A Beacon for the Community Annual Report FY 2017•2018 Beacons contents Leadership Report …………………………………………………………….. 1 Guiding Principles ………………………………………………………….…. 2 Strength in Numbers ………………………………………………………… 3 Community Highlights ……………………………………………………… 4 Program Highlights ………………………………………………………….. 5 Volunteers ………………………………………………………………………. 12 Contributions ………………………………………..………………………... 15 Financials ……………………………………………………………………….. 23 Dear Friends, During the past fiscal year Care for Real reached new milestones, distributing more than 1.16 million pounds of food or enough to make almost a million meals. And, while the amount of food we distributed increased by almost ten percent over 2016-2017, our operating costs remained steady, and the cost per meal actually went down. These were only two of many positives this past year. For the first time in more than ten years, the total number of people served decreased slightly. While this reflects an improved economy, we are fearful the need for food will increase dramatically if eforts in Congress to reduce SNAP (food stamp) benefits and other safety net programs are successful. We expanded our boundaries to help our neighbors south of Foster Avenue and have begun implementing a new strategic plan. And we are looking at new ways to target specific at-risk groups with special programs. But there have been challenges as well. When we moved into our home in The Breakers building in 2011, we thought we’d never use all the space we had. Now, we are bursting at the seams, serving an average of 50 families per hour. Fortunately we received a generous grant that will allow us to begin renovating our space to improve efciency and increase client access. Income, with the exception of restricted grants, was down as donors gave generously to support hurricane relief and other disaster relief. Yet we continue to enroll new families at the rate of more than 70 per month. Still we are confident about our future because are we part of a community that cares about each other, that understands that 20 percent of our neighbors are food insecure. One that knows it’s important for people to have warm clothes and for children to have books and toys at the holidays. And one where people give generously of their time to ensure the pantry runs smoothly and that clients are greeted with respect. We are grateful for your support and for enabling us to fulfill our mission of helping improve the lives of our clients by providing them with food, clothing and support. With warmest regards, Nancy Meyerson Lyle Allen Board of Directors, Chair Executive Director 1 guiding principles The theme of this year’s Annual Report, “A Beacon for the Community,” reflects Care for Real’s commitment to being a shining light for our neighbors in need. For more than 48 years, we’ve been here to provide food, clothing and support services to our clients and to help foster a stable community. We continually look for new ways to expand our reach and the services we ofer to meet changing demands and demographics. We work to be fiscally responsible and good stewards of the funds we receive. And we develop and strengthen partnerships to combat the challenges in our complex environment. 2 strength in numbers Every gift you give us, no matter how large or small, has an enormous impact. Just $5 will feed a person for a week and $250 feeds a person for a year. The past year, we received $242,000 in cash contributions from more than 2,000 individuals and organizations including 544 first-time donors. o-it-You D rs e lf Many of these donations have come from fundraisers F organized by our supporters. They range from peer-to- u 83% n peer fundraising eforts on Facebook to birthday parties Increase in Peer to d r where the “presents” go to Care for Real to chili cookofs, Peer fundraising a i s drag shows, lemonade stands, and ugly holiday sweater i on facebook. n g contests. Collective giving, dual impact (matching gifts), and giving circles have been a part of Care for Real’s foundation and are growing in popularity. These events take place in unexpected places and reach new populations. $ feeds a person 5 for a week Together with the more than $5 million in in-kind food donations, they enable us to provide enough food for our clients to prepare almost one million meals. $ feeds a person 250 for a year 3 community highlights The strength of Care for Real comes from the energy and commitment of our community. Our special projects and initiatives encompass the diversity of our neighborhood and our neighborhood, in turn, embraces the diversity of our clients. Chicago Bears linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski WGN-TV’s Sean Lewis and Tom Skilling helped with our winter toy drive with guests at our Pet Pantry benefit Photo by Howard Wine Photography Andersonville Chamber of Commerce The Chicago Spirit Brigade raised funds at MidsommarFest beer tent volunteers Edgewater Chamber of Commerce’s EdgeFest 400+ 200+ 2 community student pet events volunteers blessings 4 program highlights 2017 We focus on providing nutritious food, good quality clothing and a broad range of support services to our clients with compassion and respect for the dignity of each client. 