The Regional Food Bank Workshop

I went to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma (RFBO) for a workshop to learn how to better obtain donations and volunteers.

It started about 8 in the morning with a breakfast and tours of the organization. They showed us how they import and export all of the food that they distribute to us. They also showed us other programs, such as their Food 4 Children program that gives food to school children that would otherwise go hungry.

The first session was about how to obtain donations. Everyone attended this session. The RFBO had a guest speaker tell about how he had learned that people respond well to narrative more than facts or figures. Donors want to change someone's life, not rack up numbers of turkeys collected.

The second session was about the RFBO's new online food order system and how receiving agencies will use it. The session answered basic questions about how to use the website. This session was helpful to many elderly workers that have been cut off by the digital divide.

For the third session, the participants separated into three groups and attended the session of their choice. The sessions were food safety and handling, obtaining food donations, and obtaining volunteers. Sandy, my friend from Mission Norman, and I went to the obtaining volunteers session. We learned that elderly, women, and disabled people are the primary volunteers at non-profits. People serving on community service can be useful in small amounts. If you can get a public figure, such as a sports team, support you it can help both you and the team. Social networking was also addressed. Mission Norman needs to start utilizing this medium more.

There were lots of other people from other food pantries there. I did a lot of networking with them. This is extremely helpful. Each event I attend with other agencies is like a job fair made just for me. I meet so many people in jobs that I would like to work in one day.