Helping Hand is a tax exempt, not-for profit food bank that services all of Johnson County. Helping Hand’s goal is to relieve hunger in Johnson County. They solicit, grow, package, and distribute food through a network that includes service agencies and programs serving our target populations. Our services include emergency food programs, food boxes, and a youth farming program that offers self-sufficiency opportunities to ‘#8220’ at-risk youth. Helping Hand is supported by the county, charities and corporate sponsorship.

Around 20% of Johnson County residents can receive assistance from Helping Hand. Our client base is low-income people, mainly families, who need emergency help to put food on the table. Nearly half those who are served by the program include children. Helping Hand runs a warehouse that stores donated or rescued food. The program actively solicits food from local food growers, retailers, wholesalers, and processors. Helping Hand also collects food donations at restaurants for distribution to service program programs.

The number of children in need of Helping Hand services is expected to increase over the next five-years. Johnson County is expanding and many new families are moving into the county to find work. These families can be helped by a variety of programs. These programs are important because Helping Hand can quickly respond with the most crucial resources for these families. Food!

Our services improves the ability of families to care for children and achieve goals of self-sufficiency. Helping Hand’s services, now, are a small investment in comparison to cost of ignoring the problem of hunger in the county and the influence it has on a number of health and crime issues.

1.1 Mission

Helping Hands’ mission is to end hunger in Johnson County. We solicit, collect, grow, and package food for distribution through a network agencies and programs. Our services include foodbox programs, emergency shelters (congregate meal sites), residential treatment services, children&#8217s programs, and food box programs.

1.2 Objectives

This initiative will create a food bank to serve all of Johnson County. These are our goals

• Establish a donation network of local growers/retailers, wholesalers, processors, and other interested parties in Johnson County.

• Establish a youth farm which will provide employment opportunities for « at risk » youth.

• In the first year, collect over 4 million pounds of food. Every year, increase the collection by 20%.

• Effectively distribute the food to low-income families that make up over 20% of Johnson County.

• Start-up funding of $200,000 through private charities, government financial support and corporate sources
• Raise an additional $100,000 in fundraising activity.