Information Hubs
We suggest Information Hubs located throughout those neighborhoods where residents from the lower socio-economic levels reside. These hubs would serve one or more neighborhoods depending on their location. We envision they would have room for meetings or training, a computer and printer, and a local area WiFi for use by residents. We envision that each location would have an email address and receive emails from nonprofit agencies or other information providers. These emails could provide details on matters of community interest, program availability or scheduling meetings. We would also suggest the use like of bulletin boards for posting information for review by residents. We also envision that many nonprofits could use the meeting space to hold meetings for information, education, or providing local area programs. They would also be a good location for food pantries or other programs that serve prepared food.

The hubs could also be used for requests for assistance or information by residents. Requests could include such things as counseling for troubled neighborhood children, the Seedco "Earn Benefits" program, literacy or financial training, sign-up for "Books from Birth" or other programs, utility or financial assistance, assistance at Christmas, job training or job availability, or bible study groups to name just a few.

The hubs could provide record keeping services for neighborhood programs such as food pantries or utility assistance. Agencies providing neighborhood services could use the hub computer system to maintain records of programs provided in the neighborhood. The on line Google documents program could provide a low cost way to maintain records for most agencies. The Cole Directory provides a frequently updated on line service as well as a printed publication that lists the residents of most homes in the city. This could be used to verify a lot of information.

Possible solution
One of our most basic services, the delivery of emergency food to the needy, is not being accomplished as well as might be possible. This is based on www.improvememphis.org investigation, a confirmation from the Food Bank and a independent confirmation from the United Way. The findings by the United Way, Listed below, are areas of support that would be helpful to the food pantry/food distribution system allowing providers to operate at greater capacity. These areas were identified at a meeting between United Way staff, Dottie Jones (Shelby County Government) and Susan Sanford (Memphis Food Bank).

1. Increase of nutritional food items. Vitamin Angels in Santa Barbara , CA is active in acquiring donated vitamin and similar products and placing them into the appropriate charitable organizations was suggested by Dr. Jerre Freeman.
2. Technical assistance to pantry programs which increases their outcomes reporting ability
3. Capacity building support for providers i.e. freezers for frozen or perishable items; computers to assist with tracking and reporting; trained volunteers and staff, etc.
4. Funding for a Gap Analysis Study to identify gaps in services, service needs, resources available to support needs, partnership opportunities, etc.
5. Creation of additional 'After Hour/Week-end" Emergency food Pantry Centers
6. Funding to expand "Earn Benefits" outreach in food pantry centers which will assist program recipients in identifying/gaining access to other services needed by families
7. Assistance with recruiting organizations to operate food pantry programs in zip code areas with insufficient service

Our vision is to make the food pantries operate more efficiently and in the process to make them into key infrastructure units for neighborhood areas wherever possible. We propose that almost every agency should have an interest in this effort including these agencies in particular:

• Office of youth Services and Community Affairs (Neighborhood Relations) Every neighborhood with residents at the lower part of the socio-economic scale could have input into and help review and/or select appropriate locations for Information Hubs and help find volunteers to provide these services.
• Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare Currently collecting and mapping information on neighborhood services available
• Center for Community Building and Neighborhood Action CBANA Could use neighborhoods to help identify problem properties and other neighborhood action programs.
• Community Development Council of Greater Memphis Many CDCs ( Community Development Corporations) are working in neighborhood areas and should have some interest in helping with this program
• Mid-South Reads Is forming collaboratives in zip code areas and has an interest in neighborhood activities

Food Bank Provides food to the food pantries:
• MIFA provides vouchers for individuals to receive food from certain food banks
• Shelby County Community Services Agency has a separate commodity food delivery program and different food pantries.
• Urban Child Institute needs programs and infrastructure for their delivery of services to birth to three year old children

• Linc/211 at the public library currently has the capability to and does send emails of non profit information to agencies that could use the information. It could be very helpful if this capability could be expanded to send information directly into neighborhoods.
• United Way Improving neighborhood infrastructure. They could utilize information on pantry clients that need food to help organize the Christmas food/gift program
• Local foundations provide funding for this program

We suggest these agencies meet to discuss these opportunities for working together to build a more satisfactory infrastructure for service delivery the residents of our lower socio-economic neighborhoods. Many opportunities are here for agencies to work together in helping accumulate information for neighborhood improvement. This would eliminate the current situation where many agencies arrive in an area to collect the same or similar information. Locations of the food pantries recently confirmed by the United Way could be used as an excellent starting point for selecting the location of the Information Hubs. Food Pantries could be used as Information Hubs or possibly relocated to other sites.

The more services these hubs could provide, the better opportunity they would have to get qualified staff to man them. We could encourage qualified volunteers be used from across the city to staff these sites as well as local area residents.