Today’s Harvest

Food For All

We're used to focusing like a laser on our clients. In this case, our clients made it clear they wanted us to train our eyes only on their customers instead. The goal was simple: give people who can't afford food the same dignified shopping experience that most of us take for granted. We aimed to replicate the grocery store in every way possible, from the time you walk in with a cart to when you leave with your grocery bags. The aim was to remove the ignominy of a more typical food shelf. We paid close attention to simple and banal things like automatic sliding doors, the look and feel of the vegetable stand, where and how the carts were lined up. Whereas a typical grocery store is crafted to sell the most product and make the most money, our store was designed to make things feel normal, easy and pleasant.

The other critical aspect to Today's Harvest's operation was what happened behind the scenes. The food they provide for free to their customers comes from a wide variety of sources including farms, conventional grocers, and food banks. It arrives in a continuous flow from sun up to sun down and it all has to be put in the hands of patrons before the end of day. Nothing is meant to stay on premises more than 24 hours. The logistics of deliveries, sorting, unpacking and repacking are complex but critical. We spent untold hours working through the food flow from when it gets pulled off the truck to the time it's wheeled out to the market. Positioning of refrigerators, freezers, doors and ramps had to be dialed in with precision. In this case, details mattered—and inches did too! The overhead door where shipments arrived had to be placed so that a tractor trailer making a delivery didn't block either the garbage and compost or fire truck access, but also in a way that allowed palate jacks a straight run from the door to either the walk-in fridge or the sorting tables. Working through what might seem like minor matters such as these is what allowed us to accomplish the more major aims of a dignified experience and a satisfied customer.