sponsorship package - Quest Food Exchange

 Reduce Hunger With Dignity Gala
March 2012
{SPONSORSHIP
PACKAGE}
Quest Food Exchange’s mission is to reduce hunger with dignity, build
community, and foster sustainability. Working together with food
suppliers, social service agencies and stakeholder partnerships, Quest
offers affordable, healthy food to those facing barriers to obtain this
basic necessity of life. The success of Quest’s social enterprise model
is highly dependent on the company’s relationship with its stakeholders.
Quest strives to increase awareness for its cause, raise funds, and reinforce
maintenance of reciprocal relationships with partners in the community.
[The
Quest Mission]
Quest is British Columbia's largest not-for-profit food exchange program. We offer
access to and a choice of affordable, healthy food to those who face barriers to this
basic necessity of life. With the assistance of our food vendor and social service agency
partners, as well as other stakeholders, we have fine-tuned our social enterprise model
to become a hub of food redistribution in the Lower Mainland. Our programs are seen as
essential to marginalized individuals as they transition from food bank reliance to self-sufficiency.
Reduce Hunger with Dignity
Without the basic necessity of sufficient food, people face many avoidable difficulties. People
with fixed low incomes weaken and become prone to disease; children cannot learn
productively and single-parent families cannot escape the cycle of poverty. Quest rescues food
from every branch of the local food industry that might otherwise go to waste unnecessarily.
Food is then sorted, processed, and redistributed to organizations and people who need it
most.
Currently, Quest helps by providing food assistance to individuals and families in the Lower
Mainland through our partnered Social Service Agencies, and our four food distribution
programs that include three low-cost food stores, gift certificates, bulk food purchases and our
community kitchen which is under construction. We encourage a healthy and balanced lifestyle
by providing nutritious recipes and encouraging clients to make their own meals with
ingredients available for purchase in our stores.
Build Community
Quest partners with an ever-increasing number of social service agencies in
their respective focused communities. We help their clients access healthy,
affordable food in a dignified manner, thus enabling agencies to focus on their
core development programs. Quest builds communities of like-minded
individuals by working with social service agency partners such as
Neighborhood Houses, Shelters, Food Banks, Churches, Schools, HIV/
AIDS organizations, Hospices, Mental Health Organizations, Employment
Training Programs, Recovery Homes, and Seniors’ centers. By taking care
of the food needs of their clientele, Quest enables these agencies to focus
their time, energy, and funding on their respective core strengths. This
allows them to maximize the positive impact they can have on the needs
of the community.
Foster Sustainability
By redistributing surplus food, Quest is not only feeding people, but is
also reducing loss and waste from various branches of the supply chain.
Since its outset, Quest has been environmentally-minded. In 2005, we
worked with Eco-Action Canada effectively reducing our Greenhouse
Emissions, and further reduced our waste by composting and recycling.
Quest aims to reduce all food waste to zero. Through our “Zero Waste Project”, EcoAction
Canada contributed to transform non-consumable solid food waste into livestock feed and
compost for use by local farmers and community gardens. We also divert all non-organic
materials such as food packaging to community services who have better use for certain items
or are equipped with programs to safely process them, ultimately reducing landfill waste and
harmful greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
[Background]
The Beginning: 1989 – 1992
The humble beginnings of Quest Food Exchange
started in 1989, when a youth group from Saint
James Anglican Church delivered sandwiches to
homeless people in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES). The public responded positively and the
volunteers were inspired to continue their street outreach program.
Quest Outreach Society: 1992 – 2006
In 1992, the program known as “The Quest” became incorporated as “Quest Outreach Society”. By
1995, Quest was serving breakfast to 300 - 450 people each day. Lunch or evening dinners were also
served six times a week from three locations in the downtown core of Vancouver.
In 1997, Quest realized there was enough unwanted food available to support our program and many
other agencies as well. This allowed us to refocus our vision on becoming the medium between
suppliers of unwanted food and Social Service Agencies that could use and distribute it. By 2002,
thousands of people every month were aided by Quest through our hot sit-down meals and food
distribution to more than seventy Social Service Agencies and emergency food hampers for families in
need.
