One Generation Away, a Tennessee-based food bank, developed an innovative approach to aid distribution named Doorstep Pantry. The program, in partnership with DoorDash, provides free food and delivery to its clients, ensuring a dignified experience for all. With access to basic personal details, the system verifies if an address falls within DoorDash‘s ten-mile delivery radius and logs delivery data for routing.

The service is operational in two locations with plans for expansion to cover middle Tennessee, and potentially, other parts of the country. Scott Lucas, Director of Operations, expressed readiness to launch similar programs anywhere with sufficient food and funding. Deliveries are scheduled every Friday, with 100 to 200 food bags packed weekly by local special-needs students.

To date, Doorstep Pantry has delivered close to 2,700 bags of food, providing over 40,000 meals to families in need. January 2023 alone saw 14,000 meals delivered. With the expectation of growing demand, the food bank foresees the need to start serving beyond its existing food pantries.

One Generation Away has a broad distribution network extending to 83 pantries across Tennessee and Northern Alabama, along with a newly opened warehouse in Florida. To manage costs last year, the food bank rescued 1.9 million pounds of food from local grocers to stock the Doorstep Pantry program. Discounted delivery services and grant support from DoorDash will continue, but increasing demand calls for recruitment of community volunteers and collaboration with local municipalities.

The food bank could easily onboard other organizations to the Doorstep Pantry platform, requiring only the addition of a new drop location. The existing widget and infrastructure can ease the process for any food pantry wishing to adopt this model.