Healing Meals for Healthy Communities

Healing Meals for Healthy CommunitiesOPERATIONS MANUAL

by CERES COMMUNITY PROJECT

COMMUNITY PROJECT

1 The Founding Story

2 Mission, Outcomes & Background Research

3 Organizational Culture

4 Starting Your Project: Key Elements

5 Client Program Overview

6 Youth Development Program Overview

7 Kitchen Operations Overview

8 Nutrition Education Program Overview

9 Volunteer Program Overview

10 Building A Community of Support

1 1 Insurance & Risk Management

Contents

JANUARY 2022

Contents1 Background & History 3

2 Mission, Outcomes & Background Research 19

3 Organizational Culture 33

1 Starting Your Project 45

4 Client Program Overview 60

5 Program Operations 68

6 Program Operations 89

Program Operations 100

1 0 Program Operations 105

1 1 Building a Community 115

of Support 115

Insurance 129

& Risk Management 129

Background & History1

The first Ceres board meeting

CERES HEALING MEALS FOR HEALTHY COMMUNITIES | OPERATIONS MANUAL

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The FoundingStoryHow it all Started: Ceres Community Project’s Story

By Cathryn Couch, Executive Director

This section is very slightly adapted from Nourishing Communities cookbook. We share it here to give you a flavor of the early years at Ceres, as well as the values that are at the root of our work.

We are in the midst of one of the most profound transformations in human history. Amidst global economic crisis, rising violence among nations, and a deepening awareness of the breakdown of the planet’s ecosystems, a tidal wave of change is sweeping through communities everywhere.

The change is coming not from governments or political leaders, not from the United Nations, World Bank or International Monetary Fund. It’s coming from people like you and me who are looking around our towns, neighborhoods and villages and seeing not just problems but opportunities. Often there is nothing more than the spark of an idea and the willingness of one or two or ten people to dive in and begin.

The Ceres Community Project’s story is just one example. It all started quite innocently. At the time, I was dividing my time between two of my passions—working part-time as a chef at a retreat center in the western hills of Sonoma County and teaching horseback riding and training dressage horses at a farm in Santa Rosa. After spending ten years running a home delivered meal service, I was enjoying the simplicity of getting paid for my work and not having to take it home with me.

On a lovely June day in 2006, I was driving to

the barn when my cell phone rang. Sue Curry, my riding instructor, wondered if I could give her daughter Megan a job over the summer and perhaps teach her to cook at the same time. There was no easy solution.

I wasn’t in a position to hire anyone – and who takes someone who can’t cook on a catering job? But Sue was persistent and I have always been more inclined to say yes than no when the universe comes calling.

One conversation led to another and a couple weeks later I suddenly thought about a friend whom I knew was involved in the local cancer support community. One call confirmed that, yes, there were definitely families who could use help with meals. Sue offered to pay for the food. I donated my time and Megan and I began meeting one afternoon a week to prepare meals for two single people and a family of four – all of them dealing with cancer or other serious health issues.

As Megan and I cooked together, I talked about my love of working with food. She gained confidence chopping and dicing and moved on to blanching and sautéing. Every afternoon, we packaged the food we’d made, creating grocery bags of meals for our three families. One of the first times we cooked the husband of a woman with breast cancer stopped by to pick up their food on his way home from work. I had never met him before and introduced myself and Megan. We told him about the food we had prepared. I witnessed Megan’s pride in the contribution she

was making in their life and his deep gratitude for the simple gift of the meals. Something about that moment took hold in me.

Several weeks later, I woke early in the morning with a vision of a non-profit that would bring young people into the kitchen to learn to cook and eat healthy foods and then provide meals to individuals and families who were touched by serious illness. I wanted more people to benefit from what Megan and our three families were experiencing.

What prompted Sue to call me that day? When the idea entered my mind to call the friend who was involved in the cancer support community – where did that come from? And the vision of this as a non-profit, whose idea was that?

The Ceres Community Project’s story is filled with seemingly inexplicable moments, connections, ideas and conversations: An expert in Quickbooks shows up to volunteer just as we’ve filed our incorporation papers and need to create our own accounting

system. Someone passes a brochure to a local reporter in a moment when we are expanding. She writes a full-page story and we benefit from a needed influx of volunteers. A professional chef just happens to wander into an event we are catering as a fundraiser, picks up our brochure and calls me – a month before we are adding our second cooking day and I’m scrambling for help.

Over the past six years I’ve deepened my understanding of the energy or spirit at work in the universe. When we are able to open ourselves to its magic, when we learn to be attentive to where it is leading us – not just to our own plans and ideas – amazing things can happen. Today, The Ceres Community Project is truly the co-creation of thousands of people, each of whom said “yes” in a moment of awareness that they had something to contribute, that there was a role to play in something larger.

That first morning when I “saw” what would become Ceres Community Project, I

remember being filled with excitement. The vision was very clear and I sensed an elegance to it – the way that it addressed so many needs in the community and so many things that I cared deeply about. Young people would learn to cook. People who needed healing food would have it. We would help teach people about the link between what we eat and our health. And we’d help to restore the idea of caring for our neighbors, something that had been lost between my parents’ generation and my own.

Despite what I thought I understood, I can look back now and tell you that I barely had a clue about what the universe had in mind when it planted the idea for Ceres. Today, the project continues to unfold in ways that surprise me – and I imagine that a year or two from now, we will still be discovering more about how the heart of Ceres Community Project wants to express itself.

Let me share a bit of the story of how we got from the idea to the reality.

Early days in the first Ceres kitchen

“When we learn to be attentive to where the magic of the universe is leading us, -amazing things can happen.”

CATHRYN COUCH


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During the fall after Megan and I had cooked together, I began talking in earnest with a few friends that were interested in the idea. If we were going to move forward, I wanted there to be a base of support beyond just myself. I also made lists of people who I believed would be supportive and who brought skills and/or knowledge that would help. While surprisingly few of them stepped up to the plate, unexpected help came from other directions.

A dear friend, Cherie Lippard – the person who I called that first morning when the idea appeared – heard about a group called Bread for the Journey which provided small grants to local non-profits. She gave me a copy of their brochure and I promptly sent them an email outlining the idea. The group was interested and a meeting was arranged for Cherie and me to talk with three members of the group’s board at a local coffee shop. It was one of many small turning points in our journey. To help local communities develop resources to solve local problems Bread for the Journey looks for individuals with good ideas who have the skill, passion and support to make them a reality.

After talking for a half hour or so, the three women asked Cherie and me to move to another table. They conferred for a few minutes and then invited us back. With little fanfare, the group offered us the $1,000 we had asked for. The money was given without paperwork, with no strings attached. Their faith in what we were doing – and their willingness to put this small sum of money behind it – is one of the things that kept us going during those first sometimes challenging months.

Getting off the Ground: Angels & Perseverance

I believed strongly that Ceres Community Project needed to be owned by the community and that we would accomplish that by having as many people and businesses participating as possible – beginning with the local food markets. I started with Andy’s Produce, a small locally owned grocery where I had shopped for many years. I had met one of the women who worked there several years earlier when we both boarded horses at the same barn.

I knew that Julie was part of the family who owned the store and stopped in one day to talk with her. We stood in the sun surrounded by huge bins of vegetables while I told her about my idea to bring young people into the kitchen and provide meals for people who were sick. I needed money for food, could Andy’s help? She asked how much I wanted and the number $5,000 came out of my mouth. Julie offered to speak with her parents, the store owners, but warned me that they donated money to many different community causes and the decision would be wholly theirs.

A few weeks later, she told me that they had agreed to give me the full amount – even though we hadn’t yet cooked a meal. When it went so smoothly at Andy’s, I mistakenly thought it would be just as easy to raise this kind of money from every grocery store in town. When others didn’t return my calls, or pledged much smaller amounts, I began to discover what an unprecedented and generous gift Andy’s Produce had given us.

We now had our start-up capital and money for food. We had teens who wanted to cook with us and there were no shortage of families needing the support of


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prepared meals. The two missing pieces were a commercial kitchen and a non-profit to provide fiscal sponsorship for the project.

Cherie and I had put the word out that we were looking for a kitchen, but nothing had materialized. The ones we had looked at were much too small for an active group of teens or were situated in places where noise was a concern. I knew we couldn’t work freely and creatively with young people and have to worry about noise!

We had been thinking about church kitchens when someone mentioned The Community Church of Sebastopol, a sprawling network of buildings at the north end of town. Finding a location where we could cook was clearly critical and we seemed to be hitting dead ends wherever we turned. It was with this feeling of frustration that I walked into the church office to meet Karin Seder, the church’s facilities manager. Karin and I had spoken briefly on the phone, but it was in our first in-person meeting that I really felt Karin’s – and the church community’s – support. She told me that the church had two kitchens that might work for us and promptly took me around to see them.

When we walked into the main kitchen, which shared a building with a basketball court (no worries about noise here!), I knew we had found our home. The kitchen was square with a large work island in the middle that

at least six people could work at. There was a large commercial refrigerator, six burner stove, gas and convection ovens, a commercial dishwasher and a good assortment of pots and pans. Karin told me that the kitchen was available and she agreed to let us use it one afternoon a week for a small donation of $100 a month to help cover utilities and wear and tear.

By the middle of October, we had funds from Bread for the Journey to cover the insurance that the church required along with some cooking equipment and containers, we had a line of credit at Andy’s Produce to pay for food, and we had a kitchen. The one stumbling block was collaboration with a non-profit

partner so that we could solicit donations and apply for grants. After being strung along for three months without a decision, we walked away from our first potential partner. It was a hard lesson and enormously frustrating. Thinking that we had found a perfect match, we had stopped looking for other possibilities, ending up losing time and wasting energy.

In early January of 2007, we cut our losses and began seeking a new partner. One of our Bread for the Journey angels, Dr. Nan Fuchs, introduced us to Dr. Terri Turner, a local osteopath who also ran a small non-profit with the goal of improving the quality of patient care by increasing communication and respect among practitioners. Terri and I spoke for

The first kitchen at The Community Church of Sebastopol


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about an hour on the phone and then met for lunch. From her own experience with patients, Terri saw the enormous benefit of what we were hoping to do. She agreed to present the idea to her board. Unfortunately, there wasn’t another board meeting until mid-February. I was going to have to be patient.

Right about the same time, we learned about a group in Marin that was funding projects that supported men and women with breast cancer. My first thought was that we shouldn’t apply. While two of the people Megan and I had cooked for had breast cancer, I wanted Ceres Community Project to be available to a broader range of people. After a number of conversations with the To Celebrate Life Breast Cancer Foundation and a few of the people working with me on Ceres Community Project, we decided to apply for a grant, agreeing to use the funds specifically for breast cancer survivors. The only problem was that we couldn’t apply for a grant without the fiscal sponsorship of a nonprofit partner.

On Thursday, February 8th, I met with the board of Relationship Centered Community Care and explained the idea for Ceres and the resources we had put in place. The next morning, Terri told me that the board had agreed to sponsor us. The grant for To Celebrate Life was due by noon the following day in Marin County, about an hour and a

half away! I wrote the grant on Friday, drove to a copy shop in Marin on Saturday morning to make the required number of copies, and delivered it to the head of the grants committee an hour before the noon deadline.

In mid-March, To Celebrate Life called to let us know they had awarded us a $7,500 grant to provide meals to breast cancer clients. We hadn’t yet cooked a single meal.

Finally, on March 29, 2007, The Ceres Community Project got off the ground. Three high school students from Summerfield Waldorf School and one student from El Molino High School in Forestville gathered with me at The Community Church’s kitchen to prepare meals for four local families.

The details of those early months run together for me now. Here’s what I remember: Laughter and something just below total chaos in the kitchen. Days with too few teen helpers and days with too many. Heartfelt notes of thanks from our clients. Demonstrating how to chop an onion, sauté shiitakes and blanch broccoli. Prepping yet another case of kale. Driving food to a client when a delivery volunteer didn’t show up at the kitchen. The enormity of packing every single thing we needed and taking it all to the kitchen – then having to return it all home again at the end of the day.

Not Quite It: Untapped Potential & More AngelsThose first six months I wavered between absolute commitment to what we were doing and frustration at its limitation. We were clearly making a difference, yet almost everything we were doing fell short of what I saw the potential to be. I was still working at another job and putting all of my free time into Ceres but it felt harried and disorganized.

I wanted the experience to be richer and more meaningful for the teens. I wanted to make the program available to more people. I imagined what it would be like to have all of our food grown by local farmers and a kitchen where we could store all of our ingredients, allowing us more freedom to create on the spot. There was so much possibility yet it was taking all of my free time just to get the weekly cooking done and out to the clients.

That October I found myself at the Bioneers Conference in Marin County. If you haven’t heard of it, the Bioneers annual conference is one of the more inspiring experiences on the planet. Some 3,000 people from across the globe gather to share practical solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. During the afternoon, I sat in the main plenary hall


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shifted. Those two donors sensed the possibility of Ceres Community Project at this very early stage. By putting their faith and financial support behind our work, they were instrumental in unleashing the enormous potential that we were sitting with.

Over the next four months, the entire structure and operation of the organization changed. Volunteers showed up who were willing and able to take on major areas of responsibility. I brought together a small group as an advisory board and we began meeting monthly. We added a second cooking day, doubling the number of teens who could participate and creating the potential for doubling our client load as well. By March 2008, just a year after the project began, we incorporated as our own non-profit and filed for 501(c)(3) status from the IRS. The Ceres Community Project was no longer a little project that I was doing on the side one day a week.

Two Years and 32,000 Meals LaterDuring our first eight months in 2007, 21 teens helped prepare 4,500 meals for 28 different households cooking just one afternoon a week in our church kitchen. In January 2008 we added a second day and by the end of that year we had more than tripled what we had accomplished in 2007 – 70 teens had prepared 17,300 meals for 71 client families.

The Importance of RememberingDuring those early months we felt our way through. What kind of food was helpful? How many meals could we cook in an afternoon with teen volunteers? How many teens could we have working before things tipped over

listening to Buddhist elder Joanna Macy, Jean Shinoda Bolen, Alice Walker and several other women leaders. They were talking honestly and directly about the state of the planet. As I sat listening, I wrote on my pad, “What would it look like if I took Ceres Community Project on wholeheartedly?”

I knew I was holding myself back and I also knew that if I was going to dive in, I needed to free up more time. That meant finding a way to pay myself at least a small amount so that I could let go of other work.

Three days later, I happened to be visiting with a friend of a friend whose partner had died of breast cancer eight months before. After a bit, I began to tell her about the work we were doing with Ceres. By the time we parted, she had offered me $5,000 to help me pay myself. The next day, I had a meeting with a man who had heard about what we were doing through someone at Bread for the Journey. Sitting across the table from one another at a small café in downtown Windsor, I told him how the project had come to be, what we had accomplished so far, and what I thought the potential might be. After about twenty minutes he asked, “How can I help?”

I admitted to him that I didn’t really have any idea what he had in mind. I had simply heard that he was interested and had come to talk with him. He told me that he was a philanthropist and asked how much money I thought would make a difference? By the end of that half hour meeting, I had secured another $10,000 donation – funds that would allow me to make this work my priority.

That twenty-four hour period was one of the most profound experiences during Ceres Community Project’s early life. In that short period of time, everything had


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into chaos? Could the teens help with delivery or was it too much to ask after a long day at school and time in the kitchen? What we knew was that there were local families that needed the support of lovingly prepared healing food, and that young people had much to give and much to gain by joining us in the kitchen.

The many questions that arose answered themselves as we moved forward. Today, despite the fact that our size and organizational structure have changed, the process continues to be the same. As we enter 2013, we have a sense of how we might deepen and expand our contribution here in Sonoma County and across the country. We have plans and goals and budgets for the year ahead. And yet we remain aware and attentive to what has not yet revealed itself. We know without a doubt that Ceres Community Project will look different a year from now – and in ways that we cannot yet anticipate.

At its heart Ceres Community Project is a force for creating connection and healing and for rediscovering the vast web of relationship in which we live. I can’t take credit for the idea, nor

can I take responsibility for what has been accomplished. I was simply open to what presented itself and willing to step in and begin. As I shared the vision with others, they brought new insights and helped to create more possibility.

Today, The Ceres Community Project is a co-creation of thousands of people. So many strands have woven together – the experiences, needs and ideas of our many clients, teen and adult volunteers, business sponsors and referral agencies; the bounty and diversity of food which has come our way through the generosity of the farmers and grocers; the creativity of all the cooks throughout history; and all of the community leaders like you whose passionate commitment is resulting in programs all across the country based on the model we’ve developed at Ceres.

We look forward to partnering with you as we continue to learn, innovate and build healthier communities where people are connected to real food and to one another.With gratitude,

Cathryn CouchFounder & Executive Director

Timeline of Ceres’ Program Development

Ceres second garden in Santa Rosa, CA.

Key Milestones by YearOf course, every project is different. We simply present the following overview of significant milestones in our growth to give you a sense of our own progress and development.


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7 Financials

• $5,000 as a line of credit from locally owned market Andy’s Produce

• $7,500 To Celebrate Life Breast Cancer Foundation• $1,000 Bread for the Journey

Kitchen cost is $25 a week. We are purchasing all our food as we have not yet set up any donation relationships with local farmers and food suppliers. Total costs are about $12,000.

In October, Judy Pike offered $5,000. The next day, Greg Young pledged a $10,000 donation. By the end of the year, thanks to these generous funds, Cathryn reduced her other work to expand her focus on Ceres.

2007 INCOME $18,500 (includes $5,000 from Judy Pike that was received in December of this year.)

2007 EXPENSES

$12,000 Major expenses:

• Food costs $13,500 • Kitchen rent $ 900

2007 Program Results 4,500 meals prepared for 28 families; 21 teens worked in the kitchen and provided about 550 volunteer service learning hours; by the end of the year we were cooking for 12 families each week.

2007 Staffing: All volunteer, no paid staff. We were not tracking adult volunteers at this point so we don’t know the exact number but it was probably about 25.

Project launchedMarch 29 with 5 students from Summerfield and El Molino cooking with Cathryn one afternoon a week at the Community Church of Sebastopol. Our goal: Start cooking and figure out what is possible! Program is fiscally sponsored by a local non-profit, Relationship Centered Community Care. Advisory board begins meeting monthly by end of the year. No promotion of project except word of mouth.

Three key volunteers: Cathryn Couch, Project Manager and Chef; Cherie Lippard, Client Liaison;Judi Pereira, Delivery Coordinator.

Funding in place to launch: $13,500:


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8 Program Goals1. Add second cooking day;2. Get more organized in kitchen and with delivery;3. Bring in more volunteers;4. Pilot test cooking classes (JoEllen joined early in the year);5. Find bigger kitchen with storage.

Cathryn becomes first paid staff with $1,800 a month salary to manage Ceres thanks to the contributions from Greg Young and Judy Pike.

We add a second cooking day in January, and at that same time the Santa Rosa Press Democrat writes first feature story about Ceres leading to influx of teen and adult volunteers (just as we need them!).

We move to a new larger kitchen on November 1st and add a third cooking day.

We incorporate and file for own 501(c)(3) non-profit status in March. The Advisory Board becomes the Board of Directors.

We create a model for the Healing Foods Cooking Course and begin work on the Nourishing Connections Cookbook (with very special thanks to completed client and book illustrator Patricia Waters).

We hire first staff, Kari Stettler, in November. Kari works 5 hours per week as Operations Manager to support Cathryn.

Judi Pereira hands off delivery coordination to a volunteer, Bim Lipp. From this point until mid 2012 delivery coordination was handled by Bim and then by Bim and two other volunteers who traded off this job every two months. When we implemented NPE we incorporated this into Julie’s job.

2008 Income - $77,000:

• $30,000 Greg Young ($10,000 pledged in late 2007 plus an additional $20,000)

• $20,000 To Celebrate Life Breast Cancer Foundation

• $15,000 Jody Snyder and Noel Littlejohn to pay first year of rent in new kitchen

• The balance of $12,000 came from about 85 individual and business donors 2008 Expenses: $54,465

MAJOR EXPENSES:

• Salaries and payroll costs $24,415

• Food costs $16,896

2008 Program Results17,300 meals prepared for 71 client families; 70 teens provide 1,800 volunteer service learning hours. About 100 adult volunteers are involved but we have not begun tracking their hours.

Financials


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9 Program Goals1. Begin to organize a structure of ongoing management through staffing, regular staff meetings, etc.2. Put better systems in place to manage the expanding program (client area, meal planning, and delivery)3. Get Cathryn out of some of the day to day operations so she can focus on managing the program and on fundraising.

We add four additional staff as of January 1. By the end of the year we had 2.25 FTE staff.

• Marsha Wachs, client manager, 5 hours per week• Margaret Howe, volunteer manager, 10 hours per week• JoEllen DeNicola, nutrition director, 10 hours per week• Chris Sittig, food procurement, 5 hours per week.

Julie Stuffelbeam joins the staff July 1st at 15 hours per week and takes over the shopping and kitchen management from Cathryn. Creative Director Kim Stuffelbeam begins receiving $500 a month retainer for web support and materials creation. We create a volunteer team of Adult Chef Mentors to help in the kitchen.

We’re now cooking three days a week. We hold our first fundraising event at Lynmar Estate Winery and raise $35,000 while spending just $3,500.

The first edition of Nourishing Connections Cookbook is published in November and we hold a release party at Copperfield’s Books in December.We hold six or seven Healing Foods Cooking Courses with great results.

For the first time, we need to actively focus on fundraising to meet the growing needs of the program.

We hold our first strategic planning session in November 2009. We create 5 – 10 year strategic goals. As a result of this meeting, we draft our first Mission Statement and Operating Principles.

2009 Income - $179,000:

• Greg Young $25,000

• Dennis & Carol Ann Rockey Fund $20,000

• To Celebrate Life Breast Cancer Foundation $15,000

• Skipstone Ranch Winery $10,316

• Medtronic Foundation $10,000

• Symington Foundation (for the HFCC classes) $4,500

• Anonymous via Lamb and Barnosky, LLP law firm in New York $5,000

• Balance of $89,000 from 250+ smaller donors 2009 Expenses: $157,682

Major Expenses:

• Staff costs $80,615


• Rent $9,960

Financials

2009 Program Results 21,900 meals prepared for 124 clients; 108 teens participate in 3,500 volunteer service learning hours. About 140 adult volunteers are involved. We still have not started tracking their hours.


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2010

Program GoalsBased on the 7 strategic goals we set in our November 2009 planning sessions, each major area (meal program, education program, volunteer area, operations and development) set operational goals for the year and then created operational plans to guide their work. Focus was on establishing systems and procedures to support more effective and efficient operations, and refining program delivery for greater impact.

