Nonprofit
Food lockers built for the communities you can't yet reach
Give neighbors a private, stigma-free way to collect food and essentials on their own schedule, including after pantry hours.
Why nonprofits choose smart food lockers
Protecting dignity
Improving access
Expanding reach
Streamlining distribution
Waiting in line at a pantry isn't right for everyone. Our temperature-controlled lockers offer discreet, self-serve access, so your community can get what they need with privacy and dignity.
Many neighbors work during distribution hours or rely on public transit. Food lockers stay open 24/7, so they can collect on the way home from work, school, or a clinic visit.
Place lockers at clinics, campuses, libraries, and community centers, in a rural town or an urban food desert. At NNEMAP, most families using the lockers were new to the pantry.
Temperature controlled lockers handle pickup on their own, so staff and volunteer hours go further. Neighbors collect with a PIN, and you load once.
Protecting dignity
A private, stigma-free way to collect essentialsWaiting in line at a pantry isn't right for everyone. Our temperature-controlled lockers offer discreet, self-serve access, so your community can get what they need with privacy and dignity.
Improving access
Access that works around real livesMany neighbors work during distribution hours or rely on public transit. Food lockers stay open 24/7, so they can collect on the way home from work, school, or a clinic visit.
Expanding reach
Bring food closer to where people already arePlace lockers at clinics, campuses, libraries, and community centers, in a rural town or an urban food desert. At NNEMAP, most families using the lockers were new to the pantry.
Streamlining distribution
Fewer handoffs for staff and volunteersTemperature controlled lockers handle pickup on their own, so staff and volunteer hours go further. Neighbors collect with a PIN, and you load once.
NNEMAP tripled the families it serves with 24/7 refrigerated lockers
Get the case study10,000
Orders served through NNEMAP's lockers since 2023
Program setup
- Refrigerated lockers
- Request-based pickup
Access models
Choose how your community collects
Mix models at a single site, or across many. One system, however you grow.
Scheduled pickup
Neighbors choose what they need online, pick a time slot, and their order is waiting in the locker when they arrive. No line, no counter, and no need to staff fixed hours.
- Choice-based pantries
- Meal programs
- Guaranteed pickup times
Your neighbor orders online and chooses a time. You prepare their order. They collect from the locker.
Request-based pickup
Neighbors submit what they need online or by phone, and your team prepares it when stock allows. Once it's loaded, the system sends their access code automatically.
- Variable inventory
- Staff-managed fulfillment
- Flexible timing
Your neighbor submits a request. You prepare and load it. The system takes care of the rest.
Walk-up access
A community fridge that is secure, temperature-controlled, and fair, with built-in limits per visit.
- Emergency food access
- Low-barrier programs
- After-hours distribution
You load food. Your neighbors walk up and collect. The locker manages everything else.
Program-based access
Enrolled participants get their own PIN and collect on their scheduled days, giving you consistent, trackable access for a defined group.
- Food as Medicine
- Healthcare-led initiatives
- Recurring distribution
You enroll your neighbors once. Their PIN gets them in, every time.
Built to turn funding into lasting impact
Funders want confidence that a project will deliver lasting impact. Our proven hardware, flexible software and end-to-end support help make that case.
Ready out of the box. Built to integrate.
No integration required. Use our software out of the box, connect with OrderAhead or PantrySoft, or build your own workflow with our open APIs.
Built for real-world locations
Indoor or outdoor, chilled, frozen or ambient. Our commercial-grade lockers are engineered for demanding food distribution environments and long-term deployment.
Food safety you can demonstrate
Continuous temperature monitoring and automated records provide visibility across chilled and frozen cabinets - supporting food safety, audits and funder reporting.
A clear path from site to service
From site planning and configuration to installation, training and launch, we support the entire deployment - helping remove complexity and implementation risk for your team.
Supported for the long haul
Remote monitoring, preventative maintenance and 24/7 support help keep your program operating reliably after launch — backed by a team experienced in food locker deployments.
Plan your locker program with our planning guide, covering access models, sizing, site readiness, funding, and nine questions to ask any vendor.
Download the planning guide
Food lockers
Food locker systems for nonprofits
Frozen and refrigerated
Keep fresh produce, dairy, meat, and prepared meals at a safe temperature until pickup.
Controlled-ambient
A stable temperature controlled locker for shelf-stable food and dry goods, indoors or outdoors.
Heated
Keep prepared meals warm for neighbors without a kitchen, including people experiencing homelessness.
Ambient essentials
Secure storage for diapers, hygiene products, and household essentials.
Need help choosing a food locker system?
Tell us what you distribute and where, and we'll help you plan the right mix of refrigerated, frozen, and ambient bays for your pantry.
