Food insecurity is a growing threat that affects almost 30 percent of local, low-income individuals and families – and children are bearing the dangerous burden of this devastating problem. Last March, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and pediatric-focused digital health accelerator KidsX partnered with the City of Glendale to launch a two-day Design-a-Thon to rethink sustainable solutions for the city’s widespread food insecurity issue. 

For Jenna Gestetner, rising sophomore at USC Iovine and Young Academy, this type of design challenge was exactly in her sweet spot – design, health innovation, and sustainability. Spoiler Alert: Gestetner and her team won the competition for their original concept and was awarded a $5,000 prize and a webinar to promote their work.

“My specific interest in healthcare innovation and design were both major parts of the Design-a-Thon, which is what drew me to the opportunity in the first place,” she shares. 

Between March 4 and March 6, Gestetner, along with competing teams of students, professionals, and creatives, put their heads together to find a serviceable answer to the issue of food insecurity in Glendale.

The challenge was anything but simple, but Gestetner and her team, which included Academy graduate student Laura Green and three other USC students, formulated an original concept to provide families access to nourishing food with ease. Their winning project: Meals to GO, “a system of large format grocery vending machines stocked with bags of surplus and rescued food, conveniently located at schools and community centers.” 

“We wanted to remove as many barriers as possible to get healthy foods into the hands of these families,” Gestetner explains of Meals to GO’s objective. “We decided to run the service through partnerships with organizations who already do grocery preparation, and vending machine companies that service and maintain the machines. We also knew that with LA being so spread out, we would have the machines at community centers and schools where these parents and children already go every day.” 

Meals to GO also keeps sustainability in mind as part of its mission statement, with Gestetner’s team proclaiming “food should feed people not landfills,” in their proposal. By partnering with companies that have the ability to source and reclaim surplus food and deliver it to Meals to GO locations, they would feed families while reducing unnecessary waste.

One unique feature of the Meals to GO design is the fact that it plans to be digitally interfaced through a web app that aims to connect families to local vending machines. In addition to displaying vending machine locations for easy access, the app gives parents and guardians the opportunity to reserve groceries as well as view recipes and cooking tutorials. Consider it a user-friendly path to a one-stop (free) shop for all your meal-making needs. 

Not only is Meals to GO an expedient source for finding fresh meals, it combats often unrecognized factors families confront when struggling with food insecurity. Throughout the Design-a-Thon, Gestetner learned about the nuances of this issue, including the health implications that children face as well as the stigmas attached to using external assistance to procure meals. With that emotional component considered, Meals to GO functions as a discreet and uncomplicated solution that doesn’t feel or look like charity. 

“People should know that solutions have to keep factors like stigma and self-efficacy in mind, because what might seem like a great solution may have barriers because people do not know how or want to use a charitable resource,” Gestetner points out.

A practical and purposeful idea that wholly accounted for community needs and accessibility helped Gestetner win the challenge, but according to her, teamwork was at the heart of Meals to GO’s success. Not to mention, experience honed at the Academy offered an extra edge.

“During my first year at IYA, I developed important skills that I used during the Design-a-Thon like rapid brainstorming and pitching. I was also able to see my teammates’ strengths early on and figure out how we could split up work and best collaborate in a short timeframe,” Gestetner says.

“We certainly had many issues with our idea, which is fine because we were not supposed to come up with a perfect idea in 24 hours,” she continues. “I think we won because of our teamwork and pitching skills rather than just the idea alone. In those situations, I think a team's attitude and confidence is what sets them apart. A great team can pivot to a better idea, but good ideas can't just find a new team.”

So, will Meals to GO vending machines occupy local schools and community centers in the near future? Time will tell, but Gestetner and her team have already pitched the idea to the City of Glendale, receiving valuable feedback that will propel them to the next phase of the concept. 

As for Gestetner’s personal prospects, she’s gained more than a prize and a platform from this meaningful and impactful journey. The experience has inspired her to pursue a newfound focus when it comes to her professional path. 

“It definitely made me more inclined to get more involved in the pediatric sector of healthcare innovation.”

Jenna Gestetner, winner of City of Glendale and KidsX’s CHLA’s Design-a-Thon, is on a mission to combat food insecurity in LA while reducing waste and stigma. Her team won a $5,000 prize and webinar to promote their original idea – Meals to GO, a network of grocery vending machines stocked with rescued food. Find out how she’s using her passion for healthcare innovation and design for good.

Designing a Food Insecurity Solution: A Student’s Winning Idea

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