Focus is very clearly on capacity building. First detailed annual budget created.

First attempt at establishing operational goals and operational planning to guide our work.

First fundraising training was held with board and staff.

By the end of the year, staff includes: Cathryn, full time, plus 9 part-time people. New staff this year included: part-time bookkeeper, part-time Fund Development Manager and part-time Chef. FTE Staff at the end of the year = 5.5

Begin monthly volunteer orientations. Regular volunteer training for key groups:

• Bi-monthly training meetings with mentor chefs.• Training and regular ongoing support meetings with client liaisons.

Cathryn creates first Management Team in March.Board of Directors becomes much more actively involved.

Ceres actively looked for new location to be able to expand program. Kenyon Webster shows Cathryn the Bodega Ave. site in July.

Second event at Lynmar Estate Winery raises $45,000 with investment of $4,000. We launch our community lecture series – now called Tea & Talk.

First affiliate projects begin in Napa and Marin. We train folks from Bay Village, Ohio.

2010 Income: $429,532 including money raised to support our building project:

• Triple $500+ donors from 26 and $89,500 in 2009 to 70 and $284,500 in 2010

• $44,000 in earned income from cookbook, classes and food sales 2010 Expenses: $334,601

Major expenses:

• Payroll costs $185,389


• Rent $13,727

Financials

2010 Program Results26,100 meals prepared for 186 client families; 137 teens donate 5,000 volunteer service learning hours; 200 adult volunteer donate 8,200 adult volunteer hours


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2011 Program Goals

Focus is on capacity building, systems, and leadership development.

Operational planning is much more developed and we build the budget directly from these plans rather than doing it by growing the past year’s budget.

Management team is more actively engaged in guiding operations and evaluating new opportunities against capacity.

We learn to say “no” more!

Cathryn moves out of all day to day operations to be able to focus on fundraising, leadership/management development of key staff, and long-term planning.

We complete a $425,000 remodel (funded by donations and a $70,000 loan from a donor) and move into our new facility in November.

We invest in the development and implementation of the NPE data base system.

The third annual fundraising event is held at DeLoach Vineyards and raises $92,000 with costs of about $8,000.

By the end of the year we have 6.9 FTE Staff including Cathryn (FT) and 10 part-time staff (all working 20 -30 hours weekly).

We train folks from Summit, New Jersey. Bay Village, Ohio and Summit, New Jersey projects both launch.

October 2011, Ceres holds first day long community educational event, The Cancer Journey Conference, with 100+ attendees.

2011 Income: $1,172,430

This income includes cash and in-kind donations for the building project as well as income for the Marin Ceres Project. Earned income increases to $45,000 from cookbook sales, class fees and food sales.

2011 Expenses: Operational expenses: $504,237, Building remodel: $329,495

Major expenses:

• Payroll Cost $283,407• Food Cost $62,299• Marketing/Promotion $35,302 (Annual Report, mailed

newsletters, direct mail appeals)• Rent $19,047

Financials

2011 Program Results28,550 meals prepared for 230 client families; 158 teens participate in 5,870 volunteer service learning hours. 240 adult volunteers provide 10,370 hours.Ceres Marin Program Results (first full year): 3,200 meals prepared for 32 client families; 45 teens participate in 1,100 volunteer service learning hours.


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2012

Program GoalsOur focus on the first full year in our new building is on growing program impact including:

• Adding a 4th cooking day and increasing client service from 40 families per week up to 60 client families per week

• Launch of Ceres Community Garden program on donated land and integration of this into our existing Teen Program

• Implementation of full Teen Educational Curriculum with ½ hour training/team building break on each shift now that we have a meeting room where teens can sit down together

• Expansion of Teen Program to include two teen movie nights and the first annual 100 Mile Feast prepared by and for the teens

Development of Teen Leader program with bi-monthly Teen Leader trainings, increased role of Teen Leaders both in the kitchen and Teen Education circles. We implemented the Client, Meal Planning and Delivery Planning modules in NPE.

We developed and implemented the USDA funded Teen & Client Evaluation Study with all teens and clients completing intake and follow up surveys.

We launched two new earned income strategies: Meals for Health, a fee based portion of the Meals Program; and Ceres Catering, including a box lunch program for a local spa. We increased earned income from $45,000 in 2011 to $92,000 in 2012.

We trained people from Geneva, Illinois; Nashville, Tennessee; and Santa Cruz, California. Projects in Geneva and Santa Cruz launch. The Nashville project launches in January 2013.

We revise our mission statement to its current version.

We establish new 3 year strategic planning priorities, including specific priorities around scaling impact locally and nationally.

By the end of the year we have 9.6 FTE staff. We begin January 2013 with 12 FTE staff. In January 2013 we add health benefits for all staff with Ceres paying 75% of premium costs. By January, all staff salaries are paid at market rates for nonprofits of our size in Northern California except Cathryn whose salary is 88% of the lowest quartile for executive directors.

2012 Income: $774,503

2012 Expenses: $719,144

Major expenses:

• Payroll Cost $417,885

• Outside Professional Services $34,267

• Food Cost $65,537

• Facilities Cost $33,664

• Marketing and Promotion $25,052

• Office Supplies $19,214

2012 Program Results39,726 meals prepared for 310 client families; 250 teens participate in 10,500 hours of volunteer service learning. 320 Adult Volunteers donate 13,000 hours.Ceres Marin Program Results:9,160 meals for 77 client families;69 teens donate 1,592 hours

Financials

Mission, Outcomes & Background Research2

Volunteers in the current Sebastopol Kitchen


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Mission, Outcomes & Background Research

This section of the Operations Manual provides an overview of our Mission and Operating Principles and the impact that our work has. It includes copies of our Logic Models that explain how the program supports these outcomes, and data from the program evaluation research that we’ve conducted. It also in-cludes a White Paper supporting Ceres’ Food Philosophy and statistics demonstrating why our work is so needed.

Youth Impact Report Client Impact ReportCeres Community Project’s Food Philosophy: A White Paper 40 Developmental Assets for Youth ModelData Collection Tools for Program EvaluationClient Intake SurveyClient Completion SurveyClient Follow-up SurveyYouth Intake SurveyYouth Follow-up Survey

Supporting Documents


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We create health for people, communities and the planet

through love, healing food and empowering

the next generation.MISSION STATEMENT


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Mission Statement & Operating Principles

Our work has significant impact in each of these areas:

• Food as Medicine – We improve treatment outcomes, reduce health care costs and build better long-term health by providing nourishing organic meals to families facing serious illness along with nutrition education and the caring support of the community;

• Youth Empowerment – We empower a generation of healthy, engaged lead-ers by placing youth at the center of the organization as gardeners and chefs growing organic food and preparing nourishing whole foods meals for our clients, and by helping them develop the life skills and empathy they need to thrive;

• Prevention – We build a culture of prevention by educating teens, clients and the larger community about the role of whole, organic and locally-grown foods and the power of their choices in fostering health and preventing dis-ease;

• Healthy Eating & Sustainable Food Systems – We increase consumption of whole, organic and locally-grown foods to strengthen the health of people, local food systems, and the planet through education and community engage-ment;

• Reducing Disparity – We reduce the disparity in health outcomes by support-ing primarily low-income client families, and providing learning opportunities for underserved youth;

• Purpose & Belonging – We strengthen social relationships and sense of pur-pose—keys to longer and healthier lives—by engaging thousands of commu-nity members as volunteers and donors and creating authentic opportunities for connection and caring;

Operating Principles

Heart Centered & Love GuidedWe are committed to expressing love, trust, respect and integrity in our lives, work and organization.

Everything MattersNothing is left out. We work to have every action and choice lead to the greatest positive impact.

Young People are the FutureYoung People are intelligent, responsible, capable, creative and caring, and must be central participants in shaping our collective future.

Equitable, Diverse & Inclusive We commit to championing policies and practices of social equity that build a diverse, inclusive, and healthy workplace and food system.

Ceres Teen Mentoring Program Logic Model PROBLEM: Without changes in diet and access to workforce development opportunities, today’s youth won’t become healthy, productive adults

If we have:Teen volunteers

Health care providers/social workers who refer ill clients to Ceres

Youth-serving organizations who refer teens to Ceres

Trained adult volunteer mentor gardeners, chefs, and community leaders

Commercial kitchen and organic gardens

Dedicated funding

Strong food system, health & education partners

and we do:Adults mentor teens on horticulture, healthy food preparation, food systems issues, work-place skills, values, and leadership Teens conduct a minimum of 2½ to 3 hours of service learning per week in Ceres’ soil to table program, volunteering in the garden and in the kitchen for a minimum of 3 months (avg. is 12 mos.)

Each teen receives focused education about healthy eating, food systems, values, work and career readiness, and leadership development

Teens complete pre-and post assessments re-garding cooking and eating behavior, culinary/gardening skills, physical activity, risky behav-iors, confidence, empathy and future plans

Sonoma County Office of Education’s Work-Ready Certification skills are integrated into the general program

we expectIncreased horticulture and culinary skills

Development of work readi-ness and leadership skills

Improved optimism toward self and future opportunities

Improved peer relationships

Increased resiliency

Honoring commitment to volunteer 8 hours per month for at least 3 months

Healthier food choices and cook more often

INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES

and we want...Interest in pursuing post-sec-ondary education and/or a career in horticulture or culinary skills

Increased fruit and vegetable consumption by 15% and de-creased fast food consump-tion by 25%

Increased perception of con-nectedness to community

Grade promotion/improved academic performance

Ability to make healthy, safe personal choices

and we hope...Development of healthy familial, social, and profes-sional relationships

Post-secondary education completion

Successful career attainment

Positive civic engagement

Mentored teens eat 5+ servings of fruits & vegeta-bles daily throughout their lives

<15% of mentored teens become obese during their lifetime

ASSUMPTIONS & THEORIESAmerican Cancer Society’s research shows that 1/3 of all cancers could be avoided by changes in diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and physical activity; 25% of adoles-cents are at risk of not making a transition into productive adulthood. ( Jacquelynne Eccles and Jennifer Appleton Gootman, Eds., Community Programs to Promote Youth Development, National Academy of Sciences, 2002); Youth involved in formal, high quality relationships with adults attend school more regularly, have better attitudes and behaviors at school, and are more likely to pursue post-secondary education. Mentored youth are 46% less likely to initiate drug use; 27% less likely to initiate alcohol use; 52% less likely to skip school; and 32% less likely to hit someone than un-mentored youth. (Tierney, Grossman, and Resch, 1995)

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORSTransportation to our commercial kitchen can be a barrier for some teens wishing to participate; School and family obligations may make it difficult for teens to honor their three-month commitment; The sustainability of the program relies on gifts from individ-ual donors and in a tough economy, the amount of such gifts decreases; The fact that in 2011-2012, over a third of Sonoma County 9th grade students were overweight or obese and that fewer than half of students 14 years and older reported consuming 5 or more fruits and vegetables daily (Sonoma County Health Dept.), may make it difficult for teens to be willing to change their dietary habits to focus on whole, healthy food.

↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑

Ceres Healing Meals Logic Model PROBLEM: 56% of deaths in the United States now have poor eating habits as a primary cause and 25% of people lack support in a crisis.

If we have:Health care providers/social workers who refer ill clients to Ceres

Schools and other youth-serving organizations who refer teens to Ceres and teens committed to service learning

Trained adult volunteer men-tor gardeners, mentor chefs, delivery angels, client liaisons, and community leaders

Commercial kitchen and organic gardens

Dedicated funding

Strong food system, health & education partners

and we do:Provide free, delivered organic, whole foods meals for a period of 8-24 weeks to individu-als dealing with a serious illness

Conduct intake conversation and home visits with clients

Include Nutrition Tips with each week’s delivery

Client Liaisons contact clients each week to provide support and answer food-related questions

Provide free 45 minute DVD on cooking and shopping for health

Request for clients to participate in pre- and post-service assessments regarding dietary hab-its, food consumption, and program satisfaction

we expectEach year, over 500 client families will receive and con-sume over 70,000 nourishing and delivered meals

Clients will receive weekly support provided by over 30 Client Liaisons

As a result of the meals and the Nutrition Tips provided weekly with delivered meals, over 80% of clients report an increased knowledge of nutrition

95% of volunteers honor their commitments and are satisfied with the program

INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES

and we want...Over 50% of clients increase their fruit and vegetable consumption

Over 75% of clients reduce their fast food and processed food consumption

Over 80% of clients report a favorable weight change

Over 60% of clients report feeling cared for and less isolated

Over 80% of clients report an improved quality of life

Over 80% of clients report quicker-than-expected recovery times

and we hope...Clients have better long term health outcomes resulting from:

1. Making healthier food choices over time

2. Becoming more actively involved in their community through stronger social connections

ASSUMPTIONS & THEORIESAmerican Cancer Society’s research shows that one-third of all cancers could be avoided by changes in diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and physical activity; 85% of cancer patients end up malnour-ished. (Sauer and Voss, Improving Outcomes with Nutrition in Patients with Cancer, May 2012; Lack of a strong social network is as twice as bad for your health as being obese. ( Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Timothy B. Smith, J. Bradley Layton, Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review, 2010); Low income people have poorer nutritional status and are more at risk for illness related mal-nutrition; Older people are more likely to be isolated; 25% of Americans say they have no one to turn to when a crisis occurs in their life (Lynn Smith-Lovin, American Sociologial Review, 2006)

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

Clients may be unwilling to change their dietary habits; Individuals may not know of the services available through Ceres if their healthcare providers, family, or community members do not recommend the program to them; Although meals come with food storage and reheating instructions, clients may not fully understand them or choose not to comply with them; Adult volunteers may not be able to honor their commitment to the program

↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑


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Open ended comments point to increases in self-esteem and greater connec-tion to the community:

• Ceres has helped my self-esteem.

• I’m more confident around new people.

• It’s brought me closer to the community

• It has allowed me to become a more diverse individual

• Made me more aware of the effect I can have on people

• I feel more confident working in groups and leading people

• Working at Ceres has made me a more open individual—I am typically a shy person who keeps to myself, but now find myself talking to people I would have never met outside the kitchen

• Ceres helps me realize the gifts I am blessed with and how much I already have

• It is amazing to be a part of a project that helps people in need

• Through joy, laughter, and even tears we cook for people who need these meals—that’s being a true human being

• Its unique approach to helping out in the community is quite special

• I love leaving the kitchen knowing that I have helped someone in my community

• Young people learn how to cook while simultaneously helping others on an incredibly profound level

• Helping save lives is very rewarding

• Ceres has showed me that these few hours I spend a week in the kitchen can really change someone’s life

• 16% increase in fruit and vegetable consumption

• 27% increase the in the variety of vegetables eaten

• 54% fewer teens say they eat fast food regularly

• Teens are 28% more likely to cook from scratch at home at least once a week

• Teens are 50% more likely to encourage friends and 44% more likely to encourage family members to make healthier food choices

Ceres Community Project – Research FindingsBetween January 2012 and April 2014 we conducted a program evaluation study as part of a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A summary of those results are shown here. Since that time, we’ve gathered at least four years of additional data. Summaries of that for both teens and clients are found in our Client Impact and Youth Impact reports.

Client Survey Outcomes

Three months after receiving an average of 14 weeks of meals, clients who are no longer impacted by their illness report:

• 23% increase in fruit and vegetable consumption

• The percentage who say they prepare a full meal from scratch almost every day increases 47%, to 87% of all clients

• More than 70% say they are eating less fast food, processed food and white sugar

• 100% of clients said that the healthy food helped them recover, 93% said that receiving the meals helped them feel less isolated and alone, and 95% said that what they learned about healthy eating was extremely important to them

When asked about the three most important things they learned while receiving the meals, comments included the power of community:

23% increase in fruit and vegetable consumption

• Kindness and community

• Strangers are caring

• Community feeling

• That it is okay to ask/receive help

• What a community can do for you


I continue to be f illed with gratitude for the thought and care of all your staff and wonderful volunteers.”

“

• That I wasn’t alone. I felt love from strangers

• Having prepared foods show up at the house was very important and rewarding

• That there is a wonderful service available to people in treatment

When asked how being involved in the program had changed them, clients responded:

• I feel like a part of a larger community

• I feel like strangers somewhere are helping me survive cancer and find hope

• Made me appreciate the local community more

• It felt really good to be cared for and supported and I now feel con-nected to people having a health “adventure”

• Ceres has become a part of my life through volunteering with Ceres

• I found an organization that I wanted to volunteer my time to

• It has humbled me and filled me with gratitude

• When I am completely back on my feet I want to pay it forward somehow

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Ceres conducts an annual survey of all volunteers. The goal is to get feedback on whether or not volunteers feel supported and appreciated for their contributions. We also ask volunteers whether or not being involved with Ceres has changed their eating habits. 47% of adult volunteers report that they have increased their consumption of fresh vegetables, and 59% say they are eating less fast and processed food since becoming involved. A list of the questions used in this survey is included at the end of the Volunteer Program section.

Volunteer Survey Outcomes Diet and Disease Link


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Medically Tailored Meal Research

A growing body of peer-reviewed published research demon-strates that medically tailored meal intervention can improve patients satisfaction, improve health outcomes and reduce the cost of care. You can find a summary of this data the Food is Medicine Coalition website, Fimcoalition.org, or the California Food is Medicine Coalition website, Calfimc.org.

Diet and Disease Link• In July 2014, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) named

dietary risk as the number one risk factor for developing disease. More than 56% of all deaths in the U.S. now have poor nutrition as a precipitating cause (heart disease, diabetes, stroke and some cancers). 85% of all health care spending goes to chronic diseases most of which are pre-ventable with diet and lifestyle changes. Center for Disease Control & Prevention, National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 61 No. 6, “Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2011”, http://www.cdc.gov/ nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr61/nvsr61_06.pdf

• The American Cancer Society estimates that 1/3 of all can-cers could be avoided by changes in diet and maintaining a healthy weight

Background Research Supporting the Healing Meals for Healthy Communities Model

• More than half of Americans will have type II diabetes or be pre-diabetic by 2020 at a cost to the U.S. health care system of $3.35 trillion if current trends go on unabated. Type II diabetes is almost exclusively caused by poor eating habits. Source: “The United States of Diabetes: Challenges and Opportunities in the Decade Ahead” by United Health Group http://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/hrm/ UNH_Working-Paper5.pdf.

• In Sonoma County, only 55% of adults and 17.6% of teens report eating the recommended five servings a day of fruits and vegetables. Source: 2009 California Health Interview Survey, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

• A 2009 study found that only 33% of adults in the U.S. eat fruit at least twice a day, and only 27% eat vegetables at least three times per day. Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, Statehealthfacts.org, http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind. jsp?rgn=6&ind=869


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Malnutrition and Illness

• 80% of cancer patients become malnourished during their treat-ment. Source: Personal communication with Ceres’ Ambassador Council member Rebecca Katz, MS in Nutrition and author of two books on nutrition and cancer

• Sauer and Ross state that, “. . . up to 85% of patients with certain cancer types experience some form of weight loss and malnutri-tion during their cancer treatment. Poor nutritional status, weight loss and malnutrition lead to poor outcomes for patients, including decreased quality of life, decreased functional status, increased complication rates, and treatment complications.” Source: “Improving Outcomes with Nutrition in Patients with Cancer”, http://www. onsedge.com/nursing/abbottnutrition/

• A second study, “Malnutrition and Clinical Outcomes: the Case for Medical Nutrition Therapy” states that, “40% to 55% [of hospital-ized patients] were found to be either malnourished or at risk for malnutrition, and up to 12% were severely malnourished. Surgical patients with likelihood of malnutrition are two to three times more likely to have minor and major complications as well as in-creased mortality; and their length of stay can be extended by 90% compared with the stay of well-nourished patients.” Source: Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 1996 Apr;96(4):361-6, 369; quiz 367-8, Gallagher-Allred CR, Voss AC, Finn SC, McCamish MA.

Research on the Benefits of Whole, Organic and Local Food

See the attached White Paper for research supporting the benefits of whole, organic and local food.

Social Connections and Health Outcomes

• A June 23, 2006 article in the Washington Post, reported that “A quarter of Americans say they have no one with whom they can discuss personal troubles, more than double the num-ber who were similarly isolated in 1985. Overall, the number of people Americans have in their closest circle of confidants has dropped from around three to about two. The comprehensive new study paints a sobering picture of an increasingly fragment-ed America, where intimate social ties—once seen as an integral part of daily life and associated with a host of psychological and civic benefits—are shrinking or nonexistent. In bad times, far more people appear to suffer alone.”

• The study was published in the American Sociological Re-view; authors included Lynn Smith-Lovin, a Duke University sociologist.

• A study published in the July 2010 issue of PLOS Medicine by Professors Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Timothy B. Smith, and J. Bradley Layton, “Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review” found the following:

- People with strong social relationships were 50% more likely to be alive an average of eight years later than peo ple who did not;

Not having a strong social network is as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and twice as bad for your health as being obese;


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Positive Youth Development Frameworks

Extensive work has been done in the last 15 years to identify frameworks that support all youth in making a successful transition to a healthy, productive and engaged adulthood. [See “Positive Youth Development So Far” by Benson, Scales, Hamilton and Sesame, published November 2006 in the Search Institute’s Insights & Evidence journal] Positive Youth Devel-opment frameworks recognize that a constellation of positive contexts (family, school and community) and supports must come together if we are going to help youth make a successful transition to adulthood. One finding in the Search Institute article is that more developmental assets create a synergistic positive effect. Ceres uses the Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets model (included in Youth Development Section). Ceres’ Youth Development Program supports 32 of the identified assets.

Organizational Culture3

Ceres staff retreat, 2021


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OrganizationalCulture Building a team and an organization also means

building a culture. Culture is “how we do things” and at Ceres how we do things is as important – or maybe even more so – than what we’re doing.

Ceres’ Healing Meals model has three goals:

1. Improving eating habits and our food system and reconnecting what we eat to our health

2. Strengthening social connections and helping all of us find our place and belonging as part of a larger interconnected whole, and

3. Empowering the agency and leadership of the next generation;

Having teens cook healthy organic meals and de-livering them to people struggling with serious illness is what we do. Think about it for a minute. There are many different ways that this “what” could be accom-plished – and many of them would not maximize our ability to reach our goals, especially 2 and 3.

Culture is also important for another reason. What you’re doing is clearly important but how you do it is what people will remember – it’s what they’ll talk about. Your reputation is often a

reflection of your culture. You’ll hear things like:

• I felt so cared for

• The chef always took the time to explain things

• Even though I didn’t know anyone I felt welcomed from the first time I came to the kitchen

• I could feel the love in the food

• My Delivery Angel was always so warm

• I’ve never volunteered at an organization where I felt so appreciated

As you build your team and organization you want to be intentional and consistent about “how we do things”. This helps your staff and volunteers know what to expect and what’s expected of them. And it embeds your culture into the struc-ture of your organization.

