The document proposes creating a mobile pantry pilot program for the Lowcountry Food Bank. It recommends distributing donated food through recurring community distributions coordinated with local partners. The pilot program should initially have 100 distributions annually, using donated retail products and supplementing with USDA foods. It is projected to distribute over 1 million pounds annually, about 6% of the Food Bank's total, with a budget of $212,100, around 5% of annual operating costs. Additional staffing for procurement, distributions and developing agency partnerships is required. The program aims to increase access to food in underserved areas while building community support.

1. Creating a Mobile
Pantry Pilot Program
By Elise Gruber

2. Rationale
• Food insecurity
– Periodic inaccess to healthy, affordable foods
– Adverse consequences
– 1/6 (48.8 million) people in the U.S.
– South Carolina...18% of population (4.5 million)
areas of North Charleston = urban food
desert

3. Federal Solutions to Food
Insecurity
• Let’s Move Campaign
• Healthy Moves Financing Initiative
– Department of Treasure, Agriculture, and
Health and Human Services

4. Community Solutions to Food
Insecurity
• Additional grocery chain location
• Food co-op
• Community Garden
• Mobile Pantry Program
– Lowcountry Food Bank

5. Lowcountry Food Bank
• 10 counties
– Varying demographics, resources, poverty
rates
• Over 300 partnering agencies
• Evolving mobile pantry program
– Currently used on a limited basis within North
Charleston community

6. Senior Thesis Process
Research Question: What is the best
practice for the Lowcountry Food Bank’s
mobile pantry program considering the
current available funds and resources,
targeted communities, and distribution
gaps?

7. Met hodology
Lowcountry Food Bank 2012 Statistics:
– operational budget- $4,424,000
– annual distribution- 18.7 millions pounds of food
products
• Work through Feeding America network to find
food banks with similar size and budget
(155 FA affiliated mobile pantry programs)
• Annual budget: 3-6 million dollars
• Annual distribution: 15-25 million pounds
• Existing mobile pantry program
• 6 food banks total

8. Conducted interviews with…
• Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee
(Knoxville, TN)
• Montgomery Area Food Bank (Montgomery,
AL)
• Harvest Hope Food Bank (Columbia, SC)
• Blue Ridge Area Food Bank (Verona, VA)
• Gleaners Food Bank (Indianapolis, IN)
• Inner-Faith Food Shuttle (Raleigh, NC)

9. Findings and Trends within Mobile
Pantry Programs Surveyed
• Multiple definitions and applications of mobile
pantry programs
• Have the ability to compose 1/5 of food banks total
distribution (distributing up to 3.4 million pounds
annually)
» Montgomery Area Food Bank
• Require additional staff to be successful
• Does not consistently use the same source of
product
– Prominent use of donated product, with additional
purchased product (produce typically) to supplement
» Montgomery Area Food Bank, Blue Ridge Area Food
Bank, Gleaners

10. Lowcountry Food Bank Mission
and Model
The Lowcountry Food Bank mobile
pantry program will distribute donated
food product to underserved target areas
through recurring community
distributions coordinated in part by local
partners and funded by grants.

11. Recommendations for Mobile
Pantry Pilot Program…
Should initially…
-have roughly 100 distributions annually
(8-10/month)
-use retail/manufactured product procured by
donations or at highly reduced costs
• supplement with VAP as needed
>>Blue Ridge Area Food Bank
-provide min. ~6% of annual distribution (1,122,000
lbs.)
- ~5% of annual operational budget ($212,100)

12. Projected Statistics for Lowcountry
Food Bank’s Mobile Pantry Program
Percent of Total Pounds Distributed (6%)
Total pounds distributed through
LCFB
Total distributed through LCFB
mobile pantry program

13. Projected Statistics for Lowcountry
Food Bank’s Mobile Pantry Program
Percent of Annual Operational Budget (5%)
Annual operating expenses of
LCFB
Annual budget of LCFB mobile
pantry program

