NC Resources

Quick Links

• NOS Login (Neighborhood Organizing System)
• CNFP Video (made by CVTV)

Documents

• 2023 Food Drop-Off Instructions (printable)
• Donor Sign-Up Sheet
• NOS User Guide
• 2023 NC Donation Tax Form

Getting Started

Welcome! Thanks for joining us as a Neighborhood Coordinator. We are thrilled to have you.

The Clark Neighbors Food Project (CNFP) is a grassroots group, which means it belongs entirely to volunteers like you. We’ve designed a system that makes it easy to help feed your neighbors … one green bag at a time!

Please read through these topics between now and your first food collection date, and refer back to it as questions arise. We’re here to support you!

A. How Many Food Donors Do I Need For My Neighborhood?

Most NCs start out with about 10-15 food donors and add others as they feel comfortable. There is no quota or special number of food donors needed to make your work a success. “Neighborhoods” can also be service groups, book clubs, hiking groups, churches, etc. – be creative! You’ll be surprised by how easy and rewarding this is.

B. Your District Coordinator

You will be connected with a District Coordinator (DC) who will become your main contact person. You will get your initial supplies from your DC, and you can always contact your DC as questions arise.

C. Supplies

Your DC will provide your initial supplies, and you can arrange to pick them up from your DC or they will deliver to you. When you need additional supplies down the road, you can get them at some of the pantries on collection day and/or another time from your DC.

• Green Bags. You’ll need two green bags for each food donor – one for them to fill, and a second to leave on their porch when you pick up their filled bag.
• Card Labels. Greg Nelson (greg@clarkfoodproject.org) will email you PDFs of your labels you can use on the various project cards (Welcome, Thank You and Sorry We Missed You), which you can print yourself on Avery 5160 labels (1” x 2-5/8” address labels that come 30 to a sheet). We can also print them and deliver them to you. Usually your name, phone and email are included, but that can be modified if needed. Example
• Welcome Cards. These “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” welcome cards have general information about our program and a list of suggested foods. You’ll attach these cards with a twist tie to the first green bag you give to a new food donor, adding your contact label and the date of the next pick-up. Example
• Refrigerator Magnets. These helpful magnets can be attached with clips to the first green bag you give to a new food donor so they can put it on their fridge and easily see the current calendar year’s food collection dates. Example
• Thank You Cards. When you pick up a filled green bag from each food donor, you will leave an empty green bag in its place with a Thank You card attached using a twist tie, adding your contact information and the date of the next pick-up. It’s a good idea to fill these out and attach them to your empty green bags the day before pick-up. Example
• Sorry We Missed You Cards. In general, about 30% of food donors won’t leave a bag out on collection day. Some people forget, some are out of town, some change their minds. Don’t let it bother you; it’s all part of the process. This Sorry We Missed You card is for the “no-shows.” It gives them a chance to call or text you if they’ve simply forgotten, or serves as a reminder for next time. Include your contact information and the date of the next pick-up, thread a rubber band through the hole in the corner, and leave it attached to their door knob. It’s a good idea to fill these out the day before pick-up. Example
• Yard Signs. Green Bag yard signs are a great way to remind people of the upcoming pick-up day, and they can be a great conversation starter to talk with your neighbors about the Food Project! You can put a sign in your yard and/or in a visible location near the entrance/exit to your neighborhood. We suggest you put your sign(s) out the Sunday immediately prior to pick-up day. Example
• Volunteer T-shirts. If you would like to order your green volunteer T-shirt(s), contact Greg Nelson (clarkfoodproject.org) and let him know how many and what size(s). Greg will place the order as soon as we get to our minimum order of 20 shirts. While there is no charge for the T-shirts, we suggest a $15 donation per shirt to offset our costs, if possible. The T-shirts are UNISEX 100% preshrunk cotton. SIZE CHARTS: Adult T-shirts; Youth T-shirts. Example

Signing up food donors

You can knock on our neighbors’ doors to talk with them about the Green Bag Project, but there are also safe, contactless ways to sign up food donors in your neighborhood. Here are a few of the things we’ve tried with good success, along with examples of each attached.

A. Flyer

Create a flyer introducing the Food Project and leave one tucked under the corner of your neighbors’ front door mats. If you have community mailboxes, a flyer could be posted there as well (although it is not legal to leave flyers inside their mailbox).
PDF Example
Word Example

B. Email/Social Media

Some people already have their neighbors’ emails or a neighborhood Facebook page to get the word out. Here is sample language for you to edit and use as you contact them.
PDF Example
Word Example

C. Using the GIS System for Neighborhood Information about Home Owners

NOTE: This is not necessary for getting new green bag donors, yet many people find it helpful to have a little information before dropping off flyers (or ringing doorbells in non-COVID times).

The Clark County Geographic Information Servuces (GIS) is an on-line system that shows information about home owners. This can be an excellent resource to gather information about neighbors before dropping off flyers. It is easy to use and free.

