Food Runners (A): Nowhere to Run to

Abstract

Mary Risley was as stunned as the rest of the country by the rapid shutdown of the economy in early March of 2020 in response to COVID-19. Risley was the founder of Food Runners, a San Francisco–based nonprofit that helped match the excess in the food industry with the social need of feeding the hungry. Before the pandemic hit, the organization had over 250 active volunteers who brought food, which had been donated by restaurants and other businesses, to shelters and soup kitchens. As COVID-19 resulted in business shutdowns and people staying home, the volunteer forces and food supply were vanishing overnight. Hungry people were still out there. How could Food Runners adapt and pivot to meet the ongoing need? Excerpt UVA-OM-1703 Oct. 27, 2020 Food Runners (A): Nowhere to Run to Mary Risley was as stunned as the rest of the country by the rapid shutdown of the economy in early March of 2020 in response to COVID-19. Risley was the founder of Food Runners, a San Francisco–based nonprofit that helped match the excess in the food industry with the social need of feeding the hungry. As the pandemic caused the shuttering of corporate cafeterias, caterers, and restaurants, as well as the closing of shelters and food kitchens, both the supply of excess food and distribution of the food was disrupted. But the clients who needed the food were still there and still hungry. During Risley's 30 years running the nonprofit, she had faced many hurdles but none this large. She sat at her kitchen table with her coffee and pondered. How could Food Runners adapt and pivot to meet the ongoing need? Food Waste and Hunger in United States Hunger in America . . .