PROP PEOPLE REACHING OUT TO OTHER PEOPLE INC. PROP

In July 2019, PROP's Board of Directors approved a three-year strategic plan. Its goals include three major priorities:
1. Service Excellence:
Amplify our focus on health and wellness initiatives
Transition all programs to align with PROP’s client-centric programming model
Expand client access to better meet their needs
Build infrastructure for donor programs to be fully relational
Develop a communication plan for engaging clients and prospective clients of PROP services

2. Compelling place to work:
PROP is recognized internally and externally as a welcoming space for all individuals and is committed to continual improvement by following best practices in inclusion, diversity, and equity.

Review best practices and implement strategies to recruit, train, and educate volunteers to meet the changing needs of PROP, while continuing to maintain PROP as an exceptional place to volunteer.

Prioritize leadership efforts to enhance PROP’s capacity to be an employer of choice and a positive place to work for staff

3. Operational Excellence:
Grow capital reserves to meet the long-term needs of the premises defined by the Finance Committee.

Advance PROP’s technology to better meet the demands of our organization.

Expand recycling programs to ease the burden on the environment


Additional organization goals are:
• Assist households with food support to alleviate hunger and allow them to stretch their budgets so that they don't have to choose between putting food on the table and paying other expenses.
• Help families avoid eviction and homelessness.
• Assist individuals with employment services to increase their household incomes.

The first time an individual or family approaches us for services - even if only for a short-term emergency food supply – they meet with one of our case managers for a comprehensive assessment of their situation. We seek to understand the circumstances that have led to their need for food or financial assistance. Our case managers act as problem solvers and resource navigators to connect clients with services within and outside of PROP and a plan for them to move toward stability. Oftentimes, what we provide is initial hope, and ongoing support as our clients work towards achieving self-sufficiency.

The food shelf provides ample food based upon the number of people in the household. Healthy foods supplied include vegetables, fruits, dairy, eggs, meat, and grains. PROP also has a fresh market area that offers additional perishable foods such as fresh produce, dairy, and bakery items and can be visited each week. We added a Summer Food for Kids program during the summer months to provide additional healthy, kid-friendly breakfast and lunch foods to children who typically receive free/reduced lunch during the school year. We survey clients yearly to improve our food choices and enhance our process. We engaged a volunteer nuitritionist to offer one-on-one coaching to improve diets and low-income healthy meal options.

We provide short-term financial support to keep families housed. People come to us when they have received an eviction notice or after they have already become homeless and are living in their cars or at a local hotel. We have strong relationships with local landlords and often work together with them and our clients, providing current and sometimes past-due rental payments. Our primary goal is to keep the families stable and allow the children to remain in their schools and connected to their supports. In addition to helping with direct housing costs, PROP assists families with utility payments, childcare fees, prescriptions, and auto repairs.

By listening to our clients, we are improving our programs to more adaptable, relevent, and meaningful.

Expanded programming includes free onsite employment coaching and money management.

People are our best asset. Originally a volunteer-run organization, we have grown and expanded to nine staff members and 150 dedicated weekly volunteers. Our client services team includes a program director and three case managers including one licensed social worker. PROP hired a permanent Employment Counselor. The organization is supported by a Food Program and Volunteer Director, Development Director, Marketing Director, and Executive Director. Staff is encouraged to pursue development and networking opportunities to keep up with best practices and trends. We added contractors to fill specialty roles of grant writing and accounting.

PROP owns its building free and clear. It has added a vegetable garden on-site for client usage.

PROP owns 2 delivery vans to pick up donations from our large network of grocery partners (e.g., Cub Foods, Target, Lunds &Byerly's, Lakewinds, Kowalski's) and to deliver groceries to home-bound, low-income seniors.

PROP is financially sound and is strategic in building assets now and in the future. It added an endowment in 2020.

In FY2020, PROP provided 5,000 food orders and over 10,000 Market visits to 1,000 families (3,500 individuals). More than 65% of the food distributed was through the Fresh Choice Market, which is the result of a dedicated emphasis on bringing fresh, nutritional foods to our participants. A local business and faith communities are growing “giving gardens" for PROP providing over 4 tons of fresh produce each year. PROP started its own garden on-site to provide fresh vegetables to participants. We also receive fresh produce, bakery items, meat, and other perishable items from our grocery partners. Even with the pandemic, PROP is able to source and purchase produce and ethnically specific foods.

During the summers, when children do not receive free/reduced lunch at school, families often have difficulty securing enough food. Each summer we provide a 10-day supply of breakfast and lunch foods for over 800 children. During the pandemic when children are distance learning, PROP has added more fresh produce, yogurt, string cheese, and snacks to all family orders.

96% of food program participants surveyed last year indicated that the food shelf allows their family to set aside money to pay for other basic needs and expenses.

PROP is able to keep families stably housed with a variety of funding sources. Of the households we served last year, 100% were at-risk of homelessness based on HUD definitions. In a 3-month follow-up survey, 97% of respondents stated they felt more secure with their financial situation since receiving help from PROP.

To be more equitable, PROP changed its holiday gift program to gift cards only. This change allows families and seniors to use funds to purchase their own gifts for their children or use them to help celebrate the holidays as they wish.

Last year 70 clients worked with our employment specialist. Follow up survey found 74% were employed (67% full time) and 84% stated they were more confident and hopeful in their ability to find and maintain work going forward.

Due to the pandemic PROP has quadrupled its food delivery program. PROP has partnered with SW Transit to quickly scale this service.

PROP added onsite mental health counseling in partnership with Relate Counseling. This service has continued remotely due to COVID19.

PROP has met its goal of offering full benefits to its employees, including health and dental insurance. Additionally, PROP has upgraded and moved all of its applications to the Cloud and has retired its server. This allowed PROP to immediately pivot to remote services when COVID19 hit.