Mobile Pantry

The Food Bank’s Mobile Pantry Program is unique and progressive because we directly address geographically isolated low-income communities where residents experience chronic hunger and food insecurity.

The Mobile Pantry Program was established to assist low-income individuals and families who live in rural communities within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB), where residents have little or no access to transportation and/or where there might be no full-service grocery stores within reasonable walking distance.

While the non-profit and government agencies that serve these areas are able to pre-screen potential participants for eligibility so that the WBFB can provide services, these agencies often lack the infrastructure and resources (space, large volunteer force, etc.) needed to handle the actual food distributions. In response, the WBFB will establish the MPP where pre-assembled hampers will be delivered to a designated community sites via a Food Bank Vehicle and Food Bank staff. The Food Bank staff will then distribute the hampers based on pre-screened applications.

Because the Food Bank has a powerful volunteer force, we are able to sort food, assemble boxes, and manage the distribution logistics. In some cases, the Food Bank is able to tailor the Mobile Pantry food items to meet the cultural and special dietary needs of the communities it serves. The rural communities will be asked to provide local volunteers to assist with the distribution of food in each rural community.

Each hamper follows a list that may be varied based on special diets, availability of products at the food bank, and time of year.