| The Purchase of Goods & Supplies for PEP Services - 2023 |
Amount Funded: $5,000.00 |
| The implementation of the funds will be used to purchase personal essential products for PEP customers. The products include: diapers, feminine hygiene products, body wash/soap, tooth care products, hand sanitizer, COVID masks, Q-Tips, cotton balls, nail files, kleenex, toilet paper, razors, shaving cream, combs, body lotion, laundry soap, lip balm, dishwashing & laundry soap, household cleaner, incontinence products, & paper towels. These products are calculated to serve a household for 30 days. To supplement this, PEP provides each customer with a $20 voucher for getting personal essential items at Stoughton Pick N Save grocery store.
In the fall, PEP volunteers also send out letters to ask for monetary donations from area businesses, organizations, churches, and private residents. Also, various organizations may wish to have a PEP donation drive for gathering personal essential items.
An ongoing activity has been to supply each public school in Stoughton with a bin of personal essential products from PEP for students in need. We coordinate this arrangement with the social worker from each school for disbursement to those students. Cummins Emission Solutions/Armus also generously adds Lice Kits to each schools bin for helping those in need with this treatment.
We believe these personal essential products continue to keep community members of all ages with products, consistently available, that are necessary to uphold a quality of life for health, well being, and care. |
| The funds requested will help purchase and cover costs of products disseminated to PEP customers who are in need of personal essential products. Since COVID, goods and services for personal essential items have increased in price and also the customer volume of PEP has highly increased. Therefore, the budget has shown a need for increasing the funds for operation and delivery. Every month, PEP spends close to $800 for the purchase of essential items needed for disbursement. When PEP is open on the 1st & 3rd Thursday of each month from 1-5 p.m., PEP serves 25 households each time for distribution, which is the maximum amount for available slots. A household in need could be comprised of a large or small family size. Emergency bags are provided for those that are in need and may need to wait for an appointment at a later date.
All volunteers include: 2 answering the PEP phone to take orders from customers & to make appointments for distribution. 6 volunteers are needed 2 times per month for distribution to PEP customers - 2 at the computer & 4 bagging items to disseminate. Donations from the public are also brought to the PEP site during the distribution times. 4 volunteers shop online & in local stores for securing the PEP products each month to access. Our treasurer records our expenses and donations each month. Volunteers also provide tasks to update the website, circulate flyers, FB posts, grant writing, cleaning the pantry, & public speaking. PEP has helped to coordinate efforts of 18 staff employed by Cummins Emission Solutions/Armus for 4 hours to pre bag some PEP products for later distributing to customers. This plan will happen on September 28th as it did in June, 2023. |
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