Jeannette Area Pilot Project   Ending Hunger One Bite at a Time - The Westmoreland County Food Bank moves forward with the pilot project in Jeannette and surrounding areas. A GAP Study conducted in 2007 determined that there were 40,000 additional people in Westmoreland County who qualified for our services but were not currently receiving them. The Westmoreland County Food Bank Board of Directors and staff members decided to align with Feeding America’s strategic plan to focus on finding new food, new friends and new funds to expand services to those in need throughout the county. The United Way partnered with WCFB for support in developing a plan to reach the underserved.  In July 2008 the areas of Jeannette, Penn, Harrison City and Grapeville were selected for the Jeannette Area Pilot Project. From July 2008 through March 2009 we were in an “Exploratory Phase” for the project gathering input from the community and developing an action plan with measurable goals for outreach and expansion. A Pantry Program Expansion Model has been developed. This model will serve as a template to help us develop action plans to expand services in all underserved areas of Westmoreland County. What’s New? WCFB is full of activity with the finishing touches on the first area of our Expansion and Outreach Project. We have many successes to report with the most exciting & noteworthy being named as the winner of the Agency Capacity Program of the Year award through Feeding America. Each year Feeding America acknowledges a member food bank that implements an innovative capacity program designed to increase service to its member agencies, directly resulting in an increase of food to those in need. The recognized program serves as a model for other member food banks to replicate. With the implementation of the new marketing materials and pantry support and development practices in place, 238 new households have been enrolled in the monthly Food Pantry Distribution Program in the pilot project area. Direct distributions were set in place at the Jeannette Manor High Rise which provides much needed food to residents that are unable to get out to a pantry. With an increase in need comes additional demand for more food. WCFB has been extremely successful in developing new food sources via food drives, a virtual food drive on our web site, and the National Feeding America food donation programs that were recently set in place. Permanent drop off sites for food were established in 9 businesses with convenient locations throughout Westmoreland County. A volunteer orientation process was implemented which enhances the efforts to improve the physical aspects of the pantry distributions. The pantries involved in the project will be monitored on a consistent basis to ensure that the coordinators have the support necessary to assist the households they serve. The action plan used in the Jeannette Pilot Project will serve as our template to end hunger in the county “one bite at a time” by moving from community to community with the same focused outcome based goals. The next phase of the project is scheduled to begin in January of 2011 and will involve the Mt. Pleasant, Scottdale, Pleasant Unity and surrounding areas. There are currently 4 pantries that serve the eligible households in these areas. We will begin setting up the Pantry Advisory Committee and assessing the pantry capacity for each of the pantries involved as the first step towards getting started. It has been extremely exciting to witness this plan take shape in the development phase and to work with the new households involved in the outreach of the action phase in the pilot area. Winning the award for Agency Capacity Program of the Year has reinforced the momentum for our entire staff and board of directors to move forward with the next phase of our project. For more information on this project, please contact Project Manager, Texie Waddell at 724-468-8660 ext. 20 or email her at texie@westmorelandfoodbank.org.     Clay Avenue, Jeannette		Upcoming Events Aug 30 - Sept 5 - Mylan Classic Sept 2 - Annual Partnership Luncheon Sept 18 - Food for Thought Talk Block on WCNS 1480 AM Sept 25 - Sing for Their Supper   Food Recall Alerts Learn about recalls when we do. Sign-up today! Email: Volunteer Spotlight Our Volunteers help make an impact by donating a few hours of time every week! Read more... eStore Show your support by purchasing some great WCFB merchandise. Check out our featured item, 25th Anniversary Commemorative Cookbooks! Shop Now!  Virtual Food Drive You can now donate toward the purchase of the food in the monthly food box received by our clients. Fill a Cart Now!