Application of a disaster related emergency response model to a food bank network

Abstract While disaster management and preparedness has seen significant developments in both theory and practice in recent years, there is still a shortage of operations research and decision science strategies specifically for food banks and their operations. This manuscript aims to fill that void by investigating how a disaster-related emergency response model can be used to improve food bank preparedness and decision-making for food bank operations during disasters. Using realistic projections of food bank operations, this study evaluates various strategies to address unmet demand and minimize operational costs across different scenarios that depict the network’s potential state following a disaster. A framework is designed to facilitate effective decision-making by considering different levels of risk tolerance. The implementation of mobile pantries is highlighted as an effective way to meet demand with minimal increases in operational costs when the network is disrupted. This framework provides food bank managers with an array of possible solution approaches, enabling them to make optimal decisions based on their specific objectives.