Operation Food Search Transforms Warehouse Distribution Process
St. Louis nonprofit enhances policies to safely serve during pandemic.
St. Louis, MO, September 03, 2020 --(PR.com)-- Operation Food Search (OFS), a non-profit hunger relief organization, recently revolutionized its warehouse distribution process to more efficiently comply with COVID-19 requirements. The newly created protocols enhance OFS’s food safety and social distancing specifications when interacting with community food partners.
The warehouse transformation now allows the food distribution process to have more quality control based upon less interaction with multiple sources. Prior to the pandemic, community food partners (food pantries) entered OFS’s warehouse to receive its pre-loaded dry goods cart. This was followed by the time-consuming task of partners sorting and gathering their own refrigerated fresh food and bread items.
Today the number of people who are allowed to enter the warehouse is limited. OFS personnel now sort and pack food boxes to ensure better quality control, which simultaneously increases the amount of healthier and more diverse selections. The organized boxes contain a similar mix of fresh produce, dairy and bread for each pantry partner. Streamlining the distribution process allows immediate access and quicker turnaround for perishable produce boxes.
Kallie Galati, who was promoted to Nutrition Education Program Coordinator, will coordinate the revamped warehouse process. In this position, she will collaborate with OFS’s agency relations and operations departments to ensure the success of the new warehouse distribution process. Galati also will work with community food partners to expand OFS’s community-based nutrition education programs. Prior to her promotion, she served as Nutrition Educator where she led nutrition-focused culinary classes for OFS.
“This recent transformation is a perfect example of how thoughtful processes can improve safety and quality while benefitting everyone involved,” said Operation Food Search Executive Director Kristen Wild. “The food pantry drivers arrive at our headquarters and are greeted outside of our headquarters with already packed boxes of food donations. We save them time, and they receive a beautiful assortment of the freshest food available to distribute to the community.”
Founded in 1981, Operation Food Search (OFS) is a hunger relief organization that provides food and nutrition education. With a strategic focus aimed at ending childhood hunger, OFS empowers families with a range of programs and services proven to reduce food insecurity and increase access to healthy and affordable food. The agency helps feed more than 200,000 individuals on a monthly basis – one-third of which are children – through a network of 330 community partners in 31 Missouri and Illinois counties. For more information, call (314) 726-5355.
The warehouse transformation now allows the food distribution process to have more quality control based upon less interaction with multiple sources. Prior to the pandemic, community food partners (food pantries) entered OFS’s warehouse to receive its pre-loaded dry goods cart. This was followed by the time-consuming task of partners sorting and gathering their own refrigerated fresh food and bread items.
Today the number of people who are allowed to enter the warehouse is limited. OFS personnel now sort and pack food boxes to ensure better quality control, which simultaneously increases the amount of healthier and more diverse selections. The organized boxes contain a similar mix of fresh produce, dairy and bread for each pantry partner. Streamlining the distribution process allows immediate access and quicker turnaround for perishable produce boxes.
Kallie Galati, who was promoted to Nutrition Education Program Coordinator, will coordinate the revamped warehouse process. In this position, she will collaborate with OFS’s agency relations and operations departments to ensure the success of the new warehouse distribution process. Galati also will work with community food partners to expand OFS’s community-based nutrition education programs. Prior to her promotion, she served as Nutrition Educator where she led nutrition-focused culinary classes for OFS.
“This recent transformation is a perfect example of how thoughtful processes can improve safety and quality while benefitting everyone involved,” said Operation Food Search Executive Director Kristen Wild. “The food pantry drivers arrive at our headquarters and are greeted outside of our headquarters with already packed boxes of food donations. We save them time, and they receive a beautiful assortment of the freshest food available to distribute to the community.”
Founded in 1981, Operation Food Search (OFS) is a hunger relief organization that provides food and nutrition education. With a strategic focus aimed at ending childhood hunger, OFS empowers families with a range of programs and services proven to reduce food insecurity and increase access to healthy and affordable food. The agency helps feed more than 200,000 individuals on a monthly basis – one-third of which are children – through a network of 330 community partners in 31 Missouri and Illinois counties. For more information, call (314) 726-5355.
Contact
Operation Food Search
Rochelle Brandvein
314-726-5355
www.operationfoodsearch.org
Rochelle Brandvein
314-726-5355
www.operationfoodsearch.org
Contact
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