Ambidextrous humanitarian organizations

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted life as usual around the globe. Efforts to control the spread of the virus with lockdowns and border closures pushed millions of people into food and social insecurity. Most research on humanitarian organizations have been dominated by the uncertainty and urgency of disaster response operations. However, some humanitarian organizations also operate in long-term continuous aid programs where efficiency is the key goal. We analyzed the operations of food banks in the Feeding America network and The Salvation Army USA, and found them to be ambidextrous organizations. The ambidextrous humanitarian organizations like food banks and Salvation Army, focus on long-term continuous aid programs, specifically pertaining to the sustenance of the communities they serve, but also play a key part as first responders or as local agencies aiding in disaster relief and response. We propose a framework to analyze disaster, development, and sustenance aid supply chains, and identify future research opportunities.