WHO WE ARE

The Fueling Kids’ Futures model operates as a partnership between the Fueling Kids’ Futures Advisor, individuals, corporations, or organizations as the lead for their community, a School District, Kroger, corporations, and private citizens along with a Community Foundation of Greater Rochester as the fiscal oversight.

STEERING COMMITTEE

For each community, a Steering Committee is established to oversee the program. The makeup of the committee is concerned citizens, community leaders, school personnel, PTO members, and interested parents. The first responsibility of this committee is to oversee the program within their community. These responsibilities include inventorying the food for the bags monthly, obtaining and scheduling adult and student volunteers to pack the bags and overseeing the packing process. The chairperson of this committee is the liaison with the School District, Fueling Kid’s Futures Advisor, and the Fiscal Sponsor.

The second focus for the Steering Committee is to collaborate with the Advisor, the Fiscal Sponsor, and the community to ensure that this program has the necessary funding to continue each year.

PROGRAM COORDINATOR FOR CFGR PROGRAMS

The purpose of the FKF Advisor is to promote the program throughout the Michigan communities. The Advisor will interface with the Steering Committee established to run the program for your community. This will facilitate each program having access to information with other established programs within the State so that there is a sharing of ideas and solutions to concerns. The FKF Advisor will also develop partnerships with organizations and corporations who would like to support this program on a community level and the program as a whole.

SCHOOL DISTRICT

Without School District / School participation it would be exceedingly difficult to successfully run this program. The School District is already aware of which children are on the Federal Program for Free or Reduced Fee Lunch. Since these are the same children who would be helped by the Fueling Kids’ Futures Program, a partnership with the School District is essential. The schools also provide a safe and secure setting to distribute the bag of food. The School Districts are not asked to fund the program. We are asking each District to be a partner because they have access to the Board of Education, administrators, teachers and most importantly the children and their parents. We feel it is especially important that the confidentiality of the students and parents are maintained. Yes, there will a time spent by administration and the teachers for this project to be successful, but we feel we have developed the parameters to minimize the time required.

KROGER

Kroger Grocery Store has agreed to partner with this program using area stores to provide food supplies. When a program begins in a local community, if Kroger has a store in proximity they partner with the new community for program. Kroger has been instrumental in working with the FKF Advisor to develop a varied menu within the project budget.

FISCAL MANAGEMENT AND OVERSIGHT

Community Foundations are unique because they have the ability to raise endowed funds that are then invested and subsequently used toward grants to fund organizations, promote educational opportunities, assist with human services, and maintain a strong community. They are a perfect vehicle to partner with this program.

The Community Foundation of Greater Rochester is a publicly supported, 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax exempt charitable organization whose goal is to enrich the quality of life for our regional community. They provide fiscal management and oversight for the programs in Michigan. By partnering with the Foundation all monies raised for the local communities stays right here in Michigan for their programs.

Initially a Component Fund is established which pays for the monthly expenses for the program. An account is maintained for each community, so the funds raised for each community are accountable to the Steering Committee. All donations received are deposited into this account.

A stable long-term funding source is needed to fund this program. The Foundation’s recommendation is to develop and manage a designated endowment fund for each community as this funding source. This ensures that the funding will be in place for all future years.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

A strong, vibrant, and engaged community can accomplish so much. If each community member contributes a small amount, together, we can ensure thriving children and America’s future.

Without the help of Community Partners, the Fueling Kids’ Futures program would never be able to assist the children as it does. Support from corporations and community organizations is critical to the program’s success. If you, or someone you know, is interested in becoming a Fueling Kids Futures Partner, please contact us to learn about the benefits and learn how you or your company can make a difference.

We would like to thank the many Community Partners that have already stepped forward in support of the children. To view our Community Partners click here.