Heavy paperwork puts CSFP program at risk
Located in El Paso, Texas, El Pasoans Fighting Hunger (EPFH) is the city’s only food bank supporting over 132 partner agencies and 200,000 food-insecure people.
Prior to implementing Link2Feed, EPFH was using a paper-based process to fulfill their 3,188 CSFP caseload across a network of partner agencies. The COVID-19 pandemic caused many agencies to drop out of the program, leaving the food bank with a large number of boxes to fulfill on their own. Due to the complex nature of the paperwork, they were struggling to manage large distributions on-site and, therefore, unable to meet caseload. This was putting their CSFP program expansion at risk.
Nonprofit management software gets program back on track
By going paperless with Link2Feed’s nonprofit management software, EPFH was able to move their CSFP distributions on-site and increase the number of seniors served by over 200 people per distribution. They were also able to overcome their program challenges since the system prevents dual participation and easily identifies anyone who has missed two consecutive months.
The reports in Link2Feed’s nonprofit management software help the food bank understand exactly how many participants they have enrolled and provide a real-time breakdown of how close they are to achieving their monthly caseload. They can also use the demographic information to better understand what challenges their clients are facing to refer them to other food bank programs.
Nearly 1,200 increase in caseload thanks to automation
Because of Link2Feed’s nonprofit management software, EPFH went from being at risk of losing caseload that is vital for the seniors in their community, to being granted a caseload increase of nearly 1,200 boxes. The automated system has also significantly improved their compliance and access to information, giving them quick and clean audits with the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA).
On top of meeting the CSFP program requirements, Link2Feed reports have also enhanced the food bank’s understanding of client needs so they can make informed decisions on how to better serve their seniors outside of just CSFP.
The food bank is now confident that their CSFP program is strong and look forward to using Link2Feed to find new ways to support their clients and empower further growth.
“When the audit happened, (the TDA) looked at everything and saw the potential in our food bank as well as our CSFP program. With Link2Feed, there is less room for manual error which helps with our compliance and audits moving forward. CSFP is a very detailed program that requires significantly more tracking than most food bank programs. We are relieved that Link2Feed provides us with that much-needed accountability and are looking forward to getting everyone onboarded to have access to this rich data.” – Karmela Galicia, Director of Programs at EPFH.