Fresh Start Food Pantry Client Choice Expansion

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Executive Summary

Fresh Start Food Pantry Client Choice Expansion will convert our food pantry into a client-choice market, where families choose their own groceries, including fresh produce, protein and dairy, in a warm and respectful setting. We will add a walk-in cooler, extended evening and weekend hours and a resource navigator who helps with benefits, utilities and housing.

Many families run out of food before the end of the month, and a bag that does not fit a family's diet or culture is food that gets wasted. Choice brings dignity, reduces waste and lets us serve fresh food that families will eat.

With this grant we will serve about 600 households in Year 1 at 1 location. We do not require proof of income and we do not promise that every family will have enough food every week. We promise safe food, respectful service and honest records.

Our Year 1 budget is about $197,000, growing to about $242,500 by Year 5 as we add sites, coaches and participants. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small surplus each year. We have 3 staff in Year 1 (an Executive Director, a Pantry Manager and a part-time coordinator) and 5 by Year 5.

We are asking the Harvest Table Foundation for $50,000 for the Pantry Manager and fresh food for the client-choice market. Our other income and startup support cover the rest. These numbers are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end of this proposal, and we do not promise any result beyond what we describe.

Company Description

Fresh Start Food Pantry Client Choice Expansion is a nonprofit organization in Michigan. We are a registered charity with a volunteer board of directors, a written conflict-of-interest policy and a yearly budget the board reviews.

Our mission. Everyone who needs food should be able to choose it with dignity, and no family should leave with food they cannot use.

What we do.
- Convert our pantry to a client-choice market where families shop for their own groceries.
- Stock fresh produce, protein, dairy and culturally familiar foods, not only shelf-stable items.
- Add a walk-in cooler and refrigerated displays so fresh food stays safe.
- Offer a resource navigator who helps with benefits, utilities and housing referrals.
- Run evening and weekend hours so working families can come.
- Train volunteers in food safety, respect and client service.

Our values. Respect for every participant, honesty with families and partners, safety first and a place for everyone who wants to belong.

What we do not do. We do not require proof of income beyond a simple self-declaration, and we never sell donated food. We do not provide medical advice and follow all food safety rules. We do not promise that every family will have enough food every week. We follow the rules of our partner sites and our insurer.

How we got here. A group of church members and neighbors began giving out bags of canned goods from a church basement. Families told us they could not use half of what was in the bag and wanted to choose. We kept simple records of who came and what they asked for. This proposal asks for support to move from pre-packed bags to a steady program with paid, trained staff and the materials to match.

Problem & Opportunity

Many families run out of food before the end of the month, and a bag of food that does not fit a family's diet, culture or health needs is food that gets wasted.

Cost. Fresh produce, protein and dairy cost more than shelf-stable food, and a family that is short on money cannot afford them.

Access. Many pantries are open only a few hours on weekdays, which does not work for people who are at a job.

Safety and trust. Families want dignity, and funders want food that is safe, tracked and fairly shared.

Missed benefits. Families who cannot get healthy food face worse health and children who struggle to learn.

What we hear.
- A mother says her kids do not eat canned vegetables and she cannot afford fresh.
- A grandfather says he is diabetic and was handed a bag full of sugar.
- A volunteer says people thank her more when they can pick.
- A nurse says food is the first prescription.

We do not claim that a program can solve every challenge. We believe that choice, fresh food and a friendly welcome can feed a family and keep their dignity.

Products & Services

Fresh Start Food Pantry Client Choice Expansion gives households that are struggling to afford food a safe, welcoming place to choose healthy food with dignity.

How the program works.
1. Check-in. A volunteer welcomes each household and records basic information, with no proof of income required.
2. Shopping. Households shop the market with a cart, choosing within a points system that keeps food fair for everyone.
3. Fresh food. A walk-in cooler and refrigerated displays hold produce, dairy and protein.
4. Navigator. A resource navigator offers help with benefits, utilities and housing.
5. Extended hours. We open evenings and weekends in addition to weekday mornings.
6. Food safety. Staff and volunteers follow written food safety rules and keep temperature logs.
7. Feedback. Every month we ask shoppers what they want to see on the shelves.

