ILLUSTRATIVE SAMPLE · Model organization: Riverbend Community Table. Figures marked † are placeholders: in a client’s statement we cite the real local number and its source.
Statement of Need
Hunger in our county is concentrated among families who work. An estimated 1 in 7 residents† lives in a household that cannot reliably afford enough food, and roughly a third of those residents† earn too much to qualify for federal nutrition assistance. These families fall into a gap: they are not eligible for public programs, and they cannot shop at the pantry during weekday hours because they are at work.
What we see at our door
Our own records show the gap clearly. In 2026, 41% of households who visited Riverbend reported that they work weekdays and can come only on Saturdays. We currently open two Saturdays a month, and on those days we turned away an average of 37 households when fresh food ran out. Every household turned away is a family that leaves without the produce, dairy and protein that are hardest to afford.
Why fresh food matters
Low-cost groceries tend to be shelf-stable and calorie-dense. Families under budget pressure cut fresh food first, which is why our Saturday market focuses on produce, dairy and protein, chosen by the families themselves.
The gap this project closes
No other pantry in our service area offers Saturday hours with fresh food. Doubling our Saturday markets from two to four a month is the most direct way to reach working families who are currently going without.
† Sources we use for client statements include Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap, U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey data and the organization’s own service records, each cited with its year.