All 8 Illinois Food Banks Turn to Chicago-Based Technology, Vivery, to Equalize Access to Food and Resources

Vivery, from the Thierer Family Foundation, now provides the first completely contiguous find food map across Illinois so food banks and pantries can provide comprehensive information online for neighbors to easily find and access food nearby.

CHICAGO, Feb. 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Vivery, the digital technology from the Thierer Family Foundation, announced today that it has reached agreement with all 8 Illinois food banks to power the first cohesive find food map that covers 100% of the food insecure population in the state. Vivery was created in collaboration with the Greater Chicago Food Depository to address the nuanced challenges of the food assistance ecosystem at scale. Unlike other find food tools, Vivery removes 'invisible borders' around each food bank's coverage area, creating a contiguous map of all food resources available in the state. This ensures that no matter where a neighbor searches in Illinois, they will always find detailed and accurate pantry and program information online to meet their unique needs, schedules, and circumstances.

"Adopting Vivery allows us to reach more neighbors experiencing food insecurity throughout Northern Illinois and connect them with the food they need to thrive. Many of our neighbors use mobile devices to search our network for pantries and programs," said Julie Yurko, President and CEO, Northern Illinois Food Bank. "Vivery's Find Food map is mobile-friendly and helps us interact more effectively with our neighbors."

With Vivery's ability to centralize and easily manage food resource information, food banks gain visibility into neighbors' needs and preferences, providing them with valuable insights beyond demographics to identify coverage gaps, plus program and food sourcing opportunities.

"What's so powerful about this journey with Vivery is knowing that we're working towards providing the most robust information possible," said Kate Rowland, Director of Partner Impact, St. Louis Area Foodbank. "What we're looking forward to most with this adoption are the neighbor and community insights we will be able to gain with this platform. Having the capabilities to understand what resources, food, and opportunities are being searched for will fuel our organization in working towards a nutritionally secure Missouri and Illinois."

The eight food banks in Illinois engaging with Vivery to support more than 1 million neighbors facing hunger are:

• Greater Chicago Food Depository
• River Bend Food Bank
• Northern Illinois Food Bank
• St. Louis Area Foodbank
• Peoria Area Food Bank
• Eastern Illinois Foodbank
• Tri-State Food Bank
• Central Illinois Foodbank

"We are delighted to see how in just a few months since we officially launched Vivery, our vision of equalizing access to food has become a reality in our home state of Illinois," said Nasrin Thierer, Founder of the Thierer Family Foundation. "I'm very proud of what we have accomplished, but this is just the start as we work to extend this technology nationwide to help everyone live their best lives."

2022 was a notable year for the Vivery team with the announcement of US market availability, recognition as a winner of the 21st Annual Chicago Innovation Awards together with the Greater Chicago Food Depository, and the launch of Vivery Idea Lab pilots to test new ideas for equalizing access to food regardless of circumstances.

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 to modernize access to food and significantly change the way an organization can serve their 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. Head to https://thiererfamilyfoundation.org/ to learn more.

Media Contact
Vivery from the Thierer Family Foundation:
Andrea Oliveira
(458) 206-6478
[email protected]

SOURCE The Thierer Family Foundation