This research summarizes interviews conducted with managers of 10 food pantries in East Houston to understand the social services needed by their communities and barriers faced by the pantries. The managers identified needs such as immigration, job training, healthcare, and SNAP assistance. However, the pantries are limited by constraints like time, resources, volunteers and space to expand their services. The managers felt that increased networking between pantries and agencies could help address community needs more effectively by allowing organizations to leverage their respective strengths.

1. This research would never have been
possible without the help of each food
pantry manager willing to give their time and
voice.
This work was supported by the Summer
Undergraduate Research Fellowship
Program through University of Houston’s
Office of Undergraduate Research and the
Texas Obesity Research Center.
Copies of this poster are
available through the QR Code
Adding Social Services to Food Pantries as a way to Address Community
Needs and Pantry Barriers
Cheryl Woolf1,2, Maryiam Saifuddin3 & Daphne C. Hernandez1,2, PhD, MSEd
1Department of Health & Human Performance
2Texas Obesity Research Center
3Houston Food Bank
Background Results
Methods Conclusions Acknowledgement
Purpose
Community Needs
Pantry Needs & Barriers
Networking
Each pantry had specific needs that
their community members could
benefit from. This ranged from
immigration services, to job training to
healthcare assistance. Most pantries
needed a combination of all of these
services.
“Immigration services would
benefit the north side the most.”
“Many of our younger clients need
job/education training.”
While many pantries would like to add
on more services, barriers such as
time, resources and volunteers stand
in their way.
“It is impossible to try and offer
everything.”
“Each agency only has the capacity
to do so much.”
Every pantry interviewed believed that
networking was an important way to
provide more services.
“The only way we can move forward
is by networking.”
“A lot of people want to do
everything themselves. If someone
is already doing it, help them do it
better.”
Pantries Visited
G.R.A.C.E. Outreach Ministries
True Love Missionary Baptist Church
Mission Center Gano
First Morningstar Outreach
Blessed Sacrament
St. Nicholas Catholic Church SVDP
Berean Seventh-Day Adventist Church
New Providence Baptist Church
South Union Church of Christ
Real Life Christian Church
Food insecurity is defined as uncertainty
about future food availability due to the lack
of necessary resources to acquire nutritious
foods.
The national average of food insecurity is
20% among households with children. The
rate in Harris country is 26%.
Last year, the Houston Food Bank (HFB)
initiated the Allocation Alignment Program
which provides incentives for food pantries
who extend their social services. These
services include health screenings, SNAP
application assistance, job training, housing
assistance, and legal services. Incentives
for offering these services include free or
discounted HFB deliveries, access to
agency grants, and priority pick up times.
The more services a pantry offers, the more
incentives they will receive. However, many
pantries have not yet taken advantage of
this program or have not gained enough
points to receive incentives.
The purpose of this study was to interview
food pantries with low Allocation Alignment
scores. Specifically, we examined the social
services food pantries in East Houston were
interested in offering. In addition, we
explored barriers that come along with that.
East Houston was selected because these
areas have higher rates of unemployment,
poverty, and health issues.
Ten food pantries throughout the East
Houston area were visited during June-July
2015.
A total of ten interviews were conducted
and food pantry managers were asked a
series of questions relating to the services
they currently offer and are interested in
offering in the future.
All of the interviews were compiled,
transcribed and analyzed to find common
themes.
Many of these smaller pantries do not have the time, resources or volunteer power to add
on more services. Most smaller pantries can only take on 1-2 extra services on their own.
Many of the pantries interviewed did not even have their own refrigerator to provide meat
and dairy products. Pantry clients also needed a wide range of social services, not just
help with one specific issue.
Strengths
As most of the pantries interviewed were smaller church pantries, their voice and needs
are not always heard.
Limitations
Since most food pantry pantry managers have other fulltime jobs, it was very hard to get a
hold of many of them; thus, creating a small sample size for this project.
No Space
Needs Funding
Needs More Volunteers
Unable to Meet Needs
Needs to Address Food
Issues First
No Time
More Pantry Hours
Utility Assistance
Immigration Assistance
Healthcare Needs
SNAP Assistance
Job Training/GED
Legal Criminal
Assistance
Financial Knowledge
Networks With Other
Pantries
Does Not Network With
Other Pantries