Collaborative vehicle routing for equitable and effective food allocation in nonprofit settings
Purpose – Inspired by a food bank distribution operation, this paper aims to study synchronized vehicle routing for equitable and effective food allocation. The primary goal is to improve operational efficiency while ensuring equitable and effective food distribution among the partner agencies. Desi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Emerald Publishing
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management |
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| Online Access: | https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JHLSCM-11-2023-0113/full/pdf |
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| author | Rabiatu Bonku Faisal Alkaabneh Lauren Berrings Davis |
| author_facet | Rabiatu Bonku Faisal Alkaabneh Lauren Berrings Davis |
| author_sort | Rabiatu Bonku |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Purpose – Inspired by a food bank distribution operation, this paper aims to study synchronized vehicle routing for equitable and effective food allocation. The primary goal is to improve operational efficiency while ensuring equitable and effective food distribution among the partner agencies. Design/methodology/approach – This study introduces a multiobjective Mixed Integer Programming (MIP) model aimed at addressing the complex challenge of effectively distributing food, particularly for food banks serving vulnerable populations in low-income urban and rural areas. The optimization approach described in this paper places a significant emphasis on social and economic considerations by fairly allocating food to food bank partner agencies while minimizing routing distance and waste. To assess the performance of the approach, this paper evaluates three distinct models, focusing on key performance measures such as effectiveness, equity and efficiency. The paper conducts a comprehensive numerical analysis using randomly generated data to gain insights into the trade-offs that arise and provide valuable managerial insights for food bank managers. Findings – The results of the analysis highlight the models that perform better in terms of equity and effectiveness. Additionally, the results show that restocking the vehicles through the concept of synchronization improves the overall quantity of food allocation to partner agencies, thereby increasing accessibility. Research limitations/implications – This paper contributes significantly to the literature on optimization approaches in the field of humanitarian logistics. Practical implications – This study provides food bank managers with three different models, each with a multifaceted nature of trade-offs, to better address the complex challenges of food insecurity. Social implications – This paper contributes significantly to social responsibility by enhancing the operational efficiency of food banks, ultimately improving their ability to serve communities in need. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to propose and analyze this new variant of vehicle routing problems in nonprofit settings. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cf443a2e06014a6fa2bb7bc46be2a7d1 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2042-6747 2042-6755 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Emerald Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management |
| spelling | doaj-art-cf443a2e06014a6fa2bb7bc46be2a7d12025-08-20T03:18:02ZengEmerald PublishingJournal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management2042-67472042-67552025-04-0115213515310.1108/JHLSCM-11-2023-0113Collaborative vehicle routing for equitable and effective food allocation in nonprofit settingsRabiatu Bonku0Faisal Alkaabneh1Lauren Berrings Davis2Department of Industrial and System Engineering, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Greensboro, North Carolina, USADepartment of Industrial Engineering, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab EmiratesDepartment of Industrial and Systems Engineering, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, North Carolina, USAPurpose – Inspired by a food bank distribution operation, this paper aims to study synchronized vehicle routing for equitable and effective food allocation. The primary goal is to improve operational efficiency while ensuring equitable and effective food distribution among the partner agencies. Design/methodology/approach – This study introduces a multiobjective Mixed Integer Programming (MIP) model aimed at addressing the complex challenge of effectively distributing food, particularly for food banks serving vulnerable populations in low-income urban and rural areas. The optimization approach described in this paper places a significant emphasis on social and economic considerations by fairly allocating food to food bank partner agencies while minimizing routing distance and waste. To assess the performance of the approach, this paper evaluates three distinct models, focusing on key performance measures such as effectiveness, equity and efficiency. The paper conducts a comprehensive numerical analysis using randomly generated data to gain insights into the trade-offs that arise and provide valuable managerial insights for food bank managers. Findings – The results of the analysis highlight the models that perform better in terms of equity and effectiveness. Additionally, the results show that restocking the vehicles through the concept of synchronization improves the overall quantity of food allocation to partner agencies, thereby increasing accessibility. Research limitations/implications – This paper contributes significantly to the literature on optimization approaches in the field of humanitarian logistics. Practical implications – This study provides food bank managers with three different models, each with a multifaceted nature of trade-offs, to better address the complex challenges of food insecurity. Social implications – This paper contributes significantly to social responsibility by enhancing the operational efficiency of food banks, ultimately improving their ability to serve communities in need. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to propose and analyze this new variant of vehicle routing problems in nonprofit settings.https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JHLSCM-11-2023-0113/full/pdfFood insecurityEquity and effectivenessFood bankVehicle routing with synchronization |
| spellingShingle | Rabiatu Bonku Faisal Alkaabneh Lauren Berrings Davis Collaborative vehicle routing for equitable and effective food allocation in nonprofit settings Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management Food insecurity Equity and effectiveness Food bank Vehicle routing with synchronization |
| title | Collaborative vehicle routing for equitable and effective food allocation in nonprofit settings |
| title_full | Collaborative vehicle routing for equitable and effective food allocation in nonprofit settings |
| title_fullStr | Collaborative vehicle routing for equitable and effective food allocation in nonprofit settings |
| title_full_unstemmed | Collaborative vehicle routing for equitable and effective food allocation in nonprofit settings |
| title_short | Collaborative vehicle routing for equitable and effective food allocation in nonprofit settings |
| title_sort | collaborative vehicle routing for equitable and effective food allocation in nonprofit settings |
| topic | Food insecurity Equity and effectiveness Food bank Vehicle routing with synchronization |
| url | https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JHLSCM-11-2023-0113/full/pdf |
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