Helping Hand, a tax-exempt non-profit food bank serving all of Johnson County in Washington, is exempt from taxes. Helping Hand’s goal is to alleviate hunger in Johnson County by soliciting, collecting, growing, and packaging food for distribution through a network of service agencies and programs that serve our target population groups. Our services include foodbox programs, emergency foods programs, and a young farm that provides opportunities for self sufficiency activities for ‘#8220’ youth at risk. Helping Hand receives support through the county as well corporate sponsorship.
Around 20% Johnson County residents are eligible to receive Helping Hand. Our client base is low-income people, mainly families, who need emergency help to put food on the table. Nearly half of the clients served by the program were children. Helping Hand has a warehouse where we store donated and rescued food. The program actively solicits food from local food growers, retailers, wholesalers, and processors. Helping Hand also collects food donations at restaurants for distribution to service program programs.
It is predicted that Helping Hand will see an increase in the number children who require services over the next five years. Johnson County is expanding and many new families are moving into the county to find work. There are many programs that can help these families transition into the county. These programs are important because Helping Hand can quickly respond with the most crucial resources for these families. Food!
Our services improves the ability of families to care for children and achieve goals of self-sufficiency. Helping Hand’s services can be a cost-effective investment, compared with the costs of neglecting the issue of hunger in the area and the effects it has upon a variety of criminal and health issues.
1.1 Mission
Helping Hands has two goals: to alleviate hunger in Johnson County and collect, grow, package and distribute food through a network. Our services include food boxes programs, emergency shelters as well congregate meal sites, residential treatments services, and children’’s programs.
1.2 Objectives
This initiative is to establish a food bank in Johnson County, Washington. These are our objectives:
- Establish a donation network of local growers/retailers, wholesalers, processors, and other interested parties in Johnson County.
- Establish a youth farm where “at-risk” youth can be employed.
- The first year of operation, you will have collected over four million pounds worth of food. Each year, increase collection by 20%.
- Effectively distribute the food to low-income families that make up over 20% of Johnson County.
- Funding for start-ups up to $200,000 can be obtained through corporate, private charity and government financial assistance.
- Additional $100,000 raised through fundraising activities