"We could not operate without our volunteers," says Karen Griffith of Bristol, The East Bay Food Pantry's Director of Programs and Operations. One of EBFP's 5 part-time employees and initially a volunteer herself, Griffith has been with the organization since it was founded eight years ago this month.

Working closely with Executive Director Nicki Tyska, who has been on the job for about a year following her service as a member of the board, Griffith oversees a wide range of programs for the EBFP. Central to the group's mission, of course, is distributing food to those in need (any resident of the East Bay or Aquidneck Island with a stated need is welcome to come on board as a client.) Food sources include the Rhode Island Food Bank, local food drives, and 7 community farms throughout the area.

The food distributed by EBFP must follow the parameters of their Access Nutrition Initiative — 90 percent of it must qualify as healthy: fresh milk and produce, quality protein, and whole grain breads. The remaining 10 percent is things like white pasta, non-whole grain cereals — foods that can be part of a healthy diet as long as they are a minor part.

EBFP's good works do not end with the pantry itself. There's much more to what they do, and both access and empowerment are at the core of their efforts. Access comes in the form of programs like Food For Kids, which attempts to close the gap left when vacations and weekends reduce access to quality foods for kids who depend on school lunch programs to keep their stomachs full. A senior program which distributes a box of food every month for eligible seniors has doubled in the 18 months it has been around. And a new program — the mobile pantry — delivers food to homebound clients. It has recently launched with a handful of clients whose particular challenges were brought to the attention of EBFP staff by outside social service agencies.

Empowerment of their clients is particularly important to Tyska, Griffith, and all the EBFP staff and volunteers. Fresh food Friday is a program which has doubled in size in the past year. As its name implies, good quality produce is the order of the day, and within parameters (based on your family size) shopping is client choice. If Tyska's enthusiasm is any indication, the staff seems to enjoy the concept as much as the clients.

"It looks like a farmers market in here!" said Tyska of Fridays at the Pantry.

EBFP's focus on empowering clients is perhaps nowhere more evident than at Christmas, when the staff discovered that a small tweak to the traditional toy drive made a dramatic difference. "Christmas for kids used to an adopt-a-family program," said Tyska. "It was nice, and the donors liked the format, but we wanted our clients to have the opportunity to choose their children's Christmas presents." It was a tremendous success. Donations poured in, some volunteers helped clients shop, while others manned a wrapping station.

"The volunteers loved it," said Griffith. "It was a real testament to our community."

All this good is funded on the efforts of these same volunteers (the more the merrier!), as well as income from their thrift shop, individual donations, and grants. "We apply for everything we can," said Griffith.

Their success has led to significant recognition from the Rhode Island Food Bank, earning EBFP honors for best practices for 4 years in a row and recently, for the 2nd consecutive year, a "Best of the Best" award, out of the 160 food pantries in the RI Food Bank's network. Most importantly, EBFP just became a "network champion" agency — an honor that comes with a key perk. Recognizing their success and efficiency, the RI Food Bank will now sell food to the EBFP for 5 cents a pound — half the going rate. This means that the EBFP can buy an impressive amount of food for their dollar.

"It sounds strange to say this, because we are delighted to get donations of any kind," said Tyska. "But if you were planning to spend a certain dollar amount on food to donate to us, it's more efficient to give us the cash and let us take advantage of this buying power we have been given."

Moving forward, Tyska and Griffith have their eyes on facility upgrades including more freezer space and a van to allow them to collect donations and continue to explained their reach. Getting more "out there" into the community to meet the existing need, expanding the food pantry and establishing a more predictable source of charitable donations are all on the radar.

The highlight of the EBFP's annual fundraising effort is just around the corner, and it's a great end-of-summer party to boot. "Uncorked!" will be held on Saturday, September 9 from 6 to 9:30 p.m. It features dinner, music, and a silent and live auction, and will be held at the new Bristol Maritime Center (The Armory) on Thames Street. Tickets are $75 each and can be purchased at eastbayfoodpantry.org.

All proceeds will go to support EBFP programs, but the success of the event won't let the staff and volunteers put their feet up for long. By the time the dust settles it will be time to gear up for holiday basket distribution, and then Christmas and all that entails.

"Every month is a new challenge; a new mountain to climb," said Tyska, with the cheerful resignation of someone who is enjoying seeing hard work pay dividends. With solid leadership and commitment to access and empowerment — not to mention their army of dedicated volunteers — it's clear EBFP is up the the task.