AGENCY

MANUAL

Revised December2010

WELCOME

Welcome to Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. Second Harvest has been committed to eliminating hunger in Middle Tennessee since its inception in 1978. By becoming a new agency of our network, you are joining a successful partnership dedicated to stopping hunger and food waste in this community.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee is a member of the Feeding America National Network of Food Banks, with more than 200 food bank members throughout the United States. With headquarters located in Chicago, Illinois, America’s Second Harvest is the largest non-governmental food program in the United States. Along with the national organization, the food bank solicits donated food from the nation’s food industry, grocery chains, individuals and other sources. The donated food is channeled through nonprofit agencies serving the needy. Soup kitchens, food pantries, senior centers, day care centers, drug and alcohol treatment centers and homeless shelters are some of the agencies that receive food from Second Harvest.

On behalf of the Second Harvest Food Bank’s staff and volunteers, we welcome you to our program.

Please keep this manual in your file for reference. Any new employees or volunteers who will deal with the food bank should read this orientation information.TYPES OF AGENCIES

Second Harvest Food Bank serves three types of agencies which are Community Food Partners. Your agency will fall under one or more of these categories as stated on your application. The types of food available to your agency will be directly related to these categories.

Pantry
(Food Box Program) / A pantry provides food to needy people to prepare and consume off the premises.
On-Site Feeding / An on-site feeding program provides meals to needy people for consumption at the site where the food is prepared. These agencies include: soup kitchens, homeless shelters, senior citizens, low-income day care facilities, alcohol and drug rehab, etc.
Supplemental Feeding / A supplemental feeding agency serves only snacks for consumption at that site.

SECOND HARVEST ELIGIBILTY REQUIREMENTS

In order to participate with Second Harvest, an organization must meet the following criteria, with a completed application. An updated application will be required every three years for participating agencies.

ELIGIBILTY

1.The organization must be incorporated for the purpose of serving the needy.

2. The program requesting food must be related to the function identified by the organization’s tax exemption status. (For example, an organization which receives a tax exemption status for publication of a senior’s magazine cannot receive Second Harvest food to operate a senior’s soup kitchen under the senior’s magazine’s 501c3 exemption.)

3. The organization must not require clients to pay a fee, perform a service or attend a religious service or lecture in order to receive food

4. The organization must maintain Second Harvest Food Bank invoices on file for three years.

5. The organization must have procedures for determining which individuals qualify for their program.

6. The organization must have sufficient and sanitary food handling and storage capabilities.

7. The organization must sign an agency agreement form accepting responsibility for the distribution of the food received from Second Harvest Food Bank.

8. The organization must agree to annual monitoring by a Second Harvest Food Bank representative.

9. The organization must be operating within the service area of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Nashville.

10. A new 501c3 non-profit organization must have:

a.A history of establishment for at least 6 months

b.Show some proof of financial service history

11. If the organization is 100% government or grant funded, a writtenexplanation is required.

12. The organization also must agree to pay $ .06 per pound of food delivered on a rural delivery not to exceed $150.

13. The organization agrees to keep its account active by placing an order no less than four times per year with a minimum order of $50 on rural deliveries.

NONDISCRIMINATION STATEMENT

Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program.

United States Department of Agriculture Civil Rights Statement

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office Of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

AGENCY DOCUMENTATION

1. A copy of agency charter or by-laws

2. A list of board members with addresses and phone numbers

3. Mission statement on agency letterhead

4. A copy of any certification or licensing necessary for the operation of the program (if applicable)

5. A brochure or other information which provides a program overview

6. Client application form

7. List of food box contents (if applicable)

8. Current 990 submitted to Internal Revenue Service OR Three (3) Months Current Financial Statement (if not required to file 990)

9. State Sales Tax Exemption Form

10.A letter from the Internal Revenue Service stating that agency has the tax-exempt (501c3) status (not a state tax-exempt/ must be dated later than 2007)

11. A current copy of the Food Service Training Certificate from the local Health Department or UT Extension (see last page of manual for more information)

12. $25 non refundable application fee

EHARVEST

You can order food product on the internet 24 hours a day on E-harvest: . Eharvest will inform your agency of the following important information:

EXAMPLE OF EHARVEST

Category Name

Item # Description Package Info StoragePrice

25552 / Asst. Pringles / 14-6.75 oz. / DR / 1.26
5311V / Canned Vegetables / 31 lb case / DR / 5.58
00128 / Cornflakes / 10-24 oz. / DR / 3.60
230C / Assorted Chicken Consumer Pkg / 30lb Box / FR / 7.50

DR – DryRE-RefrigeratorFR - Frozen

Category Name - All ordering begins with the category name. Some examples are: Dairy Products, Desserts, Fruits, Vegetables, Snacks, Juice, Meats, Cleaning, etc.

