Mission Board Update July 2022
Mission Board updates- July 2022
SUMMER IS HERE!
June has been the month of summer travel and new volunteers.
Thanks to Mountain Neighbors Helping Neighbors asking and thanks to our
wonderful core of 30 volunteers, we have trained over 25 new community
volunteers to help us at the Skyland Food Pantry. Many are families and
it has been great to have the assistance of all the young people come weekly
with their parents. What a great help they are and the smiles on
their faces as they do the work is invigorating! A HUGE THANK YOU
TO ALL THE VOLUNTEERS WHO ARE FLEXING THEIR SCHEDULES AND TEACHING OUR NEW
FAMILIES TO HELP SKYLAND COMMUNITY CHURCH!
Our clients are using the pantry and food is being taken daily to the homes of those in need. A BIG THANKS to Everett Farms which has been added to our food distribution system as some suppliers are taking breaks and the supply has been inconsistent. We had lovely new greens and strawberries to add to the refrigerators last week! A parent volunteer, Adelia Barber, at Loma Prieta School is helping coordinate and bring the deliveries.
FOOD PANTRY SURVEY
Many thanks to the 40 of you who filled out the Food Pantry
survey. The results were very helpful to the Mission Board as we move
forward integrating the Food Pantry into Skyland Community Church for the
future.
Here are our key takeaways. Many other wonderful
suggestions and ideas were written to help guide the Mission Board's
actions. Thanks to all for our guidance!
THE FOOD PANTRY IS STRONGLY SUPPORTED
1. 97% of the congregation supports the pantry and feels it
adds significant value to our community.
2. 90% think it's an important aspect of the ministry of
Skyland Church.
3. 78% think it should be a long term part of the Skyland
Church campus. (15% were neutral.)
Here is our update and progress to share:
PAST ACTIONS:
During the winter the food was stored on the front porch of
the church and the 8x12 panels kept everything dry. Our first step was to
take everything but the original box off of the church porch and down the
ramp.
GUIDANCE FOR THE FUTURE
These are the key take aways from the survey that the
Mission Board, Trustees and Church Council are addressing:
1. 37.5% think that we should work to take the extra food storage out of Whitaker.
ACTION: We have taken the extra boxes out of Whitaker
and put them in the nursery. We have cleared out the room and will try to
store more there since the garage needs clean out and repair.
2. 80% think that we should store items in the garage and nursery and not in Whitaker.
ACTION: The Trustees are working on the shed to make
sure it is safe and secure for storage only.
A committee is looking at the existing storage areas in the
church so the shed can hold the extra food that sits in Whitaker now. A clean-up day may happen at the end of July or early August. Stay tuned.
3. 30% think that the Little Food Pantry should not be on the front porch of the church.
ACTION: We
are still working out how to handle the original Little Food Pantry box that
remains on the front porch. It does not fit down the ramp without blocking
handicapped access.
We have a volunteer to paint it white with flowers but that
is on hold while we are looking into a taller, wider free standing cabinet that
can go down the ramp next to the refrigerators.
CURRENT WORK:
The next step is to winterize the outside pantry before the
rains come.
ACTION: We need to build/buy a three - sided "bus
stop" cover that will keep the food dry and off the porch. This will
allow the food to stay off the porch when the rains come in the
Fall.
FYI: Food Pantry workers considered at least 5 other locations with the wonderful support of the Trustees, a group of mission team members, pantry volunteers, client members and church members. After much discussion and great engineering support and drawings from Lou McTamaney we are now looking at two final options for the outside pantry: 1) the far corner north side of the church where the food is located now and 2) the side wall of the shed/garage building that has more space.
There are pros and cons for both sites, but after discussion
at the June Church Council meeting, we are moving forward with option
one.
The second option was questioned by many since it will
require paving a driveway between the church and the shed and one section is
too steep to be accessible for those with mobility issues.
Pantry clients could walk around the building, but safety is
key. Finally, the sun stays there longer which will affect the
food.
Our team decided to work on winterizing the far corner of the church for these reasons:
1. Access- It allows clients to get food as they drive
up in their cars and they can come and go quickly and safely on flat
ground.
2. Location- It is not hidden in the present location.
Community members can drive by and see it, serving to make the location more
public.
3. Weather- The north side of the building is cooler and the
winds and rains do not impact this area like other places by the church.
4. Safety- This spot is well lit and does not require
walking down hills or on unlevel ground. The electricity is already there
and worked well last winter.
5. Expediency- Most of the food is already here.
and it will take less time and energy to set up. We are working with
volunteers!
Thanks for your patience and support as we work to keep our church beautiful and serve those in need!
Mission Board
For more details here is the link to the Food Pantry Pie Charts