In this Chapter we’ll share some of the fundamen-tals of how we’ve built an intentional and consis-tent culture at Ceres Community Project.

Operating AgreementsGetting Clear Before Moving Forward After Action Review ProcessCreating A Team Alliance



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Creating Your Vision, Mission and Operating PrinciplesIt all starts here. Your Vision and Mission statements explain how you want the world to be different and how you are going about making that happen. Op-erating Principles define how you will work with one another and with your community as you strive to accomplish your mission. They describe the values behind your work. As you move forward your Mission Statement and Operating Principles provide vital guid-ance as you make decisions about what you’ll do and not do, and how you’ll approach your work.

Our original Vision and Mission statements and Op-erating Principles were created by our board and staff at our first strategic planning meeting at the end of 2009. They grew out of a rich conversation that we had about our purpose and intention for the work we were doing. In 2012 we revised our Mission Statement, again using a consensus process that involved numer-ous conversations and then a two hour facilitated con-versation with staff and board. The mission statement was revised again in 2015 to make it simpler and to include our work with youth. Our Operating Principles were updated once in 2019 to include a specific state-ment about equity.

Vision (the world we want to create, this is what we continue to move toward)A healthy, caring, just and sustainable world.

Mission (why we exist, our purpose, the contribution we make)We create health for people, communities and the planet through love, healing food, and empowering the next generation.


Everything MattersNothing is left out. We work to have every action and choice lead to the great-est positive impact.

Young People are the FutureYoung People are intelligent, responsible, capable, creative and caring, and must be central participants in shaping our collective future.

Equitable, Diverse & InclusiveWe commit to championing policies and practices of social equity that build a diverse, inclusive, and healthy workplace and food system.

The chef always took the time to explain things...”

“

Developing Operating AgreementsOperating agreements define how you’ll work with one another. They translate the values behind your Operating Principles into your day to day actions. Operating Agreements are the code of behavior that a team has agreed to follow. Ceres’ staff created our Operating Agreements over several two hour staff meetings with a small team working on them between the two meetings. We also have a set of agree-ments specifically for meetings. Every two years we review the Operating Agreements as a whole team and determine if changes are needed. Our Operating Agreements our in our Employee Manual and all new staff review and agree to them as part of their hiring process.

Taking the time to create Operating Agreements and Meet-ing Agreements can be a powerful tool for getting to know what matters to each person on a team, and for discovering shared values. Having Operating Agreements and Meeting Agreements clarifies behaviors and expectations within your organization, and is a valuable tool when orienting new team members to your culture.


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Ceres Staff Operating Agreements

Communication• We listen with presence and are open, receptive and curious about others’ ideas, feelings and feedback

• We speak our truth, make requests and give feedback in a clear, concise, warm, respectful and timely manner

• We are appropriate with sensitive/confidential conver-sations, and mindful of speaking in shared work spaces


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Decision-making• We are thoughtful and collaborative when making decisions; we

explore options and discuss the impact of our decision includ-ing at least 3 people with different perspectives/from different departments

• When a decision is made, we ensure there is clarity and that everyone is informed

• We monitor, evaluate and report on the impact of our decisions

Handling differences/disagreements• We take responsibility, reach out to resolve issues in a timely

manner, and apologize if appropriate

• We speak directly with each other about concerns, not about each other

• We use “I” statements not “you” statements

Ceres Staff Operating Agreements

Interactions• We assume positive intent, trusting that we each come

from a place of deep integrity

• We greet each other and say hello and goodbye; we make eye contact; we interact in a warm, caring, friendly way

• We make time to get to know each other as people not just in our roles

• We share gratitude and express appreciation frequently; we acknowledge what’s working

• We do what we say we will do and provide timely updates if we are not able to fulfill our commitments

• We are ready to start and end meetings at the agreed upon time

• We respond to voice and emails in a timely manner; within 24 hours if possible

• We offer help and we ask for help when needed


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Operating Agreements for Productive Conversations & Meetings1. Engage in honest and forthright conversations:

• Make sure everyone’s voice is heard – this is the whole group’s responsibility

• Express your ideas & perspectives including different opinions

• Raise concerns and doubts

• Let people finish speaking before you speak

2. Listen and ask questions to make sure you understand what each other is saying; don’t jump to conclusions, make assumptions or let things fester.

3. Be succinct in your comments, minimize long monologues or story telling unless it is crucial to understanding something; “bottom line.”

4. Be mindful about the amount you talk vs. listen. If you tend to have a lot to say, can you challenge yourself to listen more and let others talk first? If you tend to sit back and let others speak, can you challenge yourself to speak up and share your thoughts, opinions and concerns?

5. Be receptive to the suggestions of others – you may not agree but consider the potential merits of their com-ments before saying NO or disagreeing.

6. Be curious. Consider that everyone is holding a piece of the truth and their perspective is important to hear and understand. Minimize taking things personally or being defensive.

7. Be solution focused—clearly articulate the issue and work to resolve it collaboratively.


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Key Practices to Start With

In your first year or two you’ll have a lot on your plate. You can’t do everything and you shouldn’t even try! These are the four practices that we feel are most important to focus on as you begin to build your team and organization.

1. Regular Staff and Team MeetingsBeing together as a team is invaluable. Whether or not you have staff to begin with, you do have a core team – the people who are working on a weekly basis to have your program be successful. Your core team might meet weekly with a larger meeting includ-ing other key volunteers once a month. Your staff meetings might include: appreciations of staff and key volunteers, sharing a few stories about the difference your work is making, reports from each area so that all of you stay abreast of work being done, and then specific items that need to be discussed and agreed on.

2. Opening and Closing Meetings with Intention

At Ceres we have a practice of opening and closing our meetings in a way that helps us be present and reminds us of the work that we’re doing together. This is a simple way of reinforcing our culture. We might do a short meditation, read a note from a client, volun-teer or donor, share a story about a young person, orsimply be in silence together – depending on the focus and intent of the meeting.


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3. Hiring and Onboarding New StaffIt’s critical for your culture that you hire staff – and find key volun-teers – that have the capacity to not only uphold but to model your Operating Principles and Operating Agreements. Your staff and key volunteers are the people who will be representing your organization to teens, clients, adult volunteers, donors and others.

Ceres’ job descriptions all list the following under Qualifications:

• Has a good awareness of self and ability to communicate warmly and clearly

• Ability and desire to be in a work environment that values working as a team, relationships and giving and receiving honest feedback

We also list our Operating Principles in our job descriptions. In our interviews we talk explicitly about our culture and ask questions to try and determine how comfortable a person is with our culture.

Once we’ve hired a new staff member we take time to review our culture with them – including our Operating Agreements, and the practices we use to support our culture.

4. Celebration & AppreciationsSome years ago a friend attended a retreat and shared that the retreat presenter had challenged people to spend 25% of their time celebrating their and others accomplishments. This idea is so consistent with Ceres’ culture and Operating Principles that we made it one of our Strategic Pri-orities the following year. Many of the practices that are now part of our culture stem from that period. Here are a few examples of ways that we build celebration and appreciation into our culture:

• Annual Volunteer Appreciation Party to celebrate and thank our volunteers

• Annual practice of reflecting on and celebrating our accomplishments as we close out the year; special December staff meeting where our Leadership Team prepares brunch for our staff

• Thank you cards to volunteers on the anniversary of their start date

• Thank you cards sent Thanksgiving Week to all volunteers, in-kind donors and Leadership Level donors (donors giving $1,000 or more annually)

• Starting staff meetings with either appreciations for someone whose birthday is that month, or with general appreciations for staff mem-bers, volunteers, teens or donors that have done something that inspires us

• After events we send an email to all the volunteers who helped thank-ing them for their contributions and letting them know what they helped accomplish (money raised, or whatever is appropriate given the event); for major events like our annual fund-raiser, we send a hand-signed card to all the volunteers


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Additional Practices We’ve AdoptedFollowing are some other approaches, practices and tools that we’ve found useful as Ceres has grown and developed.

1. Getting Clear Before Moving ForwardCeres is a learning culture and we’re committed to being thoughtful and intentional in our efforts. Everything starts with the question “what are we trying to accomplish?” Whether we’re planning an event, a training, a major meeting or a mailing, we start by defining our goals or outcomes. Outcomes describe how you’ll know you’ve been successful – and they determine what strategies or actions actually make sense.

See Getting Clear Before Moving Forward in the Appendix to this Chap-ter to see a series of questions that you can use to define outcomes for a project.

2. Reflection, Debriefing & EvaluationAs a learning culture we also regularly take time to reflect and debrief. We schedule debriefing meetings after events, major mailings, staff trainings, etc.

A debrief involves gathering the key people who were involved in planning and carrying out an activity. Starting with reviewing your out-comes, the group talks about how it went and what was accomplished or not. The conversation includes a review of how the process went for those involved and for guests if there were any. What we learned and the notes from this debrief are used when we begin planning for the next similar activity.

We also build reflection into our annual planning cycle. Our Decem-ber staff meeting focuses on talking about what we’ve accomplished that year. In January we take time to capture what we accomplished and didn’t against our goals for the previous year, and compile a wide

range of data about who we served (teen and client profiles), our adult and teen volunteer contributions, our in-kind support, and how well we did against our income projections for each income stream. Doing this work takes time but provides valuable information that allows you to make more informed decisions as you move forward. [See After Ac-tion Review Process in the Appendix for sample questions you can adapt to guide these Conversations.

We send a survey to Adult Volunteers at the end of each year to assess how well we are meeting their needs as well as the impact that volunteering is having on their lives and eating habits. [See Chapter 9 for a copy of that survey.] Finally, we survey our staff once a year to evaluate how well our culture and organization is supporting them. A copy of that Employee Engagement Survey is included in the Appendix.

3. Creating a Team AllianceWhen we’re setting up a new team – especially one that will be ongo-ing or will be together for a significant length of time or purpose – we take the time to create a Team Alliance. This process insures that ev-eryone on the team has a shared understanding of the purpose of the team, the work the team will be doing, and the expectations for team members’ contributions and way of working together. This process supports key aspects of our culture: 1) the concept of “Getting Clear before Moving Forward”, and 2) the idea in Operating Agreements that all voices need to be heard in determining the work and focus of the group. If the team is ongoing, for example our Executive Team, we revisit our Team Alliance on an annual basis and update or revise it as needed. [See Creating a Team Alliance in the appendix to this Chapter.]


4. Annual Strategic Planning Process & Monthly Goal SettingSetting annual and monthly goals supports us in regularly stepping back from the day to day work to ask two questions: 1) Where are we? and 2) Given where we are, what is the most important work for us to focus on.

In most organizations—and often in life—there is more to do than we have time for. Often the “urgent” – the email or things that arise at the last minute – take precedence over the important—the key work that will help our organization accomplish the vital work that we’re doing. Stepping back annually and monthly gives us a chance to re-center ourselves in and recommit to the most important work in front of us.

Each fall we step back and review what we’ve accomplished, what’s needed to deepen the impact of our work and improve our effectiveness, and the opportunities in front of us for growing our impact and influence. From these conversations we create six to eight Strategic Priorities for the year ahead. These are the “important” areas for organizational focus that we believe are critical to moving our mission forward.

From these Strategic Priorities each functional area creates key goals and operational plans that guide our work in the coming year. And each staff member creates annual goals that reflect their part in accomplishing the Strategic Priorities. Our Executive Team reviews the progress against our goals and priorities on a quarterly basis and prepares mid-year and end of year reports to our board.

We also have a practice of Monthly Check-in Meetings where each staff member meets with the person that they report to. They review the pre-vious month’s accomplishments and agree on goals and priorities for the current month. This is also a chance to appreciate what the staff member has been doing and talk about any support they need.

First StepsThe information and practices we’ve shared in this chapter are more than you need or would want to do as a start-up orga-nization. So what makes sense? Here are a few suggestions for getting started:

1. Create a Vision Statement, Mission Statement, Operating Principles and Operating Agreements with your core team. Find ways to keep them present to remind one another of both what you are doing and also how you are committed to doing it.

2. Bring people into your core team who model your culture and who have the capacity to share your culture with others.

3. Create a Team Alliance with your core team. Set up regular meetings for your core team. Open and close your meetings in a way that grounds everyone in what you are doing and why you are doing it.

4. Celebrate often; appreciate people continually.

5. Build the practice of setting goals, defining outcomes, and reflecting on and learning from your experiences.

6. Build in time to reflect, debrief and evaluate.

4 Starting Your Project:Key Elements


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The Basics: Healing Meals for Healthy Communities

Our core program, Healing Meals for Healthy Communities, is the foundation for all of our work:

• Teens volunteer in the garden and the kitchen. Working under the guidance of adult mentor chefs, they prepare beautiful, delicious and nourishing meals for people dealing with serious health challenges.

• The meals are delivered by volunteer Delivery Angels free of charge or on a sliding scale to clients in the community.

• Food is donated and purchased from local farms, farmers markets, grocery stores and producers.

• Our Teen Education Program covers whole foods nutrition, issues of hunger and food insecurity in our community, the importance of local and organic agriculture, and the larger impact of our food choices. Clients visit the teens regularly to share their stories and the difference the teens and the food have made for them.

• Nutrition Education classes support clients and the broader community in improving their eating habits and understanding the power of their food choices.


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NOTE: Our Healing Meals Program includes one acre and one-third acre food production gardens managed by teen volunteers working under our Garden Program Manager and Garden Coordinator and adult mentor gardeners. Most programs will not begin with their own garden, but if this is an option for you, we are happy to talk with you about how we integrate this aspect of the program and keep the teen experience consistent.

Ceres garden in Sebastopol, CA


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Key JobsExecutive Director Insures the smooth running of the program; trains, supervises and coordinates team members; tracks results; raises funds; communicates with and grows the community of support.

Chef & Teen Coordinator Plans the menus; trains volunteer adult mentor chefs; oversees food production; insures that teens are learning and being given increasing levels of responsibil-ity as appropriate; identifies potential teen leaders; develops and delivers teen education program.

Kitchen ManagerMay be the same person as the Chef in the beginning – maintains inventory of food; creates shopping lists and shops; prepares Delivery Letters for client food bags and labels for each food container going to the clients; scales the recipes and creates cooking plan for the week; manages clients’ dietary restrictions; maintains relationships with all food donors and vendors.

Client ManagerResponds to calls from potential clients; screens clients for fit with program; completes client intake forms; manages priority list of clients coming on the program; sets start and end dates with clients; answers client questions; com-pletes clients at the end of the program.

Volunteer Coordinator Recruits, trains, supervises and schedules volunteers; plans weekly deliveries and communicates schedule to angels; leads efforts around volunteer appreciation.

Executive Director

Chef & Teen Coordinator

Kitchen Manager

Client Manager

Volunteer Coordinator

Volunteer Adult Mentor Chefs

Kitchen Volunteers

Food Procurement Volunteers

Volunteer Delivery Angels

Volunteer Teen Chefs

Cooking DaysMONDAY – THURSDAY

Monday morning Kitchen Manager shops for any food not donated or already in stock.

Cooking shifts happen at the kitchen with Chef, teens and adult mentor chefs.

In the beginning this was just one day each week. Kitchen Manager is there for one hour before the teens arrive to help the Chef and adult mentors set up for the day.

Every program will have a different schedule and flow during the week, depending upon your resources, management style, and preferences. This is just one example based on the structure Ceres Community Project has evolved in Sonoma County.

The Weekly Rhythm

Pre-Cooking DaysWEDNESDAY

Client Manager gets all information about new and completing clients to Kitchen Manager, Chef and Volunteer Coordinator.

Kitchen Manager inventories food on hand includ-ing food donations and gets this info to the Chef.

Volunteer Coordinator sends following week schedule to teens and adult mentor chefs.

THURSDAY

Chef plans the weekly menu and prepares spreadsheet showing numbers of servings for each client and any dietary restrictions, then sends all the information to the Kitchen Manager.

FRIDAY

Kitchen Manager prepares shopping list, cooking plan, Delivery Letters and labels. Cooking plan outlining each day’s tasks is sent to the Chef and adult mentor chefs working the next week.

Volunteer Coordinator creates delivery plan and sends each Delivery Angel the information about who they are delivering to, directions, etc.

Sample Weekly Schedule

M O N D AY

10 – 2 Adult volunteers prep for the day to get the teens set up 3 – 6 pm Teens prepare meals for first weekly delivery on Wednesday

T U E S D AY

10 – 2 Adult volunteers prep for the day to get the teens set up 3 – 6 pm Teens prepare meals for first weekly delivery on Wednesday

W E D N E S D AY

10 – 2 Adult volunteers prep for the day to get the teens set up 3 – 6 pm Teens prepare meals for second weekly delivery on Friday 9 am Delivery Angels pick up bags for Wednesday delivery

T H U R S D AY

10 – 2 Adult volunteers prep for the day to get the teens set up 3 – 6 pm Teens prepare meals for second weekly delivery on Friday

F R I D AY

9 am Delivery Angels pick up bags for Friday delivery

Getting Started in Your Community

Every project using the Ceres model will evolve based on the people involved and the community you are serving. As you pull together a core team and begin sharing your vision with others, your project will take shape. However, there are four core pieces that are essential to the effectiveness of our model:

1. Engaging teens as central players and giving them primary ownership for the results in the kitchen (and the garden if you are including one).

2. Providing the meals for people dealing with health chal-lenges.

3. Using only whole, sustainably grown and preferably local ingredients with no white flour or sugar, processed foods or preservatives – making every bite count for the person and the planet.

4. Engaging the broader community as volunteers, in-kind donors and financial donors. The more people involved, the more learning and positive change ripples out.

Our most important advice is to start small and start simply with your core team of four or five people. Moving from just talking about the idea to actually doing it – even with just a few teens cooking for four or five families – shifts everything. Once people can see the project in action a different level of support begins to flow.

Teen leader chef preparing meals in Ceres kitchen


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Before Launching Your Program

Put Together Your Team

Starting with a team gives you a stronger foundation. You have more hands to share the work, more heads to offer creative ideas, and more hearts to help remember why you are doing this in the first place! Bringing something into existence has plenty of rewards but lots of challenges as well. Having a team means that when one of you runs out of steam someone else will be there to pick up the ball and keep moving forward.

At a minimum, find one other person who is as passionate as you are about this idea and willing to dive in and share the work with you. Ideally, put together a team of three to five people who are passionate about this idea and who as a group have all the skills outlined in Chapter Two. An initial team might look like this:

• Executive Director: Someone with strong administrative, leadership and communication skills who can: lead and coordinate the team; outreach to the community and build support; raise funds; track results; communicate what you are doing.

• Chef/Kitchen Coordinator: Someone with whole foods cooking experience who can: plan the menus; create shopping lists and cooking plans and shop; oversee food production in the kitchen; recruit and train other adult mentors; successfully teach and mentor the teen chefs.

• Client Coordinator: Someone with a background in counseling, social work and/or hospice training, potentially a cancer survivor who can: identify potential clients for the program; handle client intakes and home visits; act as the client contact; track client information; and eventually recruit, train and supervise client liaison volunteers.

• Volunteer Coordinator: Someone with good organiza-tional skills and attention to detail who is warm and outgo-ing: recruit and schedule volunteers and support volunteer engagement and appreciation.

Before you can start cooking and delivering meals, even with a small, simple project, you’ll want to do the following:

• Put together your team

• Find a kitchen • Connect with teens and an ongoing source of teen volunteers

• Identify a referral source for clients

• Find a nonprofit partner or file your own 501(c)(3) application

• Get your core funding in place

Then you can launch your program, learning and refining as you watch your project grow, touching and transforming your clients, teens, donors, volunteers and in-kind supporters.

Find a KitchenYou’ll need a place to prepare meals that is available at the same time every week, is large enough for eight to ten people to work, is recog-nized by your local Health Department as safe for commercial food production, and is not too expensive. Ideally it is already stocked with most of the cooking equipment you will need.

Most communities have plenty of commercial kitchens that are avail-able for rent at least some portion of every week. Here are some ideas for where to look:

• Call your local Health Department and talk to the person who oversees licensing for commercial kitchens. They may have a list or good suggestions.

• Churches and synagogues

• Community Centers

• Your local Meals on Wheels or Head Start programs generally have kitchens that are only used until 1 or 2 pm each day

• Veterans Buildings, Masonic Halls, Oddfellows Halls

Most commercial kitchens are rented by the hour. When you find a kitchen that you like, talk with the owner/manager about your vision for this project and how it can help your community. See if they will give you free or low cost rent if you make a regular commitment for six months or a year.

• Our first kitchen was at a church and we paid $25 a week for about five hours of kitchen time. The next year, they donated the kitchen two afternoons a week in exchange for our volunteers doing a thorough cleaning once a month.


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Here are a few questions to help you think about how you want to design the teen part of your program:

1. What is happening with teens in your community? Are there particular needs for youth mentoring?

2. Do you want your project to target a particular group of teens such as teens in foster care or low-income teens, both of whom can benefit from job readiness skills, or is your project aiming to involve a broad spectrum of teens from many different backgrounds?

We began primarily with teens from one school where we knew teens and where the teens were required to com-plete community service hours. Now the teens at Ceres have come from more than 35 schools. Our teen volunteers come from all walks of life and represent what are tradition-ally seen as “at risk” youth as well as others who are con-sidered high achievers. We believe this mix gives all teens an opportunity to get to know teens who they would other-wise not meet.

Connect with TeensWhere will the teens come from and how do you find them? There are as many answers to this as there are communities, but here are a few ideas to get you started. Remember to start simply.

• Perhaps you or one of your team members has a son or daugh-ter in high school. If so, you can start by engaging a small group from this school.

• If not, is there a school or two close to your kitchen? Reach out to the school’s principal or assistant principal and let them know what you are planning. Is there an easy way to promote the pro-gram to students? If one of these schools has a culinary program, reach out to that teacher.

• Perhaps you or someone on your team is involved in a religious community. Would teens in the youth program be interested in helping?

• Is there a local youth program like Boys & Girls Club, Girl Scouts or 4-H? Talk with the leaders and see if they are interested in partnering with you.


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Finding ClientsWhen Ceres Community Project first began, we didn’t know how many meals we could prepare in three hours with a group of teens. And we didn’t want to have to turn people away who needed meals. As a result we started small – cooking for just four clients – and we promoted the project only through word of mouth for the first nine months.

