by Laura Ingrim
When large volunteer groups want to serve with Wilkinson Center, we are often limited in what opportunities we can offer. Wilkinson Center’s Food Pantry serves over 8,500 individuals each year, but we operate out of a modest space that can only fit volunteer groups of up to 12 people at a time. Always eager to engage our donor groups of all sizes, Wilkinson Center came up with a list of kits that large groups can put together for our Food Pantry. We named this project Assembly Kits.
An Assembly Kit project is straightforward. Wilkinson Center provides donor organizations and companies a list of possible kits to build. The donor purchases the items to put in the kits, along with either a Ziplock bag or other container to hold the items. Then the volunteers assemble the kits and donate them to Wilkinson Center. The volunteer project can be done at the donor’s location or at Wilkinson Center’s Arcadia Park site in west Dallas, which has a large Cafetorium that can hold up to 60 people. There is no minimum or maximum on the number of kits a group can create, so this is a great option for groups of all sizes and ages.
Wilkinson Center currently has 5 suggested Assembly Kits. Each kit can be slightly altered to fit the budget and needs of the donor organization. In general, the kits cost between $5 and $15 each. Our main kits are:
- Hygiene Kit (kid or adult): 2 rolls toilet paper, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, hand sanitizer, bar of soap, shampoo/body wash, conditioner
- Diaper Kit: 10 diapers of the same size (size 1 to 6), container of baby wipes, diaper rash cream
- To-Go Kit: intended for our homeless population, these kits contain foods that do not require refrigeration or cooking implements: 1 jar peanut butter, 2 sleeves of crackers, granola bars, 3 cans of tuna cups, 3 cans Vienna sausages, 1 pack cheese crackers, raisins, sports drink
- Kids Snack Kit: these are especially popular during the summer months when kids are out of school and may not have access to their school-provided meals: 1 jar peanut butter, 1 plastic jar jelly, goldfish crackers, microwavable popcorn, granola bars, 1 pack cheese crackers, raisins or individual fruit cups, individual snacks like Teddy Grahams, Cheez-Its, etc.
- Emergency Food Kit: 1 bag of rice, 1 bag of dried beans, 3 cans corn, 3 cans of green beans, 3 cans of mixed vegetables, 4 cans of soup, box of cereal, shelf-stable milk, 1 package of spaghetti, 1 plastic jar or can of spaghetti sauce
If you are interested in setting up an Assembly Kit project, please contact Laura_Ingrim@wilkinsoncenter.org or 972-284-0305. Thank you for your support!