Barriers Confronting Food Pantry Clients: Lack of Kitchen Supplies: A Pilot Study

Sixty-two percent of food pantries are run by faith-based organizations. Urban food bank consumers from 74 households were surveyed in a pilot study to better understand the kitchen resources (eg, supplies used to store, prepare, and cook food), and other barriers that may prevent food bank consumers from eating the food they received from a food bank. Findings from this research reveal that a notable percentage of food pantry consumers do not have essential home kitchen resources such as a freezer, sharp knives, can opener, electricity in the kitchen, running water in the kitchen, plates, or bowls. Nearly one third of respondents indicated they had received food from a food pantry that no one in their household ate for a variety of reasons. Uneaten food was most commonly given to friends and family members. Sixty-two percent of food pantries are run by faith-based organizations. Urban food bank consumers from 74 households were surveyed in a pilot study to better understand the kitchen resources (eg, supplies used to store, prepare, and cook food), and other barriers that may prevent food bank consumers from eating the food they received from a food bank. Findings from this research reveal that a notable percentage of food pantry consumers do not have essential home kitchen resources such as a freezer, sharp knives, can opener, electricity in the kitchen, running water in the kitchen, plates, or bowls. Nearly one third of respondents indicated they had received food from a food pantry that no one in their household ate for a variety of reasons. Uneaten food was most commonly given to friends and family members. For Christian social workers, NASW's ethical mandates to assist people in meeting their basic human needs are accentuated by biblical teachings that call Christians to alleviate the suffering of people who are hungry and poor. This research adds to the limited existing evidence on strategies social workers can use when designing food pantry delivery programs.