Here’s how to use GIS:

1. Open the website https://gis.clark.wa.gov/gishome/

2. Click Maps & Records on the upper right side, then click Property and Land Records. Click on the box to confirm you are not a robot to get to the next screen.
3. A directory appears on the left-hand side. Click on the Search tab at the top.
4. Fill in a street address (for example, your own), then click Find.
5. In the box below, a message will appear that says “select an address from the list.” (Normally, there will only be one address.) Click on the address.
6. A map will pop up showing the requested address, at a scale that shows individual houses. You can decrease the map size to show more of the neighborhood if you want. Scroll around the map to see adjacent areas.
7. The map function can be a little touchy. With patience, you’ll arrive at the location and scale that you want to use for investigating a neighborhood.
8. Click on the neighborhood house that you want information about.
9. Information will appear on the left-hand side of the screen. The purpose of your search is to get the names of the occupants, and maybe to see if they are recent or long-term neighborhood residents.
10. If the home owner address matches the address of the house, they are likely the occupants. If not, the house may be occupied by renters.

The Neighborhood Organizing System (NOS)

We use a simple database called NOS, which is where you’ll keep track of your individual food donors’ information, and it will help you easily contact them and figure out your route when picking up the filled bags.

Greg Nelson (greg@clarkfoodproject.org) will email you information about using our NOS database, along with your login credentials. Once you’ve gone through the manual, you will then be able to print a copy of your list of donors, put your route in the order you do your pick-ups and make any helpful notes for yourself. The tally sheets allow us to know how many active donors we have for each collection and helps to keep the system of 2,000+ donors updated.

Confidentiality. Some food donors may feel hesitant about having their contact information included in our database. You can assure them that the food donor list is NEVER shared with outside people or organizations. When food donors are added to your neighborhood in NOS, you can then email them a reminder two weeks and two days before each food collection. They will only receive one additional email from CNFP every two months sharing our Green Bag Report and one fundraising email in May.

NOS Training Manual
NOS Login

What’s Next Once I Sign Up Food Donors?

A. Enter Food Donor Contact Info Into NOS

After signing up new food donors, log onto your own page on the Neighborhood Organizing System (NOS) and enter the contact information for each donor.

NOS Training Manual
NOS Login

This information becomes the Food Project’s database. You can assure people that it will NEVER be used for anything except food collection. But it’s very important to have the information in one place. If anything happens to any of our NCs, or anyone’s data gets lost or destroyed, we’ll have a backup.

B. Follow Up With New Food Donors Right Away Via Email

As soon as you sign up a new food donor in your neighborhood, you’ll want to send a welcome email and let them know when you will drop off their empty green bag. PDF Example; Word Example

C. Drop Off Green Bag With Welcome Card and Refrigerator Magnet

You’ll attach a “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” welcome card with a twist tie to the first green bag that you give to a new food donor, adding your contact label and the date of the next pick-up. You’ll also want to clip a refrigerator magnet to the bag, so your new food donor can put it on their fridge and easily see the current calendar year’s food collection dates. Example

What Happens When I Am Asked To Take A New Food Donor In My Area?

We sometimes get a new food donor who signs up through our main website (clarkfoodproject.org). When this happens, Melissa Leonhardt looks in NOS to see where the nearest neighborhood is, and follows up to connect this new food donor with the nearest Neighborhood Coordinator.

A. If you are contacted by Melissa about whether you can take on this new food donor in your area:

• Please reply right away to confirm with Melissa whether or not you are comfortable adding this new food donor to your neighborhood. If you are not, she will look for another nearby NC. melissa@clarkfoodproject.org; 360-690-6025.

B. If you AGREE to add the new food donor to your neighborhood, please take the following steps:

In NOS:

• Melissa will send the new donor to your main page in NOS. Check the food donor’s location by clicking on Show Donor Location on Map. A pin will appear on the map to show you where they are in relation to your neighborhood.
• Click on the Accept box. Then after you have contacted the new donor and delivered a bag, click on Accepted and Has a Bag. The name will disappear from your main screen and move directly into your donor list and Tally Sheet. This also informs Melissa/the Welcome Committee that there is nothing else they need to do with the donor — the new food donor is all yours.
• Once the new food donor is in your list, you may want to adjust your route order.
• If you are not able to use NOS, please be sure to add the new donor to your route and add the contact information to your master donor list.

With the New Food Donor:

• Send the new donor an email introducing yourself as his/her CNFP Neighborhood Coordinator.
• Let the new donor know the time you usually do your pick-ups and how you will communicate with them (email, voicemail or text).
• Arrange a time with the new food donor for you to drop off a green bag, welcome card and refrigerator magnet.
• Include this new donor in all of your communications with your neighborhood food donors.

Two-Week Prep For Food Pick-Up Day

There are just a few things you’ll want to do a couple of weeks (as well as a couple of days) before food pick-up day. These simple steps help the process go smoothly for everyone!

