I believe I recall food pantries starting being nominated more often after little free libraries were deemed as acceptable. I thought Wayfarer said to reject those since those were not eligible. That was several years ago. I know criteria can change.
The next began before the way we report ineligible Wayspots in either game changed. I have reported at least 2 or 3 food pantries and appealed each time my report was not accepted. I reported and appealed 1 of those again this year without success since I can try to explain my reasoning. I know to avoid certain words and do when explaining.
Assuming a food pantry was accepted, what criteria does one meet? At least 2 of the 4 of which I know locally were nominated since Niantic Wayfarer was created. I would think that is a sensitive location and typically review that way. The 2 or 3 that I reported and appealed were not accepted.
I know I ask why the reports & appeals are not accepted plus the criteria that is or isn’t met.
Right - food pantries are sensitive locations. Someone who needs free food could feel too ashamed to approach, with a bunch of people standing around it looking at their phones.
Anyone who has never seen a food pantry before, could confuse it with a little free library (which is a great place to explore).
Removal reviewers are not necessarily in a country that has food pantries. If you report one as sensitive, you’ll need to explain why it’s sensitive. You can include a link to the organization that is trying to get the food from donors to recipients.
I can understand why one next to a public library was accepted. The back of the food pantry is decorated.
However, I did that with a food pantry at a church. The food pantry is newer & off to the side of most of the rest of the other things but not all. As typical, that was not accepted. I appealed that but my appeal was also not accepted. Might you have a guess as to why? I guess I can show the second via Ingress Intel Map. This is at the church and day school. Yes, I know what I typed. This is too new to make Google Maps.
I agree that I reject food pantries as sensitive locations and @MargariteDVille already explained the reasoning. The appeal rejection should have given you a reason - what did they say?
Or are you wanting a guess as to why one was accepted? Mistakes happen.
If feels like in-game reporting is always a coin toss. Even appealing on here has mixed results on “categorically ineligible” candidates. For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t consider a “Little Free Panty” always inherently ineligible - I’ve seen some in the suburbs with recipes and/or “secret ingredients.” Ones at churches or food banks/public works/human services would be far more likely to be “sensitive” and should be rejected, though. I was able to get one removed from game, however I think it was partly because the submitter called it a “Little Free Library” and it was obvious they misrepresented it. I did have to appeal it here even after attempting to appeal with Help Chat.
A lot of people who submit (and even review) still don’t know what “criteria” is. Even ones that do somehow think that “encourages human welfare” to meet criteria and we see posts often about nominating hospitals and fire departments and defibulators.
If you would like, you can share the specifics to your appeals and we can ask staff to take a second look at it, or if you want more anonymity, take some time to try again with Help Chat and if that is unsuccessful you can post the ticket number(s) here for staff to again reconsider.
It’s a hassle and inconvenient 
but can make a difference.
Thanks for the reminder that there can be other types of “free” food locations than the ones for those in need. Although they are not usually called by the same name, I have accepted, for example, free food exchanges outside of a community garden where people can place what they grew more than they needed of for others to take home. Context always matters.
Oh, let me attach the correct screenshot including my reasons when I submitted this. Yes, I know mistakes happen. In other words, these do not meet criteria?
I accidentally included a screenshot that was unrelated the first time and immediately deleted that.
ty for explaining the removal XD
In my experience, sensitive location removals are very hard to get accepted. It is a recently added option for removal reports. You can see that I had to appeal both of these in Wayspot Appeals even though I noted that they were in a bathroom on the report:
This pantry may very well be one of those that should not be accepted, but that they don’t consider to meet removal criteria. You may get the response:
We took another look at the Wayspot in question and decided that it does not meet our criteria for removal at this time.
But you won’t know for sure unless you appeal the rejected report in Wayspot Appeals
I guess I can wait again until I have the ability to appeal. Having so few appeals means that I run out of those and usually wait until I can appeal to use both appeals. That can be a solution.
No, you don’t appeal rejected removal reports from your contributions page. It does not count as one of your appeals. You post in Wayspot Appeals
When you start the post in that category, you will be prompted for the information they need.
I realized that after I typed what I did but still want to visit to get photos.