Tri-State Food Bank Launches Innovative Online Map to Help Connect Neighbors with Food Pantries and Programs

Tri-State Food Bank Launches Innovative Online Map to Help Connect Neighbors with Food Pantries and Programs

New digital tools increase access to food with easy-to-use features 

Evansville, IN (March 28, 2023) – Tri-State Food Bank (TSFB) announced today the launch of Vivery, an innovative platform and digital map to help families and individuals experiencing food insecurity connect with vital food resources in their community and surrounding areas. The new mobile-friendly map, located on the Tri-State Food Bank website (www.tristatefoodbank.org), increases access to the fresh and nutritious food our neighbors need to thrive.

Tri-State Food Bank works with a network of over 300 food pantries and feeding programs throughout 33 counties in the Tri-State. With the help of volunteers, donors, and member agencies, Tri-State Food Bank distributes over 14 million pounds of perishable and non-perishable foods annually to local individuals, children, and families who face hunger.

The Vivery platform, developed by the Thierer Family Foundation, helps food banks and food pantries remove obstacles preventing neighbors from finding food. Digital features include an interactive online map with a searchable directory of food distribution sites with up-to-date schedules, times, directions, and programs. Tri-State Food Bank’s website allows for users to easily change the language so neighbors can access the food they need in the language they speak. Users can also search by zip code or address to ensure they find the right food at the right time and place.

Glenn Roberts, Executive Director of Tri-State Food Bank, comments, “This interactive, easy-to-use online map will be a powerful tool to help our neighbors in need find food assistance. We hope that by easing a family’s burden of locating food resources they will gain more peace of mind in knowing where their next meal is coming from.”

Heather Owens, Programs Director of Tri-State Food Bank shares, “Our new online platform, or hub, offers a mobile-friendly map and digital network of food banks and food pantries. Our neighbors will have improved access to vital services in our communities and will be able to see locations near them, their operating days and hours, services offered, documentation required (if any), and much more!”

This project was made possible by the Thierer Family Foundation in partnership with Tri-State Food Bank to ensure people throughout the Tri-State could have equal access to food. The foundation strategically funds innovative technology projects, including Vivery, to modernize access to food and significantly change the way an organization can serve its target audience.

About Tri-State Food Bank

Tri-State Food Bank was established in 1982 and is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to feeding the hungry by soliciting marketable surplus foods and distributing the foods to non-profit agencies, which serve the needy in a 33-county area of the Tri-State. It is also the Tri-State Food Bank’s mission to aid in assisting member agencies in the various programs they sponsor and overseeing their success by serving as a channel for donors to be assured of good warehousing practices, accountability, and equitable distribution within the network of collaborating organizations that are served while educating the public about the problems of hunger. Visit www.tristatefoodbank.org, find us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

About Thierer Family Foundation

The Thierer Family Foundation was founded by Nasrin and Mark Thierer in December 2015, with a mission to increase the impact of nonprofits by helping them leverage technology to be more effective, efficient, and sustainable. The foundation strategically funds innovative technology projects, including Vivery to modernize access to food and significantly change the way an organization can serve its target audience. By investing in technology, the Thierer Family Foundation can greatly impact an organization’s reach, help organizations deliver on their mission, and ultimately serve more people. Their hope is that this approach will pave the way for other funders to see the value of investing in technology within the nonprofit sector. Learn more at https://thiererfamilyfoundation.org/