Board Update & News Bites - June & July 2021
One reason this issue of the Newsletter is a little late is that I was waiting until we had our June Board meeting before sending it out. The meeting was scheduled for June 30 but owing to a power cut and, well, other reasons, it has had to be postponed a week. There is a link to the planned agenda below, which I may still tweak before the actual meeting. As always, if you have any questions about the items listed, let me know.
You might notice there is an item on the agenda called "Volunteer background checks." You should know Daily Bread does not currently conduct any formal background checks on new or existing volunteers. If that policy were to change, you will be notified in advance.
A Board-related News Bite is that Tom Himmelright has decided to resign as a Board member and from his role as Treasurer. Tom has been a volunteer at the Pantry for many years and has also done a great job throughout the pandemic ordering our food from Connecticut Food Bank and otherwise overseeing our inventory. After the first delivery in July, I'll be trying my hand at the ordering job until we can find someone else to take on this vital role. Applications are open now!
Slightly more daunting is finding a new Treasurer. If you like to shop, and enjoy scoring a deal on eBay or Amazon, you might actually enjoy using the Food Bank's ordering system. But who likes balancing their checkbook or looking at bank statements? If you are still interested but not sure what a Treasurer does, Google "duties of treasurer for small nonprofit" and read a few of the top hits you get. If it's not right for you, perhaps it might suit someone you know.
Visit By Rep. Jahana Hayes
Rep. Hayes chats to Hansel Scherwenik and Bob Lenz about their work at the Pantry
Mercedes Cabrera and Marinete Cunha in the limelight as usual : -)
Early in June, we were honored to welcome U.S. Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05) to one of our Tuesday distributions. Rep. Hayes met many of our volunteers and showed a deep understanding of the food insecurity issues faced by our clients. As her advocacy and support for anti-hunger legislation clearly demonstrates, she is deeply committed to furthering our mission at the Federal level. It is very reassuring to know we have such a staunch ally in Washington.
The icing on the cake for her morale-boosting visit was that Rep. Hayes and her team even brought along a very welcome donation of food, which of course we lost no time in distributing. Thank you!