Mobile Food Distribution Program

About the Program

Category: Volunteers (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

The global pandemic revealed a significant gap in food security for Gwinnett County, one of the nation’s fastest growing and most diverse counties, with just over 957,000 residents. As a response, in April 2020, Volunteer Gwinnett, a section of Gwinnett County Government located in Lawrenceville, Georgia, deployed a weekly mobile food strategy to address food security needs. Partnerships began with local community organizations, places of worship, and civic locations alongside the Atlanta Community Food Bank to deploy 40 to 50 pounds of produce and shelf-stable items weekly to our residents. Utilizing external and internal partners and a resilient volunteer base to achieve program goals, over 1,575,283 pounds of food items have been received in the Gwinnett community. This includes 19,417 hygiene/personal care items, 21,095 pounds of pet food, and over 28,444 hours dedicated solely to the Mobile Food Distribution Program. Over the past three years, our initiative to address community food security has dramatically evolved. With over 195 community partners, we’ve reached 49,727 households; and our mobile community market has expanded to include everything from car seat installations to free flu/COVID vaccinations and HIV testing to early learning book distributions for families.