Just like working with teens, you have some decisions to make about the type of clients you want to work with. At Ceres we define our clients as people who are in treatment for an acute or chronic illness that limits their ability to shop and cook for themselves. We don’t work only with people who have cancer. Other proj-ects have focused exclusively on people dealing with cancer. While we know that cancer clients are a perfect fit for what we do – because can-cer treatment goes on for a long time and is so debilitating to people’s appetite – we also know that the Ceres model has much to offer for peo-ple facing other illnesses including heart disease, diabetes, neurological illnesses like Parkinson’s, MS and ALS, and more.

Our intake process asks people about their diagnosis, potential treatment, support system and financial ability to afford other options such as a personal chef or even healthy meals from

a place like Whole Foods Market’s deli counter and hot bar.

The goal is to help the people who most need it – because they live alone without much of a sup-port system, are a single mom with one or more children, both people in the couple are dealing with an illness, or they are living on very low income. We work closely with our local com-munity health centers to make sure that people who have the fewest options know about Ceres’ services.

Once you are clear about who you want to serve, how do you find clients? We recommend that you start with one referral source – it could be a hospital oncology department, a communi-ty clinic, a church, a cancer support program, or a food bank. Make sure that the partner organi-zation you are working with is clear about how many people you can help, what you are offer-ing, who you are targeting and how to go about referring people to your program.

You might put together a simple brochure or handout that covers the basic points. We’ve found that it works best if the client contacts you about receiving service, rather than the referral agency asking you to call the client.

The goal is to help the people who most need it.


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Become a 501c3 or Find a Nonprofit Partner

There are two ways to start your project: become your own IRS approved 501(c)(3) non-profit organization or find a fiscal spon-sor. Filing for non-profit status costs about $3,000 and generally takes around 6 months to get approval. The good news is that you don’t need to be your own nonprofit in order to launch your project and accept tax deduct-ible donations.

You can find an aligned nonprofit in your community that is willing to provide “fiscal sponsorship” for your project. In our com-munity, there are several organizations that offer fiscal sponsorship to smaller projects or start-ups that are not yet ready to file for nonprofit status. It is very likely that there are organizations in your community that offer this service. If not, any organization that has nonprofit tax status can provide fiscal spon-sorship for your project, regardless of wheth-er your project has anything to do with their mission.

The sponsoring organization agrees to accept donations on your behalf, maintain a set of books for your organization, pay your bills (and/or reimburse you for expenses), send donation acknowledgement letters to your donors, and include you in their annual tax filings to the IRS. In exchange, most organiza-tions will ask you to pay from 7 to 12 percent of your donations as an administrative fee to cover their staff time and other expenses.

Even if you are working with a fiscal sponsor, it is vitally important to keep your own records so that you know how much money you are bring-ing in and what and where you are spending it. You’ll also want to capture the names and com-plete contact information for everyone that is helping or interested in your project. This is the foundation for your donor and volunteer base, and you’ll want to keep these people informed about the growth and needs of your project. We also recommend that you send personal thank you notes or call the people who support you financially.

To learn more about filing for your own 501(c)(3) status we recommend looking at Nolo Press’s helpful books on this topic, www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/nonprofits

There are people all over the country who spe-cialize in 501(c)(3) filings. Because of the com-plexity of doing this, we chose to hire someone to help us with this process. We used Josh Wagner at PlanRight in Santa Cruz, California,www.non-profit-world.com

Get Your Core Funding in PlaceEvery start-up project will have different funding needs depending on the cost of your kitchen, if all the key players are volunteers, how much food you can get donated, and so on.

Our first year budget was $13,500. That cov-ered cooking once a week for nine months and preparing and delivering 4,500 meals. We were an all volunteer project and had almost no do-nated food that first year. Our kitchen rent was $25 per week. Again, a specific budget will de-pend on the unique aspects of your situation.

YEAR ONE:The Basic CostsAssuming everyone will be a volunteer: Kitchen rental

Liability insurance

(often offered as “event insurance” available for

less than $500 per year)

Food

Meal delivery containers

Cooking equipment (not available in your rented

kitchen)

Kitchen supplies (cleaning supplies, parchment pa-

per, foil, sponges, first aid kit, aprons, towels, etc.)

Office supplies (paper, ink, envelopes, stamps,

photocopying, computer programs for recipes, etc.)


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Our start up funding came from these three sources local to our community: $1,000 from Bread for the Journey, a local group that supports start-up projects; $5,000 from a local grocer in the form of an in-store line of credit; and $7,500 from To Celebrate Life Breast Cancer Foundation in the form of a grant to provide meals to breast cancer patients. We received discounts and donations of services from a fish wholesaler, a copy shop, a kitchenware store, and the church where we rented the kitchen. We probably could have gotten more in-kind help if we had asked!

Where to look for start-up funding?• Rotary, Kiwanis and other service organizations are great

sources of small grants for local projects, especially involving teens and supporting the immediate community.

• Are there foundations in your community that support local efforts, possibly one that is health oriented? Often hospital districts will have foundations associated with them.

• Who do you know? The easiest way to get funding is to ask individuals. A “prospect” for funding is someone 1) that you know personally, 2) who has the capacity to give, and 3) has

demonstrated that they like to support good works. With your team, make a list of people that you think would be likely to help you. Meet with each of them, sharing your vision and your start-up budget, and then ask them to support it at a specific amount.

• Ask local grocery stores to give you an in-store credit line that will enable you to purchase anything you need. This might be anywhere from $500 to $5,000.

• Ask local grocery stores to donate their organic produce “cull” to your program – this is the produce that doesn’t look great and is often composted or thrown away. Grocery stores often will also have packaged and other forms of food that they need to throw out for various reasons. Farmers markets are also a great source of produce donations. Often farmers are happy to donate anything left at the end of market day.

• Other “in-kind” support – always ask everyone you are inter-acting with to either donate or discount their services. Local cooking supply stores may donate cookware. Your local copy shop might donate photocopying. Let everyone feel like they are part of the effort by giving them a chance to support it.

Lessons LearnedOver the years, we’ve made many mistakes, and learned a great deal about why the Ceres Com-munity Project model works, how to avoid potential problems, and what factors are critical to our success.

Here’s a short list of some of our most important lessons.

1. Define the length of service you will offer to your clients

Your project is going to be small for a while and perhaps forever. In Sonoma County, there are 3,000 new cancer diagnoses a year, and of course many other illnesses as well. Even today, we are able to help just 1,500 clients and their families each year. If you don’t define an end point for service, you will limit the number of people you can help and create the potential for difficult conversations when clients who are doing relatively well become attached to the service and don’t want to give it up.

We’ve decided that 24 weeks is our limit for service. We believe this is long enough to make a significant difference for a client and help them learn about healthy eating, but short enough for us to be able to help many different clients. Our average length of service is about three months.

2. Require teens to make a commitment & hold them to it

Part of the youth development aspect of the Ceres Community Project model is expecting teens to be accountable – and holding them to their commitment.

Just like with our clients, we want to engage teens for long enough that they get something im-portant out of their participation.

We ask our teens to make at least a three-month commitment. We schedule them for shifts every week. And we expect them to show up on time and stay until their shift is done. If a teen does not show up for their shift, and doesn’t call ahead of time to let us know why they are cancelling, we call them to talk about it. We let them know that they were missed, and that their absence had a negative impact on their peers and the program. We also tell them that if they miss their shift several times without calling to communicate, we will give their spot in the program to someone else.


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3. Track, track, track

The more information you have about what you are doing the easier it will be to generate funding, especially from foundations. We use our Client Intake, Teen Volunteer Application, Adult Volunteer Application and other forms to gather information about our participants.

Here are things we recommend you track from day one:

• Create an intake form for clients. Get complete contact information, including email and mail addresses, and phone num-bers. Gather information about diagnosis, living situation, race/ethnicity, income level, insurance coverage (un- or under- insured), and referral source.

• Have all teens complete an application. Gather complete contact information including the teen and parent email address-es and phone numbers along with home mailing address. Ask for the teen’s date of birth, name of school they attend and their race/ethnicity.

• Have all volunteers complete an applica-tion with complete contact information, skills and areas of interest, age and race/ethnicity.

• How many teens work each week and how many hours do they work?

• How many clients do you cook for each

week and how many meals do you deliver to each client?

• How many volunteers work each week, what jobs are they doing, and how many hours do they work?

• Whenever you are interacting with anyone – donor, in-kind donor, or potential donor – collect their contact information as com-pletely as you can, as well as information about their relationship with the project.

• Set up a recipe data base to collect all of the recipes you use and to scale your recipes for larger quantities. We use a very low cost, easy to use program called Living Cookbook (www.livingcookbook.com).

We use a custom built Salesforce data base system. It manages our complete list of rela-tionships, tracks donations and produces dona-tion acknowledgement letters, tracks volunteer scheduled and hours, manages all information on clients, schedules meals, produces letters and labels for client meals, and enables us to coordinate delivery routes. We make this sys-tem available to our Affiliates for $10,000. You will also need to hire a consultant to help you customize the system for your use.

4. Be particular about the adults who work with teens

The kitchen at Ceres is a teen-centered space. The adult mentors who work with the teens are there to insure that the teens are set up to be successful, to keep every-one safe and productive, to make sure we manage to the time available, and to oversee the quality of the food – from prep through cooking and packaging.

Our goal is to empower our teen chefs to become more competent and self- managing, to promote as much peer-to-peer teaching as possible, and to have the teens experience their ownership for the results each day. In other words, in our kitchen the teens are not helpers for the adult chefs. If anything, it’s the other way around. We recommend that you always have two adults present. Currently we have three adults on each shift with 8 – 14 teens in the kitchen at a time. Too many adults can cramp the space for teens, making it feel like they are helpers.

Finding adults who see young people as “intelligent, responsible, capable, creative and caring” – and who don’t resort in times of stress to power dynamics – is harder than you might think. Finding adults who see teens this way, have professional level cooking experience, and are effective teachers can really be a challenge. But finding the right people is critical for these reasons:

• Teens are longing to make a real difference in their community in an environment where they are seen as capable. If you create this your pro-gram will never be short of teens.


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• This environment of respect and empowerment is essential to creating a program where teens not only learn to cook, but also grow in their self-esteem, leadership and their understanding of their capacity to make a difference in their own lives and for their community.

• The atmosphere in the kitchen infuses the food you prepare. Your goal is to create an atmosphere of love, commitment, passion, caring and joy. This is only pos-sible when the people working treat each other with respect regardless of their age or level of experience.

We start by interviewing adult mentor chefs to get a “feel” for who they are, their cooking experience, their experience if any working with teens, and what is moti-vating them to want to get involved. If they seem like a good fit, we invite them to spend a couple of hours in the kitchen as an extra adult. We pay particular attention to how they interact with the teens, and how the teens react to them.

Often we’ll talk with a few of our Teen Leaders afterward to get their input. The next step is to have the potential mentor chef work a complete shift. If we’re still happy, we begin to incorporate them into the schedule. We al-ways make it clear to potential mentors that this job isn’t for everyone and that we need to make sure it’s a good fit on both sides before we add them to our team.

Look for someone who is comfortable and confident in who they are, doesn’t need to be the center of attention, and has a good sense of humor. Natural leaders always give credit to others for the successes, and take responsi-bility when something doesn’t go right.

5 Client Program Overview


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ProgramOperationsClient Program Overview

Healing Meals for Healthy Communities provides nourishing whole foods meals, nutrition education and a community of support to people who are dealing with a serious health challenge. Clients we work with are in the midst of one of the most difficult times in their life. It is from this place that they reach out hoping that we can make a difference for them, their families and caregivers.

When you first launch your program, we encourage you to work with just one or at the most two referral sources for clients. This way you will have some control over the number of clients who are calling and asking for support. Your program will be small in the beginning. By working with just one or two referral sources you can say to them, “Right now we can help four families a week. Please let us know what four patients you are working with that most need this support.” The last thing you want to have to say is “I’m sorry we can’t help you” to a potential client who has finally gotten the courage to pick up the phone and call.

Our most important goal is that our clients feel cared for and that we help them stay as nourished as possible during their illness/treatment. Our second goal is

to give them a direct experience that a whole foods diet can taste great and help them feel better.

Our hope is that this will lead to:

• Making healthier choices going forward in their lives

• Better treatment outcomes, fewer side effects, and a quicker recovery time

• Feeling more connected to and cared for by the community, which is signifi-cantly related to health outcomes

• Understanding the link between what they eat and their health

We have designed every aspect of our Client Program to support these out-comes. Here’s an overview of what we will cover in this section:

• Who we serve

• Referral sources for clients

• Intake process

• Weekly delivery

• Completion

• Client Care Manager job description and role

Supporting Documents Client Documents:Client Intake FormMedical Referral FormInformed Consent FormWelcome LettersNutrition Bite and Re-heating InstructionsCompletion Letter and ResourcesQuality of Food Questionnaire Client Brochure (English & Spanish)


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I am so grateful for Ceres’ meals. I feel much healthier. It seems like as we get older we are forgotten by much of

society. Ceres takes good care of me and helps me to feel connected to others. I love know that teenagers are helping me.”

CERES CLIENT, MARY LOU

“

Who We ServeThe Healing Meals Program is designed to serve people who are dealing with a serious health challenge either chronic or acute. The top diag-noses include diabetes, cancer and heart disease. It is important that your team is clear about who you are targeting, what your priorities are, and who is not a good fit for your program. This clarity will help you communicate with your re-ferral source(s) and, over time, with the general community.

Here is our current definition of the clients we serve in our program:

Someone who is in a health crisis due to an acute illness or chronic condition where nutri-ent-rich whole foods can assist healing boost the immune system to give a client the best chance of dealing successfully with his or her illness. This does not mean that the person has a terminal diagnosis, although that may be the case.*

*Note: Because a primary goal is to help people make healthier changes in their diets, we do not prioritize those in the last stages of life. While we sometimes serve these clients, it is important to ascertain the likelihood that such a client will be staying at home and able to continue eating before accepting them as a client. Often we will “start” a client at this phase only to have him or her stop eating or enter a care facility.

During the client intake process, we also assess the following:

1. What level of support, financial and human, does this person have to help prepare and/or pur-chase meals? Currently 75% of our clients have household incomes below $45,000 and 54% have household incomes below $25,000. About 40% of our clients are living alone.

2. Is the person open to eating a whole foods nutrient-rich diet?

We at times have people on our waiting list. As a result, we often have to make difficult choices about whom to accept in the program. In addition to the above criteria, we also consider the follow-ing:

1. Does the applicant qualify for any other meal service? In our county those other options in-clude Meals on Wheels for seniors and Food for Thought for people with AIDS/HIV. While the quality of these meals is not as good as what we offer, it still means that these potential clients have another source of a prepared meal each day.

2. Have they been given a terminal diagnosis? While we do sometimes accept patients who are at or very near the end of life, we generally give priority to clients who are more likely to recover.


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The Client Care Process… From 1st Call to Completion

Here is an overview of the Client Process:

• Client contacts Ceres by phone or email and leaves a message

• Client Care Coordinator returns the contact within 48 hours (Monday – Friday) and conducts an intake conversation using the Intake Form. If the client is accepted, they will be added to the program within one week. Client receives a “Welcome Letter” in the mail and a “Welcome Packet” in their first delivery.

• Client Care Coordinator calls client two weeks be-fore completion date and initiates completion pro-cess.

• Client receives Completion letter in bag with final delivery.

• Client Care Coordinator contacts the client and con-ducts a completion survey.

• From this point on, the client remains on our mailing list. We promote our classes and other educational programs to our past clients. We also send them our e-Newsletter, mailed newsletters, and a special holi-day fundraising appeal each year. We hope that past clients will remain an active part of the Ceres Com-munity Project family, attending classes, volunteering, and donating.

Client Intake Process

The process begins with a potential client calling or emailing to let us know that he or she is interested in receiving meals. (When you begin your program, the process may begin with a health care referral partner giving you the contact information for a potential client.) We generally require that we speak direct-ly with the potential client. In the past we have set up meal ser-vice based on a conversation with a spouse, child or friend, only to find out that the client has no intention of eating this kind of food or for some other reason rejects the service.

The Intake Conversation is based on the Intake Form. Key out-comes of the intake conversation include:

• Determining whether the client is a fit for the program (i.e. diagnosis, support system, financial means, willingness to eat this food, stage of illness, availability of other meal program, assessment of food insecurity, etc.).

• If client is a fit, setting both a start and end date for service.

• Determining number of people to be served in the house-hold and any dietary restrictions. It is always our preference to provide meals to the entire family. This provides the most relief and also insures that the whole family learns about a healthy way of eating.

• Reviewing how the program works and giving client an over-view of our intentions for his/her experience.

• Letting client know that donations from friends and family are welcomed (if appropriate).

Note about Dietary RestrictionsYou will need to determine what dietary restrictions you are comfortable working with in your program. This is something your chef will need to help you decide. We currently work with the following dietary restrictions:

Allergens: Gluten, nuts, seeds, dairy, soy, eggs

Preferences: Beef, poultry, fish, vegetarian, legumes, grains

For clients with severe dietary restrictions, those who need a very bland diet, or those with garlic/onion aller-gies, we offer the Plain & Simple option. This includes plain baked poultry, plain baked fish, steamed rice, steamed vegetables and usually soup.

Nutrition EducationNutrition education takes a back seat to simply nourishing and caring for our clients but it is still an important part of what we do. We begin our conversation about the importance of healthy eating during the Intake Conversa-tion when we talk with clients about the kind of food we provide and why this type of food is important for them. This conversation is reinforced during the home visit.

In addition, we include a short “Nutrition Bite” with each week’s Delivery Letter to help reinforce client’s interest in and understanding of the food we are providing. It includes a recipe for one of the dishes he or she is receiv-ing that week. A sample Delivery Letter and Nutrition Bite are included at the end of this section.

Though Ceres does not serve wheat in any meals, sometimes a sample is grown in the garden.

We also let clients know about the specific educational programs we offer such as Heal-ing Foods Basics, and any other scheduled classes. Though we provide this information, we have generally found that clients have limited capacity to attend these programs while in the midst of treatment. We talk with clients more directly about these programs when they are completing their time on the meal program.

Client Care Program Management

The Client Care Program is managed by our Client Care Program Manager, Client Care Coordinators and a team of intake volun-teers. When we began, we had one volunteer who served as the Client Manager, and we expanded our team to include more vol-unteers when we had about 10 clients. We encourage you to expand your team sooner than this!Our current Job Descriptions for the Client Care Manager and Client Care Coordinators are included at the end of this Client Program Overview section of the Operations Manual.

Client Program TrackingClient data is tracked using Salesforce . It is essential to maintain accurate and up-to-date records on the clients that you serve. We have found it useful to track the following information in Salesforce and ensure that it is set up accordingly to ease the process.

• Contact details for client, secondary household member/caretaker and an alternate contact

• Diagnosis

• Demographics including ethnicity, income, and age

• Weeks of service

• Referral source

• Reason for completion

• Number of servings provided

• Number of meals provided

• Delivery instructions


How to Start:Client Care Program

Clients and Referrals• Decide who you are targeting for your clients and what

the criteria is for receiving service.

• Decide what amount of food you will provide and the minimum and maximum length of service.

• Connect with not more than 1 or 2 health care providers for referrals.

Staffing• Find and train a Client Care Coordinator (unless one came

to the training). This can be a strong volunteer when you start. The Client Coordinator does intakes on the phone, inputs client information into your database, and provides ongoing support for client questions and inquiries.

Materials• Create your referral and intake forms

• Create a welcome letter for clients

• Create a completion letter that includes information about other services in the community that the client might ben-efit from, including other sources for food support

6 Youth Development Program Overview


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ProgramOperationsOverview of Youth Development Program

1. Overview: What we are committed to

2. Positive Youth Development & Authentic Youth Engagement

3. Ceres’ Youth Culture

• Diversity of the group• Essential Elements in the Youth Program

4. Teen On-boarding and Accountability

• Age• Onboarding process• Commitment• Scheduling• Accountability• Three strikes

5. Leadership Development

• Aprons• Teen Leader Criteria and Opportunity

6. Adult Mentors

• Setting up for Success• Mistakes• Resistance/Attitude/Unruly Behavior

7. Communication and Conversation

• Good topics /questions (and inappropriate ones) to engage teens

8. Teen Education Program

Youth ApplicationYouth Welcome Letter and What to Expect in the KitchenOverview of Youth Development ProgramEffective Youth MentoringTeen Curriculum OutlineTeen Leader Criteria Matrix & Cover LetterTeen Leader AgreementMentor ApplicationKitchen Mentor Job DescriptionGarden Mentor Job Description



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OverviewAt Ceres one of our four operating principles is: teens are intelligent, responsible, capable, creative, and caring, and must be central participants in creating our collective future.

In this section, we want to share what we have learned about the philosophical underpinnings of youth development as we see it at Ceres, as well as the practical applications of those principles that we have developed to insure each teen has a chance to discover his or her full self.

Youth development is at the heart of what Ceres Community Proj-ect is about. From the start, our mission included teaching teens how to cook and giving them opportunities to engage with and serve their community. As Ceres has grown, we’ve seen the myriad positive benefits to teens of participating in the program. We also realized that there was more we could do to support them.

We believe that teens are capable of making a real contribution, and our Youth Program is designed to support their full empowerment. We are committed to creating a positive, safe environment in which young people can thrive. Through hands-on experience of learning, growing and giving, we offer teens the opportunity to discover their strengths, skills and abilities. We consider that all young people are “at risk” if they don’t have opportunities to discover their gifts and feel a sense of belonging within the larger community. We are devoted to supporting them in becoming the active, compassionate and engaged citizens that our world so needs.

As teens develop their sense of worth and agency, they are empowered to make healthy choices in their lives – whether it is about food, nutrition, or how they choose to live on this planet. Through giving back to their community they realize that they have an essential role to play in their own and the community’s well-being.

Our commitment to each teen includes:

• Meet each teen with an open mind and heart.

• Give teens a true experience of ownership and transform the prevailing idea that teens have attitude, inertia, and don’t care about their world.

• Give teens the opportunity to rise to excellence and discov-er new facets of themselves.

• Create a safe, interesting and joyful experience for each teen to learn and grow.

The Youth Program intends to have each teen:

1. Know how to grow organic food and prepare a healthy whole foods meal.

2. Understand the link between what they eat, their own health, and the health of the planet.

3. Make healthy food choices.

4. Gain essential skills to be successful in school, work and life.

5. Be effective catalysts for positive change and fully contributing community members.

6. Develop the ability to work in diverse teams and feel empathy and compassion for others.


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Teens are intelligent, responsible, capable, creative, and caring, and must be central

participants in creating our collective future.CERES OPERATING PRINCIPLE


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Positive Youth Development & Authentic Youth Engagement

Ceres’ Youth Development Program is grounded in important princi-ples about how to effectively engage and empower youth. Two frame-works that we use are Hart’s Ladder of Participation and the Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets.

