Preliminary Evaluation of a University Food Pantry During COVID-19 Using Implementation Science Metrics

ABSTRACT

To conduct a preliminary evaluation of a university food pantry using implementation science (IS) metrics.Food insecure students at a Midwest university during Fall 2020.Previous research has identified a need for IS to be incorporated into nutrition interventions to better address program sustainability at community and institutional levels.A satellite campus food pantry was created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and is located at the university's recreation center. This food assistance program provides free food for students in need and was open 3 hours a day, twice a week from August to December.Pantry staff tracked implementation costs, food waste, and student usage. Pantry clients were invited to take an anonymous online survey to assess their satisfaction and acceptability of the pantry using valid and reliable questionnaires.In 28 service days, there were 353 visits with a total of 475 people served, and 150 different student users. The majority (n = 113, 75.3%) only visited the pantry once or twice, while 24.7% (n = 37) visited the pantry at least once a month. Of students relying on the pantry for monthly visits, only 27% were affected by COVID-19. Thus far, 97% of implementation costs are attributed to staff pay. The majority of landfilled food waste (591.4 pounds) was produce (15.8% fruit, 49.9% vegetables) and 18.2% was from premade items like sandwiches, salads, and pastas. Average student satisfaction (n = 45) was 27.3 out of 30 and acceptability was 13.7 out of 16.The pantry is well accepted by students and results suggest it may be needed beyond pandemic times with limited users being affected by COVID-19. Additionally, while advantageous that the pantry receives premade food from other campus programs, more research is needed to determine if the pantry is the best option for redistributing these food items.