What a typical session looks like. Participants arrive and check in with a staff member, settle in together, work on the day's activity in small groups and finish with a short talk about what went well. Staff praise effort, correct mistakes kindly and make sure no one is left out.

Staff. Our staff pass a background check, complete food safety training and are paid for their time. Volunteers receive an orientation and training.

Access and fairness. Programs are free. Food is free. We welcome every household and offer materials and signs in English and Spanish.

Market Analysis

Who we serve. Households in our service area who are struggling to afford food. Eligibility is a simple self-declaration of need and where a household lives, and no household is turned away for lack of documents.

How we estimate need. We cannot count every young person who could benefit, so we plan from what we can see. In our bag program we served more households each month than we expected and ran out of food on busy days. The county food bank told us that many more households need help than the pantry network reaches. For Year 1 we plan to serve about 600 participants at 1 locations. By Year 5, with more staff and sites, we plan to serve about 1400.

Where participants come from.
- Schools, clinics and social service offices.
- Churches and community groups.
- The county food bank and 211.
- Households who tell a neighbor.

Who else benefits. Children gain nutrition. Clinics gain patients with better access to healthy food. Farms and grocers gain a place to send surplus food.

What the numbers mean. Every number here is a family choosing fruit for the week. We keep our early counts modest and honest so we can do the work well.

Competitive Landscape

What young people can find today, and how we are different.

1. Traditional food pantries. Essential and limited by pre-packed bags and hours. We convert to choice.

2. The county food bank. Supplies food to pantries and does not serve households directly. We partner.

3. SNAP benefits. Help many and do not last the month. We bridge the gap.

4. School meals. Feed children on school days. We help on weekends and holidays.

5. Charity meals. Serve hot food and are not the same as groceries to cook at home.

What makes us different.
- Free choice in a market format.
- Fresh food and a walk-in cooler.
- Evening and weekend hours.
- A resource navigator in the pantry.
- Culturally familiar foods.

Why this gap matters. Existing programs do good work, and most serve people who can already pay or who live close to them. The people we serve are the ones left over: they live in the wrong neighborhood, have the wrong schedule or have no one to ask. We are built to reach them.

We have spoken with the county food bank, other pantries and school and clinic partners to make sure we are filling a gap and not duplicating services. Their letters of support are in the attachments.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How young people and partners will find us.

Reaching young people.
- Schools and clinics. We will share flyers and a named contact.
- Churches and neighborhood groups. We will talk with leaders who know families.
- 211 and the county food bank. We will list our new hours and format.
- Neighbors. We will hold an open house and tour for the community.
- Word of mouth. Households tell neighbors.
- A simple website and a phone line with a text option.

Reaching staff and sponsors.
- Recruit volunteers and staff through churches, schools, colleges and community groups.
- Offer an orientation, a background check and training in safety, privacy and respectful practice.
- Give partners a short report each quarter with counts of participants and what they said.

How we decide who joins. We use a simple sign-up form and enroll participants in the order received, with priority for those with the greatest need and for people new to the program. We keep a waiting list when the program is full.

What we watch. Sign-ups, attendance, households served, pounds of fresh food distributed and how many participants return for a second season.

Operations Plan

How the program will be carried out.

Timeline for Year 1:
- Months 1 and 2 (July and August): Hire the staff, buy equipment and materials, finalize the waiver, consent form and privacy policy with our attorney and sign site agreements.
- Month 3 (September): Install the cooler and displays and open the market format.
- Months 4 to 10: Open the market each week, with extended hours and a navigator on site.
- Months 11 and 12: Survey households and volunteers, report to funders and plan Year 2.

Space. The market operates in the pantry building with a shopping floor, a cooler and a small office.

