One similarity between Food Cloud and Global links is their extensive use of volunteers to keep the operation going. Food Cloud described how they have a network of 50 regular volunteers, as well as over 15,000 one-off volunteers throughout the year. With the amount of goods they need to distribute, this volunteer network is essential to keep overhead costs down. Another similarity is that they both supply resources to areas of need. For Food Cloud this is the local food pantries, and for Global Links this is medical facilities in Latin America. They both are taking supplies from the local area and distributing them in line with their mission.

One big difference between the two is the time issues with Food Cloud.  Much of the food they deal with is perishable and must be distributed quickly after receiving it. This adds an additional logistics challenge that Global Links doesn’t have to worry about. With Global Links, they can take their time to ship goods by boat, which often takes far longer than the small truck deliveries of Food Cloud. Additionally, another difference is the diversity of goods that Global Links has to deal with. There are many different medical devices that may need different training, and having to sort and distribute that must be a nightmare. Comparatively, Food Cloud just has to worry about different macro groups and making sure all food groups are being addressed.