In my final semester of university, I am taking the Software Development capstone course, where we will work directly with Thea’s food pantry, creating and deploying a system that allows the pantry to keep track of how much food there is, who is getting it, etc. I thought that would be it. However, after looking at LibreFoodPantry, I was surprised by how much they actually worked with not just food security, but with software and technology as well. I thought we were just helping because we can, but this is actually something that has a focus in software and software development, which allows for some real world experience. 

After going through the gitlab of Thea’s Pantry, it looks very similar to what I worked with last semester in my software architecture course, but with some added repos and documentation. The thing I liked about this was the amount of documentation there was. I like this because it allows me to refer back to something while I am working to make sure I am doing exactly what needs to be done and how it should be done. Other than that, it was very similar to what I did in class last semester. Hopefully, with the documentation and teams, we will be able to get things done.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Cao's Thoughts by antcao and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

From the blog CS@Worcester – CurrentlyCompiling by currentlycompiling and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

The LibreFoodPantry (LFP) website and Thea’s Pantry GitLab Group are full of knowledge about the open-source project itself and related information to support the users and developers. After reading through these resources, I felt I gained a more thorough understanding of the purpose of this software and it’s potential trajectory. Specifically relating to the LFP website – I found the Values section extremely useful, as it provides clear expectations for all community members with links to further understand the Code of Conduct and to learn more about Agile values and FOSSisms. Regarding the information about Thea’s Pantry in GitLab, there are many useful subsections within this group, but I was particularly impressed by the Architecture section as it presents the microservices architecture clearly through diagrams with clear systems, features, and components. An additional useful link relating to Thea’s Pantry GitLab Group is User Stories. After reading through the different situations expressing the intended use of the software, I had a better understanding of the role that this project plays throughout every step of this process on both, the staff side and the guest side. I was surprised reading the User Story titled “A Pantry Administrator Requests a Monthly Report for the Worcester County Food Bank” as I was unaware of the link between the two systems. Overall, these webpages provide a simple and clear interface to learn about the project’s values and community expectations, as well as, technical details.

From the blog CS@Worcester by cameronbaron and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

After reading about LibreFoodPantry, I found the 16 FOSSisms on the Values page quite useful. A few of them stood out to me, such as “Ask Forgiveness, Not Permission”, which helps encourage students to make changes even if they might be incorrect. These changes, along with their feedback, can provide valuable lessons and experience to the students, and any mistakes can be easily undone. Another FOSS value that stood out was “Begin with the Finishing Touches”, which essentially means that students should start their contributions off with small bug fixes and the like to give them a sense of productive contribution. If they start off too grand, then they might become discouraged and unlikely to be productive. I chose to write about these FOSSisms because they’re helpful and encouraging “rules” for a open-source newcomer to follow, as it can help introduce someone to the space and give them an idea on how to navigate the ethics of open-source.

One thing from Thea’s Pantry I found very useful was the User Stories in the Documentation. These are stories of how the user would interact with the software, which gives a guide to how the software might be designed. I chose to write about this because having step-by-step instructions on how a user or administrator would interact with the software makes it less complicated for developers to understand how the software should work. Figuring out the user interface and design flow first is much easier than trying to code and create the design flow as you go.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Josh's Coding Journey by joshuafife and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

LibreFoodPantry provides a very useful and helpful tool for students not only to practice with software development (and understanding Open-Source work), but also to provide a helpful service to local communities. The project provides a food pantry to local communities that use it to teach their students about Free and Open-Source Code. The most useful portion of their site is their values section. This section highlights their values and how they teach their students. They focus on Agile development, Free and Open-Source Code, as well as their Code of Conduct.

I thought this section was most interesting because I found the values enriching to refresh my memory on. I also thought it was very fitting and useful for the site’s mission and methods. It accurately conveyed exactly what they try to do and how they do it in a small section.

Thea’s Pantry is Worcester State’s branch of LibreFoodPantry. I learned with it throughout my time at the University. I found the GuestInfoSystem most interesting, as it was what I worked with in most of my classes, and I got a good grip of it. I found the experiments section interesting, as it showed me what was being worked on and tested currently for the system.

