Proportionate to our size, and honest about what is not here yet.
One run
What one outreach looks like
150+ people a typical run is planned to serve
2,300+ approximate calories available per person
13 food and drink items in a typical full package
~$983estimated supply value
every two weeks
150+ is the figure we plan an outreach around, not a count. Counts will be published on Our impact, from approved records.
Per person
Each person may receive approximately:
1 peanut butter and jelly sandwich
1 bag of chips
1 package of sandwich crackers
1 granola bar
1 package of Pop-Tarts
1 can of Vienna sausage
1 package of fruit snacks
1 additional snack
1 package of ramen
1 bottled water
1 Powerade
1 soda
1 juice drink
Not every person always receives every item.
What goes out depends on inventory, individual need, weather and the number of people we meet. Calories depend on brands, flavors, serving sizes, availability and substitutions.
What it takes
$983.54 estimated supply value for one outreach planned for 150+ people
varies — what we actually pay, from one outreach to the next
The supply value above is an estimated replacement cost — what those supplies would cost to buy at current quantities and retail prices — not necessarily what Not By Chance spends from its account on any given outreach.
A recent supply calculation: sandwich supplies $108.66, drinks $263.60, other food and snacks $538.48, and food storage and distribution bags and related supplies $72.80. Food and beverages alone were approximately $910.74 — at 150 people, approximately $6.07 a person, or approximately $6.56 with the bags counted in.
Individuals, businesses, organizations and community partners routinely give food, beverages, clothing, hygiene products and other outreach supplies, and what is given can substantially reduce what we have to buy. Donated supplies are not guaranteed: no contract promises a set quantity for any outreach, donations rise and fall from one run to the next, and whatever is short must be purchased or sourced elsewhere.
Why estimated
Community donations help make this work possible. Some supplies are donated, while others must be purchased. Because donations, attendance, prices, and needs change from one outreach to the next, our actual out-of-pocket cost varies. These figures illustrate the approximate resources required to conduct a typical outreach and should not be interpreted as a fixed expense every two weeks.
Beyond food
Food is one part of a run. When available, we also provide or distribute socks, underwear, hygiene supplies, clothing, shoes, tents, blankets, sleeping bags, seasonal supplies, harm-reduction supplies and other necessities, and excess supplies routinely go on to established camps and to people with greater immediate needs. Fuel and mileage, monthly storage, insurance and other outreach supplies are costs of their own; none of them is in the $983.54.
What each approved outreach actually recorded is in the outreach history.
Board summaries
We publish a short summary after each board meeting: when it met, what it discussed, and what it decided. We do not publish raw minutes, and personnel, legal and individual client matters stay private.
No board summary has been published yet. The process exists — a summary is written, read and approved by somebody other than whoever wrote it, and only then published — but nothing has been through it, and there is nothing here we would be willing to invent.
Finances
Rather than line-by-line income and expenses, we publish what recurs each month, and will add broad funding sources, what was spent on the mission, and annual filings when they exist.
$255 a month for storage
No income or expense totals are published yet, and storage is the only recurring cost published so far. What one outreach takes in supplies is above — an estimated supply value, not necessarily what was paid for it. Rather than claim more, this page says so.
Governance
Not By Chance, Inc. has bylaws and a conflict-of-interest policy, adopted by its board.
Not By Chance, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our EIN is 41-3276459. That is the number to look us up by, and the one a donor needs to claim a deduction.