TINY PANTRY TIMES

Tiny Pantry Times (TPT) is battling food waste, food insecurity, the need to preserve human dignity, and the empowerment of friends, families, and neighbors of Northern Johnson County, KS. The USDA states, “food insecurity is defined as the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways”.
Johnson County consists of a population of 602,401 covering 473.6 square miles consisting of 79% white, 8% Hispanic, 5% Black, 5% Asian, and 3% Other according to CensusReporter.org. In the 2019 Feeding America article The Healthcare Costs of Food Insecurity, food insecurity in Johnson County has affected 38,623 adults and 10,771 children. This is a food insecurity rate of 9.08%. Health care costs stemming from food insecurity in Johnson County were calculated at $210,550,517 with associated school absenteeism at 78,816 days. The projected rates of food insecurity in 2021 for Johnson County were 13.1% overall and 19% for children according to Feeding America, The Impact of the Coronavirus on Local Food Insecurity in 2020 & 2021.

The long-term impact of TPT will be to reduce data percentages associated with food insecurity including health care costs and student absenteeism in Northern Johnson County. TPT wants to empower individuals to overcome the issues surrounding food insecurity that fosters defeat. People should not have to make the decision between paying rent …or they can eat, getting medication…or they can eat, staying warm …or they can eat. …. or they can eat should not enter the conversation.

To have a facility large enough to house the food and hygiene donations, provide a space to educate individuals about nutrition and meal preparation, and create a collaborative environment with other community service organizations, would enhance the outreach of the TPT while continuing to empower these families, friends, and neighbors to become self-sufficient. Therefore, TPT is offering an opportunity to make a change in these people’s lives for an investment of $210,404.00 or $600,000.00 which includes the purchase of a building.

