Academic Journal
Emergency Preparedness and Scalability Readiness in Community Food Pantries: Systems Insights for Nutrition and Dietetics Practice.
| Τίτλος: | Emergency Preparedness and Scalability Readiness in Community Food Pantries: Systems Insights for Nutrition and Dietetics Practice. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Williamson S; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA., Fan W; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA., Wang S; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA., Lightner A; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA., Poirier L; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA., Neff RA; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA., Reznar MM; Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA., Jiao K; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA., Gittelsohn J; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA., Barnett DJ; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. |
| Πηγή: | Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association [J Hum Nutr Diet] 2026 Jun; Vol. 39 (3), pp. e70256. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Wiley on behalf of The British Dietetic Association Ltd., [c1988- Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 8904840 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1365-277X (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 09523871 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Hum Nutr Diet Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: [Oxford] : Wiley on behalf of The British Dietetic Association Ltd., [c1988- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Food Assistance*/organization & administration , Food Supply*/methods , Dietetics*/methods , Civil Defense*/methods , Disaster Planning*, Humans ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Baltimore ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Communication |
| Περίληψη: | Background: Food pantries serve as critical community nutrition access points, particularly during emergencies when demand for food assistance increases. However, the operational systems needed to sustain nutrition services under surge conditions are not well characterized. This study assessed emergency preparedness and scalability readiness among food pantries to identify systems-based leverage points for improving continuity of nutrition care during crises. Methods: A cross-sectional evaluation was conducted with 19 food pantries in Baltimore City and Baltimore County. Directors completed two instruments: a 38-item preparedness questionnaire grouped into four domains (Training/Knowledge, Operations, Communication, and Safety) and an 87-item environmental checklist measuring characteristics relevant to scalability. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and nonparametric group comparisons were used to examine preparedness, scalability, and associated pantry characteristics. Results: Overall preparedness was moderate (mean = 1.18 on a 0-2 scale), with large variability across domains. Communication preparedness was lowest, and 42.1% of pantries had low scalability readiness. Preparedness and scalability were strongly correlated (r = 0.90, p < 0.001). Pantries able to deliver food to off-site locations and those with higher recent neighbor throughput demonstrated significantly higher preparedness and scalability (p < 0.05). Traditional infrastructure characteristics showed no associations. Conclusion: Communication systems, surge workflows, and workforce capacity were the primary determinants of emergency response capability. Strengthening these interconnected system functions may support both preparedness and scalability, helping food pantries maintain equitable nutrition access during emergencies. These findings highlight opportunities for registered dietitian nutritionists to advance systems-based practice within the charitable food system. (© 2026 British Dietetic Association.) |
| References: | A. Simmet, J. Depa, P. Tinnemann, and N. Stroebele‐Benschop, “The Nutritional Quality of Food Provided From Food Pantries: A Systematic Review of Existing Literature,” Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics117, no. 4 (2017 April): 577–588, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2016.08.015. American Public Health Association, National Public Health Week. Emergency Preparedness [Internet], [Cited May 10, 2025], https://nphw.org/Issues/Emergency-Preparedness. ReFED. Scaling Food Recovery and Hunger Relief: Learnings From ReFED's Nonprofit Food Recovery Accelerator [Internet], 2020 [Cited May 10, 2025], https://refed.org. J. P. Casellas Connors, M. Safayet, N. Rosenheim, and M. Watson, “Assessing Changes in Food Pantry Access After Extreme Events,” Agriculture and Human Values 40, no. 2 (June 2023): 619–634, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-022-10373-8. C. B. Shanks, M. D. Hingle, C. A. Parks, and A. L. Yaroch, “The COVID‐19 Pandemic: A Watershed Moment to Strengthen Food Security Across the US Food System,” American Journal of Public Health 110 (2020): 1133–1134, https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.305760. A. Coleman‐Jensen, M. P. Rabbitt, C. A. Gregory, and A. Singh, Household Food Security in the United States in 2020 [Internet], 2021, www.ers.usda.gov. Feeding America. The Impact of the Coronavirus on Food Insecurity [Internet], 2021 March [Cited January 8, 2025], https://www.feedingamerica.