The “Daily Food Program” for Families
According to Feeding America about 13% of people in Oconee County (and 16% of children) lack access at times to enough food or enough nutritional food for a healthy life. The US census reports about 6% of children under the age of 18 in Oconee County are below the poverty level. At the end of 2022, unemployment in Oconee County is 2.7% which is lower than the national unemployment rate at 3.5%.
In 2022, after feedback from our clients, we began to offer the option of Client-Choice Shopping on Tuesdays & Wednesdays. We set up a portion of our back area as a grocery store and clients move their cart through the store choosing the food that best meets their dietary needs and family preferences. Each of the eight stations has overall guidelines based on household size and a volunteer helps bag or box the items chosen. When done, volunteers help load the food in the clients’ car. This program became very popular very fast. Feedback like “Best thing ever.”; “Less waste.”; “Too good to be true.” Shopping does take longer to do than getting a prepacked cart, but for those that have done it, they say it is worth the wait.
Each month we provide families with a cart of food containing nonperishable staples including canned vegetables, fruit, soups, cereal, pasta, rice; packages of frozen meat; breads and pastries; fresh fruits and vegetables; bagged salads and dairy products. Through our Improved Nutrition Program, every household also receives fresh milk and eggs.
Prepacked Food Cart for a family of six people
About 20% of registered families regularly need our services and come most months; about 35% only occasionally need our services and come a few times a year; and the remainder (about 40%) only come one or two times and then don’t need (or qualify for) our services anymore.
Typical Prepacked Food Cart for a family of Four
At the Golden Corner Food Pantry we are focused on providing a mix of healthy, nutritious food for our clients. The amount of food you receive is based on the size of your household. While the exact items will vary from week to week depending on the availability of food received from stores. On a typical day the food cart for a family of four consists of at least:
Canned Goods and Staples:
1 box cereal, 3 cans soup, 1 can sliced carrots, 2 cans green beans, 2 cans corn, 1 can of fruit, 1 can tomato sauce, 2 cans of misc veggies (peas, beans, etc), 1 jar peanut butter, 1 box pasta, 1 box rice, 2 boxes mac & cheese, 1 roll toilet paper.
Fresh Produce (depending on availability):
1 full bag with a healthy mixture of potatoes, onions, carrots, avocadoes, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, oranges, tangerines, apples, bananas.
Dairy:
1 gallon of fresh milk, 1 dozen eggs.
Meat (depending on availability):
5 lbs of frozen meat: chicken, ground beef, turkey, pork.
Bread / Pastries (depending on availability):
4 packages of breads/rolls and 4 packages of cookies/cupcakes/donuts.