More food for more families

An Austin food program for underserved families has seen a dramatic increase in participation and food, thanks to its enrollment in an ongoing consultation program with the Charles Schwab Pro Bono Challenge and the Common Impact nonprofit group. The Sustainable Food Center in Austin reports that its Farmers’ Market WIC program served 1,042 customers in 2018 – triple the number of previous years – in large part due to increased participation in the monthly Triple WIC Day, with more than $14,000 in food benefits provided. SFC sought help in increasing usage of its services – especially the purchase of fresh produce – by low-income clients, many of whom had only attended the market program once or twice and weren’t benefiting from the assistance available to them. The Pro Bono Challenge provides consulting to nonprofit groups in the areas of technology, marketing, operations and human resources. Groups interested in applying to the program can learn more here.