Starting a food pantry in your communicate is a selfless venture, as your new business will help people in need. However, getting the money to start a food pantry constitutes a challenge. It requires skillful fundraising and patience, since monetary donations may roll in slowly (particularly at first). If you plan accordingly and have back-up funding plans in place, then you may have a better chance of success with your food pantry.
Instructions
1. Develop your business plan for your set-up. Depending on the type of food pantry, the scope of your project and the population in which your serving, you may be eligible for certain government grants or programs. If you develop a business plan, you have a document that you can use to list all of the information about your food pantry in one place. Once it's all laid out, you can then use it to attract investors and apply for programs.
2. Hold fundraising drives in your community. This is one of the quickest ways to get money for your pantry. You can do something simple--like a series of pet washes or baked good sales--and work your way up to more extravagant efforts, such as a walk/run for your pantry or a fundraising gala. However, keep in mind that the more elaborate your ideas, the more it may actually cost to put them on. If you have no money to even hold a fundraising event, make an appeal for donations through your local media outlets, such as an article in your community newspaper or a quick interview on a local news affiliate.
3. Apply for grants related to your cause. For example, if your food pantry exists to feed the local homeless population, then you might apply for a grant that caters to organizations that help the homeless. You can find this type of grant information through your local community affairs office or one of the social service agencies in town. You can also go online to sites like Grants.gov to search for grants that appropriate for your food pantry.
4. Apply for a small business loan. If you just need seed money to get your food pantry off the ground while you wait for donations for start rolling in, consider a small business loan. You can generally get one from the U.S. Small Business Administration under fairly generous terms. However, you need to secure a method of making money pretty quickly so you can actually pay the loan back. Because a food pantry is not a known money-maker, let this be an option of last resort.
