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Volunteer ManualThis manual is designed to give volunteers background information prior to volunteering

in New Brunswick food pantries.

Contents:Introduction to Food Insecurity in New BrunswickVolunteer Roles and GuidelinesPantry Contact InformationGlossary and Common Spanish Terms---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Food Insecurity

● Food insecurity: limited availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, or inability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.

● Poverty is a big component of food insecurity.● 1 out of every 5 New Jersey families do not earn enough money to afford basic needs

such as food1.● 51% of the total population of 58,000 New Brunswick residents experience food

insecurity2.

Food Pantries in New Brunswick

The Feeding New Brunswick Network was created to help the issue of food insecurity within New Brunswick. The network is part of New Brunswick Community Food Alliance, a community food council committed to development and maintenance of sustainable local food system in New Brunswick.

● Pantries receive food from food banks, direct donations, wholesalers, and retailers and distribute groceries to people in the community. These items are then distributed to clients that come to the pantry3.

● Food that comes from the state or federal government must be distributed according to regulations but food and items that are privately donated can be distributed as the pantry sees fit.

● Volunteers in New Brunswick are usually comprised of Rutgers students, church members, or other local community members.

Figure 1 Distribution of food to NB pantries4

Page 2 of 7Traditional Food Pantry

1st: Volunteers sort and arrange certain types of food into bags 2nd: Clients present their IDs, sign in and fill out any paperwork3rd: Clients are given a prepackaged bag (or more according to family size) and are sometimes

allowed to choose additional itemsfigure 25

figure 36

figure 47

Client Choice Food Pantry

In this system, rather than having a pre-packaged bag of food items, clients are able to “shop,” meaning that they can pick items from different categories to customize what they take home. Pantries can ensure that clients are receiving items that are familiar and useful to them.

Volunteer Duties figure 58

Volunteers should keep in mind that pantries may give them any type of job when they arrive.*It is very important that a volunteer keeps his or her spirits up no matter what job he or she is given.

Job Descriptions:● Unloading food from trucks and stacking shelves● Prepping bags to hand out to community members (some pantries have menus for

different types of bags)● Client choice (Five Loaves Food Pantry): volunteers place items in groups and assist

clients in choosing which foods they want.● Breaking down boxes to put out for recycling● Cleaning: sweeping, setting up chairs for clients to sit comfortably● Welcoming guests as they come through the door● Printing flyers● Use bilingual skills to speak to clients, translate documents etc.● Making phone calls● Filling out paperwork

Attire

Generally, volunteers should:

Page 3 of 7● wear comfortable clothing● dress warmly in the winter and lightly in the summer (layers are recommended)● gloves and long pants are recommended depending on job● No slippery shoes, open toe shoes, high heels, or sandals. Sneakers, work shoes or boots

are recommended● No suggestive, sleeveless, low cut, crop top or controversial clothing

Language

● Do not use offensive words i.e. curse words, racial/ethnic slurs.● Be courteous of disabilities, race, ethnicity etc. ● Be aware that while you are helping the clients, they are human beings just like you● Treat clients with the respect and kindness.● Understand when a client needs his/her space, do not make him/her feel uncomfortable

about the present situation.

Culture

● The population of New Brunswick is mostly Hispanic● Volunteers should remember that they may have different or similar backgrounds than

many of the clients at the pantries but everyone should be respected the same way9.

Hours for Volunteer Work

If a volunteer wishes to gain hours from their service time, we recommend personally keeping track of hours and then asking the pantry coordinator to sign off on it. Keep in mind that smaller pantries may not have a system to keep track of volunteer hours.

Where You Can Volunteer

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of Pantries or Services provided in New Brunswick.For volunteering, please contact the individual pantry for information about specific volunteer shifts, if applicable. It is extremely important that you arrive at least 15 minutes early to your shift to get your assignment. *If you must cancel your shift, PLEASE notify the pantry as soon as possible, preferably 5 days before the date of your volunteer service so a replacement can be found.

