April 12, 2022

This paid piece is sponsored by Avera.

Multiplying the gifts of volunteer donations – that’s exactly what The Banquet was able to do through a unique partnership with another ministry in the city.

Collaborating with Avera PACE, a group purchasing organization with the Avera Health system, The Banquet joined thousands of schools, health care systems and other businesses across the country. Joining the combined purchasing power of a GPO helped The Banquet save money, leading this nonprofit’s contributing partners to get more from their donations of money and time.

“We’ve seen regular savings of more than 30 percent in food costs, so groups who donate now can provide four meals instead of three with the same contribution,” said Tamera Jerke-Liesinger, executive director of The Banquet.

Jerke-Liesinger said sometimes people are surprised at how big the total food budget of the organization she leads can be.

“We invest almost $250,000 annually in food alone,” she said.

The Avera PACE program, through its association with Premier Inc., has helped many entities, including The Banquet, with supply chain solutions that save money. Avera PACE counts US FOODS as an ally, and together with almost 3,000 schools, hospitals and other groups, they make up an effective GPO.

A long history of helping many

More than 70 years ago, the Presentation Sisters, who along with the Benedictine Sisters sponsor Avera, realized a strategy to aggregate purchasing at volume could save money. They realized, too, that some health care locations in more rural and remote locations were facing price disadvantages.

In the beginning, Avera PACE partnered with a limited number of health care institutions, government and nonprofits. Avera PACE now serves more than 2,300 entities of all shapes and sizes. It added more than 300 members in the past six months.

“We’ve seen historic growth, and we like the fact that we’re one of those lesser-known success stories within our larger health ministry,” said Kevin Jordanger, Avera PACE director. “We can save organizations money on products they need daily, even when they’re ordering from the same vendor.”

What started local is now national

What began as group purchasing for local small-scale businesses has grown to include members in 33 states, Jordanger said.

Those groups include health care and education entities, but also businesses such as:

• Camps.
• Child care centers.
• Fitness centers and recreation entities.
• Hotels and hospitality groups.

With hiccups in supply chains, including hospital supply chains, GPOs often smooth out wrinkles that might create delays or cost increases. “We pride ourselves on finding the intersections of need and opportunity, and the fact we’re a small team means we can stay nimble and responsive,” Jordanger said.

Bringing savings to Sioux Falls citizens in need

Jordanger said leadership at The Banquet and Avera PACE formed the partnership that serves meals to those in the city who are hungry. For more than 35 years, The Banquet has done just that, serving more than 200,000 meals in 2020. More than 25,000 were to kids 12 and younger.

“Avera PACE lets us serve more meals with the donations and funding we receive – our dollars go further,” Jerke-Liesinger said.

Avera PACE offers group purchasing that helps ministries like The Banquet, but it also offers services such as:

• Food and food-service supplies, as well as the goods to aid distribution.
• Medical materials and other articles to support health care.
• Paper, office and janitorial supplies.
• IT support materials, including hardware, software and equipment.
• Equipment for construction and finishing businesses, including furniture and more.
• Lowered-cost rates for employees on many fronts.

“Avera PACE continues to impress our partners with the service and savings we provide,” Jordanger said.

Enrollment in the program has no cost, and there’s no minimum involvement or elaborate contract.

Learn more at AveraPACE.org.