General Guidelines

Our Mission: The mission of the House of Mercy Food Pantry is to maintain and distribute food for families and individuals in the community who are in need.

 

Pantry Activities: Food is eligible once a month and bags will be pre-packaged with items for balanced meals. There will be no swapping items or picking out of items by customers.

 

Spiritual Counseling: Available if requested.

 

Dates of Operation: Mondays, 8am – 1100am

 

Emergency Assistance: case-by-case basis under special circumstances (recently left shelter, house fire, lost job)

 

The House of Mercy is set up as a part of the Outreach Ministry of Excellent Covenant Powerhouse Ministries. The Food Pantry adheres to the policy and procedures outlined by the State of Texas’s Standard Operating Procedures. This document is internal and serves as guide to the volunteers of The House of Mercy Food Pantry.

 

Expectations for Auxiliary Leader and volunteer workers: The Auxiliary Leader is responsible for the overall operation of the food pantry and its workers. The Auxiliary Leader orders the food and designates personnel to pick it up in accordance with food bank scheduling. We ask our volunteers to serve on a Monday for three hours as a Store Attendant, or flexible hours working behind the scenes helping with inventory control. i.e., rotating, stocking, shopping, etc.

• Pantry Attendant – Stays in the kitchen to fills up bags of food (3-days’ worth). Once the food is bagged, the store attendant gives the bags to the client to carry them to their vehicle. Help is offered to those in need such as the elderly and handicapped.

• Shoppers – The shopper(s) shop at the Capital Area Food Bank in Austin as prescribed or needed.

• Stock / Inventory Control – Assist with stocking and inventory of the food pantry. All other duties are prescribed by the Auxiliary Leader as needed.

Recall program:

• Done in accordance with the state of Texas policies and procedures.

Program Participation:

• Capital Area Food Bank of Texas, 8201 S. Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78745. Phone: (512) 282-2111.

Documentation and record keeping:

• Done in accordance with the state of Texas policies and procedures.
  
  

 Pantry Operations

The current operating procedures are as follows:

 

Monday:

Workers are there by 7:30, pantry is open between 8:00-11:00. Between 7:30-8:00 we set out the New client forms, sign in roster for the clients, volunteer roster, take the freezer and fridge temperatures and get the fresh produce and foods ready, if there are any stored in the children s church it is picked up between 7:30-7:50. 1-2 people stay in the front to greet clients coming in, they also help the clients with intake forms if they are first time visitors.

 

First time visitors must have an ID and proof of address when they fill out the forms. 2 people stay in the kitchen to fill out the bags of food. Food bags are filled enough for 3 days, the amount of each food group is posted on the wall for reference. We fill bags by these food groups; 1) protein, 2) dairy, 3) veggies, 4) fruit, 5) grain. Bags for family sizes are filled in the following groups; families of 1-2 get the same amount, families of 3-4 get the same amount and families of 5+ get the same amount. The food is then taken up front and given to the client to carry their own bags out, we do offer help to those in need such as the elderly and handicapped.

  

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Point of Contact for this SOP is Sister Brandy Godsil at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .