes for the season, and all of the summer stuff will be given away for free. (It's still warm in Virginia, so the free short sleeve shirts will still get wear for awhile.)
We don't make a fortune out of this. I would think a good month brings us $30 in profits. It does not financially sustain us. That's not the point.
The Dollar Shop makes people happy. The thrill of the hunt for a bargain is great. The satisfaction in giving and working together is what we're all about.
Showing posts with label suburban ministry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label suburban ministry. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Food Pantry Utopia
Pretty soon, I will return this blog to the practical information some of you are looking for. (I actually have a post in the works about how we source our food. Stay tuned for that.)
Lately, however, I have had to contemplate what our pantry should look. We are in the midst of restructuring our leadership team. Mainly, I am trying to farm out chunks of the jobs my partner and I do to lessen our time commitments. When we started this endeavor, we were serving less than 10 families each week. We are now averaging close to 40 every week, and we've been on a upswing since October. So, in the name of sustainable ministry and sustainable personal commitments, we are restructuring.
Today, as I was thinking over possible ways to divide the labor, I realized how little time is actually currently spent doing what we need to be doing. Honestly, the typical volunteer led pantry such as ours simply does not have enough time, or enough committed and trained volunteers, to make such a vision happen.
Our time is largely spent in food acquisition, volunteer recruitment and retention, and administration. We carve out what time we can for relationship building, but there just isn't enough time to do it adequately.
In an ideal food pantry, here's what I would like to see:
Paid leadership
We are human. Unpaid ministry is distinct calling and a spiritual discipline. It is also very hard to maintain and easy to walk away from. Paying at least one full time ministry leader, if not also one or two part time support staff members, will help keep leadership consistent. People won't leave for need of money, and they will also have a better sense of their value, authority, and leadership. These attributes will help with some of the tougher stuff when it comes to counseling and advocacy. (And speaking of the tough stuff, if you pay someone to lead a ministry, you also can be more highly selective in finding a leader. You can expect certain skills and a level of education and experience to make these things happen.)
This wouldn't necessarily be a full time food pantry focused position, but perhaps a community minister, neighborhood advocate, or some other more encompassing position.
Relationship Building
Our pantry works in this arena, but certainly has much room to improve.
Learning why someone is coming to the pantry, and understanding root causes, is the first step in moving them out of the system and into a more sustainable place.
Focused Individual Development
Once root causes are determined, have resources in place to help someone turn their situation around. There is no one size fits all program. It might include financial counseling, job skills training, nutritional counselling, life skill coaching, etc.. It might involve some personal and spiritual counseling to help face the brokenness that lots of people we meet carry around, and that gets in their way of moving forward.
While your paid leader should be expected to have expertise in one or more of these areas to make this happen, they can't do it all. Meaningful connections with professionals and experts are needed.
Volunteer and Job Opportunities
This is a natural extension of focused individual development. Once someone is known, finding their place in making the system work is key. If there are paid assistant jobs, trying to fill them with those who came through the pantry is ideal.
Eventually, your team should be filled out with a variety of current and former food pantry recipients.
Not only do they bring a different perspective to the process, but the appreciate the importance of keeping things going. For those who need it, this also offers a chance for some skill development and resume building.
A couple of our key volunteers are also food recipients. The best part of this is that they not only understand the system a different way, but know some of the people in line from a different angle. They can help us catch things (both good and bad) that we might otherwise miss.
Advocacy
If someone comes to a pantry, it's a flag to deeper issues.
Focused individual development will address those issues which are personal.
However, there are many causes which are societal. For most people, there will be a combination of these two things, though the balance between the two may be different.
If you see patterns of issues that affect multiple guests, it's time organize with them and act.
Is there a lack of public transportation, keeping people from reaching better paying jobs? Create a group of those affected and work together to advocate for change.
Is there one employer from whom you see many pantry guests? Can you help gather employees along with a representative from your agency to talk to management and negotiate better wages?
