Remote lockers are the latest way in which a Wash.-based nonprofit is shedding the usual trappings of a traditional charitable food organization. Its Fresh Lockers are part of an ongoing effort to make the experience of getting free food feel more normal and dignified. The lockers expand upon the organization’s…
Food Bank News
The site of the Queens Museum in New York City has been many things over the years. It hosted the New York World’s Fair in 1939, and again in 1964. From 1946 to 1950, it was the headquarters of the United Nations. In 1972, the site became home to the…
In 2020, roughly six million women, infants, and children eligible for WIC were not participating in the program. Now, the WIC Community Innovation and Outreach Project (WIC CIAO) is looking for innovative ways to say “hello” to new participants. Funded by a $44 million USDA grant to the Food Research…
It’s fair to say that most food bank CEOs reach their positions after working at other food banks or non-profit social service organizations. But some CEOs have taken other, more circuitous routes to the top spot. A handful have spent years in the U.S. military (see chart). Other unusual pathways…
The level of food insecurity among seniors has barely budged in recent years, giving greater motivation to food banks that are making targeted efforts to serve this population. Out of the 78 million people in the U.S. who are 60 or older, 5.5 million of them were food insecure in…
A hunger relief organization in Des Moines, Iowa, is helping to pioneer a new method of fundraising developed by a tech startup. In April, Eat Greater Des Moines held an online auction of certificates representing food rescue and hunger relief actions it had taken in the recent past. The certificates,…
At first glance, there does not seem to be a lot of connection between food insecurity and poetry. Food insecurity is a practical problem that demands practical solutions, be they charitable food distributions or funding from state and federal governments. Within that paradigm, the role of poetry may not be…
For people who live in neighborhoods where supermarkets are scarce, finding food is often more problematic than having money for food. A growing number of food banks are addressing this issue by moving into a new model of food banking. In addition to distributing free food via pantries, they are…
Three years ago, Ashley Tyrner (pictured above) persuaded a single health plan provider to allow her company, FarmboxRx, to provide the plan’s members with boxes of produce as a way to proactively improve their overall health. Today, FarmboxRx is a $35 million company partnering with 87 health plans to deliver…