New NSF-funded UW project will use smart sensors to fight hunger, reduce food waste, and increase food access
Seattle will soon pilot the first connected network of community food micro-pantries in the U.S., using smart sensors to track supply and demand. Led by the Urban Freight Lab at the University of Washington, the project aims to predict food needs, reduce food waste, and ensure donations reach neighbors who need them most.
The UW has received a $700,000 Stage 2 award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC 3.0) to scale and test this model. The multidisciplinary team from the University includes researchers from the Urban Freight Lab (UFL), Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering (Allen School), UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS), and the School of Public Health. These teams will work alongside civic partners Cascade Bicycle Club, the University District Food Bank, Sustainable Connections, and the Washington State Department of Health, as well as industry partner Ridwell.
The collaboration brings together complementary expertise from each organization:
- Urban Freight Lab: Principal investigator and project manager, leading researcher on urban logistics, supply chains, and behavioral modeling (Prof. Anne Goodchild and Dr. Giacomo Dalla Chiara)
- Allen School: Designing and deploying wireless sensing technologies to monitor food safety and pantry conditions (Prof. Vikram Iyer)
- DEOHS: Developing food safety and environmental compliance guidelines for micro-pantries and food rescue systems (Assistant Teaching Professor Emily Hovis):
- Program in Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health, and Department of Epidemiology: Leading surveys and focus groups to assess how communities use micro-pantries, both as donors and recipients of food (Assistant Professor Marie Spiker)
- Ridwell: Piloting household food collection with its Seattle subscribers and redistributing rescued food through the project’s micro-pantry network
- Cascade Bicycle Club: Using new routing tools and data to expand the Pedaling Relief Project’s food delivery and micro-pantry operations
- University District Food Bank: Applying project tools to expand safe, efficient distribution of rescued food through its delivery and micro-pantry networks
- Sustainable Connections: Testing and evaluating food rescue technologies and methods through its Community Freedges program
- Washington State Department of Health: Using project data to inform evidence-based food safety standards for mutual aid organizations and refrigerated micro-pantries
Food insecurity is a growing crisis nationwide: in 2023, 13.5% of U.S. households and 9.5% of Washington households experienced food insecurity, according to the USDA. While city-level data is limited, Seattle hunger relief organizations report a 50% increase in demand over the past decade.
Micro-pantries — small, volunteer-run food pantries and fridges often located in the public right-of-way — emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic and remain a trusted grassroots solution for neighborhood-level hunger relief. Through a 2024 NSF planning grant, UW researchers identified 275 active micro-pantries across Seattle that collectively distribute an estimated four million pounds of food annually—more than the state’s largest food bank. These hyper-local sites offer 24/7, low-barrier access to food just steps from where people live. Sites are supported by volunteers, including riders with the Cascade Bicycle Club’s Pedaling Relief Project, who deliver rescued food across the city and keep pantries stocked, helping sustain a reliable, community-driven food network that complements traditional food banks and meal programs.
In this pilot, UW researchers and partners will retrofit existing micro-pantries with sensors to create a “cyber-physical” network. The system will anonymously track pantry use, donation patterns, and food safety, giving communities real-time data to improve food distribution and reduce waste. The project also aims to strengthen safe, reliable food supply chains and foster collaboration between donors, volunteers, and recipients.
Lessons learned from this Seattle-based pilot will provide a blueprint for other cities to implement similar data-driven, neighborhood-based food distribution systems.