Pantry Paper – July 2008

Thank you Dedicated Member Congregations for the monetary and/or food donations  you have given regularly for years and continue to do: Canoga Park Presbyterian Church,  Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church, First United Methodist Church Canoga Park, Prince of Peace Episcopal Church, Saint Luke’s Lutheran Church, Saint Martin-in-the Fields Episcopal Church, Temple Kol Tikvah, Woodland Hills United Methodist Church, Woodland Hills Christian Church, Woodland Hills Community Church, and Woodland Hills Presbyterian Church.     

New Service Step On the back of this newsletter, we explain the rule for distributing government food. It is regulated by The Emergency Food Assistance Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (see usda.gov). Those wanting a training update, please call Jean Buesing (818) 884-2488, or e-mail her at buesings@aol.com. See the top of your Volunteer Schedule for shift hours.

Supermarket Food Drive Help is needed Saturday July 12 in front of Albertson’s Market at Victory and Fallbrook in two hour shifts, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Call Al Trumpler (818) 887-9384.

Thanks for an extra Supermarket Food Drive June 7^th goes to five El Camino High School students and parent Cindy Ikel. The teens are: Porter Breitenfeld, Michelle Durand, Molly Ikel, Sarah Ikel, and Pryanka Kuman.

Volunteer News After three years of service, NCL Liaison Elissa Kaczorowski has passed the baton to long-time Pantry volunteer Joanne Kim. We also welcome these volunteers recently trained: Chasen Bender, Lili Gleeson, Doris Hood, and Debra and Katie Walker.

Hunger Fact: A recent UCLA report found that the average yearly Social Security income of seniors is $12,540. This is not enough to live on, yet more than 30 percent of CA seniors rely on it exclusively.

May 2008 Statistics

                                                   P.O.P.    Family Rescue

Total families served               478             312

People served: adults              761             505

                        children           401             515

Total people served                1162           1020

The Pantry gave food to 224 people on Senior Wednesday, June 4.

West Valley Food Pantry Volunteer Service Steps

Welcome visitor/client. 

Help the client complete all forms, problem solving with the client to satisfy any paperwork requirements if possible.  Use good judgment.  Per WVFP Guidelines: "Treat all clients with dignity." 

It is better to err in favor of giving a full order of food, than to deny a full order.   Per our Guidelines:"Never send anyone away hungry"

EFA-7 Sign-in Form ("White Sheet" for Emergency Food Assistance Program of USDA)     

Assist visitor/client to complete EFA-7 Form and obtain signature. 

If visitor/client completes EFA-7 Form and self certifies income eligibility for a EFAP food order, provide EFAP food (on initial visit, WVFP must waive zip code residency requirement for EFAP food)

Complete this step before applying any WVFP Rules. 

Retain all EFA-7 Forms whether or not EFAP Food is provided.

WVFP Rules.  Once the EFA-7 Form is signed, ask client for identification and piece of mail in order to pull visitor/client's Registration/Application Card or to begin application process.  

If there is a Card on file, review it to determine:

§ Whether the visitor is registered as client

§ The date of last visit. Must be at least 30 days to receive full order (unless on-the-street homeless or otherwise do not have the means to cook or store food) 

§ The number of people in household to determine order size

§ Whether a family member has reached the age of 18. If so, modify card to include this person in list of adults living in the household. Also, ask if this person has income, adjust household income to determine continued household income eligibility.

§ Check notes from previous visits for special dietary needs (e.g. diabetes, allergies), food preferences, need for diapers and other baby items, etc.

§ Whether other information is needed

If there is no Registration/Application Card on file, interview and assist visitor/client to complete the Card to determine compliance with WVFP rules. Both visitor/client and volunteer must sign the Card. Once Card is signed for new client, volunteer should complete yellow sheet for household demographics at the time of the order  Failure to satisfy WVFP Rules has no affect on EFAP eligibility. 

Food order: Get food for the client

Sign card to certify whether the client received government food

Thank client

Incident Report Form.  If any visitor or client is denied food for any reason, or given less than a full order, complete an incident report form to assist WVFP:

To demonstrate to government auditors that the denial of services satisfied applicable rules

To provide critical information to the WVFP board on whether WVFP is satisfying our mission