Daily Inspiration: Meet Adam And Jennifer Parker

Today we’d like to introduce you to Adam And Jennifer Parker

Hi Adam and Jennifer, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Tiny Pantry Times was born out of the need and fear permeating our world and more specifically our community during the height of the Covid pandemic in September of 2020. The empty shelves of grocery stores and supply chain issues, stoked our resolve to help our neighbors, families, and friends suffering from food insecurity. Tiny Pantry Times (TPT) started in our front yard, supplying 2,500 pounds of food and hygiene a month into the community. TPT has since blossomed into a not so tiny pantry that now resides in the front yard of Overland Park Christian Church supplying between 30 and 36,000 pounds monthly of food and hygiene into that same community. As the community need has grown, the service to meet that need has been growing right along with it.

The city of Overland Park was rightfully concerned with our ever increasing recipient base and started working with us to relocate in 2023. This was not an easy task since one of our core values was to refrain from asking any demographic information of those needing our help. Without that information, we often were disqualified for any federal grants or assistance from food banks such as Harvesters. The preservation of the dignity of our recipients, however, took precedence over dollars which translated into us operating without a revenue stream.
Then we started to turn a corner!

County Commissioner, Becky Fast provided us funds in 2022 and 2023 through a subgrant called the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. These funds were directed towards non-profits that were directly helping those impacted by Covid. These funds, provided annually, became the foundation of our food and hygiene stores. My husband, Adam, became the data guy submitting quarterly reports about food purchases, donations, and distributions based on Feeding America’s master database which stated that the average adult consumes 4 pounds of food per day. From that data, we were then able to extrapolate how our pantry was impacting those around us. The next step was to find a larger space. That’s when Pastor Laura Phillips with the Overland Park Christian Church entered the picture.

As the city continued to encourage us to relocate we continued to battle the lack of revenue monster that had plagued us since inception. Social media can be a powerful tool, so TPT started to share our issues about the need to move. Pastor Phillips saw a post stating that we had yet to find a landlord that would take cottage cheese as payment and jumped in to assist. Churches, in our communities, have been just as susceptible to the consequences of Covid as everyone else. Downsizing and remote engagement have been the topics of the day. Overland Park Christian Church (OPCC) was no exception to this movement. Having made a decision to move from a congregation oriented to a community center oriented facility years earlier, created an environment where the joining of the church with the pantry seemed to be serendipitous. Now, TPT had the space to grow, add volunteers, and continue to expand our service.

Knowing that the grant money would not last and we would be hard pressed to qualify for any further funds, Adam started exploring food recovery as a way to supplement our resources. Through Food Donation Connection, a nationwide food recovery organization, we have now been able to recover food from several fast food restaurants, coffee shops, and two area grocery stores. We also network with other area food and hygiene pantries to make sure our people get as much of what they need as possible. When you don’t have funding you learn to be creative.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Funding has always been our struggle, but the faith that our volunteers, partners, and recipients have in our mission balances out the shortfall. Anytime we are faced with an extraordinary need, extraordinary people show up. We have hosted fundraisers, trained food recovery drivers, and engaged in “kit” building to make what resources we have last longer. Everyday is a learning experience and we try to make the most of it. A couple of years ago we discovered that several recipients did now know how to cook, so we implemented bilingual kits with everything in a gallon bag to make a meal for 4. Snack kits were developed for those without the facilities or capabilities to cook. The kits included a protein, a fiber, vitamin C source, and a treat. Together, these kits could be used as a meal replacement. Hygiene kits were also developed for those needing the basic necessities that many of us take for granted like soap, toothpaste, and a razor. Creativity continues to be our mantra. If we don’t have it, we figure out how to get it.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
By profession I am a college professor and my husband is a CDL driver. What we are known for, however, is our work and dedication to Tiny Pantry Times. This community pantry has been open 24/7/365 since September 5th of 2020. Besides our family, what we are most proud of is the shared mission and vision of the pantry with our volunteers, community leaders, business owners, pantry partners, neighbors, families, and friends. The old saying, “it takes a village” has never rung truer. We simply could not accomplish what we have done without the love and support of those around us. The future of our work continues to need all of those around us working towards our common goal of diminishing food insecurity and providing a modicum of dining dignity.

How do you define success?
The ultimate success would be the eradication of food insecurity in our country. For Tiny Pantry Times, the definition of success would be the reduction of food insecurity and food waste in our community, heightened awareness and education about food insecurity and food waste in our community, and greater involvement, from our community leaders on down, to solve the problem. Success is achieved when everyone takes it upon themselves to make life better for those around us.

Pricing:

• Sponsorships are needed to grow our mission
• $25 Individual
• $40 Family
• $100 Small businesses (less than 20 employees)
• $500+ Corporate Sponsors

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tinypantrytimes.org
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BLZWs4Cqg/?mibextid=wwXlfr
• Other: https://nextdoor.com/g/tfq8so3ci/