Item Number – is computer generated item or box number that helps identify the product to the Second Harvest computer system.

Description – A specific brand or generic name of the product.

Package Info– The packing description indicates how many boxes are within the case and the size of each box. All products are either distributed by the case or by the pound, as indicated on the shopping list.

Storage – All products are stored as dry, refrigerated, or frozen.

Price – The price reflects the $ .18 per pound shared maintenance fee on dry products. There is an additional $.07 per pound VAP (value-added packaging) added to meat products for a total of $ .25 per pound or $7.50 per 30 pound case. This fee helps defray the cost of transportation, sorting, repacking, storage, and handling of the donated product.

CO-OP –Please note that some items on the food list are listed as CO-OP products. Volume purchasing allows the food bank to offer popular products to our agencies at better than wholesale prices.

COOK CHILL (CC) –Aprocess through which donated and purchased ingredients are manufactured into frozen food items at Second Harvest. The products are “boil-in-bag” and are especially beneficial for serving large groups.

TRAY PACK (TP) – A frozen product manufactured at Second Harvest that is similar to a “T.V. dinner” meal and can be warmed in the oven or microwave. Also includes sandwiches.

USDA – USDA food is offered to eligible Second Harvest participating agencies at no cost. Your agency must be approved to receive USDA product by the Second Harvest Agency Relations Department.The priority agencies are food pantries and on- site soup kitchens, due to the limited amount of product received from USDA. All shelf stable USDA food must be stored separately from your Second Harvest food and distributed according to USDA guidelines. USDA food may be ordered for a one-month supply only and cannot be overstocked. Only units of product, not cases, may be carried over to the next month. Proper USDA inventory/client reporting is required to be sent to Second Harveston a monthly basis. If agency does not provide paperwork, they will be placed on hold from receiving USDA until the paperwork is submitted. After three (3) lapses in paperwork, the agency will no longer be eligible to receive USDA product.

ORDERING PROCEDURES

Your agency may place your food order by phone, fax or on the internet on Eharvest.

  1. Orders are taken by phone at 615-329-3491 every Monday - Friday from 8:15 a.m. to 12:00 and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Orders may also be placed over the internet at You may add to your order three working days prior to your pick-up or delivery time.
  2. Be sure to know all items and quantities you wish to order before placing your order. We will not accept an order that has been left on voice mail.
  3. When placing orders over the phone, inform our customer service staff of the product category you are ordering from first. Give the product description and quantity to the customer service staff.
  4. Logging In:You will be required to provide three pieces of information to login:

Login: /
Password: /
Provided By: /

Login: Agency Number

Password: Agency’s Password

Provided By: The full name of the person who is placing the order

  1. Begin New Order: Using the drop-down, you may choose pickup if you would like to pick-up at Second Harvest warehouse. Next, select the warehouse day and time of pick-up.Or you may choose Nashville, (select a date), delivery or rural delivery, (select the town). Then click Start Order. (If you are re-entering an existing order than click on the Online Ordering tab to continue building your order.)
  2. The Main Shopping Screen: You can begin creating your order. You will see items from the category that is highlighted on the left. Enter the quantity you want and when you are finished, click on Add Items to Cart in the upper menu or using the button at the bottom of the screen. If an item has a limit, you will usually see that limit on the far right-hand column of the screen.

SHARED MAINTENANCE SAVINGS

Product / Grocery Chain / Second Harvest / Total Savings
4/ One Gallon Liquid Laundry Detergent / $8.95 / $2.25 / $ 6.70
20 ounce
Chili w/beans / $1.72 / $ .82 / $ .90
20 ounce
Beef Stew / $2.59 / $ .96 / $1.63
Cook/chill
boil-in-bag
Peas & Carrots / $1.39 per lb / $ .50 per lb / $ .89 per lb
Long Grain Rice 24/ 1 lb bags / $ .69 per bag / $ .32 per bag / $ .37 per bag
Green Beans
24/ 15 oz cans / $ .57 per can / $.36 per can / $ .21per can