• Positive Youth Development – The Search Institute’s model of 40 Developmental Assets sees young people as having the capacity to become healthy, engaged and productive adults, and looks at how to support these inherent “assets”. Research on the model shows that youth have the best outcomes when the largest number of assets are supported. The Ceres’ model supports more than 30 of these essential 40 assets. (See Documents at end of section)

• Authentic Youth Engagement (AYE) – Roger Hart’s Ladder of Par-ticipation is a helpful tool to deepen your understanding of how to move towards more AYE.

Ceres’ Operating Principle about youth reflects our commitment to youth being primary in the project.

“Engaging adolescents in planning and decision-making regarding their own lives—and the larger community—reaps critical benefits through-out the process of transitioning to adulthood,” according to an Issue Brief on Authentic Youth Engagement from the Jim Casey Youth Op-portunities Initiative. Ceres is dedicated to this philosophy and contin-ually looks for ways for youth to participate, take leadership, and be involved in decision-making in the kitchen, garden, Youth Program, and throughout the organization.

Authentic Youth Engagement begins with their work in the kitchen and/or garden, and how adult mentors involve teens in planning and decision-making and empowering them to take increasing levels of ownership and leadership.

Here are some examples of what Authentic Youth Engagement looks like:

• Experienced teens train new teens on tasks such as

• Packaging meals

• Leading a group of teens on a recipe from start to finish

• Orienting a new teen on their first day

• Leading a Teen Ed circle

• Teen Leaders are primary speakers about the Program at Monthly Volunteer Orientations

• Teen Leaders plan their own retreat with partnership from adults

• Teens review and provide input on surveys they will complete to give you data on your program evaluation impacts

• Teens serve as full voting members of your Board of Directors, and are supported by an adult Board member

• Teen Leaders help to create the criteria for teen leadership

Essential Elements in the Youth Program• All involved in the program love teens and see them

as capable and competent, as well as willing, wanting and able to contribute to their world

• Teens make a specific commitment and are held accountable for it

• Prioritize getting a once-a-week commitment from each teen, or at least every other week

• Volunteer Mentor chefs are on-boarded, trained and supported to reflect the goals of the program

• Teens perform all the tasks in the kitchen, including prepping, cooking, dishwashing, packaging meals and cleaning up

• There is a goal to have as many teens as possible be in the program

At Ceres our work is Heart Centered and Love Guided

The Ceres Teen CultureWe prioritize orienting teens as well as mentors to the “cul-ture” at Ceres. This is essential to the specific goals of the program and to create the outcomes we want for each teen in the program. We describe this culture as heart-centered and love-guided, but also fun, honest, compassionate, real, respon-sible and respectful. The Ceres culture is embedded in what we do and how we do it.

Teens come to Ceres for many different reasons – the expe-rience looks good on college applications; it fulfills community service requirements; their parents want them to volunteer; their friends are volunteering, etc. We always let teens know that any motivation that brings them to the program is fine, but once they get to Ceres, they must choose to be here and be fully present with a good attitude.

We want Ceres to be a warm, welcoming and positive place for everyone. One teen with a bad attitude can bring down the whole group. We also let the teens know that the love and healing energy we put into the food is as nourishing to the client as the food itself. A kitchen filled with good energy helps the food make the most difference for the clients.

To support this, we also ask teens to leave outside concerns (and cell phones!) at the door and to participate with their full presence.

In the past 13 years we have had to ask only four out of hun-dreds of teens to take a break from Ceres because they were not able to support the culture in the kitchen and their atti-tude was affecting the shift. Most teens quickly rise to the level of fun, connection and positive energy that exists at Ceres.

A group of Teen Leaders created this list of the culture at Ceres and what is expected of a Ceres teen. We encourage you to either use this or have your teens create their own version that they can stand by. This is hanging on the wall as a large framed poster in each of our kitchens.

A Ceres Teen ....

1. Works as part of a unified team

2. Takes responsibility

3. Keeps her/his energy positive and enthusiastic

4. Honors commitments

5. Is caring and welcoming to all

6. Puts passion and love into the food/everything

7. Looks for what is needed and does it

Diversity at Ceres Our commitment is to have our teen volunteers reflect the diversity of youth in our area. Our teens have come from 46 different schools in Sonoma County alone, and many additional schools in Marin County They are typically between 14 and 19 years old, though we do have a few young adults into their early twenties – mostly youth who move on to the local junior college and want to keep volunteering.

We value including a wide range of people – different ages, ethnicities, schools, socio- economic backgrounds, disabilities, family situations, and more. Building teams of mixed groups offers an opportunity for young people to expand their capacity for empathy and compassion, and compels them to find the connection point with each person. Bringing a variety of teens together allows them to break out of their usual social circles, and expand themselves and their idea of who is in their commu-nity.

Youth at Ceres vary widely and include college-bound academic kids, students from continuation high schools, home-schooled teens, youth in the foster care system, students with learning disabilities, some who attend Junior College, some who live in a group home for developmen-tally disabled teens, and more.

We always balance the desire for diversity with a combination that staff will be able to monitor and supervise well. We are careful to ensure that there are not more higher need teens in the program than the staff can manage.

The average teen stays at Ceres for approximately 10-12 months, but many stay at Ceres for two years or more. Numerous teens that have left for college come back into the program to work for a few days during school breaks.


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Onboarding process and ongoing commitment

Teens need to know right up front what they are committing to, what is expected of them, and what they can expect in return. Holding an orientation that clearly outlines these as-pects of the program starts the process of ac-countability that is essential to Positive Youth Development. Teens need to know clearly:

• What you are asking them to commit to

• What is expected of them in terms of ac-countability, dress, energy and the culture they are coming into, and why each is important

• The consequences if they don’t follow through

• The opportunity for them of participating

The commitment teens make - how often and how long?Because Ceres is a Youth Development Program, it is essential that teens commit to a minimum length of participation in the program. With-out this, teens cannot experience the broader impacts of the program that we shared at the beginning of this chapter. We have found that

too short or too infrequent of time at Ceres does not allow teens to fully engage with the work and develop the sense of ownership and community that happens when teens are with us for a longer time more consistently. Because of this, we ask for a minimum of a three-month commitment and a 2.5-3 hour weekly shift.

We are also dedicated to having the maximum number of teens be able to engage at Ceres. More than once a week for any one teen limits the numbers who can be in the program. For this reason most teens are scheduled once a week.

SchedulingRegular shifts – when a teen has a regular shift, e.g. Tuesday 3-6, magic happens:

• The bonds deepen with the adults and teens on that shift – community is formed, teens feel more comfortable and are able to expand their expertise and skill level

• Teens develop more mastery and owner-ship of that day and its tasks

• The impacts we are committed to deepen with consistent mentoring with the same mentors, and ease with the group

Teen Onboarding and AccountabilityIn the beginning, we recommend that you work with one or two schools or youth groups to find teens who want to participate. Your local home school network or indepen-dent study schools are a good source of teens because these programs are often looking for hands-on experiences for their students. Some churches have youth groups. Some high schools also have community service require-ments and their counseling offices may be happy to post an announcement.

All teens at Ceres start by attending our regu-lar Volunteer Orientation and completing the application form.

AgesTeens are between 14-19 years old and at least in 8th grade. Ceres is a production kitch-en and garden. Teens younger than this often don’t have the coordination and maturity to work safely and with focus. It is important to consider the range of ages. Many younger teens may not be ready to interact with the older teens.

We suggest that you pick an age range and stick to it. If you start making exceptions, you will open yourself to distraught parents. All of us know very mature younger kids, but a clear message will set the program up to be suc-cessful and save the staff some work.


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Based on the teen’s availability, the Youth Program Coordinator schedules the teen for a regular weekly shift. We also track volun-teer schedules in Salesforce. One staff member coordinates the schedule and keeps track of all teen changes as well as following up with teens who do not show up for their scheduled shifts. On a weekly basis, the next week’s schedule is created and sent out to all teens and their parents. A requirement of participating at Ceres is that teens check their emails on a regular basis as that is the primary way we communicate with them. However, emailing the parents doubly ensures the message gets through!

While some Ceres Affiliates opt to use on-line scheduling where teens sign up for their own shifts, it is important to have clear parameters for teens signing up (i.e., a weekly shift on the same day each week). We also strongly encourage reminder emails to all teens scheduled for the following week at least 5 days before their shift. Youth are building skills around responsibility and ac-countability and this reminder email supports them in remember-ing their commitments and being in communication if they are not able to come as planned.

Tracking teen data – Salesforce is used to track youth hours, start dates, and length of time in program, attendance, and their overall journey with Ceres. These data points are essential for tracking your teens well, knowing when they reach milestones in the pro-gram, and reporting purposes for funders and others. Starting to track this info at the beginning is critical.

Accountability

Accountability is essential for youth development. We are com-mitted to holding teens accountable with love and respect. We also know that they are learning what it means to be account-able. When a teen knows what is expected from the start, there is a foundation that allows us to have a conversation if some part of that commitment does not seem to be working well for them.

Teens are scheduled for regular shifts, and are expected to show up on time and to stay until their shift is over. We ask teens to leave outside concerns (and cell phones) at the door and to participate fully. Teens are given increasing levels of re-sponsibility as their skills and commitment develops.

We let teens know that we are counting on them to be present for their scheduled shift. If they cannot make it to their sched-uled shift, we ask that they communicate with ample notice. If a teen has not communicated in a timely manner or misses a shift without letting us know, we talk with him promptly. We rein-force how important they are to the team and talk about the impact it has on everyone else when they don’t show up. Start-ing the conversation with curiosity rather than blame opens it up for them to be heard and also for them to understand the impact of not showing up. If this happens three times, we meet with the teen to understand why this is happening and some-times it results in asking the teen to take a break and come back when they are more able to commit to the program.


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“Hi Nick, just want to understand what happened yesterday. You were scheduled for a shift at Ceres and we missed you and really could have used your great energy.”

“Katie, I want to talk to you about the last couple shifts that you did not show up for or call. I am curious what is going on in your life to make it hard to keep your commitment to Ceres and want to talk about how the commitment is working in your life. Do you think you are too busy and need to take a break from Ceres and come back when you are more available and can be more consistent?”

Sometimes a teen will be late or a parent will come to pick them up early. We do not shame or guilt trip a teen or ask the other kids to get on him/her for slacking off.

Instead, we talk to the teen and let them know that when they don’t fulfill their schedule with no warning it makes it harder on the team and the day is more stressed.

If a parent picks up a teen early, we can give the same message to the parent, but don’t get into a power struggle or argue about the situation. Young people have many commitments and we have to remember that there are some things they don’t have control over.


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Leadership Development

In the kitchen or garden, leadership development is guided by the way program staff and volunteer mentors interact with youth. In the small (8– 15 person) teams that are created on each day’s shift, staff and mentors can get to know teens, provide appropriate levels of challenge, and acknowledge their success and contribution. Staff and mentors are always looking for ways to empower teens with knowledge and resources. Taking the time to teach and explain a task, whether it is packaging a meal, setting up the dishwashing sinks, learning how to read a cooking plan, or prep a garden bed, allows a teen to grow into understanding that job fully, and eventu-ally be able to manage it with a group of teens.

When a teen enters the program, we are committed to her on-going development as a person and as a leader. Leadership devel-opment is integrated into all aspects of the Ceres Youth Program beginning with the onboarding process and the commitment that teens make to show up each week for their shift, and to communi-cate if that is not possible.

At Ceres we are committed to challenging the prevailing notion in our culture that teens don’t have an interest or the capacity to be fully contributing members of the community. We see teens as caring, capable, and wanting to engage in their world. We assume the best intention from each teen no matter what kind of “face” they might present with. This begins the process of calling a teen to excellence and to her best self.

Acknowledging Commitment and Leadership

We have a graduated process that pro-vides recognition and acknowledgement to teens that stay committed to the program. Teens who have worked in the kitchen for at least six months receive a Ceres Community Project apron embroi-dered with their name. This is a powerful way to recognize a teen’s commitment to the program. It also lets newer teens know who has been here longer, and who can answer their questions.

Teen Leaders

Teen Leaders are teens who demonstrate ongoing commitment and some leader-ship capacity and have been consistently active in the program for at least a year. Current Teen Leaders and staff discuss who is coming up on a year anniversary that might be appropriate for the Teen Leader program. Potential Teen Leaders are asked to complete a self-evaluation of skills and talk with staff about what it means to be a Teen Leader, whether or not they are ready to make that com-mitment, and what capacities they need to develop to be successful in that role.

This evaluation was co-developed with current Teen Leaders and asks teens to rate how they do on the soft as well as hard skills of the position (See Doc-uments at end of section). Teens can also approach the staff about becom-ing a Teen Leader. In this case, we also ask them to complete the self-eval-uation and then meet with them to discuss what Teen Leadership means and whether or not they are ready for this step.

Teen Leaders receive a white chef coat with the Ceres logo and their name embroidered on it. Teen Leaders are part of the management team in the kitchen. They lead the cooking on an entire dish, orient new teens, supervise the packing of bags or harvesting, and assist with volunteer orientations. They attend a bi-monthly Teen Leader meet-ing and an annual day-long retreat. The meetings and retreat focus on devel-oping leadership skills and on engaging the Teen Leaders in how to improve the Ceres Youth Program.


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Adult Mentors• Connecting with others--bringing two teens together to work who

don’t know each other and helping them connect and build teamwork

• Helping teens learn to trust their own senses by tasting and asking “Is this as delicious as it could be? Does it need anything else?”

• Partnering with several teens on a task to insure they have the support they need to execute it.

It is crucial that you are clear about what the Mentor role entails, and that you screen well when you choose Adult Mentors. This volunteer job is critical to the success of the program. Adult Mentors are on the front lines directly putting into action your philosophy and commit-ment to the program. Besides the culinary or gardening skills that they bring, it is essential that they truly love, respect, and enjoy teens and see them as competent and capable. We are fiercely committed to the Ceres garden and kitchen being places that nurture, support, and empower young people. Having the right Adult Mentors is essential to allowing that to happen.

Adults who are interested in becoming a Mentor complete a special application for this role in addition to the regular Volunteer Applica-tion form, and are then interviewed by our Executive Chef. We stress that this is not the right job for everyone and that both the potential Mentor and Ceres need to discover whether this role is a good fit. The potential Adult Mentor begins by spending a couple of hours in the kitchen. If this goes well, the Adult Mentor is scheduled for one or two full shifts. It is important to give prompt and regular feedback so the Adult Mentor is clear about what kinds of interactions and behaviors are consistent with your program goals and organizational culture. We recommend that you meet with the Adult Mentor at the end of the shift for at least the first three or four times they work with the teens. Only when the Adult Mentor has worked at least three shifts and we are sure that they are a good fit do we officially accept them into this volunteer role.

Adult Mentors play a crucial role in the Ceres Youth Program. In the kitchen and garden, teens work with Adult Mentors who guide, teach, and work side-by-side with them. The adults who work with them are there as teachers, mentors, and supporters to insure that the youth are successful and that they learn as much as possible.

While the Mentor is often doing a task alongside the teens, their main job is to teach the teens how to do the task well and engage the teens so that they understand more fully the what, why and how of what they are doing. The Mentor’s role is to empower the young person’s development and ownership of the results. We are deepening their understanding so they can do/lead/manage this task on their own at some point. There is no doubt that often a Mentor can do a task faster, easier, and often better than a teen. Mentors are challenged to teach, not do, and can either work alongside a teen to complete something or set up a teen to do it herself rather than just do it. Mentors play a crucial role in helping to manifest the Ceres culture of positive energy, warmth and welcoming, and working as a unified team.

Mentor roles include:

• Working alongside a teen on a task to enable teaching, con-necting and mentoring

• Working in a way that is safe for teens, for others, and for our clients

• Setting teens up so they have what they need to understand the job and can be successful – see below

• Insuring that teens have a full understanding of how their part of the work fits in to the bigger picture – such as the recipe, the work for the day, or why we grow and prepare so much kale!

• Finding the opening to help a teen learn or improve a skill- e.g. knife skills, sautéing, etc.


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Setting up for Success

The goal of youth development is to challenge teens to stretch, but not to take on more than they can handle. When they experience success, in planting out a row of beans or making their first soup alone, we build the self-confidence that teens need to take on other aspects of their lives. They gain mas-tery, deepen their ownership of Ceres, and find new parts of themselves.


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MistakesThe kitchen or garden is a learning environment. Glass cookware break, soups burn, too much spice is added to a dish, a row of kale is not harvested properly. It is a lot like life. What matters is not that mistakes are made but how we then address them and move on. Program Staff and Mentors provide important modeling for these life lessons, and they can be an important turning point in moving away from our blaming/shaming culture into one where our human-ness is accepted. Staying calm and keeping a “big perspective” are critical things to model. Adults and teens together can ask: How do we best move forward from this? What is needed?”

As the adults, if there is a breakdown, or some mistake happens with a task, we take responsibility. We assume that we did not explain it clearly, or we did not match the right teen with the right job, or we were not tracking things thoroughly. We apologize, help with the recovery, and move on to the solution, reassuring the group that this is an expected part of the process of life.

Mentors can set teens up to be successful by:

• Providing clear and thorough direction. It is the adult’s responsibility to have a teen succeed in the job. Go over what the teen is taking on, whether a recipe, weeding etc. Don’t assume that the teen knows and understands everything you are sharing. Ask questions and check back to make sure.

• Being sure they understand the details – e.g. when they are dicing squash, the Mentor should demonstrate and leave a sample of size in the corner of their cutting board.

• Going back in a couple minutes to check and see how it is going and make further sugges-tions or demonstrate more.

• If a Mentor senses that a teen is floundering, he or she can stay with the teen or get a more experienced teen to work closely with him.

• Asking the right questions. For example, the questions “Does everyone remember how to chop an onion?” or “I am sure by now you all know how to weed a garden bed. Just ask questions if you are unsure” will probably not get you the information you are looking for. You will most likely be met with blank stares, or small nods. More to the point would be, “Who would be willing to demonstrate how to chop an onion safely and efficiently?” Or “Jack, you did such a good job last week weeding this bed, can you explain what to look for and what are some common ways we can get confused about what is a weed and what is a plant?”

• Whenever possible, give Teen Leaders roles teaching and overseeing tasks. This empowers the development of Teen Leaders, creates a culture of teen ownership and accountability in the kitchen, and helps newer teens see how they can grow.

• When a job needs to be done, look for a teen to take it on or teach it to another. “Mikaela, can you teach Jeremy how to mop the floor and you two do half of it and then Tyler can you do the rest?”

• Let a teen know what to do when their job is complete – how to clean up the area and what to do next.


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Resistance/Attitude/Unruly behavior

We have a saying at Ceres: “The look on a teen’s face gives you absolutely no information about what is going on inside them.” Be curious when you encounter something that looks like resis-tance in a teen. Over the years, we’ve discovered that almost always there is something else going on. The teen may not understand how to do the job you are asking and may be afraid to say so; he/she /they may feel shy about working with some-one he/she /they does not know; he/she /they may feel disrespected by the way you or someone else is interacting with him or her, or he/she /they may simply be having a bad day.

When we label what we see in the teens as resistance, we make a judgment about them that is rarely constructive. Instead, assume the teen is happy to be there and that he or she wants to be helpful. Then look for ways to engage them in a way that brings out their best.

Sometimes teens come with their friends and gravitate towards working with their friends to the exclusion of others. Other times, one teen will be a little too excitable and playing/talking too much. Another teen may be using tools unsafely or be messing around in a distracting way. We usually take these teens aside to talk to them directlyabout their behavior and its impact on the group. Taking them out of the hearing range of others allows them to hear what the issue is more fully and respects their privacy.


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A few examples of some of the ways that we have spoken with teens:

• The boy who sat down each time he finished a job. Instead of reprimanding him for slacking off, we could go to him and say, “If you need a break, let me know, but usually when you finish a job and a Mentor is not ready to give you another, we hope you’ll look around to see what needs to be done. Let’s look around the kitchen, and see some things that would be helpful to do right now.”

• When it is time to sweep or mop the floor, instead of asking, “Who wants to sweep?” ask a Teen Leader or more experienced teen to show several new teens how to do the job well, then ask each of them to do part of the floor with the Teen Leader giving support.

• A Mentor asked new teen chef Jack, “Do you want to do some dishes?” and received the answer “Not really.” Shocked, she let it go and brought it to the attention of some staff members later. Staff realized that they did not really know this boy and needed to understand him. Next shift, the same Mentor paired with him and worked together for a couple hours so she could get to know him better. She connected and learned who he was. In doing so, she realized that he was extremely literal. He had answered honestly that he did not want to do dishes. Now when asked, he says, “Well I don’t really want to do them, but I see that they need doing, so I will go do them.” In a typical scenario, he would have been “talked to” about his attitude and we would not have connected and learned about his uniqueness.

• A Mentor asked Noah to help Lily wash the kale. Lily had been doing it alone for a while. When approached by Noah, Lily snapped, “I am fine. I don’t need any help.” Hurt, Noah walked away. Staff overheard this and took Lily aside to check in with her privately and with curiosity. “Lily, I heard how you spoke to Noah, and I know you don’t normally speak like that. What is going on with you today?” After hearing about the stress she was under at home, staff said, “I understand that you are worried about a lot of things. And I know you understand that the kitchen needs to be a friendly, loving place. Do you need to take a break to be able to come back and be here fully?”

• “Sophia and Maria, we know you guys are friends and enjoy each other. But when you come to Ceres, it is a place to get to meet other teens from all over and get to know each other and work together. When you two are only talking and working together, it detracts from the group experience and can leave others feeling excluded. Can we make an agreement that you two will separate out and work in other teams at least ¾ of the time you are here?”

• “Casey, you have great energy and can really help bring kids together with your humor. BUT, today you are coming on too strong and the whole kitchen is impacted. Can you tone it down and stay focused? Or what do you need to stay calm and not so distracted.”

While each Mentor has his or her own style, it is essential that each of us find appropriate ways to engage the teens as we work and talk together.


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Communication and Conversation

Good topics and questions to engage teens: Inappropriate topics and questions to engage teens:

• Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?

• Are you in a relationship?

• Party Politics

• Jokes are tricky- most are either sexual or mock some-thing/someone

• Sarcasm should be used very rarely- can be seen as mocking

• Shaming for a mistake. In fact, it is very important to always reassure the teens that all of us—including you—make mistakes and that it’s “not a big deal”. Mistakes happen and it’s a great way to learn things. Then work with staff and the teen to come up with a “fix”.