14. Recommended Distribution
Schedule and Scope
• 8-10 distributions monthly
– Provision for night and weekend distribution
– Anticipated 2-3 hour distribution (not including travel time)
– Recommend against drop-off/pick-up delivery method
• Unneeded transportation costs
• Recurring sites (Membership Development in
Underserved Areas)
– Targeted Counties: Jasper, Hampton, Colleton, and
Williamsburg
>>Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, Gleaners Food Bank

15. Recommended Financial
St ruct ureBecause nature of mission (targeting areas with high need, low service, and
low resources available)…
– Relying primarily on
• grants
• Sponsor distributions
• Cost share fee
– Distribution sponsorships and cost share fees will become more
accessible as mobile pantry program gains recognition…
– Preliminary expenses of program be covered primarily by grants and
annual operational budget
**Staffing Need: if relying heavily on grants to finance mobile pantry
distributions, the LCFB would need to devote additional attention
(resources and staffing) to creating grant applications on behalf
of this program

16. Proj ect ed Food Procurement
Needs
Pursue underdeveloped, accessible, & economic
venues
-donations from local warehouse and retail
distributors
-supplement with VAP products
-supplement with collecting, overlooked
warehouse product
***pursuing these venues requires additional staffing and
resources focused on procurement

17. Pr oj ect ed Resour ces Required f or
Food and Funding Procurement
• ADDITIONAL STAFFING
Distribution staff
– Agency relationship team: build relationships between potential
community sponsors/agencies
*allow additional avenues of program funding
*programs become tool to instigate partnerships
– Cooking/nutrition demo periodically at distributions: educate about uses
and preparation of unfamiliar food products being served
*allow program’s use of slow moving product, typically unfamiliar and unused by
clientele
– SNAP/WIC application solicitor periodically at distributions: enroll eligible
members of targeted community to federal food assistance programs
*redirect portion of community’s need to available federal relief programs
Handling staff
- Handle and determine viable donated food products
*ensuring quality of the food dispensed through food bank/pantry program
(greater procured food product requires greater warehouse capacity)
>>Gleaners, Montgomery Area Food Bank, Inner-Faith Shuttle, Harvest Hope Food Bank

18. Proj ect ed Resources Required
f or Food Pr ocur ement St rat egies
• Additional distribution equipment: trucks
and drivers
*trucks and drivers available to pick up
product procured via community partners
*refrigerated truck for donated produce and
perishable products nearing expiration
*need can at times be inconsistent with
LCFB’s hours of operation

19. Recommended Communit y Part ner
I nit iat ives
• Agency development program:
allows gradual transition from community
organizations to sponsoring, partnering agency
1st
12 months of distributions: program hosts mobile pantry
events free of charge
13th
-18th
month: 25-50% partnering distribution fee requested
following
19th
month: full partnering agency fee
Gleaners Food Bank, Montgomery Area Food Bank, Blue Ridge Area Food Bank,
Harvest Hope Food Bank

20. Recommended Communit y Part ner
I nit iat ive
• Distribute through federal and local
government agencies (County Commissioners
office, DHHS, County Housing Agencies, etc)
– First demonstrates benefits of mobile pantry program
– Also allows pursuit of county-level grants available to
sponsor the mobile pantry program
*pursue atypical clientele
>>Montgomery Area Food Bank

21. Recommended Sponsorship
St rat egies
• Sponsorship program directed towards
community organizations
- community organizations such as churches, high
schools, rotary club, etc directly sponsor a mobile pantry
distribution event
- source of seed money
**Not recommended as primary funding for
LCFB mobile pantry program…
• Inconsistent source of funding for distributions in
high-need areas
>>Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee

22. I mplicat ions
• Program has capacity to distribute 1,122,000
pounds its first year (6% of distributions)
• Allows allocation of pounds to areas with high
need and limited community resources
– Assist in fulfillment of FA and USDA’s distribution
requirements
• Can be used as a tool to instigate agency
partnerships
– Fosters agency development in low service areas

23. Limit at ions
• The number of food banks analyzed
• Relatively limited understanding of the
Lowcountry Food Bank’s structure and
capacity

24. Questions?

25. Thank you for your time!

26. Extra Thank you to..
– Ms. Ava Young
– Ms. Carol Hurt
– Ms. Anna Hamilton