Personally, right now my gut is telling me that our SSDI system has some deep systemic problems that are keeping people in poverty. I have neither the skills nor time to address this. Higher level government advocacy and problem solving are sometimes needed.
Ongoing connection
The goal is to work with people so they can move out of this system, but it isn't to kick them out of the door so you never see them again. If the relationship building part worked well, both sides will be invested enough to want to stay in relationship.
This is going to look different for every person. Perhaps they will speak to groups about their experience. Perhaps they will work with you in administration. They may want to lead food drives at their place of business. They might just want to meet you for a monthly cup of coffee, or be Facebook friends, or have an occasional phone chat.
Not only is this great for the individuals involved, but it also builds a large network of folks who care about your ministry and who might be available to help the next person along.
It would be a big, messy system that wouldn't fit neatly in anyone's box. It would need to be led with flexibility, discernment, and wisdom.
For now, trying to lay a sustainable and balanced foundation is going to have to suffice for us.
Lately, however, I have had to contemplate what our pantry should look. We are in the midst of restructuring our leadership team. Mainly, I am trying to farm out chunks of the jobs my partner and I do to lessen our time commitments. When we started this endeavor, we were serving less than 10 families each week. We are now averaging close to 40 every week, and we've been on a upswing since October. So, in the name of sustainable ministry and sustainable personal commitments, we are restructuring.
Today, as I was thinking over possible ways to divide the labor, I realized how little time is actually currently spent doing what we need to be doing. Honestly, the typical volunteer led pantry such as ours simply does not have enough time, or enough committed and trained volunteers, to make such a vision happen.
Our time is largely spent in food acquisition, volunteer recruitment and retention, and administration. We carve out what time we can for relationship building, but there just isn't enough time to do it adequately.
In an ideal food pantry, here's what I would like to see:
Paid leadership
We are human. Unpaid ministry is distinct calling and a spiritual discipline. It is also very hard to maintain and easy to walk away from. Paying at least one full time ministry leader, if not also one or two part time support staff members, will help keep leadership consistent. People won't leave for need of money, and they will also have a better sense of their value, authority, and leadership. These attributes will help with some of the tougher stuff when it comes to counseling and advocacy. (And speaking of the tough stuff, if you pay someone to lead a ministry, you also can be more highly selective in finding a leader. You can expect certain skills and a level of education and experience to make these things happen.)
This wouldn't necessarily be a full time food pantry focused position, but perhaps a community minister, neighborhood advocate, or some other more encompassing position.
Relationship Building
Our pantry works in this arena, but certainly has much room to improve.
Learning why someone is coming to the pantry, and understanding root causes, is the first step in moving them out of the system and into a more sustainable place.
Focused Individual Development
Once root causes are determined, have resources in place to help someone turn their situation around. There is no one size fits all program. It might include financial counseling, job skills training, nutritional counselling, life skill coaching, etc.. It might involve some personal and spiritual counseling to help face the brokenness that lots of people we meet carry around, and that gets in their way of moving forward.
While your paid leader should be expected to have expertise in one or more of these areas to make this happen, they can't do it all. Meaningful connections with professionals and experts are needed.
Volunteer and Job Opportunities
This is a natural extension of focused individual development. Once someone is known, finding their place in making the system work is key. If there are paid assistant jobs, trying to fill them with those who came through the pantry is ideal.
Eventually, your team should be filled out with a variety of current and former food pantry recipients.
Not only do they bring a different perspective to the process, but the appreciate the importance of keeping things going. For those who need it, this also offers a chance for some skill development and resume building.
A couple of our key volunteers are also food recipients. The best part of this is that they not only understand the system a different way, but know some of the people in line from a different angle. They can help us catch things (both good and bad) that we might otherwise miss.
Advocacy
If someone comes to a pantry, it's a flag to deeper issues.
Focused individual development will address those issues which are personal.
