On Wednesday, Aug. 9, Wellspring of Greenbrier served 291 individuals at their food pantry in Rupert, all tracked using Feeding America’s new intake app.Wellspring of Greenbrier, Inc. is a nonprofit organization based in Rupert that has been serving low-income families, unhoused, transient, and economically disadvantaged persons in Greenbrier County since 2004. Wellspring also offers utility assistance, firewood deliveries, free access to laundry and showers, and more at their day haven in Rupert.
During bimonthly food distributions, pantry volunteers meet neighbors at their vehicles with tablets, register them, and then distribute food boxes. Once neighbors and their families are added to the app, registration moves much faster during the following visits.
Wellspring is the second pilot site of Mountaineer Food Bank’s Neighbor Connector program in West Virginia, behind Petersburg Interfaith Pantry in Grant County. The new app is designed to streamline intake for food banks and pantries, and will also make reporting easier for these organizations.
“Wellspring is the second food pantry in West Virginia to use Feeding America’s intake app called Service Insights on MealConnect. It has been a joy working with staff and volunteers to make sure the app works for Wellspring in a meaningful way. The purpose of this app is to help us learn more about the neighbors we serve and continue to serve them better. I am excited to see Wellspring continue to use the app because I know they will do great things to help their neighbors,” said Courtney Susman, Service Insights Coordinator for Mountaineer Food Bank.
Mountaineer Food Bank aims to make the app available to more pantries in West Virginia over the next year. For more information on the intake app, contact Courtney Susman at csusman@mountaineerfoodbank.org. For more information on Wellspring’s food distribution and other programs, contact Abigail Spangler at abigail@wellspringofgreenbrier.com.
