Beyond a Fresh Approach
[custom_button ids=”1926″]
For the past few years our tagline, A Fresh Approach, has served us very well. When we updated our logo in 2015 (to what it is today) we introduced it with the tag which meant we were new and improved.
- We had new delivery vehicles with billboard size messaging, and a newly designed warehouse space. This was a big step from our small Parkesburg garage where we first handled our food distributions where we started operations in 2009.
- We increased our distribution of locally grown vegetables in addition to food staples and canned goods.
- We encouraged volunteers to help us grow, harvest and process fresh food.
- We offered lumber for churches, synagogues, schools and organizations to build raised bed gardens and donate their harvests to local pantries.
- We focused on consistently providing our agencies with meats, poultry, eggs, milk, cheese and whole grains in addition to the typical foods offered by pantries.
- We began to deliver produce to every corner of the county and to our city neighborhoods where there was no access to affordable fresh foods.
- We reached out to corporations in new ways, focusing on Chester County and bringing in local volunteer teams to assist us in our efforts.
- We set out to find the best thinking, the best connections, the best farmland and the best leadership to address better food equity in our community for all.
Together over the past ten years, our accomplishments have been impressive but there is more we are ready to do. We felt that our tagline needed to better represent our vision for the future of the Chester County Food Bank. We’ve created a brand that many people think is much older than 10 years and we want to trade on that good name. We have made connections with the best resources throughout the county to support our distribution partners. Now it’s time to promote those good works:
- Over the last 10 years, we’ve upgraded our network of partner agencies.
- At our headquarters in Exton our FRESHstart Kitchen program teaches life skills and provides training for a professional career in the food industry.
- We host cooking demonstrations for children, youth and adults, to cook with nutritious ingredients and fresh produce; some they may have never seen before nor tasted.
- We have access to land that is donated for farming in Chester County to grow fruits and vegetables.
- For kids who get free or reduced lunches during the school year, we are providing food to take home on the weekends and working with community partners to increase summer meal locations throughout the county.
- We provide Senior Food Boxes to over 700 residents from one corner of the county to the other.
- We deliver healthy prepared meals through our Simple Suppers and our strong partnership with Meals on Wheels.
- Fresh2You Mobile Market brings the bounty of Chester County to everyone with locations in low-income neighborhoods. Everyone is welcome to shop at the market and we also accept SNAP (food stamps). Additionally, we have introduced a nationally recognized Fruit and Vegetable prescription program.
To update our tagline, we wanted it to reflect on all we have been working on. But we needed something to add emotion. Something that would speak to our participants, volunteers and prospective donors. We want to focus on the successes we have had. Treating all the people walking through our doors to receive food with dignity, grace and kindness. In the next 10 years, we plan on being even more efficient, investing even more in people, technology, resources and infrastructure. We want to assure each and every one of you that all donations are used efficiently and get directly to the people who need our help. We want to encourage all in our community to donate consistently and to volunteer. Knowing that we don’t look like most other Food Banks, and knowing that we have the ability to do so much more, We want to continue our efforts and go…. Beyond Hunger.