754 client food distribution hours 1.16 million pounds of food distributed 290,000 articles of clothing provided 4600+ pets received food and/or supplies 500+ clients helped through the Employment Resource Center 1,000+ families received holiday toys and books 225+ backpacks filled with school supplies 5 “I received a letter from you, and I want to give a donation. You see, I used to be a client and I want to give back.” -Hani 6 food distribution Providing just any kind of food is not good enough. At Care for Real, our mission is to provide the right types of food so our clients can make healthy, nutritious meals. This means ofering fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, eggs, meat and baked goods in addition to the staples of peanut butter, rice, beans, canned fruits and vegetables, etc. Clients can come up to five times a week for produce and baked goods and once a month for shelf-stable items, meat and dairy. Special dietary needs are considered, as well as having foods available to mark Thanksgiving, Christmas, and various religious holidays. We are able to do this because of our partnerships with retailers and wholesalers including Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Mariano’s, Fortune Fish and Gourmet, and City Fresh Produce; urban gardeners; bakeries, and our local farmers’ markets. Devon Shannon, warehouse employee, prepares flowers for clients 97K+ 39% 20% pounds of clients of clients of food a are 60 or are 18 or month older younger 7 “No one will help me... I had to leave… I left my abusive relationship and I have nothing. I’m starting over… Completely over. I finally got a job interview and it’s tomorrow. Can I come get clothes and a pair of shoes?” -Olivia 8 clothing closet Most outlets charge for gently used clothes, but Care for Real’s Closet is available at no cost to anyone in need. We make a special efort to have season and occasion appropriate clothing: warm coats for winter, business attire for job seekers and even formal wear for prom-goers. A dedicated group of volunteers maintains the closet, and major companies including Patagonia and Bomba socks help stock it. We also distribute personal care items, diapers, cleaning products and home health items through the closet and monthly distributions when available. None of these items can be purchased with SNAP funds. And we maintain a well-stocked library for clients. 6K+ 290K+ $1.7M+ client visits distributed value of to the closet items from clothes (based on the closet thift store pricing) 9 “Without you all there would be no holiday. No Christmas toys for my kids. You do so much for us.” -Carl 10 support services At Care for Real, we go beyond providing the basics of food and clothing to ofer support services and the “extras” that improve quality of life. We interview each client on a regular basis and maintain an extensive database in order to ofer referrals to other welfare, nutrition, housing and social welfare programs. Our Employment Resource Center assists unemployed and underemployed clients with resume writing, on-line job applications, interviewing skills and a job seeker support group. The Care for Real Pet Pantry, supported by Bark Bark Club, local retailers, distributors and veterinarians, enables clients to keep their pets in their homes. This year we saw a 21 percent increase in new clients needing pet food. This food is purchased with funds restricted specifically to the Pet Pantry. Care for Real also hosts drives that help our clients mark holidays and events by providing them with toys, books, school supplies, holiday foods, and more. Bark Bark Club owner Patti Colandrea helps to We distribute much-needed school prepare for pet food distribution supplies to start the school year right 4K+ 1300+ $26K+ clients’ families served value of pets served during Care for school Real drives supplies 11 volunteers Our heartfelt thanks to the 708 people who volunteered more than 53,000 hours to Care for Real this year. This is the equivalent of 26 full time employees! Their invaluable service ranges from helping to distribute food in the pantry to representing Care for Real at a myri- ad of community events. We could not function without them. Chi-Town Jazz Festival The 9th annual Chi-Town Jazz Festival brought the jazz community together for a week- long festival to raise funds to fight hunger in Chicago.