If you make a mistake or bring up something that you real-ize is inappropriate, apologize right away, let the teens know that you are aware that it was inappropriate, and move on to another conversation.

• Anything and everything about the food they are prepping or plants they are working with. Always good to find a teaching moment.

• How did you come to Ceres? Are you interested in a culinary future?

• What are you hoping to gain from your experience at Ceres (if new)?

• What school do you go to?

• What have you tasted here that you like?

• What do you like about being in the garden?

• Do you like to cook/garden at home? If yes, what kinds of things do you like to make/grow?

• What have you enjoyed most about working at Ceres?

• What are some things you’ve learned since working at Ceres?

• Are there things you would like to learn that you have not?

• What is your school lunch program like?

Mentors play a vital role in creating a positive culture in which teens learn, connect with others and grow. One important way that Mentors can do this is through the conversations they create with teens while they are working. Here are some examples of questions and topics of conversation that support the positive learning culture we want, and some examples that do the opposite.


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Teen Education ProgramTeen Education CurriculumCeres developed our education component four years into the Proj-ect when we moved to our permanent site. This gave us the physical space and time to go deeper with the issues and information that we thought were vital in order for the teens to fully engage and under-stand what they were a part of.

Currently, during each shift we break for ½ hour so the teens can have a snack, rest, learn about topics related to our mission, and gather more tools to help them be engaged, informed citizens. The Teen Education Program regularly covers these areas:

• Kitchen and gardening skills

• How nutrition affects your health

• Sustainable agriculture/hunger/climate change/how food choices affect the health of the planet

• Teambuilding and Ceres’ culture

• Client visits

We have a full set of curriculum developed for the education pro-gram. The Teen Education Program and its curriculum is explained more thoroughly in another section.

Daily CircleAt the beginning of your project it may be unlikely that you will have the time or space to conduct a full Teen Education Program. At a minimum, we recommend that each “shift” include a 10 to 15 minute “circle” where teens and adults gather to reflect on their work. The circle can include: introductions for teens who do not yet know one another, reading cards received from clients, in-person client visits, information about foods or cooking processes that are part of the day, or other activities that enrich the teens’ experience.

We believe that in the early stages of the project, the most im-portant thing you can do is set up regular client visits. Either past clients or ones currently in the program come in to share their story with the teens and the difference it made to them to receive the food. These are precious times, and consistently one of the most powerful experiences for both our teens and clients. Hearing a client share brings the project full circle for teens as they meet the person who was just a name on a container. Having the teens meet a client who they have served can be a life-changing experi-ence. To have a client say directly to a teen, “You helped save my life!” forever shifts their sense of who they are in the world. They understand that they are essential in this person’s health and they realize first-hand how important good food is to health by hearing the client’s story.


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How to StartYouth Development Program

Teen Centered Kitchen• It is tempting to start with adults and just get the meals out. Do not

do it!

• Aim for a ratio of 4 teens to 1 adult in the kitchen or when you have committed teens who know their way around, 5-1.

• Remember, if there are too many adults it’s not a “teen owned space”.

• Have teens do everything in kitchen from dishwashing to prepping veggies, to making a recipe to mopping the floor.

• Attract the right adult volunteers who understand the goals of the program, and are there to support the program and the youth who are involved -- not there for their own desire to cook or learn cooking.

Adults need to be able to adapt to a fluid and sometimes chaotic envi-ronment, need to stay calm when there are problems, and believe in the capacity of the teens to do the job!

Recruitment• Home-schooling networks

• One local high school or church youth group to start

• Accountability and Commitment are Key!

• When filling out application have the teen sign a commitment form at the same time.

• Be clear and up front about your expectations. Ask teens to work at least one shift a week for three months. When teens only show up once a month or occasionally, they do not receive the impacts the program is designed for.

• Staff schedules the teens and sends a weekly email reminder. We do not recommend that teens schedule themselves.

• If a teen does not show up and does not call ahead to let you know, follow up with the teen that day if possible or the next day. Let them know they were missed and reconfirm their commit-ment to be involved.

• Your goal is to create a culture of teamwork and responsibility to the other members of their team and the clients that are count-ing on them.

• Bring clients in as soon as you can to talk with the teens so they can feel the impact of their work

Look for development opportunities for teens. These can include:

• Orienting new teens to the kitchen

• Leading a recipe

• Training another teen on dishwashing or another task

• Leading clean-up

7 Kitchen Operations Overview


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ProgramOperationsOverview of Ceres’ Kitchen Operations

GoalsThe goals of the Kitchen Operations area are to:

• support the smooth and efficient operation of the kitchen,

• maximize positive outcomes for teens, clients, the larger community and our environment,

• maximize community participation and in-kind contributions

• provide responsible stewardship of program resources

Food PhilosophyCeres Meals: Plant-Based, Nutrient Rich, Whole Foods

• Ceres meals are made from fresh, whole foods and are primarily plant based.

• We strongly encourage you to use as much organically grown and raised food as possible.

• We use only whole grains and limit added sugar to whole sugars such as turbinado, honey and maple syrup.

• We strongly discourage using foods with a high pesticide residue known as the “Dirty Dozen”: peaches, apples, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, imported grapes, sweet bell peppers, celery, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes, unless these foods are organically grown.

• Food is donated or purchased from local farms, farm markets, grocery stores and producers whenever possible.

The following foods are preferred:

Whole grains & legumesFresh vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, Sea vegetablesFree-range animal products including eggs, dairy; wild caught fishNatural minimally processed sweetenersHealthy fats, nuts, seedsSea saltFermented & sprouted foods

The following foods are discouraged:

White flour, white sugar, White pasta or white riceAny foods with additives or artificial sweetenersTrans-fats and hydrogenated fatsCans with BPA (industrial chemical) in the liningProcessed or refined foodTable saltFarmed/factory meatsUntested tap or well water (possible lead, chemicals, or bacteria)


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Ceres Meals are made from fresh, whole organic foods and are primarily plant based.


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Healthy KitchenHealthy food prepared with the proper equipment can further efforts to provide healthy meals to clients with serious illnesses. Therefore, we encourage you to use:

• Pots, pans and baking dishes made of 18/10 Stainless Steel, Cast Iron, Glass, Enamel or Crocks

• Glass storage containers (e.g., Mason jars or Pyrex)

• Plastic containers with Numbers 2, 4 or 5 (used after food is cooled)

• Ceramic crocks for making certain foods like sauerkraut

• Parchment paper or wax paper between food and foil or plastic wrap

• Non-toxic, natural cleaning supplies

We discourage the use of Teflon non-stick pans and bake ware because they have been known to emit toxic fumes at high temperatures. Alu-minum cookware is known for leaching into food and is associated with increased incidence of some diseases.

Soaking, Sprouting and FermentingAt Ceres we soak and sprout all beans, grains, nuts and seeds to make them more nutrient-rich and more digestible. We also make sauerkraut weekly for our clients, include tempeh in the menu, and provide donated goat kefir as a supplemental product. All of these “fermented” foods help replace healthy intestinal bacteria destroyed by medications and treatment. Please see Nourishing Community Cookbook, Chapter 2 Cooking Basics, for information about soaking and sprouting. This chapter also includes information on the basics of fermented foods and how to make sauerkraut. For more information about our Food Philosophy, please see Nourishing Community Cook-book, Chapter 1 Nutrition Basics.

Menu PlanningOur goal is to provide a significant amount of a client’s food for the week. The Ceres meals provide nutritional support to clients and their families during a time of stress and also help them become more intimately famil-iar with a whole foods diet.

Our current weekly menu provides seven meals. If clients screen positively for food insecurity, we offer them a double portion, or our normal seven meals plus a grocery bag of healthy food items equal to about 8-10 meals.

• Four complete dinners, usually including two side dishes

• one with free-range organic poultry (or a vegetarian alternative)

• one with seafood

• two that are vegetarian

• A one dish stew

• An “entrée” salad

• A soup/salad combination

When we began the program, we started by preparing three complete dinners and a soup. The menu grew as we gained confidence in what we could produce during our weekly cooking shift(s). See Sample Menus & Menu Planning Format at the end of this section for more information on menu planning.


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Using a Recipe Data Base We recommend that you purchase a recipe software program. We use RDS, which is a cloud-based software https://www.monarqrc.com/products/rds-elite. RDS allows you to create a recipe data base and evaluate nutritional information. You can select, scale and edit recipes, print them, and so on. Each week, you can scale the recipes based on the number of servings you need to prepare. These scaled recipes are used in the kitchen and help you create your weekly shopping list.

Finding Whole Foods RecipesHere are our some of favorite cookbooks for whole foods recipes but your chef will likely have their own set of recipes:

• Nourishing Community Cookbook, published by Ceres

• Nourishing Connections Cookbook, published by Ceres

• Foods & Clean Start by Terry Walters

• One Bite at a Time and The Cancer Fighting Kitchen by Ceres Ambassador Council member Rebecca Katz

There are many other whole foods and vegetarian cookbooks on the market that have excellent recipes that fit our food philosophy or can be adapted to fit. We also use epicurious.com. This online recipe data base is a great resource for finding new ideas for donat-ed produce. Their advanced search function allows you to enter a food, then select the type of dish, they type of cuisine, the season of the year, or any of a number of parameters. The data base will then show you all the recipes that match your search. We have found many wonderful new recipes using epicurious.com!

Food ProcurementThe first year that we ran our program we used almost no donated food. Because we were a small group, and had the gift of a $5,000 line of credit at a local store, we focused instead on getting the program up and run-ning. Donated food, however, is one of the easiest things to get for your program. The more food that’s donated, the more funds you will have for other expenses. Here are some simple ways to get started:

• Ask a local store or store(s) if they will donate their organic produce cull. The “cull” is what is pulled out, usually each morning, because it does not look so great, is getting a little old, or otherwise does not look sal-able. Many stores will also donate items that are bagged up from the bulk foods depart-ment and then left behind by customers.

• If there is a farmers’ market nearby, talk with the market manager or individual ven-dors to see if you can pick up their unsold produce at the end of the selling day.

• If there are local farmers, talk with them to see if they will donate “seconds” (imperfect) or excess unsold produce. Sometimes farm-ers will even let volunteers glean their fields.

• Ask all local grocery stores if they will do-nate $500 - $1000 a year in product to you. Often this will be in the form of store credit or gift cards.

• We have a local grocery store that gives us ½ off all organic poultry and sustainably caught seafood – the most expensive item on our menu. Essentially they are passing up their profit on these items but it now saves us approximately $17,000 a year. There may also be meat or fish wholesalers in your area that might donate or offer discounts.

• Find out who all the food producers are in your area, get to know them, and see how they can help. We have local rice, honey, olive oil, dairy, egg, poultry and tempeh sup-pliers as well as many farmers who donate produce to us.


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Weekly Operations FlowHere is an overview of the steps we move through each week to organize the kitchen from food procurement and shopping through delivery coordination.

1. Confirm the clients who will be included in the next week’s delivery, the number of servings for each client, and any dietary restrictions. Make sure each client is set up in Salesforce with their dietary restrictions and number of servings.

2. Confirm the menu and the availability of key ingredients such as a particular type of fish. Enter the menu into Salesforce.

3. If you have Salesforce, run a Total Servings report, so you know how many servings of each menu item needs to be created.

4. If you don’t have Salesforce: Set up your excel spreadsheet for the week. [See sample document - Client Spreadsheet – at the end of this section. The template for this spreadsheet is included on the flash drive that accompanies this Program Operations Manual].

a. Make sure each menu item is set up in Salesforce with any dietary restrictions that apply, so it shows up in the Meal Scheduler.

b. Complete the meal scheduling by assigning meals to each client and making modifications for dietary restrictions, if neces-sary. (e.g., a client who is ‘no dairy’ would not get the frittata with cheese in it.)

a. Each client will be listed down the left-hand side and the menu will be shown across the top, with one “dish” in each column.

b. For each client, list the total number of servings needed for each dish. If a client does not eat fish, give them extra servings of another non-fish dish so that you make sure each client gets an adequate amount of food.

c. In the column next to the number of servings for each dish note any specials – a vegetarian option, a change in the side dishes, etc.

d. Total the number of servings needed for each dish – this is the information you will use to scale each recipe.

5. Scale each recipe using RDS or another type of recipe software.

a. It is easiest to scale relative to the number of servings in the basic recipe. For example, if a recipe serves four, it will be easiest to scale for 8, 12 or 16.

b. If you do not scale as noted in a. above, and sometimes even when you do, you will get things like 15/16 T. cumin or 13/16 cups parsley. We edit the ingredients list to quantities that will make sense to the teens. The above would change to 1 T. cumin or ¾ cup parsley. These slight differences will be irrelevant in your dish, especially as you will always taste and adjust the sea-sonings before completing the cooking.

c. Carefully review the recipe procedures to make sure they are consistent with the amounts in your ingredients list. Some quan-tities in the recipe procedures will not scale. For example, if the recipe says. “2. Saute the mushrooms and onions with ½ t. salt,” the amount of salt will not change when you scale the recipe. Therefore, either make sure you change these by hand or, better yet, when you enter your recipes into RDS, change these recipes so that they refer to the ingredients list. For example, include the amount of salt in the ingredients list or use references in the procedures section such as “½ the salt.”


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d. Print your recipes. On each printed recipe make notes about any “specials” that need to be created, the total number of serv-ings needed, and any other notes that are important for the kitch-en team to have.

e. If other adult mentors will be working in the kitchen that week, email all the recipes to each of them so that they can review them ahead of time.

one, and bake chicken so that it can cool fully overnight. Day one might also include items that will stay fresh longest, such as a healthy cookie or other dessert. On day two, you can package what was made on day one, bake fish (early in the shift), cook side vegetables, and make your salad.

b. If you are using beans or grains, try to soak them the day before they will be cooked. Then, cook them on day one and use them in your recipes on day two.

8. Using Salesforce, print the Client Letters and Food Container Labels.

a. Review the labels and hand write changes (if needed). Highlight anything that is different from the standard dish that most people will receive. This same information (the “specials”) should be highlighted on the recipe in the kitchen (see 4d. above).

b. Cut apart your labels and place all the labels for each specific dish in a sheet protector so that they are easy for the kitchen team to find when they are ready to package that dish.

6. Create your shopping list using: an inventory of what is available in the kitchen, what you know will be donated, and your scaled recipes.

7. If you have more than one cooking day, create a cooking plan that details what needs to happen each day, including any food preparation that needs to happen during one day to support the work being done on the following day. [See sample document – Cooking Plan – at the end of this section].

a. When putting together your cooking plan, keep in mind what will take the longest to assemble and/or bake/cook and cool before being packaged, as well as what will stay freshest longest. If you have two cooking days, you might make any casseroles and soups on day 9. Shop and set up the kitchen with everything needed for that day.

Delivery CoordinationHere are the basic steps needed to create the delivery plan for the week, using Salesforce and Geopoint (an app that works with Salesforce):

1. Using Geopointe, change the delivery date and pull in the cli-ents receiving deliveries on that date. Clients will display on a map.

2. Create delivery routes and assign an available delivery angle.

3. Through Salesforce, email the routes and route map to each Delivery Angel. This email will contain a standard message from you. Make it warm and be sure to thank them in advance for help-ing to care for your clients. Ask the Delivery Angels to confirm that they received the email and that they are available that week. (see sample at the end of this section)

4. Through Salesforce, generate a Delivery Checklist (see sample at the end of this section) that shows which bags are going with which Delivery Angels. This list should also include all available phone numbers for each Delivery Angel and the address and con-tact number for each client in case you need to contact them.

a. We carefully check off each bag on this list when we hand it off to the Delivery Angel. Be extra careful if you have clients with the same first name!

5. Have a back-up Delivery Angel each week. We have one Delivery Angel who is available as a back-up. Our normal pick up is 8:30 – 9:00am. If a Delivery Angel has not arrived by 9:15 and we cannot reach that person by phone, we call the back-up Angel and they come to do the delivery.


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Food Delivery Container OptionsAt Ceres Community Project, we package our meals in disposable con-tainers from Oliver’s packaging. We used to use re-usable Snapware con-tainers. Empty containers from the previous week were picked up each week when meals were delivered, then returned to the kitchen. A team of volunteers sorted and sterilized the returned containers and prepared them for re-use.

Pros of Snapware containers:

• Reasonably inexpensive to purchase

• Re-usable

• Stack well and pack well in bags

• No potential for breakage or spillage

Cons of Snapware containers:

• Replacement cost when containers are not recoverable from a client

• Costs in water, electricity and time to sterilize

• Plastic is bad for the environment, and you cannot package hot food in the containers

The packaging option we currently use is compostable containers such as those provided by Oliver’s Packaging. Oliver’s provides heat sealing equip-ment for a one-time shipping charge of about $140. You then purchase compostable containers from them. There is no container pick up or steril-izing. You will need different metal plates for each type of container used.

Oliver’s PackagingPros:

• Reasonably inexpensive

• No container pick-up

• No cost for sterilizing

• No potential for breakage

Cons:

• Does not stack well (we purchase cardboard inserts that we layer between containers in the bags)

• Some potential for spillage if not sealed well

A third option, if you want to avoid using plastic, is to pack meal in Pyrex containers with plastic lids. This is the most expensive option as the containers are both costly and they will need to be picked up and sterilized.

Pyrex containersPros:

• No plastic

Cons:

• Expensive

• Containers can break and lids do not always seal well, so spillage possible.

• Container pick up required, along with costs to sterilize

• Require a lot of room for storage

• Heavy


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Working with Your Local Health Department

Because you will be working with clients who are immune compromised, it is essential that you follow the highest standards of food safety and san-itation in your kitchen. It is for this reason that we require your project to work in a commercial kitchen certified by your local Health Department.

County Health Departments are responsible for certifying kitchens that are adequate to safely prepare food for the public. This is what desig-nates it as a “commercial kitchen.” Commercial kitchens use commer-cially certified equipment, include hand washing sinks, and have specific requirements for dishwashing areas. Before you sign a lease on a kitchen, or decide to use it, make sure that the kitchen is certified by your local Health Department. Some kitchens many only need slight modifications in order to qualify.

Once the kitchen has been certified, an inspector will occasionally visit, always unannounced, to make sure that you are following safe food han-dling practices. They might test the water in your dishwasher to make sure it is sterilizing properly, look to make sure that you are storing food properly, and verify that hair is covered or correctly tied back.

Many Health Departments also require that at least one person on each shift has completed a safe food handling course such as Safe Serve. They will also specify your local standards for hand washing and when gloves and hats must be worn in the kitchen. For Sonoma County, gloves must be worn when someone has a cut on their hands or when someone is wearing a band aid or fingernail polish. Hats must be work if hair cannot be securely tied back. Your local standards may be different.

It is essential that you check with your local Health Department to make sure you understand their specific regulations for operating a safe and san-itary kitchen and then follow them diligently. You are cooking for people who are immune-compromised and want to do everything you can to insure that you are preparing food that is nourishing, delicious, and safe..

8 Nutrition Education Program Overview


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ProgramOperationsEducation ProgramOverview

Education about whole, organic and local foods and the link between diet and health is integrated into all aspects of the Healing Meals for Healthy Communities program. Refer to the Client, Teen and Volunteer sec-tions of this Program Operations Manual to learn how education is incorporated within each of these program areas. This section discusses specific educational programs and classes that we offer to clients, volunteers, and the larger community. Here we provide some guidelines to help you think about when and how to develop an educational program, a service that can enhance the growth and benefits of your own program.

Before you begin developing educational programs, you’ll want to answer these three questions:

1. What else is offered in our community? Who are these programs aimed at? How much do they cost? Do they promote a similar approach to whole organic and local foods?

2. What are our goals for developing an educational program? Who are we trying to reach and what do we want them to get out of the class?

3. What resources do we have to devel-op and run a program? Are there teachers who would offer their services? Facilities? Volunteers or others available to promote, set up, host and clean up?


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Ceres’ History with Educational Programs

Along with classes we teach at Ceres locations, we’ve also developed the following programs for different audiences:

During our first year providing meals numerous clients com-mented, “Wow, these meals taste really good and I definitely feel better now that I’m eating this way. I wish I knew how to cook these foods myself.” Those comments made us realize that if we were going to support clients in adopting a healthier diet for the long term, we needed to help them learn more about nutrition and how to cook whole foods.

During 2008 we piloted some cooking classes for clients and in early 2009 we launched one of our educational pro-grams, the Healing Foods Cooking Course. Over the years, we realized that during treatment most clients do not have the physical energy or the mental space to participate in this kind of program. We then focused promotion of HFCC towards clients who had recently completed receiving meals and had ended treatment. Since this program required a significant amount of time commitment from the participants (4 weeks of once/week classes of about 3 hours each) and resources (space became scarcer as we began cooking five days a week in our Sebastopol kitchen, where the course was taught), we decided to remove this program from our offerings, and focus on shorter classes that are offered more frequently through-out the year, originally Healing Foods Basics and Healing Foods Essentials (advanced class for those who took the basics class – descriptions below).

• Nutrition for Wellness classes, offered at local health clinics. These 2-hour classes are offered to the clinic’s patients twice a month, and we work with highly qualified teachers to pro-vide these. There are about 10 different classes that we rotate through during the year. We demonstrate a recipe that every-one tastes at each class. The clinics are able to bill Medicaid for the classes using what’s called a “shared group medical visit” model. Ceres contracts with the clinics to provide the classes and we are paid for our services.

• We teach nutrition and cooking classes at local library branches. These classes are offered for children, teens, and adults, and are paid for by the library system through grant funding.

Another option for educating your community about healthy eat-ing is to offer your services for in-service trainings, presentations and radio interviews. We are often invited to present at commu-nity groups (such as Alzheimer’s Groups, Empowerment Centers, Women’s Groups) and schools, and depending on the resources available we are usually able to accommodate these educational opportunities. Whenever possible we present to health care pro-viders so they are empowered to refer patients to our programs and to increase their knowledge about good nutrition and health.

Since early 2020 we have been conducting all of our classes virtually due to the pandemic. In “normal” times we offer a variety of classes at different Ceres locations. Here are more details about our two original public classes

that we offered to our community. These classes are open to the general public for a sliding scale fee of $10-$35. Scholarship support is also available and no one is turned away for lack of funds. Pre-registration is requested. The classes are offered in both English and Spanish.

Healing Foods Basics (HFB)Begun in early 2012, this program provides a 2-hour introduction to whole foods nutrition. One goal of this class is to help educate our volunteers and our community about Ceres’ food philosophy and support them in making positive changes in their diets.

The Healing Foods Basic class covers:

1. Ceres food philosophyHealth depends on many factors, from understanding nutrition and learning how to cook nutrient-rich whole foods meals to reconnecting to your phys-ical, emotional and spiritual well being, your community and the Earth on which we live.