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/National%20Projections%20Brief_3.9.2021_0.pdf. L. Larison, C. Byker Shanks, E. Webber, B. Routh, and S. Ahmed, “The Influence of the COVID‐19 Pandemic on the Food Supply in the Emergency Food System: A Case Study at 2 Food Pantries,” Current Developments in Nutrition 5, no. 10 (October 2021): nzab115, https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzab115. Food and Function: An Assessment of the Capacity of Food Pantry Programs in San Diego County [Internet], 2015, www.sandiego.edu/nonprofit. R. An, J. Wang, J. Liu, J. Shen, E. Loehmer, and J. McCaffrey, “A Systematic Review of Food Pantry‐Based Interventions in the USA,” Public Health Nutrition 22, no. 09 (June 2019): 1704–1716, https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980019000144. S. Fleischhacker, U. Colón‐Ramos, L. Haynes‐Maslow, and L. Clay, “Position of the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior: The Importance of Emergency‐Related Food and Nutrition Education Before, During, and After a Disaster,” Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 56, no. 7 (July 2024): 419–427, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2024.04.008. A. Lightner, S. Williamson, S. M. Sundermeir, et al., “Formative Research for an Innovative Digital Application to Strengthen Healthy Food Access and Resilience in Food Pantries: The Support Application for Food PAntrieS (SAFPAS) Study,” Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition 20, no. 5 (September 2025): 750–767, https://doi.org/10.1080/19320248.2025.2482149. D. J. Barnett, S. M. Sundermeir, M. M. Reznar, et al., “Protocol for the Support Application for Food PAntrieS Trial: Design, Implementation, and Evaluation Plan for a Digital Application to Promote Healthy Food Access and Support Food Pantry Operations,” Frontiers in Public Health 12 (2024). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1340707. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Make A Plan [Internet], 2025 [Cited September 1, 2025], https://www.ready.gov/plan. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Personal Protective Equipment Burn Rate Calculator [Internet], 2024 [Cited September 1, 2025], https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/healthcare/hcp/pandemic/PPE-Burn-rate-calculator.html. C. Bazerghi, F. H. McKay, and M. Dunn, “The Role of Food Banks in Addressing Food Insecurity: A Systematic Review,” Journal of Community Health. Springer New York LLC 41 (2016): 732–740, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-015-0147-5. Z. A. Ginsburg, A. D. Bryan, E. B. Rubinstein, et al., “Unreliable and Difficult‐to‐Access Food for Those in Need: A Qualitative and Quantitative Study of Urban Food Pantries,” Journal of Community Health 44, no. 1 (February 2019): 16–31, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-018-0549-2. H. A. Eicher‐Miller, B. N. Wright, J. A. Tooze, et al., “Evaluating a Food Pantry–Based Intervention to Improve Food Security, Dietary Intake, and Quality in Midwestern Food Pantries,” Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 122, no. 11 (November 2022): 2060–2071, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2022.02.016. N. M. Martin, D. J. Barnett, L. Poirier, S. M. Sundermeir, M. M. Reznar, and J. Gittelsohn, “Moving Food Assistance Into the Digital Age: A Scoping Review,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 3 (January 2022): 1328, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031328. N. M. Martin, S. M. Sundermeir, D. J. Barnett, et al., “Digital Strategies to Improve Food Assistance in Disasters: A Scoping Review,” Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness 17 (October 2023): e40, https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2021.281. |
| Grant Information: | R34HL161566 United States HL NHLBI NIH HHS |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: charitable food assistance; community food systems; emergency preparedness; food pantries; nutrition security; scalability readiness |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260430 Date Completed: 20260715 Latest Revision: 20260715 |
| Update Code: | 20260716 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/jhn.70256 |
| PMID: | 42057624 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
καταχωρήστε σχόλιο πρώτοι!