However, there are many causes which are societal. For most people, there will be a combination of these two things, though the balance between the two may be different.
If you see patterns of issues that affect multiple guests, it's time organize with them and act.
Is there a lack of public transportation, keeping people from reaching better paying jobs? Create a group of those affected and work together to advocate for change.
Is there one employer from whom you see many pantry guests? Can you help gather employees along with a representative from your agency to talk to management and negotiate better wages?
Personally, right now my gut is telling me that our SSDI system has some deep systemic problems that are keeping people in poverty. I have neither the skills nor time to address this. Higher level government advocacy and problem solving are sometimes needed.
Ongoing connection
The goal is to work with people so they can move out of this system, but it isn't to kick them out of the door so you never see them again. If the relationship building part worked well, both sides will be invested enough to want to stay in relationship.
This is going to look different for every person. Perhaps they will speak to groups about their experience. Perhaps they will work with you in administration. They may want to lead food drives at their place of business. They might just want to meet you for a monthly cup of coffee, or be Facebook friends, or have an occasional phone chat.
Not only is this great for the individuals involved, but it also builds a large network of folks who care about your ministry and who might be available to help the next person along.
It would be a big, messy system that wouldn't fit neatly in anyone's box. It would need to be led with flexibility, discernment, and wisdom.
For now, trying to lay a sustainable and balanced foundation is going to have to suffice for us.
Monday, January 12, 2015
I live here too.
Back in November, a young man came to my door soliciting sales for a home improvement company. I normally get irritated by door-to-door solicitors, particularly since I seem to get one from this company "doing work in my neighborhood" on a regular basis. But he was friendly, so I stood on the porch to chat for a few minutes.
He was trying to make enough money doing this job to get his son everything he asked for for Christmas. He was so proud of his son for doing well in school, and thought he deserved the gifts. He also wanted his son to see his dad working hard like this so he might make different choices and do better for himself. He talked about how no matter what, God is good, and it was all going to work out fine.
I told him that honestly, as much as we might need it, home repairs just weren't in our budget. I told him that if I won the lottery I would totally give him a call to set up an appointment.
"I live here too," he said with a nod.
He didn't mean he lives in my neighborhood, or even in my part of town. What he was saying, in direct and simple eloquence was "I get it. Me too." In that one simple phrase, there was just a beautiful us-ness.
I live here too.
He gave me a great way of re-framing a ministry problem I have been grappling with for awhile now.
For the past couple of years I have been learning about asset based community development and Christian community development. I have read books such as Toxic Charity and When Helping Hurts
(If you want to learn more, I highly recommend checking out Wendy McCaig's blog and Aaron Lee's series on Toxic Charity.)
These ideas excite me. They make so much sense!
And yet....they don't exactly fit our ministry model and the population with whom we work.
You know that pair of jeans in your closet that you just can't get rid of? They look good on the hanger, they're soft, they would look great with your favorite sweater. Except when you put them on, they aren't quite right. They kind of fit, and they kind of don't. A belt helps, but something about them bugs you every time you put them on.
That's the way I feel about abcd and our ministry. I've tried to make it fit. I want it to fit. It doesn't quite.
Community development is centered around people who are geographically close. Community (at least in one sense here) is a physical concept.
Our food pantry and related ministries serve a suburban population. Many people who come to us are the only person on their block or in their neighborhood in financial need. Some live in low income pockets clumped together, while others live in affluent areas where they are still living in the same house they had since before the bottom fell out. Some people we see are seniors living in assisted living homes. We've had a few people living in cars, hotels, on friends couches. They are not bound by geography the way traditional community development sees it.
A movement within community development is "moving into the neighborhood." Instead of driving from your home in place "x" to "y" every day to work with a community from afar, you move in and become a neighbor. You develop the "us" by becoming geographically close so you can understand each other, and this community, better.
But how do I move into a neighborhood when there isn't one? Where would I move to be closer to the people I work with? Some of them already live in my neighborhood, but many others don't.
