Food Distribution Proposal

Project Overview May 12, 2021

Project Goal: To prepare and deliver food boxes to rural Polk County families impacted by the pandemic.

The Polk County Family & Community Outreach (FCO) Department is applying for a $250,000 grant through Business Oregon to help families impacted by the pandemic or a related job or income loss by providing food box delivery service to rural parts of the county (excludes West Salem). Business Oregon is a State of Oregon agency that oversees various economic development activities and the Community Block Grant Funds. If funded, the FCO food distribution plan would greatly expand access to food for families impacted by the pandemic. Over 50% of our family households are in the low or moderate income range based on household size and income which qualifies our area for this grant.

Currently, there are only three food banks available to these families. All have limited hours and no delivery available. FCO surveyed Polk County residents and found that more than 50% of respondents reported they were unable to access food from local food bank sites due to the limited hours of operation and a lack of transportation. As part of contact tracing activities, the FCO Department is responsible for calling Covid-impacted families to ascertain their level of resource needs. The need to have food delivered to the home is the number one request.

The Resource Center and FCO staff have been involved in providing food to families in need for the past four years. From 2017-2019 this was done informally based largely on donations from private citizens. However, when the pandemic struck and the need rose so dramatically, it became clear that a better coordinated food box supply option was needed. During the past year, FCO has expanded on-site distribution of food boxes each month. Given the high need, FCO requested and was approved to become an official satellite for the Dallas Food Bank in April 2021. FCO staff have also used their private vehicles for a few hours on Mondays to deliver food boxes. This effort averages 100 food box deliveries each month, primarily to families with Covid-19 needs.

FCO will use the grant funds to expand the current food delivery system focusing on those people impacted by COVID-19. If grant funded, our overall goal is to average over 600 food box deliveries per month. FCO will hire two temporary staff to implement the delivery service. The grant will also fund the purchase of necessary storage and delivery equipment. We will also repair a recently donated delivery truck and will market the expanded delivery program to rural Polk County residents including non-English speaking families.

Budget Information Polk County FCO will request a grant of $250,000 from Business Oregon for the period of July 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022. These funds will generally be allocated to the following;  $105,000 for 2 FTE temporary or limited-term food delivery staff  $ 8,000 for truck repairs (truck for food collection and transport)  $ 12,500 for food storage, refrigeration and delivery equipment  $104,500 for supplemental food purchases  $ 20,000 for administrative overhead including printing, supplies, marketing, equipment 1

The Polk County FCO department will contribute the following in-kind supports throughout the project:

 $44,000 for program support and supervision  $ 5000 for translation services for non-English speaking families  $20,000 for space (rent, utilities, IT, and IT support, record keeping etc.)  $48,000 in Polk County owned vehicle use and operation costs (gas, repairs, etc)

Measurable Outcomes

The following outcomes will be monitored reported to the FCO Manager quarterly.

1. Polk County area families, including non-English speaking, will be notified of the food distribution program within 30 days of grant approval.

2. Truck repair, employment of temporary staff and purchase of the needed food storage equipment and delivery equipment will occur within 30 days of grant approval.

3. Beginning 30 days after grant approval families may request food assistance with delivery and will be placed on the delivery schedule.

4. The food delivery program will provide an estimated 600 food boxes per month.

5. An end-of-program evaluation including the number of families served, the number of food boxes distributed, anecdotal data on the overall impacts (health and employment) will be completed within 30 days of the end of the grant.

Summary

The Business Oregon Community Development Block Grant provides an opportunity for Polk County to better address the food insecurity needs, especially related to those families affected by the pandemic. Without it, the options likely remain as they currently are with only a small delivery option provided by FCO staff. Our proposal outlines a clear path to address the national objectives of helping low and moderate income families as well as to address a serious immediate need of many Polk County residents and to improve the general welfare of our community. The grant also includes funds to supplement the food typically received from the food bank system in Oregon by adding gluten-free, vegetarian, local vegetables and culturally appropriate food options. With a proactive food distribution system, Polk County can recover more quickly from the impacts of the pandemic and model an approach that serves the citizens well.