Safety and privacy.
- Food is stored at safe temperatures, logged each day and discarded when it is not safe to serve.
- Every staff member and volunteer passes a background check and completes safety training.
- Staff work in pairs or in view of others whenever participants are minors or in a vulnerable situation.
- We keep an emergency plan at every site, and participants complete an emergency contact form.
- We keep records private, share them only with a participant's permission or as the law requires and follow a written policy.

Equipment. We buy about $30,000 of equipment once at the start: walk-in cooler ($14,000), shelving and produce displays ($8,000), shopping carts and checkout area ($3,000), refrigerated display cases ($3,000), scales and tablet check-in system ($2,000). Later years replace or add a few items.

Staffing. In Year 1 I serve as Executive Director. The Pantry Manager, paid $42,000 a year, runs daily operations and food safety. A part-time coordinator, paid $24,000, manages volunteers and clients. We add a second coordinator in Year 4.

Management & Organization

Patricia Gomez, Executive Director. I lead the organization, report to the board and am responsible for budgets, partnerships and reporting. I came to this work as a volunteer who saw how much food in our bags went unused. I will complete the food safety training we require of our staff so I understand the program from the inside. (Replace this paragraph with your own background.)

Staff. The Pantry Manager runs daily operations and food safety, and a part-time coordinator manages volunteers and clients. Each passes a background check. These positions are part of our grant request.

Board of directors. Our volunteer board includes a pastor, a registered dietitian, a former client, a banker who serves as treasurer, an attorney and a grocery manager. The board meets every other month, approves our budget and reviews our safety plan. No board member is paid, and members with a conflict of interest step out of related decisions.

Advisory partners. A county food bank director, a clinic social worker and a local farmer give guidance twice a year.

Staffing and pay in this plan: Executive Director, paid $52,000 a year; pantry Manager, paid $42,000 a year; volunteer and Client Coordinator (part-time), paid $24,000 a year.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals, how we will measure them and when we plan to reach them.

Year 1 outcomes (July 2027 through June 2028):
- Serve about 600 participants at 1 locations.
- Run at least two full seasons and a summer session.
- Have at least 85 percent of participants attend most sessions.
- Have at least 80 percent of participants return for a second season.
- Receive positive feedback from at least 90 percent of families who answer our short survey.

What we count and how.
- Participants enrolled, sessions and games attended, from our records.
- Skills learned and goals met, from the coach's checklist.
- Equipment issued and returned, from our log.
- Participant and family feedback, from a short, confidential form.
We report what we find, including what did not work, and use it to improve.

Growth over five years.
- Year 2: About 800 participants at 1 locations.
- Year 3: About 1000 participants at 2 locations.
- Year 4: About 1200 participants at 2 locations.
- Year 5: About 1400 participants at 3 locations.

Learning along the way. At the end of each quarter, the director and the board review the numbers and decide whether we are on track. If we are behind, we will adjust our outreach, our sites or our schedule before asking for more money.

After the grant. By Year 5, grants make up about 46 percent of our budget, down from about 65 percent in Year 1, as partners and donors give more. We will keep building those relationships every year.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $50,000 from the Harvest Table Foundation for the Pantry Manager and fresh food for the client-choice market, for July 2027 through June 2028.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Pantry Manager salary, $42,000.
- Supplies: Fresh produce, protein and dairy for the client-choice market, $8,000.

