Some of us may take it for granted to have access to fresh fruit and vegetables, but not the people in Bamberg, South Carolina.
“We live in a food desert,” said Lara Buss, Community Engagement Program Manager for Southeastern Housing and Community Development. “One of the reasons we chose to be a foodshare hub is because we did not have a grocery store in Bamberg.”
When Foodshare Bamberg opened, the high demand proved how much the community needed fresh produce. However, Buss also discovered that food can’t get where it needs to go without the right packaging.
As a new hub, Buss says Foodshare Bamberg was initially receiving boxes from Foodshare South Carolina but soon had to start producing their own packages because of the high demand.
That’s when Foodshare Bamberg turned to SEPG, a BradyPLUS company, to help identify strong, efficient, and easy-to-assemble food packaging to keep their operations running at the highest level.
Buss reached out to Jerome Harper Jr, a sales representative at SEPG, with an urgent request for food packaging.
“This was a new challenge, so I talked to Jerome and said, ‘I’m Lara and this is what I need. And I don’t even know if this is a quick turnaround, but I need them in about three weeks,” said Buss. “Jerome said, ‘How many?’ And I said, ‘7,500’. He said, ‘Okay, you need this and that’ but he made it happen.”
Harper Jr. discovered that the boxes used at Foodshare Bamberg were challenging to assemble, slowing down the delivery process.
“The original box they had was a standard 12x12 RSC box. Two flaps on the top, and two flaps on the bottom. Take a tape one strip down and then flip it and strip it again,” said Harper Jr. “That was a little time-consuming, and they needed something that was more efficient.”
“It would wear people out and possibly cut your hands,” said Buss. “It was a lot more folding at that point.”
Harper Jr. did an in-depth assessment of the operations at Foodshare Bamberg and identified auto-load boxes as a solution to their challenges with efficiency.
“All you do is flip it open. No tape is involved. Put the produce in, put it in the folds, and off it goes,” said Harper Jr.
“When we found out about the auto-load boxes, it was a real game changer for us,” said Buss. “The auto-load boxes are fantastic because it does save time.”
The auto-load boxes are reinforced by extra cardboard, making them stronger than the previous packaging, so that the food doesn’t fall through the bottom.
“Jerome absolutely set me up. He got everything done for me. I was brand new to any of this,” said Buss.
“I love the auto-load. I love that they’re printed on both sides. I love that when I call you, you can work with me. Another company might be like, ‘Too bad, too sad’. They always make it happen.”
Watch the full story here.