Overall Rating Platinum
Overall Score 85.50
Liaison Breeana Sylvas
Submission Date Feb. 28, 2022

STARS v2.2

University of California, Merced
IN-49: Innovation C

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 0.50 Stergios Roussos
Director
Community Initiatives for Collective Impact
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Name or title of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:
The Pop-Up People’s Pantry

A brief description of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome that outlines how credit criteria are met and any positive measurable outcomes associated with the innovation:
The Pop-Up People’s Pantry is a free food pantry that pops up every Saturday from 1:00PM-2:30PM at the 18th Street People’s Garden in Merced, CA. The Pop-Up People’s Pantry partners with Cropmobster Exchange, UC Merced’s Bobcat Eats Food Waste Awareness and Prevention Program, and the 18th Street People’s Garden. The Pop-Up People’s Pantry is an innovative service because it seeks to reduce food insecurity and food waste in the Merced community by ensuring crops from the 18th Street People’s Garden are available to those in need within the Merced community.

The service is innovative because;
1. It connects those in the Merced community to locally grown, nutritious food options that are not easily available nor affordable to the community.
2. The popup is not a formal building but is a easy to operate popup to avoid costs associated with formal structures and provide examples to other organizations on how to implement and scale food distribution within a community with limited resources.
3. Improves food security and sovereightny in urban settings through community academic partnership directly located within a urban neighborhood.

Optional Fields

A letter of affirmation from an individual with relevant expertise or a press release or publication featuring the innovation :
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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