The People’s Pantry

For over 20 years, the People’s Pantry of Great Barrington, MA has provided nonperishable food to individuals in need. A small, volunteer driven organization, they operate with the support of six churches and synagogues and one community group that covers the pantry’s weekly “shopping hours” on a rotating basis.

When COVID occurred, the volunteer base, which had been people primarily over the age of 70, stopped volunteering at the pantry due to health risks. In addition, providing shopping hours became much more difficult with social distancing. On the other hand, more people than ever wanted to donate food and funds. Suddenly the People’s Pantry went from raising about $40,000 a year to over $400,000 a year, allowing them to hire their first staff member, a Pantry Manager, purchase a volunteer management system, and expand their space to include outdoor waiting.

  • "Kris quickly understood our organization and its strengths and weaknesses. Kris helped us build a stronger team, better equipped to move into the future. The board is still consulting her findings and using them as a guide."

    — Beth Moser, People's Pantry

Purposeful Change

While the Board shifted quickly, they also became overwhelmed and exhausted and hired Katalyst to provide an assessment of their operations, governance processes, and sustainability efforts.  Katalyst helped the People’s Pantry Board define then prioritize these challenges and develop a plan of action to address them. Research findings revealed that volunteers and stakeholders were very satisfied with the Pantry and its operations. As a result of community feedback, volunteers felt appreciated, engaged, and happy to help their community.

How Katalyst Activated Change

We conducted interviews and focus groups with past and present board members. 

  • Implemented three surveys: one for volunteers, one for community stakeholders, and one for the board. 

  • Identified areas for improvement including: clarifying board members’ roles and responsibilities; balancing board responsibilities; establishing more effective board communication and accountability; maintaining board recruitment and governance; creating fundraising planning; protecting data integrity; and developing a budget the Board and Manager would operate by.