A Successful Year in Review

While last year presented many challenges Northumberland Fare Share Food Banks (FSFB) had a year of firsts. In a 2012 planning meeting the board identified and delivered successfully on 4 of 5 mandates.

A milk program “NEED MILK” was launched with a budget that had to be reached prior implementation. The bank is happy to report that it was an overwhelming success moving from 1 milk serving per month to 14 milk servings per month.

To help drive that initiative another first came about - that being the food bank’s George Leger Memorial Golf Tournament. One golf tournament simply paid to support the NEED MILK program.

With FSFB operating solely with volunteers most of the dollars we raise go directly to providing food for those less fortunate. And while our fundraising efforts this year were improved the bank still experiences monthly shortfalls. For instance fundraising was down the month of November by nearly 30%.

Another first was the fostering of better relations and consequently heightened participation and awareness from area schools with Trinity College School leading the way with a number of programs where their Social Justice faculty swung into gear to help Fare Share and later in the year St Mary School, led by International Strong Man, Rev. Kevin Fast to break a Guinness World Record by pulling the heaviest Santa's Sleigh weighed down with groceries collected by students and staff.

The bank has taken a rather proactive approach to create a new fundraising strategy which includes looking outside our area of operation for grant and program support. Part of this included elevating our ability to better manage our database of donors, supporters and volunteers. FSFB is pleased to report that this ability is well in hand.

And a final first… Fare Share now sports not one, not two, but three vehicles thanks to generous help from Lauria Hyundai, Bob Currie Auto Sales and Cameco. Yes, Fare Share now has a fleet of vehicles.

FSFB's Achilles heel rests with one of the key strengths of the organization - volunteers. Rather, volunteer management. As a volunteer organization it takes considerable effort to recruit, foster relationships, allocate tasks and manage this all important resource. High on the list for 2014 are ways to improve volunteer management. All that said, the organization is absolutely thrilled with the way the volunteers step up and most importantly how the community responds with donations and food to HELP FEED OUR NEIGHBOURS.