The pandemic and ensuing lock-down prevented many of our regular participants from accessing our food banks during distribution hours. FamilyWorks used this opportunity to re-imagine how we connect folks with nourishing food.

In response, we launched two innovative programs, our Mobile Food Pantry, delivering farm-fresh produce and a shopping experience directly to families each month at 15 locations, such as preschools, home-based childcare centers, and affordable housing communities; and our Online Grocery Marketplace, formerly called Text-to-Go, which empowers participants to customize grocery boxes via an online marketplace available in multiple languages, and schedule a pickup time at their convenience. Food-insecure families who were previously unable to visit our food banks due to transportation, scheduling, or other barriers, now have nutritious resources within reach. 

We plan to expand these programs and explore more ways to ensure every household has low-barrier access to nutritious groceries, including adding a second Mobile Food Pantry, which will begin service in Spring 2025.