Sample workflow
How scheduled pickup works
Neighbor
Order placement
System
Order confirmation
Pantry
Item picking and loading
System
Pickup notification sent
Neighbor
Client order collection
Food access, made simple. A clear first screen for every pickup.
Built for every community. One-tap switching between 12 languages.
Secure pickup, made simple. Unique PINs sent via SMS guide recipients through a quick, private, and dignified locker collection process.
Clear guidance at every step. The screen highlights exactly which lockers to open, so every pickup takes seconds.
Collection complete. A simple confirmation reassures users that everything has been collected, clearly and confidently.
Every locker can be wrapped to reflect your program's identity in the community.
In their words
Real impact. Real voices.
"At a couple of our clinics, before we had the Click n Collect lockers, enrollment in our Food as Medicine program was fairly low—around 20 to 30 patients. After installing lockers, one clinic grew from 30 to nearly 200, and another from 20 to almost 100. The lockers drove that growth by making it easier to access fresh produce—especially in food deserts where quality options are limited."
Vanessa Fernandez
HealthLinc
"The vast majority of our unique families using the lockers are new to NNEMAP. so we have created an awareness of our pantry for a group of folks who didn't know we existed prior to having lockers."
Jim Hamberg
Pantry Director, NNEMAP
"Thanks to its convenience, privacy, and consistent availability of the food lockers, the families in our community can regain stability, rebuild their lives, and ultimately move beyond the grip of food insecurity. We are thankful for the opportunity to serve our community through our Food Locker program."
Kourtney Shoop
Beaver County YMCA
"Many individuals face significant challenges in accessing the food they need. Barriers like limited transportation and the stigma often associated with seeking assistance prevent neighbors from getting the support and proper nutrition they deserve." The smart locker system provides an innovative and flexible solution to providing additional food pickup options at locations that many of our neighbors in need are already visiting in their daily lives.”
Carey Redmann
Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin
"The Click n Collect lockers have improved access to free food, allowing neighbors to collect it on their own schedule. Many work during regular distribution hours, and the lockers let them pick up food on their way home. One neighbor, who is disabled, shared how grateful they were to avoid standing in line. Working students with families and residents in under-resourced areas also benefit—making it easier to access food close to home, school, or work."
Erin McKinney
Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano
"Our newly added smart lockers have helped us serve a population of people who we have been unable to reach during our pantry hours at the Northern Illinois Food Bank's Neighborhood Market. These smart lockers have allowed us to offer a convenient and contactless method of distributing fresh groceries to our Neighbors in need who cannot attend our pantry due to reasons such as health struggles, work schedules, or lack of transportation."
Courtney Oakes
Northern Illinois Food Bank
"The Click n Collect lockers have expanded how we get needed food to our families. They are providing 24/7 access, convenience and discretion for those who need it. One mom of young twins stated "It is so much easier than bringing the kids into the pantry with me!" Another client emailed "I LOVE IT!!" We are seeing more families reached by the lockers, eliminating the embarrassment often felt by those coming to a food pantry. The lockers are easy to use and support has been timely and very helpful."
Beth Bentley
Gahanna Residents in Need (GRIN)
"Many of our neighbors who experience hunger struggle to access pantries because of limited transportation and scheduling conflicts. Implementing food lockers in our community reduced those barriers. Now our neighbors have the flexibility to access Mission Marshall Food Pantry in a way that also offers privacy and dignity."
Misty Scott
Mission Marshall
"Click n' Collect food lockers are a fantastic community asset! They offer our neighbors convenient, discreet, and dignified access to nutritious food. The Click n' Collect team provides amazing support, and they have been a pleasure to work with. We're looking forward to having our third set of lockers installed this summer and hope to have more in the near future."
Kari Hanna
Low Country Food Bank
Funding your locker program
Many food locker programs start with a grant. Our proposal template gives you the structure, sample language, and budget layout to adapt for your funder, so you start from a draft rather than a blank page.
What's inside
- Sample language for every section, from the executive summary to the sustainability plan
- A budget table covering hardware, software, site preparation, and evaluation
- A 15-month implementation timeline with owners and milestones
- Guidance on local data sources, including Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap
- Neighbor quotes from existing locker programs
Free Word template you can adapt for any funder.
Food bank locker FAQs
Questions about food lockers for nonprofits
Something we haven't covered? Our team can walk you through it.
Talk to our team- Food bank lockers are temperature-controlled smart lockers that let neighbors collect food on their own schedule, without a line or a handoff. Your team loads each order, the system sends the neighbor a PIN or QR code, and they collect in seconds, day or night.
Interested in our solutions?
We're here to help you find the perfect solution for your organization. Share your details, and we'll be in touch shortly.
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