A. Ensure You Have Enough Supplies On Hand

Contact your DC if you need additional supplies.

B. Send Email Reminders to Your Food Donors

Please “bcc” your donors to keep their information private. Be sure to let them know if you need to collect bags on a day that is different from the regular Saturday (2nd Sat. of even numbered months).

• Two-Week Reminders. You will receive an email from CNFP about 2-1/2 weeks in advance of the pick-up date with simple language and two graphics that you can modify and send to your own food donors. You can use one graphic for the two-week reminder, and the other graphic for the two-day reminder. This gives you a chance to give specific information about when you will pick up your neighborhood’s bags, and gives your food donors time for a little last-minute grocery shopping if needed! Example
• Two-Day Reminders. One more reminder from you is essential. Even people who’ve been filling their bag for weeks sometimes forget to put them out if we don’t remind them a couple of days before.
• Example Reminder Language. Hi, Fellow Food Donors! This is a reminder that that I’ll be stopping by soon to pick up food for the Clark Neighbors Food Project. I’ll be there at 9 am on Saturday, ____(date). Please put your food outside your front door, I’ll pick it up and will leave you an empty green bag for the next collection date. If you’re not going to be in town, just let me know and we can make other arrangements. Thanks so much for being part of this great project! Your neighbor, YOUR NAME HERE PHONE & EMAIL.

C. Put Out Yard Sign (one week prior)

We suggest you put out your sign(s) the Sunday before the pick-up date. Example

Food Pick-Up Day

Every two months, on Pick-up Day (typically the second Saturday of even months – Feb., April, June, Aug., Oct. and Dec.), your donors put their bags of food outside their front doors. You pick up their bags, leave empty ones for the next pickup, drop off the bags at the collection site, and enter the collection data in NOS.

Step by Step:

1. Record donations on your Tally Sheet as you go door-to-door to pick up your neighborhood’s green bags.
2. Leave an empty replacement bag with a Thank You card when you pick up a filled bag; if they didn’t leave a bag for you to pick up, rubber band a “Sorry We Missed You” card to their front door knob.
3. Take filled bags to your pantry. Once you’ve collected all the filled bags, take them to your chosen Food Pantry and follow the specific instructions in the “Food Drop-off Locations, Contacts and Directions” section.
4. Snap some photos to share! We love to get your photos and use them in the Green Bag Report photo collage, and post them on our Facebook page. Please continue to look for opportunities on collection day to snap a few Green Bag photos and email them to sandi@clarkfoodproject.orgor text them to Sandi at 360-772-4026.
5. Reuse Thank You cards. If your food donors leave their “Thank You” card on the filled green bag, PLEASE remove it before dropping off at the pantry. You can then reuse the card by whiting out the date, or putting a new label on top of the old one.
6. Different pick-up or delivery date. If you need to pick up or deliver your neighborhood’s filled bags on a different day, this is perfectly okay since we’re set up to give you as much freedom as possible. If you’ll be out of town on the official pick-up day, or prefer to do it the week before or after, you can come up with your own date and work that out with your food donors. The most important thing is that you keep your food donors (and your District Coordinator) informed.
7. Late bags from neighbors. If neighbors let you know they have filled bags for you AFTER you’ve already picked up your neighborhood, please contact your District Coordinator for the best options. Some pantries are able to take additional drop-offs during their regular business hours, or you can hold on to the bags until the next collection date.
8. Enter collection data in NOS. When you return home, log in and enter the collection data into NOS.

• Go to your page “Record Tally.”
• The default is always “Y” (Yes). Simply change the tally to “N” (No) or “V” (Vacation) as appropriate.
• Be sure the month date at the top is current and click “Submit” your data.
• If you need to make changes, simply do the tallies again, and your previous entries will be replaced when you “Submit” the new tallies.
• By using the NOS, you will have a current list of everyone on your route and we will have accurate data on our donors.

Updated March 2024

Financial Donations

Financial donations can be made as follows:

A. Food Collection Day

Simply have the food donor place a check/cash in an envelope and paperclip it on their Green Bag. Designate which food pantry should receive the donation. Checks can be made payable to a specific pantry, Clark County Food Bank, or Clark Neighbors Food Project. Please note that it is a Green Bag Donation.

B. Electronic Donations

Go to www.clarkfoodproject.org, click on the yellow “Donate” button in the upper right; if there is a specific food pantry or food bank that the donor would like the money to go to, please include it in the Note section.

Thank you!

Food Drop-Off Locations, Contacts and Directions

This page’s printable link shows each of the food pantries we serve, as well as locations, contacts and directions for each.

Please also watch for an email a week or so before each collection date with any important updates or changes.

Access the 2023 collection information in this printable link.

Questions? Please feel free to contact the Main Collection Coordinator(s) for your pantry or your District Coordinator.