Food Closets in State Social Service Centers: One-Stop Shopping

This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a food closet program in state social service centers. This collaborative venture between a nonprofit food bank and a government social service agency shows how the challenges of paperwork and transportation that often delay emergency food assistance can be overcome. The food closet program enables families to obtain a small supply of food at a place where they are already going to receive other services—in essence, one-stop shopping. Outcomes indicated that the Food Closet Program is providing families who otherwise would lack an emergency food supply with food in a timely manner, demonstrating that nonprofits and state governments can be effective partners in hunger relief efforts.