Vermont Foodbank is getting more strategic in how it grants funds to partner agencies. During the Covid years, it was like many food banks in channeling money to pantries for a broad range of capacity-building projects to help meet increased demand. Now it is getting more focused in its competitive…
Posts published in “Food Pantries”
With uncertainty riding high these days, many food banks are focused on the basic task of pushing out more food through their pantry networks. At the same time, some are also seeing the value of building up their pantry networks in search of longer-term solutions to food insecurity. Capacity building…
Many food pantries are familiar with the concept of referring their clients to other nonprofits that can help meet needs beyond food. Brochures, business cards and flyers are among the mechanisms used to execute referrals, even though these methods often fall short in ensuring that clients actually follow through. More…
St. John’s Bread & Life in Brooklyn, NY, has long been a leader in giving clients an easy, de-stigmatized way to digitally browse and select pantry goods. The agency was a trend-setter as far back as 2000, when it made desktop computers available so clients could place their grocery orders…
Houston Food Bank has found an unconventional way to improve the experiences of pantry clients by tapping mystery shoppers, a tactic typically used in retail. With its Neighbor Experience Initiative, the food bank deployed mystery shoppers to report back on their in-person interactions at several pantries. Through the lens of…
Food bankers often say that when you’ve seen one food bank, you’ve seen one food bank. The same could be said for mobile markets. All mobile markets have the goal of addressing food insecurity in communities with limited access to fresh, affordable food, but they may differ in the details…
How does a food pantry serve 3,000 more people and distribute 113,000 more pounds of food, yet reduce its overall costs by one-third? For Minneapolis-based NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center’s Community Food Shelf, it started with jelly – and a lot of data. NorthPoint is a choice pantry that regularly…
Food banks are getting increasingly creative about where they put new distribution outlets. In a bid to expand their reach, especially into underserved areas, food banks are making use of farms, libraries, county clerk offices, shopping malls, and even horse racetracks as food distribution points. This attempt to meet people…
At higher education institutions, innovation often happens beyond the classroom, and that’s especially true when it comes to college food pantries. Because of the mostly young demographic being served, high-tech practices like online ordering and scheduled pickups are practically a given at college pantries. College pantries are also leading the…