精品SM在线影片

As unemployment rose sharply and people socially distanced because of the pandemic,听food banks nationwide saw听increased听demands for food assistance, as well as a decrease in听donations and volunteer workers.听

Most faced logistical issues in getting their听supplies听in a timely manner.

To tackle听these issues locally, Denver's Neighborhood Equity & Stabilization (NEST) reached out to 精品SM在线影片's听Community Engagement, Design and Research Center, and CEDaR launched听the听"Denver Food Bank Distribution Project."听 The project is a partnership听between the听Denver听Department of Public Health &听Environment (DDPHE) and the university.

"This project is an excellent example of a collaboration听between the city of Denver and the university, where the university brings technical skills, interviewing and information technologies to听a project identified by the city," says Brian Muller, CEDaR director. "Together we're tackling how to听best manage information and activities among dozens of small and large Denver food banks."

Josh Lipson, a senior in the environmental studies and economics departments at 精品SM在线影片, said he wanted听to intern for the听project because he feels听passionate about the intertwined issues of food waste and nationwide hunger.

"The pandemic showed听the fragility of our food supply chain as well as increased听the number of people living in hunger," he said. "With widespread food waste and hunger existing simultaneously, both issues seem avoidable and solvable."

Denver food bank听staff and pantry stakeholders have been researching听ways to use technology, such as听Slack, Project InKind, and听Care Exchange听to better meet the demands of the current crisis and in preparation for future crises, Lipson says. Primary needs include an efficient resource exchange between suppliers, food banks, food pantries听and consumers;听transportation coordination; tracking food inventories and deliveries; and communication at all sectors of the supply chain.

Lesly Baesens, food waste recovery program administrator for the DDPHE, said听a wide network of emergency food stakeholders work听to meet the needs of food-insecure Denverites.听

"The use of technology would help increase the exchange of information, food, volunteers听and supplies among these stakeholders," she said. "DDPHE is excited to work with Josh to help figure out which barriers prevent adopting these tools听and how best to overcome those barriers."

During the initial听two听months of the project, Lipson听researched听the issues that food banks face听and听the apps they use and听attended听an emergency food stakeholders' meeting. He since听designed听a survey and prepared听for interviews with stakeholders; the results will help him听further explore how food banks听use听technologies and the obstacles their workers face. He听plans听to use this information听to compile a guide as well as organize a workshop about useful technologies for food bank stakeholders.

"The food distribution issues that Denver is facing听are massive, long-term issues, and I don't expect to solve them within a few months," Lipson says.听"I hope though that by the end of my internship听I can point to the听tangible impact I made. Having the opportunity to help communities during a crisis听is so听important to me."

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