Outline of Project to be Funded
The Problem: Food Insecurity Exacerbated by Food Waste
TPT is battling food waste, food insecurity, and the preservation of human dignity for friends, families, and neighbors of Northern Johnson County, Kansas and we need to expand these services.
The Covid-19 pandemic has generated health and economic consequences which will be suffered for years. Food insecurity and the associated issues are increasing in Johnson County and surrounding counties of Wyandotte in Kansas and Jackson in Missouri, according to the Feeding America article, The Impact of the Coronavirus on Food Insecurity. To address these challenges, TPT is taking a fiscally responsible approach towards nutritional stress and basic needs of our recipients.
Food being distributed to ease the nutritional insecurity in Northern Johnson County, is being wasted as it does not meet dietary needs of recipients as evident by the hundreds of pounds of “unusable” food being delivered to the Tiny Pantry at 7215 W 71st Street. Donations have been deemed “unusable” by recipients, due to lack of facilities to cook/process foods, ingredients which might be required to make a donation edible, time, dietary, religious restrictions, physical limitations, or a lack of knowledge/skills reinforcing these perceptions.
Examples of “unusable” foods are as follows. The family of nine living in an SUV or the couple living out of the back of a box truck without facilities to cook/process foods. A lack of additional ingredients required to complete recipes, such as milk for macaroni and cheese. Time restrictions, as with the mother of three that supports her children and helps her disabled mother with whom they are living. Lactose intolerance of a recipient’s child. Physical limitations such as those suffered by the elderly or an accident.
There is a growing need to make food “usable”. Through the re-packaging and supplementation of nutritional food donations, recipients will receive food that addresses dietary needs. Addressing the multiple challenges that make food “unusable”, will empower people with the knowledge and skills to feed themselves. Supplemental donations such as dairy items like eggs, milk, and butter/margarine help to covert “unusable” macaroni and cheese into a usable food resource. Converting cans of beans, corn, diced tomatoes, that would sit on a shelf uneaten for weeks, when combined with minimal supplemental ingredients, becomes a protein rich “Cowboy Caviar” that flies off the shelf and into hungry bellies that may not have access to a conventional kitchen.
Other items that have proven important to the pantry recipients are snack and hygiene kits. When living in houseless environments, portable food and personal hygiene items are lifesaving. Without resources that preserve human dignity and optimum health, hope dissipates quickly. Snack kits can provide a viable meal replacement. Necessities of soap, washcloth, and razor can make the difference between employment or not. Currently, TPT is hosting children, ages 2-18, who are requesting participation in service-learning opportunities. These children have stated that they enjoy the kit building opportunities. Space for kit building is needed to expand our volunteer capabilities.
TPT recipients also need a network of entities which will address the multiple challenges facing the people of Northern Johnson County and the Greater Kansas City area such as Jewish Family Services, Free Hot Soup, Buy Nothing Overland Park, I Support the Girls KC (which provides feminine hygiene products not covered by SNAP benefits), and Zu’s Underground - JoCo.
The Solution: Empowerment Through Education and Networking
The perception of “unusable” food can be eradicated by attacking the misconception on multiple fronts through education, demonstration, and supplementation. People with the knowledge and skills to feed themselves will no longer be dependent on agencies for their day-to-day existence. Additional food donations, personal hygiene, feminine hygiene, and small winter clothing donations for people facing multiple barriers are vital to easing nutritional distress and preserve human dignity.
Creation of an Environment that will encourage food preparation and better nutritional understanding. Through the building and utilization of a demonstration kitchen, items that were previously deemed “unusable” will be reimagined into foodstuffs that have already been proven to be readily consumed. Volunteers will provide weekly step-by-step guidance to food preparation and packaging which can then be distributed to attendees or placed in coolers for other recipients. Recipes and nutritional information, along with a small bag of ancillary ingredients, will also be made available so the foodstuffs can be prepared at home. This will empower individuals with the skills/knowledge to become more self-sufficient.
Project Objective: To decrease “unusable” food donations by 3% in the next 5 years
Project Outcomes: Significantly more individuals will prepare meals by incorporating “unusable” foods into their diets
Create Partnerships with Educators Children, ages 2-18 in the immediate vicinity of the pantry, are requesting participation in service-learning opportunities. As previously mentioned, items that have proven important to the pantry recipients are snack and hygiene kits. Space for kit building is needed to expand our volunteer capabilities. The children that have already participated in the packaging of these kits have provided proof of concept that they have gained the insight into the service environment while providing a valuable sweat equity resource. Parents and children are invited to participate in the opportunities and these activities have been embraced by both generations.
Project Objective: To create partnerships with area educators of K-12
Project Outcomes: To provide 12 community service opportunities over the next year.

We will Enhance Networking Partnerships with other Community Service Organizations TPT recipients need a network of service-oriented entities which will work to address the multiple challenges facing the people of Northern Johnson County as well as the Greater Kansas City area marketed in one location. These entities include, but are not limited to: Jewish Family Services, Free Hot Soup (Kansas City), Buy Nothing Overland Park (Antioch Park)/Merriam (South)/KS, I Support The Girls KC (which provides feminine hygiene products that are not covered by SNAP benefits), Zu’s Underground – JoCo, and Heart to Heart International. By investing into the contractual services of Johnson County Community College’s Student Agency, the students can design the hard-copy brochures highlighting these resources for those without internet access. Any funds not used for these purposes will then be placed into a student scholarship. This will benefit both the students and the recipients.
Project Objective: To provide 1,000 hard-copy brochures of resources for recipients and reciprocating service agencies.
Project Outcomes: To promote better communication between organizations and consolidation of recipient services to address multiple challenges.
Success of this project will be evaluated based on the previously mentioned objectives/outcomes.
Sustainability of this project will fall to where it has the last two years, to our incredible community members. Seeking out community leaders, administrators of K-12 schools, and service organizations will strengthen our outreach capabilities. Community involvement will continue to be vital in the future. TPT, using the Nextdoor app and other social media platforms, is constantly updating the community about the needs and the triumphs of the recipients. To sustain the project, we will continue our investment in transparency through engaging discourse and an increased community presence.

Thank you for your consideration and support of this project and the people it serves.