New Website Tool Makes it Easier for Neighbors to Locate Food Pantries
NTFB’s online “Find Food” tool is now more user-friendly thanks to partnership with Vivery.

North Texas Food Bank recently launched a new “Find Food” tool on its website that will make it simpler for neighbors to locate pantries near them offering free groceries.
Called Vivery, the technology solution was built specifically for food banks and food pantries so that neighbors would have an easy way to find accurate, up-to-date information about where they can access food and other important social services.
“Vivery is food bank-centric, the technology is faster, it is more mobile-friendly, and it has expanded opportunities for program descriptions,” says Rob Dolby, NTFB Senior Director of Community Partner Relations. “It’s easier for food banks to use and easier for neighbors.”
The tool allows NTFB partner pantries to regularly update their hours and offerings listed on NTFB’s website, and it also gives NTFB the ability to make updates when needed. Additionally, Vivery alerts partners every 90 days if no updates have been made to ensure the hours, location and other details listed are still correct.
Vivery also expands the number of food pantries that neighbors can find through NTFB’s website. While NTFB’s former “find food” tool assisted neighbors in locating pantries that are direct partners with NTFB, Vivery makes all partners visible, including those that receive NTFB food from one of the food bank’s two redistribution hubs, Crossroads Community Services and Sharing Life.
Vivery also shares information about pantries that partner with other food banks using Vivery. That means if a neighbor in far East Texas looks for a pantry on NTFB’s website, they will be able to find pantries near them because the East Texas Food Bank also uses Vivery.
When neighbors search for a pantry, they will not only see details for the pantry on which they click, they will also see information about additional programs that pantry may offer (such as ESL classes or healthcare services) and they will find information about how to connect with a Social Services Assistance navigator, who can help them apply for SNAP and other benefits.
If neighbors scan a pantry’s QR code on NTFB’s site, they will be alerted of pantry updates via text message. When a winter storm requires a pantry to close for example, neighbors who’ve scanned their QR code will receive a text message telling them of that closure.
Along with searching on NTFB’s website, neighbors can download the NTFB app to easily find access to nutritious food at nearby pantries and at partner mobile food distributions. The app gives neighbors the option of opting in so they’ll be notified when new distributions are added to NTFB’s website.
All information on Vivery can be translated for neighbors into any language available through Google. The goal of every feature, according to Vivery, is to equalize digital access so neighbors can find the food, programs and services they need most at a location and time that is convenient to them.