05/06/2026
What happens when students, businesses, and community organizations come together around a shared goal?
A challenge inside the Twelve Loaves Food Pantry sparked an innovative partnership between Venture Compassionate Ministries, the Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering Technology Department at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), and Wegmans — resulting in the creation of the “Step Friendly Shopping Cart.”
Designed to help volunteers safely navigate a difficult curb while assisting pantry guests, this project became about far more than engineering. It became a story of collaboration, accessibility, dignity, and loving our neighbors well.
Read the full story and learn how this partnership is helping make food access safer and more accessible for our community:
https://venturerochester.org/news/f/one-step-at-a-timereimagining-food-pantry-accessibility-together