Helena Food Share, Inc
Creating a hunger-free community
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Helena Food Share is working to eliminate hunger in the greater Helena area by providing food to those in need through a variety of programs that meet the needs of our community.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Grocery Share
Food assistance for our neighbors in need.
Full Shop provides customer access to all pantry food items one time per month, giving a three-day supply of food based on family size. Half Shop allows additional weekly access to perishable food items only.
Kid Packs
A special pack of kid-friendly foods that provides a source of weekend nutrition during the school year for kids at risk of hunger.
Holiday Meal Share
As an extra for the holidays, individuals and families receive a turkey and sides so they can serve a traditional holiday meal.
Commodity Boxes
Provides a staple of nutritious USDA supplied food items for low-income adults age 60 and older, and intended to supplement other food sources over a two-month period.
Farmers Market Coupons
Provides low-income adults age 60 and older a $48 supply of coupons to shop at the local Farmer's Market, allowing them to enhance their food resources with fresh, locally grown vegetables and fruit.
Emergency Food Packs
A special pack of high-calorie snacks that provides immediate nutrition for individuals with an immediate food need. These packs are provided to area emergency and social service providers who encounter people in need of food in an emergency situation.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of people within the organization's service area accessing food aid
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Grocery Share
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Decreasing
Context Notes
Our goal is to meet the need for food assistance in the Helena area. Success is not indicated by a rise or fall in numbers. Rather the numbers reflect the need and our ability to meet that need.
Total pounds of food rescued
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Grocery Share
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
By rescuing food that can't be sold from local grocery stores, we keep it from going to the landfill and instead, get it into the hands of those in our community in need of food and nutrition.
Number of children receiving a weekend meal pack each week
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Kid Packs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Decreasing
Context Notes
These numbers reflect the average number of packs we distribute to local preschool, Headstart, and elementary students at risk of weekend hunger when they don't have access to school meals.
Number of Kid's weekend meal packs distributed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Kid Packs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Decreasing
Context Notes
Our goal is to meet the need for food assistance in the Helena area. Success is not indicated by a rise or fall in numbers. Rather, the numbers reflect the need and our ability to meet that need.
Number of individuals receiving Emergency Snack Packs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Emergency Food Packs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Our goal is to meet the need for food assistance in the Helena area. Success is not indicated by a rise or fall in numbers. Rather the numbers reflect the need and our ability to meet that need.
Number of food assistance services provided
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Decreasing
Context Notes
This number reflects the total number of food assistance services provided across all of our programs. Further, it illustrates the need in our community and our ability to meet that need.
Number of Holiday Meals distributed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Holiday Meal Share
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Decreasing
Context Notes
Our goal is to meet the need for food assistance in the Helena area. Success is not indicated by a rise or fall in numbers. Rather, the numbers reflect the need and our ability to meet that need.
Number of Commodity Boxes distributed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Seniors, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Commodity Boxes
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Decreasing
Context Notes
Our goal is to meet the need for food assistance in the Helena area. Success is not indicated by a rise or fall in numbers. Rather, the numbers reflect the need and our ability to meet that need.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
To ensure that all of our neighbors - children, adults, and seniors - have access to nutritious food.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We work to create a hunger-free community in three strategic ways. First, by providing emergency food assistance to all who need it. Second, by providing strategic programming around certain issues related to hunger such as childhood hunger, senior hunger, and increased access to nutritional foods for under-served members of our community. Third, by educating and empowering our customers about nutrition and food preparation. We continually assess and respond to changing community needs. This is only possible because of strong relationships with community partners who share a common goal and vision of eliminating poverty and hunger through their similar causes.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Helena Food Share's capabilities to carry out these strategic goals include well-established programs and procedures, a diverse, professional, and highly invested board of directors, and the fund development necessary to support ongoing, year-to-year efforts. Helena Food Share has been in operation since 1987 and operates a variety of food distribution programs. Fighting hunger for over 35 years, our procedures for carrying out these programs are established, efficient and smooth; however, we continuously work on perfecting and enhancing them as community needs evolve. Helena Food Share's board of directors and its committees meet regularly to assess the direction and ensure the organization's success. Comprised of 17 members, our board is highly effective and involved. They provide leadership and guidance in all areas of operations. Helena Food Share has been raising funds necessary to carry out its endeavors for over 30 years. This experience has put forth a well-researched and thought-out fund development plan that continues to meet the agency's needs. This provides Helena Food Share with the resources necessary to carry out its day-to-day tasks and plan for the future, anticipate the community's needs, and put forth innovative solutions to hunger. Annually, Helena Food Share provides emergency food assistance to more than 8,300 individuals, distributes more than 42,000 Kid Packs to children at risk of hunger, distributes more than 1,400 commodity food boxes to low-income seniors, and so much more. While the stories and people behind these figures illustrate the impact we have on individual lives, these numbers demonstrate our capability to fulfill our mission and meet our community's needs.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We currently affect the lives of over 8,300 individuals annually, giving them hope, dignity, and the food needed to make it through the day. We are proud of the quality and volume of service Helena Food Share offers for our community, yet we understand plenty of work remains to be done. To date, we continue to be able to say "yes" to every individual and family who comes to us for assistance. We are proud and grateful that we have never had to turn anyone in need of our help away. We continue to serve every elementary student that is identified as needing our help with food on the weekend. We are proud to say that we have successfully distributed a record amount of fresh, healthy produce to our customers. Further, we have successfully provided new, nutrient-rich foods through our pantry, and through education, our customers have learned to cook with these healthy foods. Despite these successes, we know others in our community are in need. We will continue working to remove barriers like transportation, mobility, and operating hours that keep those in need from utilizing our services. We have implemented a mobile pantry. And plan to provide a commercial kitchen where we can offer more cooking classes and prepare ready-to-eat foods for our customers who don't have cooking facilities. While we support and partner with other agencies addressing the root causes of hunger, there is much to be accomplished in proactively addressing hunger. Our greatest success and achievement will be the day Helena Food Share can close its doors because there is not one empty belly left in our community. We will continue to perfect our strategies, tactics, and programs until our mission of eliminating hunger in Helena has been accomplished.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Helena Food Share, Inc
Board of directorsas of 02/08/2024
Steve Fawcett
Stockman Bank
Term: 2023 - 2025
Andrea Groom
St. Peter's Health
Jon Satre
Retired, Gordon Prill, Inc
Sara Groves
Intrepid Credit Union
Candace Cain
Retired, Carroll College
Steve Fawcett
Stockman Bank
Trish Klock
Hawthorne Elementary School
Dan McCauley
Great West Engineering
Christopher Cordingley
Civitas Public Affairs Group
Brett Clark
Crowley Fleck Law Firm
Alyssa Sorensen
Montana Legislative Branch
Brenda Carney
Jeremy Bullock Memorial Trust
Thomas McArdle
PayneWest Insurance
Georgia Cummings
Upstream Academy
Sarah Norcott
NorthWestern Energy Regulatory Corporate Counsel
Adrian Sagan
Confluence Counseling Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data