Business Case Studies & Business Publications

Food Runners (A): Nowhere to Run to

Matherne, G. Paul,...

Case

Food Runners (A): Nowhere to Run to

Matherne, G. Paul; Orr, Emily Jane

OM-1703 | Published October 27, 2020 | 5 pages Case

Collection: Darden School of Business

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Mary Risley was as stunned as the rest of the country by the rapid shutdown of the economy in early March of 2020 in response to COVID-19. Risley was the founder of Food Runners, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that helped match the excess in the food industry with the social need of feeding the hungry. Before the pandemic hit, the organization had over 250 active volunteers who brought food, which had been donated by restaurants and other businesses, to shelters and soup kitchens. As COVID-19 resulted in business shutdowns and people staying home, the volunteer forces and food supply were vanishing overnight. Hungry people were still out there. How could Food Runners adapt and pivot to meet the ongoing need?