From the blog CS@Worcester – WSU CS Blog: Ben Gelineau by Ben Gelineau and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

LibreFoodPantry

One thing I found interesting and surprising from the LibreFoodPantry website was the open source license that the pantry chose for contributors. 

I chose to write about this because last fall we had learned about software licenses, including what they are and examples of different ones, and it’s interesting to actually see what a real open source project chose to distribute under. Just looking at the license can tell how the authors intend for their software to be used and distributed, and because LibreFoodPantry chose the creative commons license, it tells us that they want this software to be open and shared freely, under that condition that the derivative works also follow the same conditions.

Thea’s Food Pantry

Simply by clicking on the link to the Thea’s Pantry gitlab page, I could tell that it was very organized and structured in a way to easily navigate, which is very useful and surprised me in a good way.

Since I am going to be using this gitlab page for the whole semester, I really appreciate that it is organized the way it is. Everything is labeled correctly and under the proper subgroups. Each subgroup also has a brief but detailed description about what is stored in it, making it easier to find the correct file quicker. All of these features make life a lot easier when navigating through this gitlab page. I couldn’t imagine trying to work on the same project with an unorganized mess of a gitlab page. It’s really something that I think gets taken for granted when it’s present but extremely noticeable when it’s lacking.

From the blog CS@Worcester – The Science of Computation by Adam Jacher and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

In today’s digital world, even food pantries are using technology to make a bigger impact. Two examples of this innovative approach are LibreFoodPantry and Thea’s Pantry. This is working in unique way to make food distribution more efficient and accessible, but  has its own twist on how to better serve those in need.

One thing that really caught my attention about LibreFoodPantry is how they use free and open-source software to support food pantries. What makes this so interesting is that food pantries typically operate on tight budgets, and paying for expensive software can be a huge strain. By using open-source software, LibreFoodPantry allows pantries to save money and focus more on helping people rather than dealing with costly tech tools. The software is easy to use, which means volunteers can spend more time providing food and less time trying to figure out complicated systems.

What makes this even better is the sense of community that LibreFoodPantry fosters. They encourage food pantries to work together and share ideas, which helps everyone improve. Volunteers and pantry staff can also get involved in shaping the software itself, making sure it fits the real needs of the people using it. This approach helps create a more connected and effective network of food pantries, which ultimately benefits those who rely on them.

On the other hand, Thea’s Pantry takes a slightly different but just as powerful approach. While Thea’s Pantry also provides food, what stood out to me is how they go beyond just feeding people. They offer additional support services like medical and educational resources, helping people address the many challenges they face, not just hunger. This holistic approach makes sure that individuals are supported in multiple areas of their lives, improving their overall well-being.

What I really love about Thea’s Pantry is how they look at the bigger picture. They understand that food insecurity is often linked to other problems like health issues or lack of access to education. By providing more than just food, they help people get back on their feet in a more comprehensive way.

Both LibreFoodPantry and Thea’s Pantry are doing incredible work, each in their own way. LibreFoodPantry uses technology to make food distribution easier and more efficient, while Thea’s Pantry offers a well-rounded approach that supports people in more areas of their lives. Together, they’re showing us new, more effective ways to help those in need.

From the blog Discoveries in CS world by mgl1990 and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

For my Software Development Capstone, I will be working on the LibreFoodPantry, a Free Open Source Software project, and more specifically, the Worcester State University food pantry, Thea’s Pantry.

After reading through the LibreFoodPantry website I found it interesting how it mixes Free Open Source Software (FOSS) with a humanitarian project, as I think those two go well together naturally, both being non-profit and for a noble cause. But another part of the LibreFoodPantry program that it also works closely with college students in the computer science field. This is another way that the entire structure of the LibreFoodPantry helps, because it allows student to learn from real software that is used in the real world and gets them involved with humanitarian causes within their major.

Going further into the specific system I will be working on, I read about Thea’s Pantry. What I found to be the most interesting thing is how the whole project is organized. With a lot of different people working on the same software and making different changes and using it for different purposes, there can be a lot of things that then don’t work with each other or become incompatible or cause communication issues. The entire project is organized in a way to allow many different iterations to exist without coming into conflict and being adaptable.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Computer Science Blog by dzona1 and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.