If your town or neighborhood already has a food pantry to feed the hungry, this does not necessarily mean all of your community's food assistance needs are being met. Most food pantries only distribute twice a month, so perhaps consider doing your distribution the opposite two weeks. Once you assess the need, you may want to look into creating eligibility standards. Try to make sure you have a consistent and stable place to distribute from. This will not only be easier on you, but creates stability for the clients as well.

You need to locate a safe site so you will be able to properly and safely feed the hungry. If you are working in partnership with a church or temple perhaps they could allow you to use a part of their basement for the food distribution. It is very important to remember that no matter where the site is, it is important to make sure all excess food is protected from rodents and the like, perhaps by metal cabinets. Call you local Dept. of Health to make sure you comply with all applicable state and local fire safety, food storage and handling requirements and health codes. In addition, get in touch with your local food bank and see if they will work with you.

Food banks are similar to grocery stores for food pantries. They usually receive fairly large donations and then break those down for each food pantry, as well as sometimes assist in funding to assist in feeding the hungry. Use fliers or other creative ideas that can help generate awareness of the new food pantry, as well as encourage donations and volunteers. It is also very helpful to talk to the managers at local supermarkets, restaurants and hotels about saving all that wasted food and giving it to your food pantry or soup kitchen. Just because they have to throw their food away does not mean it is unfit for consumption. Do not hesitate to discard an item that may not look safe. Be sure to try and check expiration dates, as some people donate in good faith, but may forget how old some of their food is.

Try to secure some funding to your program can keep operating to feed the hungry. One cannot always depend on donations, and some food banks charge a fee to obtain food from their sites. Try to visit the local businesses in the area and see if they would be interested in "funding" the food pantry. Explain to the business owner how this would not only benefit the community, but would also create positive attention to their business as well for helping to feed the hungry in the community.