Technology and digitization are transforming an unlikely sector: the charity food distribution world.
Met Council, for example, in the past year has launched Market, an online food pantry system that allows clients to select food items online based on availability in their zip code, much like a typical online food order. People are allocated points for their purchases according to the number of members in their household, and then choose a time to pick up.
“Instead of having it feel like charity, you can think FreshDirect,” said CEO David Greenfield. The shift to digitized food distribution isn’t just about convenience, it’s about dignity. “With the old system, you’d see a huge line of people waiting for food, only able to choose from what is available or left over, as opposed to what they want or need.”
Using a digitized food distribution system also provides Met Council with valuable data collection. “We’re able to pick up on trends in food selection, for example, that are particular to certain areas, which significantly reduces waste and increases our ability to personalize item availability in zip codes based on trends of purchase,” Greenfield said. Previously, clients could only choose from the items that were available at that location, which could result in a lot of waste. Greenfield related that, for example, in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, the pantry site had a lot of peanut butter available, but staff noticed that at the end of the day, the on-site garbage can was filled with peanut butter. “From the order management end, this helps us be in contact with the warehouses and communicate what’s actually needed and preferred, what’s not worth sending, and also allows for more personalized availability for the clients,” he explained. “We no longer make as much peanut butter available in Brighton Beach, but we make sure to make borscht available because that’s what the clients there order most.”
Jeffrey Yoskowitz, director of the food program’s strategic initiatives, reported that one of the trends spotted is that despite concerns over older adults being able to access this system, clients with the greatest amount of online orders are between the ages of 65-75. Based on data reports, clients in Borough Park have typically preferred Jewish brands like Gefen over non-Jewish brands with OU or similar certifications. “This information allows us to ensure that more of those preferred brands are stocked in that area, as opposed to other areas where an OU would suffice,” said Greenfield. “Now, when clients log on, they see more items available in their zip code that, based on our tracking, they enjoy more.”
Digitizing the system through Market also allows for Met Council to communicate with clients about availability of certain items in the warehouse and hours of operation on a given day, as well as to keep accurate inventory to ensure that when an item is listed as available, it actually is. “Market isn’t just an online ordering website, it’s the digitization of our warehouses, which is revolutionary for our food program’s overall operation,” Yoskowitz explained. To measure success and progress, the data team looks along the lines of several measures, like how many orders are placed and how well clients were able to place orders independently. As of April 9th, 2024, there have been 52,271 orders fulfilled on Market. But because the number of orders doesn’t necessarily speak to client behavior, preferences, and the ease of using the system, the team also assesses weekly inventory management practices, such as how much of each item is available. Even when clients come in person to get their food, their “order” is placed through Market, in order to keep the inventory accurate and updated. This way, clients reserve foods with the guarantee that they will be there when they come to shop. The team is also currently working on developing satisfaction surveys that will be deployed through Market and will help gather information for needs and improvement.
Another aspect of the Market system is that Met Council is collecting data that will bring awareness to the health needs of the clients served by their pantry partners. Market already allows pantry managers to incentivize the ordering of healthier foods like fruits and vegetables by charging fewer points, effectively putting products “on sale.” A future Market goal is to track the health needs and general health concerns of clients through profiles in their Market account, and to tailor their shopping experience by filtering out potentially problematic items, such as high sugar, sodium, and fat products.
Technology affects another potentially overlooked area of the food pantry experience: distribution. “Where should people stand? What happens if the line becomes out of hand? How do you take an unexpected trailer of food that arrived just before Pesach, or in the middle of the year, and get it to people who want it, in the right way and at the right time, and in a dignified way? It’s a masechta in and of itself,” said Alexander Rappaport, executive director of Masbia, a network of kosher soup kitchens which also provides food packages. When Masbia gets a mass shipment of a particular item and needs to get it out fast, whether because of storage needs or because the expiration date of the item is approaching, they will mass text their clients and offer to send it to whoever wants it via DoorDash, Rappaport said. DoorDash is most frequently used leading up to Pesach.
Previously, Masbia had one large Pesach distribution day, with massive freezers needing to be rented to hold the capacity needed to match the massive lines that would form. Now, starting on Rosh Chodesh Nissan, every time Masbia gets a kosher-for-Pesach shipment of an individual category, mass texts will be sent out to inform the clients, and whoever wants that particular item will be sent it immediately through DoorDash. For example, when the chicken shipment comes in, it will be sent out immediately, and then comes the potato shipment, etc.
“It’s incredible how one piece of technology can so majorly streamline logistics and distribution, not to mention saving people time and dignity of waiting on massive lines, only to have no idea if certain items will be left,” noted Rappaport. He related that in the week or two leading up to Pesach in 2022, Masbia tied with Chik-fil-A for the most DoorDash orders.
For those who don’t have texting on their phones to be able to get and respond to these food distribution options, Masbia utilizes robocalls, which allow the person to press 1, for example, if they want the item. Beyond using DoorDash in lieu of massive one-day distributions or “Food Rescues,” DoorDash is always used for single parents who won’t have the opportunity to come and pick up their order. Masbia now uses an intake application called Plentiful, in which clients complete a form, create a profile, and create and manage their scheduling for food pickups.
Rappaport spoke about the tremendous food lines that were taking place during Covid-19 in extreme heat, freezing cold, and everything in between. “We didn’t even know how many people would come on a given day,” he said. Now, Plentiful allows for the team to know how many people will be coming on that day and what time they will be coming, which streamlines the process both from a distribution and food availability perspective.
Technology also allows for what Masbia might be most known for: their frequent grassroots campaigning. “The way we work is that whatever you donate, your donation has been used within two weeks; we rarely have money in the account that stays there longer than that,” Rappaport said. Masbia’s constant and creative campaigning utilizes as many media forms as possible, including YouTube ads, emails, and teaming up with influencers on Instagram. “To be able to constantly advertise and inform people of our needs is the only way we can keep the resources flowing out quickly to those that need it.”
Clearly, technology is emerging not just as a convenient tool in the food distribution sector, but as a catalyst for positive change – by increasing not just the ease, but the dignity with which individuals in need can have their needs met.
