President: Ossining Food Pantry

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The Organization

The Ossining Food Pantry was founded in 1988 and has continued fighting hunger ever since. Our mission is to address the food insecurity of our neighbors in the Ossining/Briarcliff community. We provide supplemental food to seniors, individuals, and families. The Pantry makes a huge impact in our community by providing a healthy mix of shelf-stable and fresh foods (vegetables, meat, dairy) for approximately 400 households/ 1,000+ people each week. We partner with the Ossining Farmers Market to provide additional food options to clients. We operate a "choice pantry" food distribution where clients may shop and choose the foods they need and like based on their household size. Volunteers deliver pre-packed bags of groceries to the homebound and to eligible families at Ossining Children’s Center.

The Ossining Food Pantry currently operates as a decentralized organization. We have a "working board" consisting of individual "team leaders" who are committed to serving the community and perform their individual duties with dedication, often well beyond their formal scope of responsibilities.

The Ossining Food Pantry is a 100% volunteer organization with no paid staff. We are funded by philanthropic and community support. The Ossining Food Pantry is a member agency of Feeding Westchester. We are a charitable 501(c)(3) not-for-profit "public" corporation, and we are registered with the N.Y. State Attorney General’s Charities Bureau.

We are seeking a person to initially assume the position of advisor to the board. After learning about our organization, and by agreement from all parties, we hope this person will assume the role of president.

Key Responsibilities

The new advisor/president will lead an organization with a projected 2024 annual income of approximately $500K, establishing and executing a vision to enable the Pantry to meet short-term needs, while positioning the Pantry for continued long-term success. This is a part-time, volunteer position expected to take 8 to 10 hours per month including two 1-1.5 hour Zoom meetings per month.

Mission and Strategic Planning

• Provide leadership and support to develop strategic plans and annual budgets that appropriately position the Ossining Food Pantry to fulfill its mission, grow income, increase client support, and improve operational efficiency.

• Work with Board members to strengthen programs, develop new initiatives and ensure existing programs are well managed, fiscally sound and sustainable.

Community Engagement

• Be the public face of the Pantry. Provide visibility for the Pantry by serving as an effective spokesperson. Identify and deepen relationships with the community for the purpose of nurturing goodwill, volunteer recruiting, and engaging new and ongoing donors.

Board Relations

• Participate in Board and Executive committee meetings (held via Zoom each month), help shape the agenda and engage in discussion and decision-making to advance our mission.

• Help to recruit new Board members who will add diversity to the Board and whose talents will help to further the mission and expand funding opportunities.

Mobilizing Financial Resources

• Offer thoughtful leadership and guidance throughout the program planning, development, and implementation process.

• Grow fundraising results by assisting with development efforts, and personally soliciting gifts.

Applicant Qualifications

While no one candidate will possess all of the qualifications listed below, we expect that the selected candidate will embody many of the following professional and personal attributes:

• Ability to interact effectively with a diverse group of volunteer board members, donors, and community partners.

• Ability to engage others around core values and lead in a changing landscape of food insecurity.

• Strong skills in public speaking, written and oral communications, and exceptionally good interpersonal skills.

• Understands the dynamics of food insecurity and holds a deep appreciation of the dignity and value of each individual served.

To Apply: Qualified candidates are strongly encouraged to apply and/or provide nominations for this important role. Please submit a cover letter and resume to: OFPVolunteers@gmail.com