I am not sure the operation ever really stops. It pauses after our pantry on Saturday, but Carol Rabun is constantly networking to get partners for food donations and places for us to share the bounty that cannot be stored. Carol’s Kindness Plus has grown dramatically and shows no sign of slowing down. We have come a long way from the asking for the early box of greens for Carol’s pig Pumba.
Every week starts with a more or less clean slate or it used to. In 2023 we went from “give out everything we get the day it comes in” several times a week to “save back some to have a more stable supply to share” food distribution. Now we have up to several weeks of dry goods stored, and sometimes frozen items too. It helps us in the lean times, limiting the amount we need to purchase to accommodate our clients. Still, we are purchasing $150-300+ each week from our fundraising to fill out our tables.
We get asked “how do you find food” a lot. It is connections and a bit of luck, lots of perseverance, and sharing. Some days the phone is ringing constantly, and other times Carol’s texts go unanswered for hours, leaving us wondering if we have a pickup that day. It also involves considerable scheduling of her team of volunteers, matching their availability and vehicles with the donations promised. Carol promises to pick up rapidly when food is offered, and she DELIVERS!! Many times, other organizations do not make their pickups and we get the call to come as soon as possible. The logistics are daunting and written in pencil on her counter.
Collecting the food is just the beginning, though. When the food arrives at Carol’s location, it has to be sorted by type, weighed, and then put away into shelving, refrigerators and freezers. Dry goods in boxes are marked with dates and contents and arranged on shelves. Larger sized packaging is grouped to be broken down into smaller packages for distribution at the food pantry. It has to be packaged and labeled. We currently have about 12 wire shelving units spread over 2 garages and 3 rooms with items to give out over a 1-2 month timeline. We have 4 freezers, 3 huge commercial refrigerators and 2 additional ones to use each week. Many fresh donations are labeled and frozen to give out. Miranda and Robert are the brains at this point, “tetrising” the massive amount of donations to fit into our spaces.
As the week rolls on, we start to feel squeezed for space. Thursday and Friday are our biggest days with multiple donations coming in within minutes of each other. It seems like if we are going to receive a bonus or surprise donation, it happens late in the week. Volunteers are beginning to look a bit raggedy, but keep jumping to the challenge each time Carol reaches out. At this point too, Dianne is placing orders for supplementary foods to round out our tables with staple items. Thankfully, Walmart and Amazon deliver right to the garage, and pickup is generally not required.
At this point too, Dianne is soliciting volunteers to round out the Saturday schedule of 3 shifts and updating any social media and web presence.
Finally, Friday begins our distribution cycle. (of course, during the week, Carol is reaching out to pass on foods that need to be given out more quickly.) A new set of volunteers appears to load up the dry items and display containers, and transport them by truck and car to Gus Garcia Rec Center, a few blocks away.
Saturday morning, the next crew packs up all the frozen and refrigerated items in coolers and crates/boxes to take to the pantry. They are met by additional helpers to unload the vehicles and bring the items inside to arrange them.
At this point too, the truck from the food bank arrives to bring several pallets of food to the back patio to be unloaded, sorted and arranged. Our managers wrangle the crew that grabs up the boxes of food, sometimes loading them onto dollies, other times just carrying them to the correct table. Trash and all kinds of packaging flies back outside to be taken to the dumpster for recycling.
The Saturday crews of volunteers arrange the food on tables, making it attractive and organized for the clients to “shop.” We have selected this method of distribution so that each client selects foods they will probably use. We try to have a wide selection for people, but we have to limit the quantities to stretch them so that all have a chance at most items. The last crew of volunteers is on-site before noon to assist clients in their selections, restock tables, and clean up at the end of the day. Our director and 5 area managers manage to keep all this rolling along without a hitch week after week.
We have around 35 volunteers involved on any Saturday, sometimes more, and many have been clients too. Every person, from those who pack and drive to those who register clients, to those who set out food on the tables and serve the clients, to those who break down boxes and clean coolers are the most important part of our operation. Their dedication to their neighbors makes this operation successful.
Those remaining at the end-of-the-day pack up any food items to go to Carol’s and Dianne’s for storage, FreeFridges, and animal food. By this time, the fridges and freezers have been cleaned and are ready for the next week. Cars and trucks are loaded with cleaned coolers and crates and put up in their places in the garage.
At the end of the day does Carol sit down now and enjoy her evening? Probably not yet, as husband Jerry has to be fed, a few more details have to be handled, and already people are calling asking about next week or needing their schedule altered.
We like to say that Carol’s Kindness is Oh So Kind. We hear this a lot.
Until next week we are putting the little truck to rest.