The kids part of this group picked out over $200 worth of non-perishable items for little food pantries around our neighborhood and in our very own little free library. We are proud that the entirety of our funds went to providing food in our area.

Summary: This pantry will award $500 to start or fill a Little Free Pantry. Since we have used funds from another grant to create the library on our property, we are proud that every single dollar of these funds will go toward food to fill not only our library, but free little pantries that are throughout the Des Moines metro area.

Action plan:

Timeline: When will you be able to start your project? How often will your team meet? Are there any key dates to share for the project?

We will start this plan right away upon initial funding. Summer is a time that some children face food insecurity since they are not in school. We wish to fill our pantries and others in the area ahead of the school year. We also wish to spread out the times that we add items to the pantries over a 3- month period.

Our team will meet virtually and aim to put food into the local pantries and our pantry once a month. The kids involved in this project are most interested in picking out the foods that they think other kids will like.

Budget: You don't need to share exact prices, but please share how you're planning to spend the seed funding & what costs you're anticipating to get your project up and running:

We are installing a Little Free Library this summer so we already have the infrastructure in place. That means we can concentrate the budget on providing food for our Johnston area pantries, spread out throughout the year. The kids on our team are very proud that we are going to spend every dollar getting food into the hands of the food insecure around us.

Impact: How will your community benefit from this project? Do you have any measurable goals for your project, such as the number of people that will participate? Are you hoping to spread knowledge or increase interest in a specific subject?

Beyond food, residents in our area also need baby formula, diapers, feminine hygiene products, and general health items. Our team would like to include those in our pantry. Additionally, we want to travel the Des Moines metro area delivering items to other food pantries so we aren’t just focusing on our area.

The kids in our group set the following goals:

-Put food in 10 pantries in the metro area.

-Get extra donations from neighbors to distribute to other pantries.

-The kids are also interested in educating ways you can eat cheap and healthy by providing easy recipes using whole foods.

Location: If your project requires physical space, have you decided the location? Do you have all necessary permission and permits to carry out your project at the chosen location?

We have a Little Free Library on our property that we will include some items in. However, we want to travel the Des Moines metro area delivering items to other food pantries so we aren’t just focusing on our area. Our pantry and others in the metro area already established, so our funds will go entirely to stocking those pantries.

• How has your kid leader been involved in the planning of the project so far?

My child Riley Smith is the kid leader on this project. Her and some neighbor friends worked on the goals for this project and are very excited about choosing the foods that other kids their age will get because of this project.

• How will kids be involved in the design and activation of this community project?

The kids in this group will choose every single item of food that we order and assist in donating every single one. They are also going to learn how to make cheaper meals that are still healthy.