Thrive Support and Advocacy: Designing a Food Pantry

Project Sponsor: Thrive Support and Advocacy

Thrive Support & Advocacy, founded in Marlborough, MA, during the 1970s, is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering, advocating for, and assisting youth and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), developmental disabilities (DD), and intellectual disabilities (ID). Our sponsor’s mission is to help their audience and their families not only survive but thrive regardless of their surrounding circumstances. Check out their website here.

Student Researchers

Project Goal and Objectives

The goal of our project is to develop long-term, sustainable plans for a Thrive Food Pantry in Worcester, MA 01605, that will fight food insecurity in Worcester and assist the ASD, ID, DD population in the region. To develop effective, sustainable plans for the Thrive Food Pantry, we focused on four primary objectives:

1.) utilizing demographical data on the population that the project is assisting to assess their nutritional and accessibility needs,

2.) connecting with nearby food pantries to better understand effective operating procedures for a food pantry,

3.) developing precise space and inventory plans, staffing schedules, blueprints, and other deliverables for the food pantry while considering the sponsor’s available space and budget, and

4.) creating partnerships with campuses, markets, and other organizations for the food pantry to continue functioning after the project’s completion.