Page 4 of 7Christ Church Episcopal

Address: 5 Paterson StreetPhone: (732) 545-6262Hours of Pantry: 2nd & 3rd Wed of month:

6-7.30PM2nd Tue of month: 8-10AMLast 2 Fri of month: 9-10:30AMLast 2 Sat of month: 10:30-12PM

Website: http://www.christchurchnewbrunswick.org/Sign up at: https://fnbn.wufoo.com/forms/volunteer-at-christ-church-food-pantry/

Emanuel Lutheran Church (Vanessa’s Food Pantry)Address: New and Kirkpatrick StreetsPhone: (732) 545-2673Hours of Pantry: Wed: 10AM-12PMThe Sat following the 3rd Thu of month:

9AM-12PMWebsite: http://www.emanuelnb.org/Sign up at: https://fnbn.wufoo.com/forms/volunteer-at-vanessas-food-pantry

Five Loaves Food PantryAddress: 100 College AvePhone: (732) 545-1019Hours of Pantry: M-F: 10AM-2PM

Mon & Wed: 5-8PMWebsite: http://www.secondreformednb.org/?page_id=9

Society of St. Vincent DePaulAddress: 29 Abeel StreetPhone: (732) 309-2142Hours of Pantry: Wed & Sat: 10AM-1PMWebsite: N/A

Suydam Street Reformed ChurchAddress: 74 Drift StreetPhone: (732) 249-6803Hours of Pantry: Sat: 9-10:30AM

Sun: 7:30-8AMMon: 9-10AM

Website: http://www.suydamstreetreformedchurch.org/

Bayard Street Presbyterian ChurchAddress: 107 Bayard StreetPhone: (732) 247-0384Hours of Pantry: Last Sat of month 12-2PMWebsite: N/A

Deliverance Prayer Revival TabernacleAddress: 306 Somerset StreetPhone: (732) 220-8266Hours of Pantry: Sun: 11AM– 1PM

Tue & Fri: 7– 9PMWebsite: N/A

Ebenezer Baptist ChurchAddress: 126 Lee AvenuePhone: (732) 247-2459Hours of Pantry: Tue: 11AM-1PMWebsite: http://ebconline.moonfruit.com

Elijah's PromiseAddress: 18 Neilson StreetPhone: (732) 545-9002Hours of Pantry: M-F: 11AM-7PM

Sat/Sun: 1-4PMWebsite: http://www.elijahspromise.org/get-involved/ volunteer /

PRAB - Service Access Center RepresentativesAddress: 90 Jersey AvePhone: (732) 828-4510Hours of Pantry: Thu: 9AM-5PMWebsite: https://prab.org/

Page 5 of 7Salvation ArmyAddress: 287 Handy StreetPhone: (732) 545-1477Hours of Pantry: Last 7 days of month:

10AM-12PMWebsite: http://newjersey.salvationarmy.org/NewJersey/newbrunswick

St. Alban's Church Food PantryAddress: 148 Lee AvenuePhone: (732) 846-9684Hours of Pantry: Wed: 7-9PMWebsite: http://stalbansnewbrunswick.org/food-pantry/

Suydam Street Reformed ChurchAddress: 74 Drift StreetPhone: (732) 249-6803Hours of Pantry: Sat: 9-10:30AM

Sun: 7:30-8AMMon: 9-10AM

Website: http://www.suydamstreetreformedchurch.org/

Tabernacle Baptist ChurchAddress: 239 George StreetPhone: (732) 545-6617Hours of Pantry: 4th Thursday: 10AM-12PMWebsite: N/A

Visit the Feeding New Brunswick Network at https://www.facebook.com/FeedingNBNetwork/ for the latest news and more information.

Glossary

Food Insecurity: The lack of access to affordable and healthy foods and the lack of an adequate amount of it2.

Hillside Community Foodbank of New Jersey: The Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ), distributes food, provides education and training, develops programs to help hungry people throughout the state, and engages all sectors of society in this mission.

MCFOODS: Middlesex County Food Organization and Outreach Distribution Services MCFOODS was created to help ensure that an adequate supply of nutritious foods and necessities are readily available to Middlesex County residents in need. MCFOODS collects and distributes nonperishable items at no cost to over 80 local food pantries and soup kitchens throughout the County10.

