- November 10, 2025
- By Maryland Today Staff
Food banks around the country saw an explosion of demand after last week’s suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the federal government shutdown. But even in more typical times, the food charity system has been beset by a lack of accessibility, nutritious options and overall food choices.
A new University of Maryland analysis recommends reforms to the system within its existing structure, including increasing pantry hours of operations, allowing clients to select the foods they want as if they’re grocery shopping, and increasing education about gardening, cooking and eating. The results were published Nov. 3 in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development.
“Food justice cannot be fully achieved within the current framework of food charity,” said Caroline Boules, a lecturer in the Environmental Science & Policy Program of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources who led the study with Vanessa Frías-Martínez of the College of Information, “but incremental changes and harm-reduction strategies derived from food justice can meaningfully improve the existing system in the short term.”
The research team, which also included environmental sciences and policy major Maya Chelminsky ’24 and sociology major Solana Page ’24, focused on Prince George’s County, Md., where 50% of residents face food insecurity, according to the Capital Area Food Bank’s 2024 Hunger Report; that was by far the highest rate of the seven surveyed counties in the National Capital Region, where the average was 37%.
The analysis centered on engaging county residents at each stage of the supply chain: farmers, food pantries and food pantry clients. The team found small growers couldn’t afford the labor, transportation or time to donate. Pantry managers, meanwhile, believed that their foods are meeting clients’ needs or that meeting that need isn’t an expectation.
But pantry clients were not as satisfied with the available food options; some shared that when given a box, they often do not know the contents until they open it at home. Clients also faced significant obstacles in accessing food pantries, including transportation and schedule limitations, lack of knowledge about pantry operating times and very long waits.
The report said food pantries could strengthen both community well-being and local food systems by building closer partnerships with nearby growers. These collaborations would expand the variety of fresh produce available to clients while supporting the local agricultural economy.
At the same time, pantries that allow clients to select their own items promote greater client dignity and personal agency. Gathering feedback from clients—through surveys about preferred distribution days, times and food types—would help ensure that pantry operations align with their needs and preferences. Additionally, offering education on healthy eating or training in food cultivation could further promote self-sufficiency and confidence among those served.
“The incremental solutions that we discuss here can contribute to improved access, equity, nutrition, and self-sufficiency for populations who are in distress right now,” Boules said.
Systemic problems remain—pantries operate on shoestring budgets and are chronically understaffed, for example—but the findings, she said, can serve as a blueprint for nationwide pantries to move the U.S. food charity system closer to one that is just and accessible, and provides nutritious food options.