Our Work on Food Insecurity

The Challenge

We are initially focused on solutions that help address the problem of food insecurity. Food insecurity is defined as the situation where individuals are unable to access or afford adequate food some or all of the time. Despite its name, food insecurity encompasses not just food but other household staples, like diapers. The number of food insecure individuals spiked during COVID-19, and has been on the increase as government programs have faced cuts.

Current Situation

Currently, food insecurity is addressed through a large number of organizations operating at different levels of the "supply chain". Government entities and large regional players operate "food banks" to acquire, store, package, and distribute food. Spurned by new legislation in states like California, other organizations participate in the growing area of food recycling, to redirect surplus fresh food from farms and stores before it goes to waste. Final distribution to those in need is typically handled by affiliated nonprofits and religious organizations, who operate scheduled "pantries", where food can be picked up by the public or by a defined population. Some deliver the food through hot meal programs or individual deliveries, as for the elderly.

Some organizations handle only one part of the process whereas others play multiple roles. In Los Angeles alone, even after excluding the thousands of businesses that initially supply food, we estimate that thousands more are involved in the distribution process. These players all share common needs to know who they serve, to manage supply and inventory, train and manage volunteers, comply with regulations, and maintain a web/social presence. Yet, the plurality manage their activities ad hoc, relying on the personal networks and institutional knowledge of dedicated individuals.

The subject is further complicated by the fact that food insecurity is not a binary thing; it's a continuum. A person may have access to food, in absolute terms, but may have no access to fresh produce or a diverse diet. Meeting these challenges is complex indeed.

Due to the fragmented nature of the ecosystem, it is difficult to get a complete picture of what is happening. It is easy to measure how many pounds of food leave a food bank each day. It is more difficult to know how much of it is actually consumed before going to waste. Likewise, it is easy to count the individuals who are served at a pantry, but much harder to know if food is reaching people commensurate with their needs. Worse, there is little knowledge of who is not being reached or served.

Opportunities and Solutions

We recognize the complexity of the situation. Our initial focus in the past several months has therefore been on developing relationships and learning more, through site visits, volunteering, and interviews. In keeping with our guiding principles, we know it would be counterproductive to rapidly "throw" technology at every problem. Instead, we are deliberately being cautious about which solutions to pursue. Already, some intriguing potential opportunities are emerging. For example:

Discoverability of Resources Using Los Angeles as an example, there are a variety of resources available for finding food, all of which are incomplete or inaccurate to some degree or another. Food seekers currently stick with pantries they know are "real", even if better options might exist. A single reliable and definitive source would eliminate redundant web maintenance while enabling food seekers and the social workers that support them to have data they can truly rely on. An authoritative list could even enable more dynamic positioning of food based on availability and greatest need. We have discussed opportunities to collaborate with the largest listing site in Los Angeles, FoodOasis.
Client Management All organizations that serve food insecure individuals need demographic data on who they serve, to understand their impact, support funding, and comply with certain qualification requirements. Yet, this information is captured inconsistently, using a variety of systems ranging from sign-in sheets, to index cards, to computers. There is no cohesive view of who is being served across any given region, or where gaps may be. Yet, gathering this information poses privacy and safety concerns if it might be used, for example, for immigration enforcement. There may be an opportunity to devise a shared solution that allows demographics to be captured consistently while assuring the privacy of clients.
Volunteer Management Organizations are heavily dependent on volunteers, who may need to be trained in certain topics before they can begin (e.g. Civil Rights Training for distributors of certain government food). Yet, most organizations engage volunteers themselves via bespoke processes, resulting in large volunteer staffing level inconsistencies from site to site. A consistent system for engaging and managing volunteers across organizations could increase the impact of volunteers generally, while also encouraging idea sharing across organizations.
Supply Chain Management We have observed clear disparities from pantry to pantry, even ones within a few miles of one another. Some offer only government sourced food and limited produce, while others, connected to food recyclers, offer an abundance of artisanal products. Some pantries purchase diapers so that they can be available, whereas others have ample supplies. These mismatches ultimately mean that items do not get to the people who might need them the most, reducing efficiency and equity. This is one of the most complicated problems to solve, but it is worth exploring (even in a limited scope area), since it has great potential benefits in the long term.

The above examples are only illustrative, but they should help give an indication of the kinds of solutions we intend to pursue.

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