Date of Graduation

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Industrial Engineering

Advisor/Mentor

Bennett Milburn, Ashlea

Committee Member

Rossetti, Manuel

Abstract

Food insecurity affects 10.5% of households in the United States. Among those affected, college students are a group with increasing food insecurity. Through novel food pantry order methods, such as locker order systems, some effects of college food insecurity can be alleviated. The Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Food Pantry (FCFP) at the University of Arkansas implemented a locker system, beginning in the Fall of 2020. There is a lack of investigation into locker management policies for pantries, such as how much time clients should be allowed to pick up orders after they are placed in lockers, how many lockers the pantry should operate, and on what days of the week the pantry should accept locker orders from clients.

This research creates and uses a discrete-event simulation model of food pantry locker operations to test various locker management policies. It analyzed management policies under current demand and then various levels of increased demand to determine the best performance among different locker number configurations. For 8 lockers and the current Monday-Wednesday-Thursday appointment pattern, a 48-hour pickup policy would be best. For 16 lockers, a 72-hour pickup policy is recommended for all appointment patterns. For 36 lockers, a 72-hour pickup policy with the current Monday-Wednesday-Thursday appointment pattern is recommended. The pickup time limits can be shortened as demand for locker orders increases past analyzed thresholds. These policy recommendations were distributed with the for implementation in their current locker system and upcoming locker system purchasing decisions. This study can be replicated with updated client order demand data to serve as a decision-making tool for other food pantries in the area in their locker systems.

Keywords

Discrete-Event Simulation; Operational Policy; Northwest Arkansas; Novel Order Method

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