Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash.

To bring their foodbank and meal programs together, and to unlock the power of data, the United Way of Bruce Grey has partnered with NPX and, with the support of Bruce Power, has built the Food Bruce Grey App, a data collection platform that allows food programs to capture and share their data and show their impact in the community.

"Food is integral to our health and well-being. It plays a vital role in nourishing us, connecting with others, and in our celebrations – particularly during the holidays. However, with the rising cost of food and economic pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic many in our community are struggling with hunger and food insecurity," read a November 30 joint media release.

The United Way of Bruce Grey and their associated food programs work to address the increased need in their community and provide fresh and healthy food to an ever-growing number of people in need. They could see the demand was rising dramatically during the pandemic and wanted to find a way to better understand and illustrate the escalating issue of food insecurity in Bruce Grey.

“We’re so thrilled with our new Food App,” said Francesca Dobbyn, Executive Director of the United Way of Bruce Grey. “The app has illustrated what the food insecurity issues are in our community. Data is a very important part of the food story because it tells our donors, members of our community, and decision-makers what’s happening and how important it is to solve these issues.”

The app allows foodbanks and meal programs to enter data, download reports, and create dashboards that visualise their impact and food insecurity trends in their communities. Members of the public can also view dashboards that illustrate how foodbanks and meal programs are
used and how the needs are growing.

Local foodbanks, meal programs, and community gardens have already begun entering data into the app. NPX, Bruce Power, and the Community Foundation Grey Bruce provided funding for food scales to enable each program to weigh produce and more accurately capture the amount of food being collected and distributed. The app will capture data on food that is collected and distributed, and also include information on demographics of community members who are using foodbanks and meal programs, while tracking volunteer efforts in the region.

Members of the public can view Food Bruce Grey App's public dashboards by visiting www.foodbrucegrey.com. Organizations that run a food program can learn more and register for the platform by contacting food@unitedwaybg.com. Anyone wishing to support the United Way food programs in our community visit www.donatetoday.ca.