An Alternative Food Pantry Responds to the Pandemic: A Case Study on Service Redesign
Ian M. Langella
Shippensburg University, USA
Rainer Kleber
Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany
David Hwang
Shippensburg University, USA
Volume 16: 2022, pp. 59-76; ABSTRACT
This article provides a teaching case study detailing the reaction of an alternative food pantry to the Coronavirus. The alternative food pantry provided produce, dairy, meat, and cereals to around 150 families each week before the virus. Due to social distancing and concerns about spreading infection, the food distribution process needed to be quickly modified. This paper examines their procurement, transportation, and distribution operations before and during the virus crisis. This juxtaposition highlights the changes that the unfolding pandemic necessitated and the various ways food pantries can organize their distribution. This presents an excellent opportunity to illustrate service process redesign and service blueprinting to students in addition to highlighting the operational issues that the redesign presented. The case can be used in core undergraduate classes on operations and supply chains, specialized undergraduate courses on service management, and graduate-level classes on supply chain and service management.
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