The busiest 12 month period on record has forced our team to innovate, as rising prices create new challenges. Becky Whitlow, Director of the DMARC Food Pantry Network describes herself as a bargain hunter. As the primary wholesale purchase for the network of 14 food pantry partners, mobile food pantry sites, and food delivery program, Whitlow has had her hands full. She finds herself spending almost two hours a day shopping around to keep our food costs low while maintaining the same quality options.
“Before the pandemic, I was pretty much able to go to just 2-3 sources and get pretty much everything I needed at a reasonable price. Now I have to work a little harder at it. I’ve started working with 3-4 additional wholesalers in the last year to shop around for specific items,” said Whitlow, who will be celebrating her 12-year anniversary with DMARC in 2024.
Previously we never could’ve taken a semi-load of canned fruit or pasta in one day and that saves us quit a bit of money. We might save 5,6, or $7000 by ordering in a larger quantity.
As the number of individuals being assisted by the Food Pantry Network has increased, so has the added pressure on our warehouse and purchasing operations to keep up with the record volume. This is only accentuated by the increasing number of people a month who are utilizing a food pantry for at least one repeat visit a month.
The pandemic served as a paradigm shift in where DMARC’s food is coming from as the percentage of items being distributed is more and more likely to be purchased. In FY 18-19 over 1.8 million pounds or 36% of total items distributed by the food pantry network was purchased from wholesalers. This past fiscal year that number increased to 2.1 million pounds or 52% of the cost/value of all items distributed.
While cost of food has come down slightly from a year ago, much of what we are purchasing is still more expensive than 3-4 years ago because of the increase in freight cost. Everything from the cost of diesel to the cost of the metal to make the can has pushed prices up.
“I am much more aware now of whether an order is being shipped out of Illinois, Minnesota, or Indiana or is it being shipped out of New Jersey or California,” said Whitlow.
The changes in food packaging and processing has meant higher prices and less options. For example, Progresso soups previously had over 30 different kinds of soup available for purchase in bulk, but that has shrunk to as low as 12 options.
DMARC guarantees all partner food pantries a list of specific items: things like peanut butter or pasta. As the organization continues to spend nearly $200k on food a month many partners pantries are having to rely more on our inventory when those pantry staples aren’t available through other sources.
With all of this change Whitlow is still optimistic about DMARC’s ability to meet the need. This is especially true now with the capabilities of our warehouse facilities. After moving in spring 2022, ordering in bulk has become exponentially easier as we plan for 6 months out instead of 6 weeks.
“Previously we could’ve never could’ve taken a semi-load of canned fruit or pasta in one day and that saves us quit a bit of money. We might save 5,6, or $7000 by ordering in a larger quantity.”
Expanded fridge and freezer storage has also allowed for the warehouse to collect and safely store more large donations of food rescue or other bulk donations. Especially during the winter months, having 6 pallets of melons or 8 pallets of butternut squash donated helps provide more options while keeping costs down.
