Garrettsville – Nelson Garrettsville Community Cupboard has been shutting the door on hunger for the past seven years. Since its inception, it has been shaped and directed by Mike and Michele Elias, along with a small, dedicated group of fellow volunteers. However, the Eliases plan to leave the NGCC in new hands by the close of 2018, and the search is on for a new leader or two.
Meeting a persistent need within the James A. Garfield School District, the NGCC has:
• Served 6,373 households
• Distributed over 210 TONS of food
• Provided 3,150 gallons of milk, bread and eggs through its grocery store voucher program
• Supplied 6,878 “Snack-Packs” to JAG school children
NGCC Board President Chris Perme has sent letters to area churches and charitable organizations, but is seeking a wider reach into the community to find caring and qualified individuals who would like to carry forward the mission of the not-for-profit community service.
“The primary qualifications of new Cupboard leadership are a genuine concern about people and a willingness to help and get involved in the community,” says Michele Elias. Great communication and organization skills are a must and current community involvement would be a bonus. The time commitment requires availability during the weekdays. NGCC volunteers are busiest during the first two weeks of the month when the Cupboard is open, and must shop and restock during the last two weeks of the month.
Primary responsibilities of NGCC leadership are:
• Shopping and maintaining an inventory of food, toiletries and cleaning products.
• Processing clients four times a month (five hours per opening) for approximately 100 families per month.
• Coordinating the volunteer schedule.
• Processing statistical information for Akron-Canton Food Bank.
• Maintaining bank account, budget, bill payment and donor receipts.
• Handling all correspondence between NGCC and donors.
• Coordinating with JAG PTO to facilitate the SnackPack Program.
• Maintaining the NGCC website and a social media presence.
• Developing and running fundraising events throughout the year.
• Maintaining the articles of incorporation, coordinating with the board and handling the state and federal non-profit status filings.
The short-term goal is to have a seamless transfer of responsibilities to new leadership in coming months. The Eliases will work closely with them to ensure all aspects of operations are understood. Once the new leadership feels comfortable in fulfilling their role, the Eliases plan to still be involved as volunteers and for consultation.
“Long term, the new leadership might consider a number of options for the future of the Cupboard,” Michele says. She suggests there are ways to streamline operations and the budget by absorbing the Cupboard location into an existing church and/or fraternal organization. Another option would be operating as a monthly mobile food pantry rather than from a permanent location. Alternately, a number of programs could be operated within the JAG schools, making that the primary focus of the Cupboard.
The NGCC materialized after Michael retired as was looking for volunteer opportunities to fill his time, Michele recalls. “We attended a fundraising event at the regional food bank and were surprised to learn that even though there was a need, there was no food pantry serving our area. We wanted to change that, so we teamed up with a small group of local residents. After much research, fundraising and hard work, NGCC was born. We really had no idea what we were doing when we started and it took a lot of experimentation to figure out what worked.”
The Eliases have been through quite a lot in the past seven years, from finding funding, moving to multiple locations, juggling the time commitment and keeping the shelves stocked. “But the work itself has been so rewarding!” Michele says.
“We have met many wonderful people and have really enjoyed getting involved in the community. Our volunteers are the absolute best and NGCC could not have made it this far without them. It has been great getting to know our clients over the years. Hearing their stories of how NGCC has made an impact on their lives makes it all worthwhile.”
Anyone interesting in taking leadership at Nelson Garrettsville Community Cupboard should call the office at (330) 527-2011 or email ngcc305@gmail.com .