Other money in the program. This request is about 39% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $197,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $8,000 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: Grant Revenue $129,000; food Bank Partnership $30,000; county Emergency Food Funding $26,000; individual Donors $12,000. Year 1 costs: executive Director $52,000; pantry Manager $42,000; volunteer and Client Coordinator (part-time) $24,000; food Purchasing (Fresh Produce, Protein and Dairy) about $36,000; cold Storage and Equipment Maintenance about $6,000; transportation and Food Rescue about $8,000; volunteer Training and Supplies about $4,000; client Resource Navigation about $3,000; administration and Insurance about $8,000; about $8,800 a year for the wear on equipment.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $38,000 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $14,000 for walk-in cooler; $8,000 for shelving and produce displays; $3,000 for shopping carts and checkout area; $3,000 for refrigerated display cases; $2,000 for scales and tablet check-in system; $2,000 for attorney review of the volunteer policy and privacy policy; $1,800 for signs, flyers and a simple website; $1,700 for food safety certification and volunteer training; $2,500 for first insurance payment.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($38,000), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $0) and a cash cushion of about $45,800, which is about three months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $84,000. We start with $8,000 from our founding board and $78,000 in startup support from a community foundation and a grocery partner, $86,000 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $197,000 in Year 1 to about $242,500 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $129,000, $118,000, $106,500, $121,000 and $110,500 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows: food Bank Partnership from $30,000 to $54,000; county Emergency Food Funding from $26,000 to $50,000; individual Donors from $12,000 to $28,000. Our surplus is planned at about $8,000 in Year 1, about $8,900 in Year 2, about $9,100 in Year 3, about $11,000 in Year 4 and about $11,700 in Year 5. We grow from 1 locations to 3 by Year 5, adding a part-time coach for each new site.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $62,100, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $7,880 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

Cost per household. In Year 1, our total costs are about $315 per household served, which includes setting up the program. By Year 5, with more household served and a trained team in place, that falls to about $165 per household.

After the grant. County emergency food funding, corporate sponsors and individual donors grow every year, so grants become a smaller share of our budget. Participants and families share their stories, and businesses can sponsor a team or a season by name. We will look for partnerships with schools and the city that want a safe, free food assistance option for every child.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- An injury. Certified coaches, proper equipment, groups matched by age and skill, a written emergency plan and insurance.
- A site is no longer available. We keep agreements with more than one site and a plan for bad weather.
- A coach leaves. We keep a list of trained backup coaches and share lesson plans.
- Low attendance. We adjust sites, times and rides based on family feedback.
- A privacy problem. We follow a written policy, use secure systems and train every staff member and volunteer.
- A grant ends. We keep savings and grow partner and donor support each year.

If you are just starting. A new organization can begin before it has its own 501(c)(3) status through a fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that receives grants for you and passes them to your program, usually for a fee (commonly around 5% to 10% of the grant, sometimes more; ask before you agree). Another way is to start smaller: one neighborhood, a handful of households and a small team, tracked carefully. Strong results from a small start make larger grants easier to win.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach with this proposal:

- Your IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your most recent financial statements and your current year budget.
- A list of your board members and what each one does.
- Signed letters of support from partner schools, agencies and sites.
- Your site agreements and your insurance certificate.
- Your consent, waiver and privacy policy.
- Your safety plan and background check policy.
- Your program outline and schedule.
- Quotes for equipment and materials.
- Resumes for your Executive Director and key staff.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Grant Revenue: $129,000 in Year 1, growing to $110,500 in Year 5.
- Food Bank Partnership: $30,000 in Year 1, growing to $54,000 in Year 5.
- County Emergency Food Funding: $26,000 in Year 1, growing to $50,000 in Year 5.
- Individual Donors: $12,000 in Year 1, growing to $28,000 in Year 5.
- Pay (a full year, per person, including payroll taxes and workers' compensation): executive Director $52,000; pantry Manager $42,000; volunteer and Client Coordinator (part-time) $24,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: food Purchasing (Fresh Produce, Protein and Dairy) $36,000; cold Storage and Equipment Maintenance $6,000; transportation and Food Rescue $8,000; volunteer Training and Supplies $4,000; client Resource Navigation $3,000; administration and Insurance $8,000. These grow between 4% and 6% a year.
- Equipment: $30,000 at the start, then $3,000 to $4,000 a year.
- Startup costs: $38,000, paid once from $86,000 in startup money.
- Participants served: about 600 in Year 1, growing to about 1400 in Year 5. Sites: 1 in Year 1, growing to 3 by Year 5. The market is open year-round, with extended hours on evenings and weekends.
- About 4% of each year's income is still owed to us at year end.
- Tax: none, as a nonprofit.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own quotes and real budget.

Startup Costs