Meeting with Second Harvest

Meeting with Second Harvest:
April 29, 2010
11am-12pm

I met with Becki Wildenberger and Dave Bethel . We discussed many things, but the most pressing issue for them is the “Mobile Pantry” that they are trying to launch.
They have a 20foot truck that can hold 20,000 lbs of food and they want to give the more remote areas of the NRV more access to their service. They want pantries that are close to each other to partner together so that the cost is defrayed somewhat and that more product is being moved at one time. (which would be more cost effective).
Until July 1 they are willing to cut the cost of this project. They are even willing to do it for free. However, after July 1 a truck could cost as much as $500. The sustainability of this project has not been thought out completely. They want me as a VISTA to get people on board.
In the future they are thinking that this can become a bigger event. These drops could not only focus on food distribution but also on education. There would be classes offered by 2nd harvest, VCE, and other agencies.

What they need for this project to succeed is:
-Sponsors to pay/host
-Volunteers to run the event—most likely from agencies
-Clientele
-Agencies to join the effort.
-Funding—possibly grants to help defray the cost of some of this.

For Sustainability:
-Funding
-Grants from other programs
-Regular drop points
-Mentors to pull together other volunteers.