PICK-UP PROCEDURES

  1. When coming to pick-up an order at the Second Harvest warehouse, enter through the Agency Pick-Up Door at the east entrance of 331 Great Circle Road.
  2. At your appointment time, please sign in at the Agency Sign-in desk. The Agency Representative will notify the warehouse of your arrival and you may choose to Open Shop in the open shopping area. Each agency receives an hour to open shop. Please adhere to your open shopping appointment time as other agencies are scheduled and waiting. You may then proceed to pull your vehicle into the fenced pick-up area and load your order at the assigned dock.
  3. Your agency will be responsible for loading your order into your vehicle. Loading orders can be very heavy work and should not be undertaken by anyone with health problems. If needed, please bring others to help load your order.
  4. As you are loading, it is important to double-check your order against the picking ticket given to you by the warehouse personnel. This is to guarantee you have received everything for which you will be charged. Adjustments cannot be madetoa posted invoice unlessthere is a billingerror.
  5. Once your order is loaded, sign your picking ticket, keep one copy and give the other copy back to the warehouse manager. An invoice will be generated and sent to your account manager at the end of the day. You may also pay upon receipt of the order if preferred. Foster care agencies are required to pay at the time of pick up, or upon receipt of invoice for rural delivery.

NOTE:Thosetraveling long distance and picking up cold or frozenitemswill need to bring a cooler with ice for proper storage of this product. This is mandatory for all frozen meats.

We understand there are some circumstances when you are not able to pick up your order (inclement weather, mechanical problems, etc) Please notify the food bank as soon as possible if you are unable to pick up your order. If we do not hear from you in a timely manner a $25.00 restocking fee will be charged to your agency.

CITY DELIVERY PROGRAM

We offer delivery within the DavidsonCounty area to agencies with a parking lot which will accommodate our Second Harvest delivery vehicles. The fee for a delivery within DavidsonCountyis $25 per delivery, regardless of order size with a minimum of 334 pounds; otherwise it is necessary to pick up at our distribution center.

RURAL DELIVERY PROGRAM

In 1991, the Rural Delivery/Outreach Program was formed to alleviate transportation problems of agencies residing outside of DavidsonCounty. The rural delivery schedule is listed on the food list your agency receives each week. There is a $.06 per pound delivery fee that will be added to the price of the order. The maximum delivery fee that will be charged is $150. The ordering procedures are somewhat different with this program. Please note the following:

  1. Your agency can place an order as often as needed. Rural delivery orders are taken up to three to four weeks in advance of their delivery date. This will enable your agency to order online at any time.
  2. When placing your order, make sure you have selected the correct location. Please contact us immediately if there are concerns or errors. You may change/add to your orderup to 6:00 a.m. the business day prior to your delivery.
  3. Some perishable items cannot be held over several weeks (i.e. milk, cottage cheese, refrigerated juices, etc.). These items will need to be ordered the week of delivery. Frozen product can be ordered at anytime.
  4. Please bring others to help load your order. We do not have the manpower to help with loading.
  5. Sign your picking ticket at the delivery site and return one copy to the Second Harvest driver. Check your order while loading and compare to your actual invoice which is now forwarded via email. Your agency will be invoiced on the day of delivery. Discrepancies need to be reported to our Agency Services or Agency Relations Manager for your area no later than the following day. Payment must be received within 30 days. Please indicate your agency number and invoice number each time a payment is remitted.

AGENCY ACCOUNTS

All agencies are required to pay their invoice by an agency check. NO PERSONAL CHECKS OR CASH IS ACCEPTED. All agencies are net 30 days

CRITERIA FOR FOOD PANTRIES

In order for Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee to recognize a food box program as one of its affiliates, the food box program needs to be able to meet the following criteria:

Security and maintenance – The agency must implement objective procedures that will make ensure the security and integrity of the food in its designated storage areas.

Storage – The agency must store food items in a dry clean area at least six inches off the floor. Cleaning products, personal care items, and health and beauty items must be stored separate from food items. Cleaning products must be stored in areas not accessible to children. It is recommended that shelving be placed 6 inches from a wall.

Refrigeration – Thermometers must be placed in refrigerators (40 degrees or below) and freezers (0 degrees or below). Freezers must be defrosted on a regular basis. The refrigerator should be packed as to allow for proper air-flow in the refrigerator.

Record Keeping – The agency must maintain quantitative records of contributions made to the food pantry, as well as records of the number of clients receiving food. The agency must also report the # of food boxes given and # of clients served each month online on Eharvest.

Collection of Food – There must be a system for the agency to collect community-based donations. The agency must be prepared to facilitate local food collection efforts for major food drives coordinated by Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. The agency must also indicate a commitment to maintain an inventory suitable to its ongoing program.