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1. An ensemble forecasting model for predicting contribution of food donors based on supply behavior

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-021-04146-5  

   Paul, Shubhra; Davis, Lauren B. (July 2021, Annals of Operations Research)

   Food banks are nonprofit hunger relief organizations that collect donations from donors and distribute food to local agencies that serve people in need. Donors consist of local supermarkets, manufacturers, and community organizations. The frequency, quantity, and type of food donated by each donor can vary each month. In this research, we propose a technique to identify the supply behavior of donors and cluster them based on these attributes. We then develop a predictive ensemble model to forecast the contribution of different donor clusters. Our study shows the necessary behavioral attributes to classify donors and the best way to cluster donor data to improve the prediction model. 

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2. Exploring Nutritional Equity In Food Bank Supply Chains

   Sharmile, N; Davis, L (May 2024, IISE)

   Greer, A Brown; Contardo, C; Frayret, J-M (Ed.)

   Food insecurity, defined as insufficient access to food for a healthy and active life, affected approximately 12.8% of U.S. households in 2022. A concerted effort from both the government and non-government organizations is underway to address this challenge in the United States. This study centers on the Foodbank of Central and Eastern North Carolina (FBCENC), a nonprofit hunger relief organization pivotal in collecting and distributing food donations to local agencies serving individuals in need. However, despite the critical role of food banks, nutritional considerations are often overlooked. To address this gap, the study employs the Healthy Eating Research (HER) Nutrition Guideline, categorizing nutrition types (Red, Yellow, and Green) to assess and enhance the nutritional equity of the current distribution system. A linear programming model is proposed, and equity is adopted as the performance measure. The study aims to develop a model that strategically reduces nutritional disparities across the network. By incorporating HER guidelines and emphasizing equity in distribution, this research contributes to the broader objective of creating a more nutritionally equitable response to food insecurity within the non-profit sector. 

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3. Estimating True Demand at a Local Hunger Relief Organization

   Odubela, Kehinde; Jiang, Steven; Davis, Lauren (November 2020, Proceedings of the 2020 IISE Annual Conference)

   Hunger relief organizations are mostly non-profits that collect food from various sources and redirect them to the people in need. This is to combat the prevalent food insecurity affecting children, the unemployed, students, seniors and so on. Previous research has focused on the demand/donation side of food rescue operations, but the distribution or supply side - especially in reducing the uncertainty associated with food demand - has received significantly lower attention. In this study, we obtained data from a local hunger relief organization, specifically a food pantry to develop estimates of the demand they expect to receive in the future. To do this, we fit the growth of the food pantry client population to a logistic growth model to obtain a good fit. We then obtained data for frequency of visits to develop estimates of the number of visits expected in the future, using time series models. This will be combined with the allocation policy for food distribution to develop estimates of true demand. This study has merit for hunger relief organizations. It will aid decision making relative to food distribution, while also providing data for planning purposes. 

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4. Visualizing a Local Food Bank’s Chronic Health Disease Population

   Hamilton, M.; Jiang, S.; Davis, L. (July 2023, Proceedings of the 8th North American International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management, Houston, Texas, USA, June 13-16, 2023)

   Food insecurity hinders individuals from the healthy and sustainable life they truly deserve. Unfortunately, food insecurity and chronic health diseases affect millions of people across the United States. Food banks are constantly fighting the uphill battle against food insecurity to supply adequate, relevant, healthy meals to those who need them. Oftentimes hunger relief organizations lack data and software tools that could aid strategic decision-making. A local food bank faces this exact problem and is struggling to find clients that face chronic health diseases in their service area. This study uses data from the local food bank to develop visualizations that investigate the health considerations of the population they serve. The results easily found a specific county with the largest number of health considerations and a zip code with the highest number of individuals facing hypertension. Dominant chronic health considerations highlight the importance for food banks to diversify their food selections. It is important for the local food bank to know what foods are essential within each county and zip code area to provide services that will be valuable to those who need them. This study benefits food banks so they can yield better service to the community. 

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5. Understanding Neighbor Food Needs and Preferences through an Interactive Dashboard

   https://doi.org/10.54941/ahfe1006420  

   Bonsu, Enoch; Jiang, Steven; Morrow, Benjamin; Davis, Lauren (July 2025, AHFE International)

   Leitner, Christine; Bassano, Clara; Satterfield, Debra (Ed.)

   Food insecurity is a social and economic condition where an individual or household have difficulty to obtain safe and nutritious food. Food insecurity in America is a serious issue given that more than 30 million people in America are food insecure. The complex nature of the problem cannot be address by federal nutrition assistance programs alone. Non-profit hunger relief organizations also play a significant role. Feeding America is the nation’s largest hunger relief organization and has over 200 affiliated food banks. Those food banks used to focus on providing emergency food assistance, more and more are paying more attention to the needs and preferences of the people they serve and provide culturally relevant food and food that meets the dietary and other health considerations. Working with a local food bank and its affiliated partner agencies, neighbor preference data were collected. An interactive dashboard was developed to allow decision-makers of the food bank to make evidence-based informed decisions in complex hunger relief operations such as food procurement and distribution. 

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