From Trucks to Tables: MOMS' Journey in Building Community Through Food
The traditional approach to food aid is facing a modern challenge. While food banks have been at the forefront in combating hunger, they come with certain logistical impediments.
Over the last four years, we've transformed the way we deliver food to those in need, and have recently uncovered opportunities partnering with other companies and organizations as a means to building community through food.
The Need for Accessibility-Why MOMS Is Mobile
While food banks are integral in addressing community food shortages, they have one critical shortcoming – accessibility. Traditional food banks require that people come to them, which poses two significant challenges.
First and foremost, many individuals facing food insecurity don't have consistent access to transportation. This barrier exacerbates their situation, as traveling to collect food from distribution points becomes daunting, leading to missed opportunities to receive essential food supplies.
Secondly, depending on where the food bank is located, many people have to leave their immediate area; this robs them of the benefits of receiving food within their community with their friends and neighbors.
Mobile food pantries like MOMS address that issue by bringing the food where it's needed. Our trucks turn the chore of going to a food pantry in a different area into a local get-together.
That’s why our trucks are considered "last mile delivery" for food banks. Typically associated with companies like Amazon, 'last mile delivery' refers to the final step in the delivery process, bridging the gap between the warehouse and the recipient. "The last mile" is the most challenging part of shipping since it involves distributing from one source to many different drop-offs. Through our network of partners , we were able to provide over 570,000 meals in 2022.
Using Our Network to Build Community
While the primary purpose of our trucks is delivering food, the creation of this streamlined distribution network has led to some exciting opportunities for partnering with other organizations so they can also help the community.
For example, we recently hosted a Back-to-School Backpack Drive through a partnership with Kings Capital Construction. Together, we connected 230 children with backpacks as they enjoyed pizza and ice cream together. This kind of event lets the next generation know they’re supported.
Kings said this about the partnership: “For the 2023 school year, KINGS partnered with the dedicated staff and community volunteers at Meals on Main Street in Port Chester, NY, because we appreciate their focus on helping families with education, food assistance, training, & more. The MOMS team is professional, organized, and passionate about making a positive impact on our community. They spread awareness about their mission and guiding principles, all while running an efficient organization.
With a clear mission for social impact, it was easy for us to decide that Meals on Main Street would be a perfect fit for our backpack drive this year…It was fun, exciting, and heartwarming for us to hear the relief and gratitude from parents while seeing all the smiles on the children’s faces.”
We proudly collaborated with Redemption Community Church on their "Serve Day", a special occasion dedicated to giving back to their community.Together with the volunteers from their congregation, we prepared sandwich kits for members of our community who are out of work and experiencing homelessness and are looking for day labor. Our trucks and established network allowed us to make distribution painless and efficient, ensuring those who needed help got it.
Lastly, we partnered with Lincoln Park Conservancy for its inaugural mobile pop-up vegetable market through its new initiative ‘grow! Eat.’ We combined our resources to share the fresh vegetables grown at Our New Way Garden and grow! Lincoln Park Community Garden with the community of New Rochelle.
Linda Tarrant-Reid, executive director of the Lincoln Park Conservancy, said that “TLPC’s partnership with Meals on Main Street and Our New Way Garden is invaluable to the market we serve and provides access to folks who do not have access to fresh produce, free-of-charge. Meals on Main Street’s partnership is key to our distribution of the vegetables, and we are thrilled to be partnering with such an amazing organization.”
Our system, which started with food distribution, lets us easily add any other products that need to be delivered throughout our communities.
Serving Our Community-Together
We need our communities, and they need us. We can fight the dissolution of the community through giving back and breaking bread with our neighbors. Food and mutual aid are some of the best ways to connect with those around us, and that’s what MOMS is all about.
If your company or organization would like to give back but lack the means for distribution, we can help. Partnering with MOMS means you have access to two trucks that go out into our neighborhoods every single day. We can help connect you with those who need what you have to offer.
Contact us if you’re interested in making an impact in this community.