Medicaid: Medicaid provides health insurance to parents/caretakers and dependant children, pregnant women, and people who are aged, blind or disabled. These programs pay for hospital services, doctor visits, prescriptions, nursing home care and other health care needs, depending on what program a person is eligible for11.

SNAP: (Supplemental Nutrition Access Program): SNAP offers nutrition assistance to millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families and provides economic benefits to communities12.

Page 6 of 7Soup Kitchen: a place where meals are offered for free or little cost. Soup kitchens sometimes also give out groceries.

SSI: Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a Federal income supplement program funded by general tax revenues (not Social Security taxes): It is designed to help aged, blind, and disabled people, who have little or no income and provides cash to meet basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter13.

TANF: The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program is designed to help needy families achieve self-sufficiency14.

WIC (Women, Infants, and Children): The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides Federal grants to States for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk15.

Common Spanish Phrases and Terms

Can you sign here: Puedes firmar aquíIs this your first time here: Es esta su primera vez aquí?Do you have an ID with you? Tiene una identificación con usted?What is your name? Cuál es tu nombre?What is your Address? Cual es tu dirección?How old are you? Cuantos años tienes?What is your telephone number? Cuál es tu número de teléfono?What town do you live in? En qué ciudad vives?How many adults live in your house? Cuántos adultos viven en su casa?How many kids do you have? Cuántos hijos tienes?What kind of food do you like? Qué tipo de comida te gusta?Do you receive food stamps? Usted recibe cupones de alimentos?Family: FamiliaFood: ComidaHello: HolaHow are you: Cómo estásThank you: GraciasYou're welcome: De nada

Page 7 of 7References

3About Us - Community FoodBank of New Jersey. (n.d.). Retrieved April 07, 2016, from http://www.cfbnj.org/about/

4Bonilla Martinez, A. G., Ortega, D., Parikh, R., Piasevoli, K. A., Thompson, A. M., Chhajer, A.,Rosenthal, A. (2015). A Study of Food Pantries in New Brunswick NJ (Rep.). New Brunswick, NJ: Edward J Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.

2Community Food Security - New Brunswick, NJ. (n.d.). Retrieved April 07, 2016, from http://policyoptions.pbworks.com/w/page/48133051/Community Food Security-New-Brunswick, NJ

11Department of Human Services | NJ Medicaid. (n.d.). Retrieved April 07, 2016, from http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/dmahs/clients/medicaid/

14Eligibility. (n.d.). Retrieved April 07, 2016, from http://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov/eligibility/welcomeAction.do

5Food Pantry/Grocery Ministry - MOSAIC. (n.d.). Retrieved April 07, 2016, from http://mosaicmansfield.com/service/local-missions/food-pantry/

1Hunger in New Jersey. (n.d.). Retrieved April 07, 2016, from http://rah.rutgers.edu/hunger-new-jersey 10M.C.F.O.O.D.S. (n.d.). Retrieved April 07, 2016, from http://www.mciauth.com/mcfoods.htm 3New Brunswick Community Food Alliance. (2011, October 7). Retrieved March 15, 2016, from

http://www.nbfoodalliance.org/resources/nbcfa-structure.pdf 8Partner Agencies. (n.d.). Retrieved April 07, 2016, from http://mfbn.org/learn/programs/partner-agencies 9Prescription 4: Cultural sensitivity. (2008). Retrieved March, 2016, from

http://www.communityhealthcorps.org/client/documents/Prescription-4-Cultural-Sensitivity-Member.pdf

13Social Security. (n.d.). Retrieved April 07, 2016, from https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/7Summer 2014 Newsletter | Northborough Food Pantry. (n.d.). Retrieved April 07, 2016, from

http://nfpantry.org/nfp/?page_id=383 12Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). (n.d.). Retrieved April 07, 2016, from

http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap15Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). (n.d.). Retrieved April 07, 2016, from

http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/women-infants-and-children-wic6Workplace Insights. (n.d.). Retrieved April 07, 2016, from http://blog.capital.org/9-things-you-should-

know-about-immigration-law-and-i-9s/