2. Whole foods are the basis of our menusEliminating processed and fast food from the diet and focusing on food that looks like it was just harvested is the basis of our menus. We prepare meals from scratch with love. Ceres adopted this approach to creating healthy meals for our clients as the literature supports it as the best diet for those dealing with illness.

eat health

Ceres offers classes to help you explore the connections between food and health. Our virtual classes will inspire you with educational support and wellness strategies. Each one includes a presentation, a cooking demonstration, recipes and a discussion where questions are encouraged. Classes are taught by Ceres Nutrition Education Manager, Amanda Newman-Crutcher, who holds a master’s degree in Nutrition and Functional Medicine. Classes are open to all.

Our Fall and Winter classes will deepen your understanding of food and nutrition. Each class will provide strategies to inspire healthier daily habits. Attend the whole series, or choose the classes that appeal the most.

Details and registration: Ceresproject.org/classes

Classes are offered on a sliding scale.

for

Ceres

COMMUNITY PROJECT

CERES CLASSESF A L L 20212021

Understanding Dietary Fats & Blood LipidsAmanda Newman-Crutcher | 5:30 - 6:45pmLearn which oils are the best to use in cooking, how to understand the lipids panel in your blood tests, and more.

Traditional Mexican FlavorsJorge Saldana | 5:30 - 6:45pmJoin the founder of Sabor Mexicana and Cancun Restaurant and explore Mexican home cooking for flavor and health.

Understanding CarbohydratesAmanda Newman-Crutcher | 5:30 - 6:45pmHow much and which ones? Learn about low and healthy carbs.

Asian Mushrooms Amanda Newman-Crutcher| 5:30 - 6:45pmExplore the amazing flavor and nutrition of mushrooms.

Understanding ProteinsAmanda Newman-Crutcher | 5:30 - 6:45pmWe’ll talk about grains and beans, as well as pastured and wild animal foods.

Healthy for you, Healthy for the PlanetAmanda Newman-Crutcher | 5:30 - 6:45pmWhat can you do to limit food waste while maximizing flavor and nutrition?

Nourishing Holiday TreatsAmanda Newman-Crutcher | 5:30 - 6:45pmHealthier treats you can make and enjoy.

Mindful Eating to Reduce Holiday StressAmanda Newman-Crutcher | 5:30 - 6:45pmEating with awareness is one of several practical tools you will learn to help down regulate your nervous system and increase tranquility and happiness.

Managing Blood Sugar and Reducing InflammationAmanda Newman-Crutcher | 5:30 - 6:45pmLearn about food choices to help you avoid or manage diabetes and other chronic illnesses.

Sourdough Gluten-Free Breads: Fermented Ancient Grains and Seeds for Delicious LoavesLindsay Katz | 5:30 - 7:30pm Learn how to make delicious gluten-free sourdough breads with Ceres Chef Lindsay Katz! This class is on a Monday.

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WED 15SEP

WED 29SEP

WED 13OCT

WED 27OCT

WED 3NOV

MON 13DEC

WED 20OCT

WED 22SEP

WED 17NOV

WED 1DEC


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Healing Foods EssentialsThis class is geared towards those who have already taken the Healing Foods Basics class and want more in-depth information.

Topics include:

• Anti-inflammatory foods

• Fats: which to use and how to cook with them properly

• Managing your blood sugar

This class involves a hands-on portion, and we make a couple of healthy dishes together.

3. The role of relaxation and being present while eating There are breathing exercises that bring one back into the awareness of the body, allowing for the optimal response of the nervous and di-gestive systems before eating. Practicing one of these exercises reduces stress responses that block the optimal activity of the digestive system. We introduce some of these practices and provide basic instruction.

4. Foods to Include and Foods to Avoid A basic review of the foods we use and why: vegetables and fruits, pro-teins, oils, grains, legumes, sweeteners, nuts, seeds, and booster foods like herbs, spices, sea veggies, fermented foods, sprouts, and medicinal mushrooms.

5. Meal Planning and Shopping StrategiesPlanning meals is the first step to making healthy changes. We cover the importance of creating a weekly menu plan which is made up of healthy foods, so that participants’ kitchens are stocked with fresh produce, whole foods staples, pasture-raised poultry and sustainably caught seafood. Meal planning also gives participants a roadmap for shopping and clarity on the meals they will be preparing for the week. We discuss how to eat well on a budget.

A food demonstration is included and participants sample the food/beverages made.

9 Program OperationsVolunteer Program Overview


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ProgramOperationsVolunteer Program Overview

BackgroundVolunteers play essential roles in all parts of the Healing Meals for Healthy Com-munities Program. During 2021 more than 600 adult volunteers donated 18,000 hours of time! Clearly, we could not pro-vide the services we do without them. But as important as what volunteers provide to Ceres is what we also provide to them. At Ceres, our Volunteer Program is an essential part of our mission.

Our goals for volunteers include:

• Feel connected to the Ceres mission

• Feel a sense of community at Ceres

• Feel connected to other volunteers and staff in heartfelt ways

• Understand better the link between food/nutrition and health

• Have volunteering at Ceres support them in making positive changes in their diet

• Feel acknowledged for what they contribute to Ceres

• Feel celebrated and appreciated daily

Getting to know your volunteers personally is at the heart of developing and managing a successful volunteer program. Volunteers bring a wide range of skills to your project, and are looking for different things from their volunteering. It is important to know who your volunteers are and stay in touch with them on a regular basis. Doing so will help insure that your volunteers feel good about their experience. Personal connec-tion helps volunteers stay engaged and also provides encouragement for them to offer all that they can to the program.

What we outline below is our own “Best Practices” for supporting a successful Volun-teer Program. An essential program goal is to engage and support volunteers through-out our program activities while cultivating heart-centered connections and educating them about healthy eating.

Supporting Documents Adult Volunteer Application with Liability Releases & AgreementWelcome Packet (Welcome Letter/Adult Volun-teer Opportunities)Volunteer Orientation Sample OutlineAnnual Volunteer SurveyBLS Labor Rates for “Professional” Volunteer JobsCeres Background Check PolicyCeres Authorization for Record Check (CA)


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Program ManagementOur Volunteer Program Staff includes:

• Volunteer Manager

• Adult Volunteer Coordinator

• Youth Program Coordinator

• Delivery Coordinator

• Volunteer Committee that includes four volunteers who have been involved at Ceres for several years. The Volunteer Com-mittee meets monthly, helps develop program goals, writes an-niversary and holiday appreciation cards to volunteers, and helps plan and implement the annual Volunteer Appreciation Party.

Volunteer JobsVolunteers hold a wide range of jobs in the Healing Meals pro-gram. The primary ones include:

• Adult Kitchen and Garden mentors

• Adult food prep and cooking

• Delivery Angels

• Food Pick-up

• Administrative help

The job descriptions and training information for key volunteer roles are discussed in the respective sections of this Program Operations Manual (i.e. Kitchen Operations, Client Program, Teen Program, etc.)

Volunteer ProcessWe hold weekly Adult & Youth Volunteer Orientations via Zoom, which allows us to ensure that we can adequately on-board, train, engage, support, and appreciate all of our volun-teers. Previously, we held a monthly hour-long Volunteer Ori-entation which enabled us to consistently grow our volunteer program in order to meet the needs of our program’s rapid growth.

Key steps in our volunteer process include:

• Potential volunteer attends orientation; completes Applica-tion, Liability Release and Agreement; receives a Welcome Packet with info about Ceres and available volunteer jobs.

• Volunteer Coordinator follows up within two weeks to dis-cuss job placement. Because of the high volume of potential volunteers who participate at each of our orientation meet-ings, this conversation is usually done on the phone.

• As you grow your program, you can choose to communicate with potential volunteers in person or by phone; whatever best serves your program and your volunteers.

• Volunteer is placed in appropriate job, scheduled, and provid-ed with any necessary training. The specific process for each volunteer job is unique. Volunteer is contacted in about three months to make sure the placement is working and to find out if he/she is interested in other volunteer opportunities.


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I have worked with Ceres as both a recipient of their amazing life-saving food and now as a Delivery Angel. As I returned to health, I am now honored and blessed to be able to give back.”

CERES VOLUNTEER ERIC, DELIVERY ANGEL

“


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• Volunteer receives a thank you card on the anniversary of their start date and again around Thanksgiving.

• Volunteer is asked to complete an annual Volunteer Survey in the fall of each year.

• Volunteer is invited to special Volunteer Appreciation party each May and we celebrate volunteers in the kitchens and gardens during Volunteer Appreciation week.

• Volunteer is invited to three Volunteer Enrichment Evenings annually. These are two hour programs that provide connection with other volunteers and staff as well as additional education about Ceres’ pro-grams. We started this about three years after Ceres began.

Volunteer AppreciationAt the heart of Ceres Community Project are values around generosity, caring for one another, and gratitude. One teen described Ceres as a “circle of gratitude” where the clients thank the Delivery Angels for the meals, the Delivery Angels thank the teens for what they are doing, the teens thank the food donors, and on and on.

Gratitude for what each person and business contributes is a thread that weaves through all of our work. Volunteers are just like donors. They give generously of their resources, in this case their time and talents. The dollar value of teen and adult time in 2020 in Sonoma and Marin was $731,000 so you can see what a huge contribution our volunteers make!

We use the following “Best Daily Practices” to support our culture of appreci-ation for volunteers which begins with one of our four Operating Principles.


1. Get to know all the Ceres volunteers.

2. Greet them daily in the kitchen, office, parking lot, etc.

3. Get to know their interests and their talents. Find the right fit.

4. Make sure they see the big picture of the difference they are making; share the stories, cards, or experiences of clients with them so they get the “juice.”

5. Ask them to share about their experiences at Ceres.

6. Make them feel appreciated daily. Show them your gratitude.

7. Remember that volunteers are donors. Their time and talents are gifts.

8. Be conscious of your surroundings. Always be appropriate, professional and respectful.

We reinforce these practices by having one or two staff meetings a year that focus on training around the culture of appreciation that we as staff are collectively responsible for creating. We focus on the practices listed above and the importance of modeling rela-tionships of love, respect and integrity with one another and with our volunteers.

At the beginning of any group activity, whether a staff meeting, a volunteer evening, or shift of prepping food in the kitchen, we take time with the group to set the intention for our work, to give gratitude, and/or presence the clients we are caring for. This models the Ceres culture and brings the group – who may not yet know one another – together as a team.

Other Ways We Communicate AppreciationThank you Cards Happy

Birthday!COMMUNITY PROJECT

All volunteers are sent a hand-written thank you card during their anniversary month (the month they started volunteering). These cards are written by the Volunteer Committee. We make simple blank cards with a photo of the teens in the kitchen on the front and our logo, contact information and mission statement on the back. The cards are very cost effective if purchased through a large commercial printer such as UPrinting in Los Angeles.

Annual Volunteer Survey During the fall of each year we send all volunteers a request for their input on how well we are doing. We use Survey Monkey which is free or low cost depending on how often you use it and the extent of your surveys. Anyone who rates any question as Disagree or Strongly Disagree receives a call to explore and address their experience.

Annual Volunteer Appreciation PartyOnce a year we host a thank you party for all of our volunteers and their families. We have a band that plays for free, serve either lunch or snacks (depending on the time of day) and drinks. Every volunteer goes home with a small thank you gift that is tied to Ceres’ work. We usually have three beautiful raffle baskets – two for adults and one for teens – that the Volunteer Committee solicits. Every volunteer gets a raffle ticket when they check in. At some point during the festivities we thank the volunteers and share the difference they are making. We acknowledge each volunteer “team” or job area and have all volun-teers who work in that area stand to receive appreciative applause. The board and staff host this event and part of our job is to meet, get to know, and personally thank the volunteers.

Holiday Cards - We create a special Holiday Card that is sent to all volunteers, Leadership Level Donors, and in-kind commu-nity partners. This card is sent out the week of Thanksgiving. The card has a simple message on the inside and is signed by all the key staff who work with each volunteer.

Enrichment Evenings – About three times each year the Vol-unteer Manager hosts Enrichment Evenings for volunteers. The goals are for volunteers to meet one another, to be appreciated for what they do, and to learn more about the programs and the difference they are making. A client (or two) and a teen are invited to each Enrichment Evening to share their experience as a participant in the program.

All volunteers are celebrated with a personalized birthday email.


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Volunteer Data TrackingWe strongly encourage you to track the participation of your adult volunteers so that you can fully value your program and show funders how your program is supported by the community. In the beginning, this may just mean tracking the number of adult volunteers that you have and the hours they are donating. As your program develops, you can add more detail to your tracking such as tracking adult volunteer hours by job or by whether they are helping directly in a program area (e.g., Adult Kitchen Mentor), with fundraising, or adminis-tration (such as bookkeeping).

At Ceres we now track volunteer hours by job, by program or department (i.e. education, meal program, fundraising, administration, etc.), and by whether or not the volunteer is volunteering in an area in which they have specialized professional training.

The time that these “professionals” volunteer can be considered an in-kind contribution directly on your financial statements. Oth-er non-professional volunteer hours are not tracked in this same way, as in-kind contri-butions. The next section outlines this more detailed approach to tracking volunteer hours. We are sharing it here so that you can choose when or if to incorporate it.

“Professional” VolunteersAnyone who has “specialized training” and is doing a volunteer job that directly uses that specialized training can be considered a Professional Volunteer. If possible, document the person’s specialized training through the paid work they do, their education and/or other certifications that they have. For example, a chef who works as a mentor in the kitchen is a Professional Volunteer. So is a master gardener that volunteers as a gardener or mentor gardener. Another good example is a Social Worker or Oncology Nurse who volunteers in your Client Program.

The value of the time that Professional Volunteers donate can be included directly on your financial statements as an in-kind contribution. Special reporting forms are used.

Each job being done by a Professional Volunteer needs a Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Code and wage rate associated with it. [See BLS Labor Rates for Professional Volunteer Jobs included at the end of this section.] You can put together your own chart of Pay Rates for your area by visiting http://www.bls.gov/bls/blswage.htm.

Track each Professional Volunteer’s time by month and by whether it is associated with direct program costs, or with an overhead area such as fundraising or administration. For example, we have a bookkeeping consultant who volunteers her time. Her hours are tracked as Administrative.

Non-Professional Volunteers

• Jobs that do not require any specialized training (such as food prep, food delivery, container sterilizing, and food pick-up). These jobs cannot be counted as Professional Volunteer time.

• You also cannot count volunteers doing potentially Professional Volunteer jobs unless that volunteer has “specialized training.”

• You still want to track these volunteer hours! You do not need to track them by per-son, but you do need to track them by job and whether or not they are associated with direct program costs or an overhead area such as fundraising or administration.


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We use the following method for valuing non-professional volunteer time: • Bureau of Labor Statistics mean average wage for the Santa Rosa/Petaluma

metropolitan area was $23.59 per hour. We add 15% benefits costs and get an average of $27.13 for non-professional adult volunteers.

• For teen volunteers we use the minimum wage ($15.00) and add 15% benefits costs for a total of $17.25 per hour.

• Non-professional volunteer hours cannot be included in your financial state-ments but the data helps to tell the true cost of your work and to show how the community supports your program. Our auditor creates a supplementary Profit & Loss statement that adds in the value of non-professional volunteer time. In 2020 this changed our Program/Overhead ratio from 71% Programs and 29% Overhead to 78% Programs and 22% Overhead.

Risk Management & Working with VolunteersAs you saw above, we ask all volunteers to sign a release of liability at the beginning of their service. We also require anyone driving on behalf of Ceres to provide a copy of their driver’s license and proof of insurance. All volunteers also complete a background check.

Please see the Risk Management and Insurance section of this Program Operations Manual for more information on volunteer background checks, liability insurance coverage, and other information related to Volunteer Program “Best Practices.”


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Immediate needs It can be really good to get a solid volunteer in some key positions to spread out the work and also move into dif-ferent networks of people. These are rewarding key roles that volunteers can hold:

• Client Coordinator – does intakes for new clients and coordinates volunteer Client Liaisons.

• Delivery Coordinator – maps out routes and coor-dinates delivery volunteers.

• Volunteer Coordinator – manages all the volunteers, on-boards them, data input, and makes sure volun-teers feel trained, supported and appreciated.

Other start-up needs• Delivery Angels: 2 - 4 to start

• Kitchen Mentors: 2 - 4 to start

• Adult Prep: 4 - 6 per week

• Admin help: 1 good person

How to Start - Volunteer Program

Recruitment• Your friends

• Rotary, church or other civic groups

• Local Volunteer Center

• Posters or announcements

• Tabling at farmer’s market

• Local senior center

Appreciation and Acknowledgement• Start early and often!

• Communicate regularly with them.

• Get the core team of volunteer coordinators together monthly to meet and connect.

10 Building a Communityof Support


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Building a Community of SupportFundraising Overview

Donation Acknowledgement Requirements

Communications Overview

Ceres Community Project is about cultivating community and heart-centered connection. These qualities are also the essence of fundraising. Ultimately fundraising is about creating long lasting, rewarding, and supportive relationships over time. Your donors are integral partners in your work. Because of their financial support you are able to make a difference for many people in your community.

There are many reasons why people give. In our experience, people give to support and participate in something they care deeply about. They are passionately motivated by the cause and can see the impact their partnership is making in the world. Giving money, the practice of generosity, is a profoundly positive act. Accepting resources graciously, using them wisely, and treating donors with care are essential elements of the Ceres Community Project culture.

Some Important Principles of Fundraising• People want to give

• People give to people; relationship and connection are essential

• You must ask directly, and ask for a specific amount

• Focus on your mission and the positive impact you AND the donor are making

• Tell stories to help donors connect emotionally with the difference they are making through your work

• Make it easy to give—cash, check, and credit cards (including the ability to donate directly on your website)

• Donors are your partners—develop long-term, solid, and mutually respectful relationships

• Always thank your donors promptly and personally (within three days);

• Be a good manager, keep impeccable records, and use resources wisely

• Keep your donors informed of your progress and engaged in your mission

• Thank them and show them the difference they are making before you ask again

Sample Donation Acknowledgement Letter (references two different donation types: 1) Cash contribution 2) Auction Item purchase)Sample In-Kind Donation Receipt


Where Donations Come FromOne of the most serious misconceptions about fundraising is that the bulk of money given to nonprofits comes from foundations and corporations. Individual donors account for nearly 75% of all the money given to nonprofits! Here are a few interesting facts to consider:

• About seven out of ten adults in the U.S give money

• Middle and lower income donors are responsible for a sizable percentage of the money given—from 50 to 80 percent – and are the majority of givers

• Most of these donors give out of their annual earned income

• Most people who donate to nonprofits give to between 5-15 different groups

• Approximately 80% of individual gifts come will come from 20% of your donor base

• 97% of millionaires give money

• Most wealthy donors give from their assets


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The Most Effective Fundraising OptionsIndividual gifts, foundation funding, and corporate sponsorship are the three primary sources of a robust fundraising program. However, as mentioned above, individual gifts are the most important and long lasting source of support for the majority of nonprofits. And, an individual gift program is relatively easy to establish.

Below are the basic steps for creating a start-up fundraising program focused on individual gifts. Getting started is a great place to be in the process because you have the opportunity to do your fundraising the right way from the very beginning.

Develop a PlanStart by getting a good understanding of your financial need. It is important to develop a basic budget and strategic plan that includes fundraising and communications as integral components. Donors and potential donors want to know the impact that their gift will make. It’s important for you to be able to say, “Your gift of x will help us do y & z.”

Establish an Internal Culture of PhilanthropyEach of your core founding members should also be financial supporters. It’s much easier to ask others to donate money if you have given as well. It’s important to establish a culture of giving among all who work in the program. From there, you can reach out to your network of friends and acquaintances and their networks too!

The Fundraising CycleThe basic fundraising cycle is outlined here. We’ll go into more detail later.

1. Identify Prospects Begin by identifying potential donors and determine the best ways to reach out to them.

2. Cultivate Relationships This is an essential process of connection and outreach. You cultivate a meaningful partnership between you, your organization, and the prospective donor. This is an authentic process that naturally leads to asking for collaboration in the form a financial gift.

3. Ask The art of asking for the right amount at the right time.

4. Steward Good stewardship is the process of thanking, informing, and deepening the relationship with a donor.

Some Important Things to ConsiderPeople give at the level where their passion meets their ability to give. You cannot change the amount of money a person has available to give but you can take steps to bring them in closer and closer as partners in your cause.

Donor cultivation and stewardship is a long-term and on-going process that focuses mostly on growing closer, some on thanking and reporting information to the individual, and only occasionally asking for a gift. The primary objective is building a relationship. But first you must identify your prospects!

Identify Prospective DonorsA prospective donor is:

• Someone you know personally or someone that someone close to you knows personally ( i.e. your network of family and friends and their networks)

• Someone who has the capacity to give

• Someone with a history of giving

Someone with all three of these qualities is a priority prospect and should be the focus of your initial fundraising efforts.

Other good prospects include all the people who want more information and engagement with what you are doing—this is your cultivation group. Think about what kind of information they need, the best way to deliver it to them, and how to weave

an invitation to support your efforts into the communication. It could be as simple as a letter, email, phone call, or meeting. It could also be a longer process of relationship building. It all depends on the individual. Your objective is to move them to your donor prospect list and ask them for a gift when the right time comes.

An important caveat: It is important to distinguish a true prospect list from a list of wealthy people that no one has a meaningful relationship with.

Create Appropriate Outreach StrategiesFor each of your donor prospects think about the best ways to reach out to them—a phone call, email, personal meeting, house party, etc. In our experience, a personal meeting is best.

Deciding how much you are going to ask from a prospective donor is a very nuanced process. It depends on factors such as their overall financial capacity and whether they have a demonstrated history of giving. The process does become easier based on the length of relationship and how deeply engaged they are with what you do. If you’re not sure how much to ask, keep the amount small but do not be afraid to ask for a specific amount.

Asking for a Donation• As a start up group, people are giving to an idea and to the people involved in making the

idea a reality. They will give for the same reasons that you are giving your time and money —they believe in you and what you’re doing because they have a personal connection with you and/ or the issue.

• Start with your priority prospects. Follow the strategy that you’ve come up with. Ask them to donate. It’s that simple! But a few additional tips will help.

• Asking in person is best. When arranging to meet, let the potential donor know your intention is to explore a partnering relationship with you through their financial support or other contribution.

• When you meet with your donors and/or potential donors, it’s important to communicate your passion about what you are doing. It is also essential to listen to them! What are their passions and values? How can you cultivate a mutually supportive connection between you?