I live here too.
Such a simple concept. A place to start.
The neighborhood we inhabit with those we work with is more than geography.
For those of us in suburban ministry, we need to be willing to metaphorically move into the neighborhood. We might need to sacrifice our material comfort (which frankly should be easy for many of us since pantry leaders tend to work for free). Our choices might need to look more like the choices our neighbors in need make than the ones our more affluent neighbors make. It might affect our home, or clothes, our car, our vacations. We might need to reexamine our material priorities.
We need to not only get to know those we work with personally, but invite them to labor alongside of us. We need to break bread together. We need to share information and resources with each other. We need to develop a different type of community while also nurturing individual development.
If you work in suburban ministry, I would love to hear from you about how this looks in your neighborhood. Leave a comment and lets start a conversation.
He was trying to make enough money doing this job to get his son everything he asked for for Christmas. He was so proud of his son for doing well in school, and thought he deserved the gifts. He also wanted his son to see his dad working hard like this so he might make different choices and do better for himself. He talked about how no matter what, God is good, and it was all going to work out fine.
I told him that honestly, as much as we might need it, home repairs just weren't in our budget. I told him that if I won the lottery I would totally give him a call to set up an appointment.
"I live here too," he said with a nod.
He didn't mean he lives in my neighborhood, or even in my part of town. What he was saying, in direct and simple eloquence was "I get it. Me too." In that one simple phrase, there was just a beautiful us-ness.
I live here too.
He gave me a great way of re-framing a ministry problem I have been grappling with for awhile now.
For the past couple of years I have been learning about asset based community development and Christian community development. I have read books such as Toxic Charity and When Helping Hurts
(If you want to learn more, I highly recommend checking out Wendy McCaig's blog and Aaron Lee's series on Toxic Charity.)
These ideas excite me. They make so much sense!
And yet....they don't exactly fit our ministry model and the population with whom we work.
You know that pair of jeans in your closet that you just can't get rid of? They look good on the hanger, they're soft, they would look great with your favorite sweater. Except when you put them on, they aren't quite right. They kind of fit, and they kind of don't. A belt helps, but something about them bugs you every time you put them on.
That's the way I feel about abcd and our ministry. I've tried to make it fit. I want it to fit. It doesn't quite.
Community development is centered around people who are geographically close. Community (at least in one sense here) is a physical concept.
Our food pantry and related ministries serve a suburban population. Many people who come to us are the only person on their block or in their neighborhood in financial need. Some live in low income pockets clumped together, while others live in affluent areas where they are still living in the same house they had since before the bottom fell out. Some people we see are seniors living in assisted living homes. We've had a few people living in cars, hotels, on friends couches. They are not bound by geography the way traditional community development sees it.
A movement within community development is "moving into the neighborhood." Instead of driving from your home in place "x" to "y" every day to work with a community from afar, you move in and become a neighbor. You develop the "us" by becoming geographically close so you can understand each other, and this community, better.
But how do I move into a neighborhood when there isn't one? Where would I move to be closer to the people I work with? Some of them already live in my neighborhood, but many others don't.
I live here too.
Such a simple concept. A place to start.
The neighborhood we inhabit with those we work with is more than geography.
For those of us in suburban ministry, we need to be willing to metaphorically move into the neighborhood. We might need to sacrifice our material comfort (which frankly should be easy for many of us since pantry leaders tend to work for free). Our choices might need to look more like the choices our neighbors in need make than the ones our more affluent neighbors make. It might affect our home, or clothes, our car, our vacations. We might need to reexamine our material priorities.
We need to not only get to know those we work with personally, but invite them to labor alongside of us. We need to break bread together. We need to share information and resources with each other. We need to develop a different type of community while also nurturing individual development.
If you work in suburban ministry, I would love to hear from you about how this looks in your neighborhood. Leave a comment and lets start a conversation.
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