Responding in Times of Need

MAF positioned for rapid response and strategic support

 
When ECHO Food Shelf had some emergency infrastructure issues that impacted the storage of perishables—potentially preventing them from getting food to their clients—they reached out to the Mankato Area Foundation (MAF).

“It was scary because we had two walk-in coolers and two walk-in refrigerators that were impacted,” Deisy De Leon Esqueda, ECHO manager said. “Food that could be used to feed families was at risk of being thrown out.”

So, De Leon Esqueda wondered, if by some chance, MAF had any ideas for them. As it turned out, MAF had more than ideas. They knew a few individuals with donor advised funds who were passionate about food insecurity.

With a few phone calls, MAF was able to find support for ECHO to not only purchase the new equipment, but to get it installed fast enough that all of the food was able to get to their clients.

“We didn’t think we were going to be able to find funding with the amount of time we had, but MAF was able to jump on that right away and it allowed us to receive support on short notice. If all that food had gone to waste there would be a lot of families that wouldn’t have been able to receive the food they needed.”

Nancy Zallek, President and CEO of MAF said this particular example highlights the unique ability of the Foundation to respond quickly to community needs. And while she says the needs and levels of support may vary—it could be grantmaking, social investing, facilitating important convenings or providing leadership on local issues–MAF is able to bring trust, credibility and community knowledge to the conversation.

Zallek recalls when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, MAF was able to quickly tap public, private and nonprofit partners to help address the short-term needs while ensuring that 100% of donations were directed to charitable organizations affected by the health crisis.

“Response to extreme events such as pandemics is hopefully something we won’t need to repeat, but we were–and are–well-positioned in our community to help,” Zallek said. “Being able to steward resources and advocate for community needs is a great example of how we are able to coordinate efforts for greater impact.”