Quest Food Exchange: 2006 – Present
In 2006, Quest thrived with only ten full-time employees, multiple volunteers and 290 suppliers. With
this, we were able to open a new commercial kitchen for Vancouver’s DTES. At this time, we received
no government funding; running projects entirely on private donations and foundation grants. By this
time, Quest’s food recovery model was adjusted to focus on low-cost food stores.
In October of 2009, with great thanks to VanCity and its members, Quest has transitioned from our
East Georgia warehouse to our very own building at 2020 Dundas Street. This property is an essential
component of our expansion targets and better meets our operational needs.
Primarily, the Dundas site offers a considerably larger area, which Quest can devote to its warehousing
and operational activities. This provides Quest with more than double the amount of space to expand
warehousing and food distribution capacity. In addition, the site has two docking bays, which increase
delivery and distribution efficiency, and has surface parking at the rear of the building for Quest’s
vehicles.
In July of 2011, Quest's Hastings location moved three blocks east, occupying a street-front retail space
at the brand new United Gospel Mission building. Presently, we operate three low-cost food stores at
611 East Hastings and 2020 Dundas in Vancouver, and 1-13890 104th Ave in Surrey. The Community
Kitchen is set to re-open soon at our Dundas location.
[Reduce Hunger With Dignity Gala]
[Event Mission]
The Quest “Reduce Hunger With Dignity Gala” will recognize and celebrate representatives of
the food, funding, and social service agency partnerships who help contribute to the success of
the Quest program. The event also aims to raise awareness about Quest's mandate, its mission,
and impact on the community as well as attracting other individuals who may not have heard
about the food programs. The purpose of the event is to raise funds for Quest programs and
thank the key partners, as well as educate attendees on the full Quest model and key programs
being or recently launched. In addition to speakers presenting their involvement and
commitment to Quest, program information stations will be highlighted around the room with
ambassadors available to discuss in detail with interested attendees.
Guests will leave the event with a deeper understanding of Quest, an increased awareness of
the impact it makes in the community, hopefully a deeper commitment to the organization, and
a stronger determination to support Quest reach its goals.
[Sauder School of Business]
Student Involvement With the Gala
The Quest “Reduce Hunger With Dignity Gala” will be planned and executed by a team of five
students from the Sauder School of Business currently enrolled in a project management
course. This event provides a chance for Quest to develop relationships within the UBC
community and offer these students with a chance to apply what they learn in the classroom to
real world situations. Apart from the Gala event, our ongoing projects give our volunteers
access to invaluable workshops and on-the-job training programs in order to promote
increased self-esteem and ability to make empowering choices. For some, Quest has been an
opportunity to gain practical work experience to get back into the job market.
[Demographics]
Quest's partners are integral to every
aspect of our operations. They donate
their food, time, skills and expertise,
and money to help our community
access food in a caring, responsible,
sustainable way.
The Gala delegates will consist of representatives from our food vendors, financial contributors,
In-kind donors, Social Service Agencies and volunteers. We also hope to attract students and
faculty members from universities in British Columbia as well as representatives from other
organizations who are not yet familiar with our cause to raise awareness and show how
developing relationships with Quest can help raise the standard of living in some of our
impoverished communities by breaking away barriers that so many face in obtaining food, the
most basic necessity for life.
[Details of the Event]
[Opening Dinner]
The gala will host our anticipated 200 guests with a sit-down dinner, where attendees can enjoy
their dinner while having the opportunity to network with other delegates. We hope to
provide Platinum sponsors with the opportunity to provide presentations and speeches about
their companies’ corporate social responsibility initiatives with respect to their valued
involvement with Quest Food Exchange. Live entertainment will also be planned for our
attendees’ enjoyment.
[Speeches, Presentations, and Testimonials]
Educating our guests about our social enterprise model, food programs and specifically how our
cause with the help of our partners is benefiting communities in the lower mainland will be the
highlight of the gala. As a result, a large portion of the evening will be planned for our company
representatives, sponsors and partners to provide speeches and presentations about Quest
Food Exchange’s mission, food programs, and how the community has benefited from our
cause. No group of people can provide better insight about social value created by our
programs than our dear clients, and thus we will invite some of our clients to provide
testimonials to our delegates about their experience with Quest and how it has impacted their
lives.
