Brazos Valley Food Bank: Fostering Partnerships, Feeding Hope

In January 2013, the executive director of Brazos Valley Food Bank, Incorporated, situated in central Texas, is faced with several issues endemic to the non-profit sector: inconsistency in the amount and quality of unsolicited food donations, restrictions on the use of cash donations, disjunction between limited supply and high demand for food in the summer, and the unsustainability of operations. Partnering with vetted agencies, such as churches, schools and other organizations, the food bank aims to reduce and eradicate hunger in the area it serves. Being driven by volunteers and non-supply chain and non-logistics professionals, the organization struggles to achieve the efficiency of a for-profit facility due to budgetary restrictions, including the need to reduce overhead costs while striving to increase deliverables. Management has three choices: to educate its staff, partner agencies and people receiving aid on better methods of donating and better use of donated items; to stratify and increase donations; and to improve efficiency. Although anticipating the opening of a new warehouse with up-to-date technology, a vital question remains: of what benefit is a state-of-the-art warehouse and much-needed additional space if burdensome operational inefficiencies are unresolved?

The case can be used in production and operations management, strategic management and supply chain management courses in undergraduate level courses as well as masters level courses such as MS, MBA and executive courses. Its teaching objectives are the following:<ul><li>To illustrate the functioning of non-profit organizations.</li><li>To draw parallels in the supply chain operations between for-profit and non-profit organizations.</li><li>To understand how to manage supply and demand mismatches in a non-profit setting.</li><li>To discuss coordination and cooperation in a local food bank distribution network.</li></ul>

• Humanitarian supply chain, non-profit organization