After 15 years of rapid growth and expansion of services, EFN purchased its own facility in Northeast Minneapolis in 1992 (pictured at right is St. Louis Park facility discussed below). The new building had a 5000 square foot warehouse with one loading dock, three offices, and a conference room. “From a business perspective, it was more efficient for us to own our building, and with a warehouse on site, we had the ability to sort, pack, and load food orders for ourselves,” says John Mitchell, EFN’s Operations Manager.
EFN’s purchase of the Northeast Minneapolis building positioned it for growth and efficiency. In 1993, each member agency was represented on the EFN Board of Directors, and at that time, board action required a consensus vote, which often made the decision-making process time consuming and inefficient. Terry Hildebrandt, currently Twin Cities Social Services director for The Salvation Army, served on EFN’s Board of Directors from 1990-1999. “With everyone represented on the board, it was dysfunctional in a sense and difficult to accomplish anything,” he recalls. Hildebrandt was instrumental to the restructure of EFN’s board of directors.
Starting in 1993, EFN embarked on a two-year board restructuring process. “It took a couple years and a lot of meetings. We wanted everyone to understand that the restructure was for the benefit of EFN and not about gaining control or power.” The new board structure cut total members from 23 to 13, established majority voting for board action, and required that only 1/3 of the members represent EFN’s member agencies (while the other two thirds represent the business community, other non-profit community partners and social service agencies). “When new people came in, they brought new ideas and were willing to challenge the status quo. Before the restructure, we were losing our insight by not having other community members point of view,” Hildebrandt says.
Tim Barnes, who was hired as EFN’s Executive Director during the board restructure, saw the change as one of the driving forces behind EFN’s subsequent growth. “I believe that much of the growth we’ve experienced since then is a result of the restructure. The board has made sound business decisions and has been willing to take risks for the good of the organization and its members,” he says.
While still headquartered in Northeast Minneapolis, EFN made one of the largest strategic decisions in its history. In 1996, EFN opened up its service area outside Hennepin County for the first time. Many foodshelves beyond the borders of Hennepin County were struggling to make it on their own. “We were receiving so many calls from foodshelves outside Hennepin (County) requesting applications for membership to the EFN network. They needed the same services that we were already providing to the foodshelves in Hennepin County,” recalls Barnes. This significant expansion initially met with some resistance by EFN member agencies and their representative board members. “In discussing the move with our stakeholders, there were some foodshelves in Hennepin who thought they would receive less food. But our donors knew that there were hungry people in other surrounding counties that needed our help just as much. I added the necessary staff and expanded because it was the right thing to do,” says Barnes.
In order to support these new foodshelves with more than just free food, EFN again increased the number of foods available through its bulk-purchasing program. This expansion, in turn, spurred the need to purchase of another truck and hire more staff. Once EFN expanded outside Hennepin County, it quickly outgrew its Northeast Minneapolis facility. Plans were readily assembled to move to an even larger building.
EFN moved into a 20,700-square foot building in St. Louis Park, Minnesota in 1998. At the new facility, EFN had enough warehouse space to accommodate small volunteer groups for the first time. Launching its own Volunteer Program, EFN began partnering with local volunteers to further expand the bulk-purchasing program. “With consistent volunteer support, we were able to further increase our efficiencies in the warehouse and save agencies both time and money. For example, we were able to buy 100-pound bags of rice and beans and have volunteers repack them into small 1-pound packages so that it would be easier for clients to take home.” Barnes says
Around the same time, EFN began developing database software to help increase the efficiencies of its network foodshelves allowing them to electronically track services to clients. Initially, EFN brought the foodshelves together for a meeting to determine what features and capabilities would help the software meet each foodshelf’s specific needs. “Many foodshelves provide more services that just food, so we made the software expandable for the addition of other programs,” says Barnes.
EFN purchased computers for all the foodshelves and trained them on how to use the new software. “EFN set up an on-site training lab in its building to work one-on-one with staff and volunteers from each foodshelf. We didn’t want any of them to be left behind,” says Adam Rebholz, EFN’s current I.T. Manager. EFN has come a long way since then, remaining at the forefront of technology in its industry. EFN has continued to provide computers, printers and other office equipment as well as tech support and customized software packages for its network.
In the late 1990s, EFN also expanded its effort to serve low-income seniors facing hunger in the community. “Seniors are underserved when it comes to hunger and basic needs. Many don’t visit foodshelves because of lack of access, or because they are too humble or proud to ask for help,” says Barnes. To address the unique needs of seniors, EFN launched its High Rise Program, a mobile foodshelf that distributes food staples at least once per month to subsidized senior housing complexes.