[Information Ambassadors]
In addition to speakers presenting their involvement with Quest, program information stations
will be around the room with ambassadors discussing in detail with interested attendees. This
will not only provide more information to current partners, but introduce Quest and its
mandate to individuals and organizations that want to get involved in our cause.
[Silent Auction]
The gala will also provide a chance for delegates to bid on prizes in a silent auction, the prize
being awarded to the highest bidder. All funds raised from the silent auction portion of the gala
will be an additional aid for delivery of our various food programs.
[Why Your Involvement is Important]
The success of Quest Food Exchange’s social enterprise business model is highly dependent on
the company’s relationship with key stakeholders such as food vendors, social service agency
partners, and donors. To ensure the strengthening of existing partnerships and establishment of
new ones to meet Quest’s needs in the foreseeable future, the company must continually strive
to increase awareness, raise funds, and reinforce the desire of partners to be mutually involved
in achieving the above mentioned social objectives.
We hope this gala will become an annual event, and its success greatly depends on the amount
of funds raised as well as our initiative to further raise awareness about our programs and
operations. We are working closely with the UBC student team to ensure that the gala will be
a huge success in terms of us being able to show our appreciation by celebrating our
partnerships and associations with individuals and organizations that are detrimental to our
success, and by establishing new contacts for possibility of creating new partnerships in the near
future.
Finally, the gala can prove to be a great environment not only for your own brand recognition
and community involvement, but for letting other delegates know how your relationship with
us has helped your company achieve its corporate social responsibility initiatives and how it has
the possibility of providing less fortunate individuals lead a healthy life by achieving food security
with dignity.
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[How to Get Involved]
[Monetary Donations]
Monetary contributions are of utmost importance for the gala, as we will not be able to hold
the “Reduce Hunger With Gala” event without the generosity of sponsoring individuals and
organizations. The donated funds will be used by the student team to execute the planned gala
event for us, so that we may have a chance to ensure we continue to grow our organization
and more importantly our cause. By strengthening our relationships with our current partners
and associates, by being introduced to prospective partners and donors, and by further
educating attendees about our cause, we can ensure the continuous success of our programs in
helping even more clients break through the ever increasing barriers to the basic necessities of
life. Donations for the gala are donations for our future success and sustainability. Please view
our sponsorship packages that follow.
[$1,000+: Quest Platinum Sponsorship Package]
Benefits offered to our Platinum Sponsors are:
• Opening Dinner Speech by your company’s representative about your company and its
involvement with Quest Food Exchange.
• 2 passes and seats to the Reduce Hunger With Dignity Gala.
• Acknowledgment of Your Quest Platinum Sponsorship during opening remarks.
• Top Logo placed on event pass sent to prospective guests.
• Top logo placed on delegate material.
• Acknowledgment of your Quest Platinum Sponsorship in media publication.
[$500-$1000:Quest Gold Sponsorship Package]
Benefits offered to our Gold Sponsors are:
• 1 Pass and seat to the Reduce Hunger With Dignity Gala.
• Acknowledgment of your Gold Sponsorship during opening remarks.
• Second rank Logo placed on event pass sent to prospective guests.
• Second rank logo placed on delegate material.
• Short presentation by your representative about your company and its involvement with
Quest Food Exchange.
[$250-$500:Quest Silver Sponsorship Package]
Benefits offered to our Silver Sponsors are:
• Acknowledgment of your Silver Sponsorship during opening remarks.
• 2” Logo placed on delegate material.
[Package Selection]
As the date for the gala has been set for the last week of March, we have a short
amount of time to raise the necessary funds. To tell us that you wish to sponsor
the event, send an email to the project manager Jason H. Safinia at
[email protected] carbon copied to Ms. Pardeep Khrod at Quest at
[email protected] , or contact Quest Food Exchange directly at
(604)6820186. Please be sure to indicate the package you wish to select.
Quest Platinum Package- $1000+
Quest Gold Package- $500-$1000
Quest Silver Package-$250-$500
Please make your cheques payable to “Quest Outreach Society”.
Other Methods of Payment: Please visit the following link and follow the instructions on
how to pay online. Be sure to state “for Reduce Hunger With Dignity” Gala:
https://www.canadahelps.org/DonationDetails.aspx?cookieCheck=true
We thank you for your generous contribution.