Current Use and Demand for Digital Tools to Enhance Food Pantry Management: Findings from a Nationwide Survey

Figures & data

Figure 1. Study participation flow diagram.

Figure 2. A United States map of participating food pantries by urban-rural classification.

Table 1. Characteristics of food pantries who participated in an online nationwide survey of food pantries from January-June 2022 (n = 297).

Characteristic	N (%)
Respondent Role* (n=296) Food Pantry Director Food Pantry Manager Food Pantry Staff Food Pantry Volunteer Other	193 (65.2) 90 (30.4) 59 (19.9) 75 (25.3) 31 (10.5)
Pantry Size (n=295) Large (25,000+ pounds of food/year) Medium (10,000–24,999 pounds of food/year) Small (<10,000 pounds of food/year) Other**/Don’t Know	163 (55.3) 57 (19.3) 38 (12.9) 37 (12.5)
Client Choice Model (Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic) Yes No Sometimes	197 (66.3) 67 (22.6) 33 (11.1)
Client Choice Model (After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic) Yes No Sometimes	114 (38.4) 137 (46.1) 46 (15.5)

*This survey question was a “select all that apply” response.

**Some respondents reported that they do not measure pounds of food distributed.

Table 2. Desire for digital tool features by size of food pantries who participated in an online nationwide survey of food pantries from January-June 2022 (n = 268*).

Desired digital tool features	Food Pantry Size
	Large (n=172)	Medium (n=57)	Small (n=39)
Inventory	42.4%	43.9%	25.6%
Communicating with staff, volunteers and clients	38.4%	35.1%	17.9%
Client registration at the food pantry	35.5%	19.3%	15.4%
Tracking pantry numbers	33.1%	36.8%	20.5%
Scheduling volunteers	32.0%	24.6%	12.8%
Training staff/volunteers	28.5%	28.1%	12.8%
Online ordering of pantry food for clients	26.7%	29.8%	15.4%
Recruiting volunteers	25.6%	22.8%	10.3%
To provide client choice	23.3%	17.5%	7.7%
Scheduling client appointments	18.0%	17.5%	7.7%
To connect with emergency services in my area	18.0%	22.8%	7.7%
Enrolling clients in other food assistance programs	17.4%	17.5%	12.8%

*Respondents who selected “don’t know” for food pantry size were excluded from this component of the analysis.