Iron Gate, Inc.

PROJECT PURPOSE

Starting in 2020, Iron Gate saw demand for food spike. Iron Gate?s mission is to feed the hungry and homeless of Tulsa every day. And it?s never been more important. Iron Gate feeds people in three ways: our daily community meal, our grocery pantry and our kid?s pack program. To protect the health and safety of our guests, volunteers and staff, we temporarily closed the in-person pantry. Iron Gate now conducts a drive-through/walk-through grocery pantry three times a week that offers pre-packed groceries. We adjusted our programming, but our mission never wavered. We feed people and we have done so without interruption throughout the pandemic. 60% of Iron Gate's pantry guests visit one time during a 12-month period. In 2021 Iron Gate helped 30,108 households with groceries. Iron Gate is also providing groceries to homeless outreach teams and working with social service caseworkers to provide groceries for those in need. Iron Gate has added more grocery store food pick-ups and is purchasing additional co-op food to keep up with the increased demand.

EVIDENCE

When a pantry guest comes for three months in a row, then stops coming; that's a sign of success. Our goal is to make our grocery pantry accessible to everyone. There are no barriers to access our pantry. We work with outreach teams, social workers and various groups to ensure that those who are unable to visit Iron Gate can still receive grocery assistance. We partner with 211 and other social service agencies so we can be a resource for their clients. We know we are meeting our goals when everyone who came for groceries received them.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

It took a global pandemic to more clearly highlight a heartbreaking truth Iron Gate has dealt with for decades: food insecurity is real and it can happen to anyone, no matter race, age or gender. Those who live on the streets and those in nice homes in ?good? parts of town. For most guests, a visit is triggered by an event; a lost paycheck, car repair or illness, they need a little extra help to make ends meet. As the pandemic continues, the percentage of one-time users continues to stay steady, but the number of people visiting the grocery pantry increases. Iron Gate's philosophy is that we are all guests on this earth and we treat each other with kindness, courtesy and respect. Our goal is to make our grocery pantry accessible to everyone. There are no barriers to access our pantry.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

The Iron Gate leadership team manages the outcome measurement process. We collect data from our pantry guests to allow us to quantify numbers, track trends and look at opportunities. We are always looking at data, looking for patterns and soliciting feedback on how we deliver on our mission. We were there for them until they didn't need help. A positive of the pandemic is innovation. The way all our services were delivered had to be transitioned for safety and efficiency, making us think outside the box. We now have new knowledge and skills that we can carry forward to create change.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma