A new and dignified way to access food is debuting at Texas schools, under a pilot program being run by Houston Food Bank.
The food bank is working to install refrigerated food lockers at local schools, where people will be able to pick up food they’ve ordered online through Feeding America’s OrderAhead system, at whatever time they want via self-service lockers.
The new distribution model fits in with a growing wave of efforts to de-stigmatize hunger relief by making food more convenient to access. The Order Ahead system lets people choose exactly the food they’d like via an online order form, while the lockers offer the flexibility of a 24-hour window for self-pickup.
“Helping people can look different and still be dignified. It does not have to look traditional,” said Kiana Anderson, Outreach Logistics Senior Manager at Houston Food Bank.
Houston Food Bank deliberately chose to target school districts as distribution points because schools have a history of providing families with a sense of community and security. According to Anderson, schools were a haven during the pandemic when students and families lined up for free meals, so it only made sense to target them for the “Locker Project.”
“The schools are a hub because families feel at ease to ask for help,” Anderson said. “I know this because I have worked with countless schools.”
In Anderson’s experience, younger individuals tend to feel ashamed to ask for help with food. The option of a 24-hour accessible locker will ease that burden. The lockers will also provide flexibility to students or families that are pressed for time. She noted that high school students are sometimes the “breadwinners” in their families, often working multiple shifts to support their households.
“That is why we started the school markets, and now we are setting up lockers too. We are providing convenient options,” Anderson said. The schools are also helping with enrollment of the families since “they know the families better than I do,” Anderson said.
The project, though still in its infancy, has already set up 40 lockers at the Hardin Independent School District in Hardin, Tex, about an hour outside of Houston. The lockers will be provided to an enrolled group of 40 individuals who will be able to order fresh produce and frozen products and schedule pickups.
The Locker Project is not the first time Houston Food Bank has partnered with school districts in an innovative way. Anderson first explored a similar partnership with a school five years ago when Hurricane Harvey destroyed the grocery store of a small town in Texas, making it difficult for residents to access food.
Anderson had an idea when a set of abandoned lockers at a local elementary school caught her eye. She contacted the school superintendent and asked if he would be willing to utilize these lockers to store and distribute food. “The superintendent was so excited; he went well and beyond. They added LED lights and cameras and were on board with the idea,” said Anderson.
“Every disaster is different. The pandemic was a disaster, too. It showed that the needs of people change, and we need to readjust,” Anderson said. “We have to figure out how to serve families in a more advanced and dignified way.”
Under the current food locker program, families are being signed up for six-month enrollments. “We won’t ask them to sign a membership or commit to a year as it can get overwhelming,” Anderson explained. “After six months, if a family feels the need to continue, they can contact the school and get enrolled again.”
The food bank is also assessing other locations to set up lockers, taking into account the needs of the families associated with the schools. “The focus is the child in the family but most of the time the child is depicting what is happening in the household, and I think we are catching onto that,” said Anderson.
Another important criterion is the lunch levels at schools. Schools with a declining level of lunches provided are more likely to be selected. Schools also need to have enough space to accommodate lockers that can be accessible 24/7.
Installing 40 lockers at the first location cost approximately $70,000, including electricity. In some cases, the locations do not have plugs, and they must be installed. The project is funded by private donors and with the available grant money.
Anderson is hopeful the food locker project can better connect the community. “The churches, the community centers – they all can help with this project, but they are unaware of what is happening at schools in their neighborhood,” said Anderson. “They can help each other.” – Aryan Rai
Aryan Rai is a reporter for Food Bank News and a graduate student at Boston University.
CAPTION ABOVE: Food lockers at a Texas school are part of a pilot program at Houston Food Bank.
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