The Neighborhood Food Project is a pilot neighborhood food collection program which began in the summer 2018 to collect donations of nonperishable food and personal care items for the Amherst Survival Center’s Food Pantry.
BACKGROUND
Based on the Ashland Food Project – Building Community, Sharing Food, a 9-year old organization located in Oregon, and with their generous sharing of best practices, the Neighborhood Food Project simultaneously builds community and feeds neighbors through the regular sharing and collection of food donations. The Neighborhood Food Project (NFP) is a door-to-door food collection system supporting the Amherst Survival Center Food Pantry and the individuals and families from 13 towns who use that program.
The Amherst Survival Center’s recent Strategic Plan calls for the organization to explore strategies to increase the amount of food distributed thru the Center’s Food Pantry. In addition, families with young children often want to support the Amherst Survival Center’s mission.
The NFP helps to meet these goals and engages young families.
HOW DOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOOD PROJECT WORK?
The Neighborhood Food Project is organized with volunteer “neighborhood coordinators” and neighborhood “food donors”.
Neighborhood Coordinators: can recruit donors, but their most important role is to pick up food donations every other month, on the third Saturday (of even months), from food donors in their neighborhood.
They also replace these filled bags with an empty one that donors can use in the next two months. Coordinators bring these donations to the Amherst Survival Center. There they are weighed, sorted and organized.
Food Donors commit to donating at least one can a week, and place their donations in a special NFP orange bag. Every other month, their bag – filled with donations – is picked up by the neighborhood coordinator.
HOW CAN YOU SIGN UP?
E-mail the Amherst Survival Center at info@amherstsurvival.org, or call 549-3968 ext 102, and someone will get back to you shortly. Think about what role you’d like to play: 1) Neighborhood Coordinator? The person who every other month picks up donations on a Saturday morning and brings those donations to the Amherst Survival Center, and/or 2) Food Donor? The person who commits to donating one item of nonperishable food/personal care item weekly.
PROJECT RESOURCES
Downloadable brochure, click here.
NEIGHBORHOOD FOOD PROGRAM MONTHLY TALLIES
Thank you to everyone who is participating in this program!
August 2018:
Our first pick up resulted in donations totaling 1,113 pounds of food/personal care items!
October 2018:
Wow! 2,371 pounds of food/personal care items.
DECEMBER 2018:
An amazing 3,260 pounds of food/personal care items!
2018 total: 6,744 pounds of food/personal care items.
Thank you food donors and food coordinators for making this program such a success!
UPCOMING PICK-UP DATES
Pick-ups happen on the 3rd Saturday morning of even numbered months (February, April, June, August, October, December)
Upcoming Dates for Pick-ups are on the following Saturdays:
- February 16, 2019
- April 20, 2019
- June 15, 2019