Billiken Bounty Seeks Fall 2020 Feedback
After changing operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Billiken Bounty seeks feedback about fall operations to provide perspective on how to best continue next semester.
Billiken Bounty is a safe place for SLU students to obtain groceries, hygiene and self-care products. Shoppers don’t have to demonstrate need and can come and go anonymously because food insecurity can be momentary or long-term. All that is required to access Billiken Bounty is a SLU photo ID.
Due to the pandemic, Billiken Bounty had to formulate a new plan to continue its mission of addressing food insecurity. Donations of pantry items were halted in favor of a monetary donation model. Volunteers now wear face masks and gloves while handling client orders.
To reduce contact, the food pantry switched to an entirely order-based mode of operation where clients had to fill out an order form with requests that volunteers could package the bags and have them ready to pick up. Student co-chairs Emma Hubbard and Sierra Morena created a form to enable clients to select from a variety of items, including food items, toiletries and school supplies. Hours of operation were reduced and shifts were spread out to prevent overlap of volunteer contact.
Morena and Hubbard have also created a feedback survey for clients to provide information on how the food pantry met needs this semester and how it might improve operations going forward.
The deadline to complete the survey is Friday, Dec. 4.
Billiken Bounty, founded in 2018, also initiated a new partnership with Campus Kitchen this semester. The corresponding order form specifically allowed clients to pick fresh produce. The produce varied week-to-week depending on Campus Kitchen’s stock, but regularly included salad kits, vegetables, potatoes, onions and fruit.
Despite a pivot in operations, Billiken Bounty continued to have an impact alleviating food insecurity. This semester alone, the food pantry fill more than 100 client orders and distributed 2,300 pantry items. Billiken Bounty also saw increased usage by graduate students compared to previous semesters.
Billiken Bounty leaders hope to resume donation collections in the spring.