PLATINUM2022

Channel One Food Bank

Strengthening food access and building healthy communities

aka Channel One Regional Food Bank   |   Rochester, MN   |  https://www.helpingfeedpeople.org/

Mission

Channel One's mission is to strengthen food access and build healthy communities with a vision that every community in our region is food secure.

Ruling year info

1983

Executive Director

Virginia Merritt

Assistant Director

Linda Lovik

Main address

131 35th St SE

Rochester, MN 55904 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

41-1379713

NTEE code info

Food Banks, Food Pantries (K31)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Sign in or create an account to view Form(s) 990 for 2020, 2019 and 2018.
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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

We provide food assistance to working families and individuals, seniors, and people in times of crisis due to job loss, medical problems, or personal disaster. Many of our neighbors are food insecure and are uncertain where their next meal will come from.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Food Bank

Warehouse and food distribution center serving 14 counties

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Immigrants and migrants
Nomadic people
At-risk youth
Unemployed people

Providing food for people facing food insecurity in Olmsted County

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Unemployed people
Nomadic people
Immigrants and migrants
At-risk youth

Distributing food to areas with limited access

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
At-risk youth
Immigrants and migrants
Nomadic people
Unemployed people

Providing boxes of supplemental food to seniors in need

Population(s) Served
Seniors

Providing food to children and teens through school pantries and emergency food boxes for families.

Population(s) Served
At-risk youth
Non-adult children
Children and youth
Economically disadvantaged people

Delivering boxes of food curated by registered dietitians to patients facing chronic medical conditions

Population(s) Served
Chronically ill people
People with disabilities
Economically disadvantaged people

Providing restaurant-quality prepared meals to those facing hunger

Population(s) Served

Where we work

Affiliations & memberships

Feeding America 1980

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Pounds of produce distributed

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Economically disadvantaged people, Families, Immigrants and migrants, People with disabilities, People with diseases and illnesses

Related Program

Food Bank

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

These year-by-year results are by fiscal year (ex. July 2020-June 2021)

Pounds of fresh produce distributed per year

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Food Bank

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

These year-by-year results are by fiscal year (ex. July 2020-June 2021)

Pounds of Food Distributed to Those Facing Food Insecurity

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Food Bank

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

These year-by-year results are by fiscal year (ex. July 2021-June 2022)

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

People experiencing food insecurity are at the center of everything we do. We create an inclusive culture that welcomes and respects the diversity of people we serve, employees and volunteers and honors the fundamental value and dignity of all individuals. We build and foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation. We work in partnership with local communities and our peers to improve nutrition and promote food security.

1) Client Experience
Goal: We will have 100% choice at all agencies and partner programs.
Strategy: Programs within the Channel One Regional Food Bank network have client-centered operations with a focus on choice, nutrition and a welcoming environment.

2) Partner Experience
Goal: We will be a valued partner with agencies and programs as a thought leader, best practices, and food availability.
Strategy: Provide proactive and responsive support for partners within the Channel One Regional Food Bank network.

3) Food Security as a Social Determinant of Health
Goal: Functional collaborative networks/coalitions that integrate the voice of people experiencing food insecurity advocating for the needs of their communities.
Strategy: Address food insecurity as a health issue for those we serve

4) Core Operations
Goal: We have a data-driven culture and an internal goal factor map/report
Strategy: Use data to assess needs and equitably distribute resources and food throughout our programs/network/region

Goal: We can pay for our mindset and we have standardized systems
Strategy: Strengthen Channel One Regional Food Bank core operations to best meet the short and long-term needs of those facing food insecurity within our region

We serve people experiencing hunger in 14 counties in southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin through a network of 183 food shelves, pantries and programs.

Channel One is a member of Feeding America, a national network of 200 food banks from across the country providing food assistance. This allows us access to millions of pounds of surplus food and grocery donations that we safely and efficiently collect, store, and distribute to those in need.

Channel One Regional Food Bank partners with food and grocery manufacturers, retailers, growers, government agencies and other organizations to collect food for our community. We then safely store and distribute food to our network of agencies.

Initially established to feed seniors in Olmsted County back in 1980, Channel One has grown from a small meal program to the largest food relief organization in our region. Channel One Regional Food Bank acts as a clearinghouse of donated food by gathering, warehousing and repackaging donated food from producers, manufacturers, wholesalers, brokers and retailers. Through our programs, food is then distributed to food shelves and other charitable 501(c)(3) agencies in Southeast Minnesota and Western Wisconsin.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    Channel One serves people facing food insecurity in 14 counties in Southeastern Minnesota and Western Wisconsin.

  • How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

    Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys, Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Community meetings/Town halls, Suggestion box/email,

  • 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, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    We received feedback from our clients that they often feed people outside of their immediate household, so when visiting one of our food programs, we now ask a version of "how many people are you providing food for?" rather than "how many are in your household?".

  • With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

    The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,

  • How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?

    The data we gather from our clients about what top 5 foods they'd like to see in our food programs directly informs the amount of those items we carry / provide. We're also in the process of a "Food System Transformation" project where we listen to co-designers from out clients' communities to directly inform new food programs in those communities.

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, 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 look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), 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, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded,

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, Our clients have barriers to access (lack of internet or knowledge, barriers to transportation, etc),

Financials

Channel One Food Bank
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build 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.

Channel One Food Bank

Board of directors
as of 11/22/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Christopher Rock

Mayo Clinic Integrity and Compliance Office

Holden Lewis

Fastenal Company

David Courtis

McNeilus Co.

Benjamin Bergstrom

Post Consumer Brands

Sara Carlson

Fortress Financial Group, LLC

Chad DeCook

Think Mutual Bank

Mary Dunlap

Mary H. Dunlap Mediation, LLC

Joe Powers

Powers Ventures

Sharon Rosen

Mayo Clinic

Angie Ames

Kwik Trip, Inc

Melissa Dickison

Think Mutual Bank

Miguel Garate

Riverland Community College

Robert Magambo

Hormel Foods

Ben Mulholland

KTTC

Tamim Rajjo

Mayo Clinic

Paul Mackin

Think Bank (Retired)

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • 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

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 11/21/2022

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Disability status
Person without a disability

The organization's co-leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 10/18/2021

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.