• Talk about what you are doing and the impact that it is making. Discuss how your work aligns with your potential donor’s interests and values. Be prepared to answer specific questions about your finances, budget, and programs.

• Ask, “Would you consider making a gift of x?”

• Always wait and let the donor respond first.

• If they say yes, of course you reply with an enthusiastic “Thank you!”

If they say that they can’t give the amount you requested, don’t worry. People are usually quite honored to even be asked. If they say no, you can always ask them for less.

Not everyone will give or give what you expect and that’s ok. Just because they don’t give now doesn’t mean they won’t give in the future. Perhaps they will speak positively of you and your work to others who might then seek you out as a worthy place to give.

Remember this is about cultivating relationships and connection. It’s helpful to stay heart-centered and trust the process.


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Stewardship – Thankfulness and Maintaining ConnectionThanking your donors promptly is one of the most important things that you can do to help build lasting relationships. Lack of acknowledgement and asking for donations too frequently are the primary reasons that donors stop giving.

Sending a thank you within three days is ideal, definitely within a week. If it is a large gift or first-time gift, call and thank the donor personally.

A good thank you letter is an opportunity to express appreciation and also let donors know the impact their gift is making. Telling stories, sharing a success, informing about progress, and engaging opportunity for more involvement are what it’s all about.

Keep in regular touch with your donors through email or print newsletters. One of the best and easiest ways to stay in touch is simply to pick up the phone and call with some exciting news or an update about the impact the donor’s gift has made.

Of course you’ll want to bring your donors and potential donors in to see what you are doing first hand. They can meet the teens, volunteers, and clients (if they are willing). Let them directly and personally experience your program and the people and activities involved.

You want to have at least several thoughtful “touches” or contacts with a donor before even considering asking for another donation. As we mentioned earlier, donor cultivation and stewardship is a long-term and on-going process that builds strong mutually supportive relationships. A well thought out fundraising plan will be fully integrated into your program and a natural expression of the community connections you are building.

Fundraising Resources

BooksFundraising for Social Change by Kim Klein (Jossey-Bass: 6th edition, 2011).

Donor Centered Fundraising by Penelope Burk (Burk and Associates, LLC: 2003).

Principled Fundraising 101: A Workbook for Learning the Basic Facts about Fundraising by Nancy Neal Free pdf version is available at: https://augmentdirect.com/free_resources.html

Websites and BlogsThe Association of Fundraising Professionalshttps://afpglobal.org/

Network for Good https://www.networkforgood.com/resources/

Candid Blog. News and tips from the nonprofit sector.https://blog.candid.org/search/

Nonprofit Marketing Guide https://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/


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COMMUNITY PROJECT

Thank You!

We create health for people, communities and the planet through love, healing food,

and empowering the next generation.

CeresProject.org

Program Sites: Novato • Santa Rosa • SebastopolPO Box 1562 • Sebastopol CA 95473 • 707.829.5833

[email protected] • Tax ID 26 2250997

Donation Acknowledgement RequirementsPlease be aware that these rules change periodically. For complete guidelines and the most up-to-date information, refer to IRS publication 529 (http://www.irs.gov/Forms-&- Pubs).

IRS requirements for acknowledgements/receipts for cash contributions:

• Smaller contributions (under $250) may be substantiated through a variety of methods including: bank statements, payroll deduction records, or acknowledgement letters/receipts.

• In order for your donor to use a letter from you as substantiation for their deduction, it must include: the name of the organization, the date of the contribution, and the amount of the contribution. It is also standard practice to include your tax ID number and a statement that no goods or services were received in exchange for the donation, if applicable.

• IRS requires donors to show a written acknowledgement of any single gift of $250 or more in order to claim a deduction for that gift. Of course, it is good practice to acknowledge all donations!

• An acknowledgment that you send to a donor for a single cash gift of $250 or more must meet these tests:

1. It must be written.

2. It must include: a The amount of cash contributed, b Whether the qualified organization gave the donor any goods or services as a result of their contribution (other than certain token items and membership benefits), c. A description and good faith estimate of the value of any goods or services described in (b) above, such as a value of a dinner served at an event for which they purchased a ticket.3. Your donor must receive the letter on or before the earlier of: a The date he/she files his/her tax return for the year he/she made the contribution, or b The due date, including extensions, for filing the return

Ceres donors receive handwritten Thank You cards acknowledging their gifts.


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Special rules for donations which include a benefit to the donor:

• Donors who receive a benefit as a result of making a contribution to a qualified organization can deduct only the amount of the contribution that is more than the value of the benefit received.

• Example 1. You pay $65 for a ticket to a dinner dance at a church. Your entire $65 payment goes to the church. The ticket to the dinner dance has a fair market value of $25. When you buy your ticket, you know its value is less than your payment. To figure the amount of your charitable contribution, subtract the value of the benefit you receive ($25) from your total payment ($65). You can deduct $40 as a charitable contribution to the church.

• Example 2. At a fundraising auction conducted by a charity, you pay $600 for a week’s stay at a beach house. The amount you pay is no more than the fair rental value. You have not made a deductible charitable contribution.

• An organization generally must give the donor a written statement if it receives a payment that is more than $75 and is partly a contribution and partly for goods or services.

One cannot deduct as a charitable contribution amounts paid to buy raffle or lottery tickets or to play bingo or other games of chance.

Donations of cash received from donor-advised funds are not tax-deductible because the donor received the tax benefit at the time that they contributed the money to the fund. Your acknowledgement letter should reflect this. Typically, the letters accompanying such contributions will include a reminder of this.

VolunteersVolunteers may not deduct the value of their time or services, but may be able to deduct certain unreimbursed expenses associated with volunteering. For example, the actual cost of gas and oil for deliveries made by a Delivery Angel. Direct your volunteers to IRS publication 526 for details.

In-Kind DonationsFor any noncash (in-kind) contribution a donor makes, he/she must get and keep a receipt from the charitable organization showing:

1. The name of the charitable organization,

2. The date and location of the charitable contribution, and

3. A reasonably detailed description of the property.

There are additional requirements for in-kind gifts of between $250 and $499; $500 - $4,999 and for gifts over $5,000. See IRS publication 529 for details. A letter or other written communication from the charitable organization acknowledging receipt of the contribution and containing the information in (1), (2), and (3) will serve as a receipt.

Refer all in-kind donors to IRS publications 526 and 561 for instructions on determining the fair market value of donations they make to you. Note: this responsibility rests with the donor, not the organization receiving the donation. Refer to pages 19-20 of IRS Publication 526 for more information.

See IRS publication 526, page 12 for information on how to properly acknowledge donations of food inventory from businesses. For your reference, we’ve included two sample documents at the end of this section.


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Communications OverviewThe key to building a strong community of support for your work is keeping everyone informed, engaged, and inspired. That is why, in essence, communications and fundraising can be considered as two parts of one system.

Your communications plan needs to reach many different kinds of people and you’ll want to include a variety of methods for reaching them. Every form of communication gives you a chance to share your story with your community and help keep them connected and engaged. Your audience may include:

• Donors

• Volunteers (both Teens and Adults)

• Clients

• Teens’ parents

• Medical professionals, health practitioners, and other referral sources

• The general community—this includes people interested in your work, but not yet directly involved (i.e. potential donors, volunteers, clients, etc.)

There are some basic principles that can enhance the effectiveness and power of your message. As you develop the specific communications that are appropriate for your program, keep these ideas in mind:

• Develop a consistent voice, look and feel to your various communications (this becomes your brand)

• Let your work speak for itself: use testimonials from clients, teens and others impacted by your work

• Use photos and video to make your message come alive

• Use language that makes people feel a part of your work and success. Thank them for their contributions and talk about “the difference you are making” and “the work we are doing together” to help our community

• Engage people by sharing stories, recipes, photos, nutrition tips, and milestones, as well as inviting them to get involved by attending events, donating, volunteering, etc.

• Ask people to share your e-newsletters, social media posts, brochures and flyers with others

• Ask for feedback: what would people like to hear or see more of?

No single communication method will reach everyone, so make sure your plan involves multiple methods, including:

• Website

• Regular E-newsletters (monthly or quarterly to start)

• Social Media posts (several a week if you can)

• Print materials such as brochures, newsletters, annual reports, donation appeals, thank you letters, etc.

• At least one annual mailed community – most likely an annual fundraising appeal during the holiday season


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Website

Despite the growth of social media, most experts agree that a visually appealing and easy to navigate website is the core of your digital communications strategy. You don’t need to have the ultimate website to get started. Seek to cover the basics, knowing that you can add more as you go. When getting started, you’ll want to make sure that your website includes:

• A simple and clear statement about what you do, the need it fills, and the impact it has in your community

• How people can help – as donors, volunteers, in-kind contributors

• Easy to find “Donate” button on each page linked to a service provider who can process your online donations

• Abundant photos (and eventually, video) to visually present the impact of your work

• Statement of who you serve (clients and teens) and information on how to get started as a client or teen volunteer

• Your contact information including a mailing address for donations, phone contact and email contact; make sure your Fed Tax ID # is easy to find

• A way to sign up for your mail/email list

• Links to stories about your program in the media, your current newsletter, annual report and other publications

• Bios of staff, advisors and/or Board members

• Calendar or other way to list upcoming events

• Google Analytics or another service that allows you to review traffic sources and page hits

• Ceres Affiliate Partner Branding


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E-NewsletterAsk people to join your email list and send them regular updates on your work. A monthly or bimonthly e-newsletter can be a great tool for this. There are a number of services that can help you manage a growing email list and provide newsletter templates and formatting options. These include Constant Contact, Mail Chimp, Campaigner, and many others.

Some of these services offer local classes on best practices for email marketing in addition to the information they provide on their websites.

Use your newsletters to share breaking stories, milestones (“Our teen chefs just prepared our 1,000th meal!”), upcoming events, and useful content such as a recipe or link to a relevant article on nutrition. Always include photos or video. You can increase the reach of your emails by including forwarding and social media sharing buttons. Always include a “Donate” button that links to your online donation page.

We occasionally send a special “e-blast” to share some really exciting news, such as a television news story, but we try to not to bombard people with too many messages. Make sure your messages are not all focused on asking people to do things for you (i.e. attend upcoming events, donate, etc.). Balance these invitations with lots of inspiring content that reminds people of your important work and the difference they are making by being involved.

You can review the analytics on your various emails to determine what types of emails and information people respond to best.

Social Media Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are great for sharing up to the moment news and for making calls to action. There is a plethora of information out there on the art of crafting posts for social media. Here are a few guidelines we can share from our experience:

• Photos greatly increase the number of people your post will reach

• Keep posts short and to the point

• Use social media to converse with your supporters (Remember this includes listening and receiving comments and feedback too.)

• Make a commitment to posting on a regular basis. Don’t start a page and then let it languish for months between posts; post at least 2 or 3 times per week

• Social media is great for building relationships and giving visibility to businesses and organizations that support you. (For example, “We just received a great donation of this (photo) beautiful fresh kale from @First Light Farms. Help us thank them! They’ll be at the farmers’ market tomorrow.”)

Ceres social media “avatar” —a version of the logo developed specifically for small screens.


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Print CommunicationsAs ubiquitous as the web has become, we still feel there’s a valuable place for print communications. Print allows you to put something in a supporter’s hands where they can engage with it more thoughtfully than they might on the web.

We currently use four main types of print communications:

• Acknowledgement Letters

• Newsletters

• End-of-Year Appeal

• Annual Report

One of the first and most frequent forms of print you’ll use will be your Acknowledgement Letters to donors. Remember to keep these fresh and to use them to thank donors and share with them the impact their gift will have. We update all of our acknowledgement letters on a quarterly basis. (A sample donation acknowledgement letter, discussed in the section on fundraising, is included at the end of this section.)

We send three printed Newsletters and an End-of-Year Appeal each year. If you’re going to do large mailings like this, it will likely make sense to use a direct mail service once your list gets big enough. Doing so allows you to use greatly discounted bulk nonprofit postage rates.

Our printed newsletters are six pages and they always include a donation envelope. We find that the donations we receive usually cover most of the cost of these mailings. (A sample newsletter is included at the end of this section.) Make sure the lead story in your newsletter helps your supporters understand the difference they are making by being involved in your project. Include real stories of the clients and teens whose lives you are touching, with photographs that bring the stories alive. Your newsletter is also a great place to highlight important sponsors. We often include a feature about a corporate partner.

Most of the individual giving each year is concentrated during the last six weeks – and especially the final week and last few days of the year. This is the time to pull out all the stops and create a coordinated End-of-Year Appeal Campaign.

A successful campaign excites people about the important work they are helping you do, and provides a clear and simple call to action with a reason why their support now is so important. A successful campaign will engage all your communication channels – your website, social media, E-newsletter, and usually a mailed newsletter. Here’s an overview of our End-of-Year Appeal Campaign:

• Last mailed newsletter arrives in people’s mailboxes at the end of October – with lots of photos and strong stories of the difference their support is making. It includes a short article on our End-of-Year Appeal Campaign and alerts them that an important letter is coming in the next few weeks. The reply envelope focuses on the campaign.

• Appeal Letter arrives in mail boxes after Thanksgiving; includes a separate reply form and envelope. It includes photo(s) and testimonials from a client and often a teen.

• Website home page focuses on the End-Of-Year Appeal Campaign with special “Donate” button and links to campaign page for more details. If we’ve set a campaign goal we track it on the home page.

• E-Newsletter reminds people about the campaign and its importance. Gives them a “Donate” button.

• We follow this with a series of six or so emails – a week to ten days apart in the beginning and then getting closer together leading to the final week of the year. Each email is short, reminds them about the impact of our work, and includes a “Donate” button. This past year, each email featured a video interview with a client, teen or donor. Key dates for email follow up are December 30 and 31!


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A letter to your supporters can kick off your campaign, sharing the results and impact of your work and inviting them to support you for the coming year. Write personally and from your heart, and remember to lead with “you” and not “I.” This is another great place to feature stories and testimonials. Let people know what you’ll be able to accomplish with their donation. (For example, “$160 provides meals for a family of four for two weeks.”) Be sure to thank them multiple times for the ways in which they supported the successes you’re reporting on.

While preparing an Annual Report is not mandatory, it is a terrific opportunity to capture your growing impact and showcase your work for current and prospective supporters. We created our first Annual Report in early 2009 for the 2008 year, about two years after launching the project. We use our Annual Report as a key marketing document throughout the year and as a “thank you” to key supporters when it is first released.

An Annual Report can be as simple as a one or two page document that you email to your community, or as fancy as a 10 - 12 page printed full color brochure. Think of an Annual Report as a snapshot of your accomplishments for the previous year and a way to demonstrate your project’s growth and impact.

A simple way to get ideas for your Annual Report is to look at those created by other groups whose work you respect. There are lots of resources on the web. Here are a few good ones to get you started:

• Nonprofit’s Marketing Guide’s Annual Reports http://nonprofitannualreports.wikispaces.com

• Network for Good’s article: https://www.networkforgood.com/resource/top-5-questions-about- nonprofit-annual-reports/

• Candid blog https://learning.candid.org/resources/knowledge-base/annual-reports/

Evaluating Your Results

• Every organization and community of supporters is unique. No one can tell you ahead of time what will work and what won’t. The only way to learn is to test various options and then track what works.

• Every time you do a campaign, send a newsletter, mail an appeal, change your website, or post on Facebook, track and record what happens. How many likes did you get? How many people commented? How did the traffic on your website change? How many people used the “Donate” button? What was the cost of the mailing and what was the response? When you are tracking response rate include: the number and percentage of donors who responded (“response rate”); the total donations and average donation size; and the net income from the mailing (donations minus costs).

Resources

• How to Write Successful Fund-Raising Letters by Mal Warwick. Mal is a well respected national consultant. Also see his website,

malwarwick.com and subscribe to his blog.

• Kivi’s Nonprofit Communications Blog https://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/blog/

• Beth’s Blog https://bethkanter.org/beths-blog/

• The Storytelling Nonprofit https://www.thestorytellingnonprofit.com/blog/

11 Insurance & Risk Management


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Insurance and Risk Management Overview

This section of the Program Operations Manual provides an informational overview regarding insurance and other risk management issues, as well as some basic human resource considerations regarding employees/paid staff.

Nonprofit InsuranceIn this section, we will cover two general insurance categories:

1) Property and Casualty and

2) Health and Life Insurance.

Important Note and Disclaimer: This section on insurance and risk management is intended as an educational resource. The information provided herein is not to be taken as specific legal instruction, advice, or recommendation regarding employment law, risk management, insurance policies, or liability coverage. Please consult relevant insurance and human resource professionals in your state before making any decisions about these important program issues.


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Property and Casualty InsuranceThere are many types of insurance coverage. Below is an over-view with some information about when you would want to consider each type. For more detailed information please refer to the following webpage https://www.niac.org/Nonprofit- Insur-ance-List-Of-Coverages.cfm.

Costs are specific to your state, budget, and program particu-lars. Please contact an insurance broker in your local area who is familiar with nonprofit risk management and can help you assess your specific needs.

Ceres currently carries the following types of Property and Casualty insurance:

• Commercial General Liability – Core coverage for a nonprofit. This insurance is for bodily injury or property damage to a third party. Recommendation: $1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 general aggregate

• Improper Sexual Conduct Liability – Recommendation: $1,000,000 per occurrence and aggregate. The intent of this coverage is to respond to allegations of sexual abuse. This should not be confused with sexual harassment, which is more appropriately insured under a Directors and Officers policy. Any organization that provides services to youth, developmentally disabled of any age, those suffering from illness, or senior citizens should consider this type of insurance. Many organizations are required by state and local laws to perform the background checks required for this coverage.

• *Ceres currently uses Intellicorp Records, Inc. to perform our background checks at a cost of $9.95 per person. This fee combines checks for criminal and sex offender data in 50 states. We run background checks on Mentor Chefs and Gardeners, Client Liaisons, and any other staff and volunteers working directly with teens and clients. We also run driving records on staff and volunteers doing driving-related business on behalf of Ceres. We have a ‘commercial requester account’ with our state’s Department of Motor Vehicles. http://www.intellicorp.net/marketing/home.aspx

• Umbrella Liability – Provides higher liability limits on one or more liability coverages. Recommendation: $1,000,000 per occurrence and aggregate. Extend over General Liability, Auto Liability, and Directors and Officers Liability coverage.

• Automobile Liability/Non-Owned & Hired Auto Liability – Insurance for owned and non-owned autos; volunteers picking up produce for your kitchen, etc. Recommendation: $1,000,000 per occurrence (there is no aggregate coverage)

• Directors and Officers Liability – Insures decisions made by the Board and employment practices liability. Recommendation: $1,000,000 per occurence and aggregrate.

• Professional Liability – Insures professionally credentialed health care staff such as your registered dietitian nutritionist against claims of improper care/advice; if you are contracting with a health care provider they will generally require this

• Property Insurance – Insures your property for damage (fire and theft). Should be based on the replacement cost of real and personal property.


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Health and Life InsuranceHealth and Life insurance policies include group medical plans for employees. Supplemental Accident Insurance pays medical bills on an excess basis. If an injured

person has health insurance, their medical coverage would be primary and the NIAC Supplemental Accident Insurance coverage would be “excess” above that. If the person has no insurance, the Supplemental Accident Insurance policy becomes the primary coverage.

Nonprofit Insurance Information, Assistance and ResourcesAt Ceres we are insured through a nonprofit, Nonprofits’ Insurance Alliance Group. Our broker, Tony Schmoll, is willing to talk with you directly about your insurance needs.His contact information is:

Tony Schmoll, North Bay Insurance Brokers, Inc., [email protected](707) 996-6738 x16

If you are not in California, you may be able to get coverage from Alliance of Nonprofits for Insurance (ANI). You can check the following website to see if your state is covered by ANI: https://www.ani-rrg.org/Nonprofit-Insurance-States-ANI-Writes-Coverage.cfm

• Automobile Liability/Non-Owned & Hired Auto Liability – Insurance for owned and non-owned autos; volunteers picking up produce for your kitchen, etc. Recommendation: $1,000,000 per occurrence (there is no aggregate coverage)

• Cyber Liability – Insures liability arising out of internet activities such as breaches of private personal, financial, and medical information via internet or computer technologies.

• Dishonesty Insurance – In case an employee or volunteer steals money or property. Recommendation: 10% of funds in the bank

• Workers’ Compensation – Provides wage replacement and medical benefits to paid staff injured in the course of their employment. This coverage is mandatory in California for all paid staff. Fees are based on the job type and your payroll. Kitchen and garden staff have the highest costs due to knife handling, garden tools, and physical labor.

• Employee Benefits Liability – Provides coverage for mishandling of an employee benefit such as health insurance. This coverage will be included in your commercial general liability, if you elect to carry it.

Risk ManagementRisk management is an important discipline that can help you understand the risks you face, modify your behavior accordingly, and prepare your nonprofit to thrive in an uncertain future. Risk management doesn’t offer a crystal ball but it does promise greater awareness of circumstances and events that could detract from your mission, and offers practical coping tools and strategies.

There are many issues that could be included in a risk management assessment. Some of these include: holding safety trainings and events, ByLaw checklists, working safely with volunteers, strategic planning, funding issues, contracts, and more.

There are many resources available to help you think and learn about these issues. Some of the ones we have found most useful include:• NIAC - (www.niac.org) NIAC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit

whose mission is to be a stable source of reasonably priced liability insurance coverage tailored to the specialized needs of the nonprofit sector and to assist these organizations with the development and implementation of effective loss control and risk management programs.

• Blue Avocado - (http://www.blueavocado.org) Blue Avocado publishes an online newsletter and provides “practical, provocative, and fun food-for- thought for nonprofits.”

• Nonprofit Risk Management Center - (https://www.nonprofitrisk.org) NRMC answers questions and provides solutions regarding risk issues for nonprofits.

Staffing and Human ResourcesIf you have employees, you will need to comply with all relevant labor laws in your state. Ideally, you will also develop an Employee Handbook. You may want to ask several local human resources professionals to help you learn about labor laws in your state and put together some basic employee policies for your staff. They can also help you developa thoughtful and effective hiring and onboarding process. NIAC also offers assistance to member-insureds with employee related consultation such as employee handbook review, employment practices, and discharges.

An Employee Handbook covers things such as:

• Compensation and benefits policies

• Paid holidays

• Paid time off or other policies regarding vacations

• Policies and procedures for leaves of absence

• Terms of Employment (i.e. 3-month introductory period before additional benefits such as health coverage become available)

• Workers’ Compensation

Ceres Community ProjectCeresproject.org | PO Box 1562, Sebastopol, CA 95473 | 707 • 829 • 5833 | [email protected]

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Healing Meals for Healthy Communities

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