
What is a Mobile Food Pantry?
Food mobile pantries are converted beverage delivery trucks. They have 4 – 5 bays on a side, with lift-up doors, which hold fresh produce and dairy products. The food comes from Feeding America West Michigan Food Bank, Inc in Comstock Park, near Grand Rapids. Mobile pantries are meant to help a family or an individual supplement other food they receive or have, such as canned & dry goods, received from a food pantry. Vehicles are planned so each family receives about 50 lbs of food. Each mobile consists of 5,000 lbs or 7,500 lbs or 10,000 lbs of food.
Hosting a Mobile Food Pantry
A church or other group wishing to host a mobile food pantry needs to have a hosting location with at least 50 feet of clear space for the vehicle, 10 feet around the truck itself when parked, and 13 feet of overhead clearance. Please note: we cannot have food mobiles at for-profit organizations or any location where food is sold at the same time.
You will need about 25 – 30 volunteers. When the mobile pantry arrives, food is unloaded onto tables placed around the truck, and large quantities are sorted into packages.
