Volunteers share their unique talents with Second Harvest Heartland by completing a wide variety of pro bono work. Here are examples of three projects which got underway at Second Harvest Heartland this summer.
Photo: The Boston Consulting Group team in our Volunteer Center
Optimizing Collaboration with Food Bank Partners
Ariel Tauer from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) led a 4-person team who worked with Second Harvest Heartland's executives to find ways to optimize operations across its network and beyond. Ariel said, "It was a fun challenge for us to solve problems in a new environment for stakeholders in the non-profit space."
With COVID relief ending, the current inflationary environment, and supply chain complexities, both food insecurity and the cost of helping those in need are rising. Recommendations from BCG's research included pooling purchases, increasing in-house trucking, optimizing food distribution routes, streamlining warehouse operations, and making improvements with agency partnerships.
The project spanned the cluster of Feeding America food banks in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Dakotas. Executive directors from several food banks met to share ideas and best practices. This project may be a first step for more collaboration across the nationwide Feeding America network.
BCG has a decade-long relationship with Second Harvest Heartland and donated almost 500 hours of their time on this project. "It was worth it, every hour," said Ariel. "I'm impressed by Second Harvest Heartland's willingness and ability to run with the recommendations and insights we provided. They are an incredible team."
Photo: Pro bono volunteer Will Elder does a food repack shift with his company
Making Connections to End Child Hunger
Will Elder, a strategy and operations consultant, is helping the Child Hunger team achieve their goals. Will learned about pro bono opportunities at Second Harvest Heartland while volunteering on a food packing shift. By October, he will complete a strategic playbook to help the team categorize and connect school districts with agency partners to ensure the continuation of services. "It's been nice working with JoAnna Lund from the Child Hunger team. She is passionate about what she does and has a vision for the future."
Will says, "It is a great place to volunteer. Second Harvest Heartland has opportunities for any interest, background, and specific skill. Volunteers understand their impact right off the bat."
Improving Employee Wellbeing
This project evolved after Jeff Harrison, a customer research consultant, contacted Second Harvest Heartland in response to a classified ad for a data analyst. Jeff found a place to use his unique talent helping Kelcie Litchfield and the employee wellbeing committee. He developed an employee survey to determine priorities for employee programming.
The survey will be given to all employees this fall to identify improvement areas which may cover anything from personal finances to mental health. Jeff will summarize the results of the survey, and the committee will prioritize programs to help employees improve their lives.
Jeff says, "If you don't see a volunteer opportunity that fits you, just ask. Second Harvest Heartland is great at matching volunteers with opportunities. It's nice to be able to use my skills where there is an obvious connection to making the world a better place."
If you want to share your unique talents with Second Harvest Heartland, a good place to start is by visiting Volunteer Central to find current volunteer opportunities. Interested in a pro bono opportunity but don't see any projects posted? Contact Kelly Mortvedt, Volunteer resource manager, at kmortvedt@2harvest.org
