As the prolonged government shutdown continues, 42 million Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are now at risk of losing benefits Nov. 1 — a disruption that could mark the country’s worst hunger crisis in nearly a century. “If the SNAP program shuts down,” Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, told NPR, “we will have the most mass hunger suffering we’ve had in America since the Great Depression.”
Even before the shutdown, 1 in 8 Americans — roughly 42 million people — depended on SNAP to buy food each month, receiving an average of $187 in benefits. With those funds frozen, food banks and pantries are bracing for an unprecedented surge in demand.
Yet hunger in America is not confined to moments of crisis — it’s a daily reality with serious long-term implications. A study by the American Cancer Society found that people living in low-income, low-access neighborhoods have an average life expectancy of 75.5 years, compared with 80.2 years in high-income, high-access areas. Another analysis linked food insecurity to significantly higher rates of chronic illness and premature death.
Against that backdrop, one Chicago-based organization is demonstrating how innovation, data, and community can make hunger relief not just more efficient — but transformative.
In a digital world, most of the charitable food system still operates offline. The majority of food pantries don’t have a website, meaning families in need often can’t find accurate, updated information about where to go for help. Vivery Community’s Find Food platform changes that by connecting food-insecure neighbors with the charitable food system that serves them – providing quick access to food and other resources and services where and when they need them. Food banks and pantries can share accurate, real-time information online and communicate directly with neighbors through chat and SMS, closing the information gap that often prevents people from finding help.
Founded by the Thierer Family Foundation, Vivery Community equalizes access to food through technology and community-based partnerships — bridging the digital divide in charitable food distribution and connecting neighbors with resources that improve both nutrition and long-term health.
Here’s how Vivery Community is redefining what modern hunger relief looks like — and why its model offers a roadmap for more equitable, sustainable support year-round.
1. Transforming How People Find Food
“Vivery’s simplicity and accessibility are making food access easier than ever. In addition to empowering our communities, it alerts pantries every 90 days to ensure information is accurate, so neighbors know exactly what to expect when they arrive at the pantry,” said Rob Dolby, North Texas Food Bank Senior Director of Community Partner Relations.
Through its Find Food platform, Vivery Community has connected more than 13 million food-insecure people to pantries and programs across 34 states, logging more than 470,000 searches for food assistance each month. Those searches have skyrocketed in the past week alone, to more than 9 searches per second. The platform’s mobile-friendly design meets families where they are — often on their phones — and restores dignity by removing barriers to basic information.
2. Using Technology as a Force for Equity
The divide between the for-profit and nonprofit sectors is stark: corporations invest billions in technology; most community organizations can’t afford to. Vivery Community’s model bridges that gap — at no cost to charitable food providers or the neighbors they serve.
“In a world where technology is increasingly important in every aspect of our lives, Vivery sets a new standard for food banks everywhere,” says Savannah Colevans, Marketing & Communications Manager for SLO Food Bank.
Across the country, Vivery Community partners with state food bank networks to create real-time dashboards that track where people are searching for food, helping partners understand community needs and redirect resources more quickly. The data provides charitable food partners with actionable insights to identify service gaps, optimize distribution, and plan for new programs.
This data-driven infrastructure gives community leaders and policymakers game-changing visibility into local needs—helping strengthen hunger-relief systems and ensuring families have faster, more reliable access to nutritious food.
3. Bridging Hunger Relief and Health Care
Hunger and health are inseparable. That’s the principle behind Vivery Community’s Food is Medicine programs, which pair nutritious food delivery with community health partnerships.
A 2023 study in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that living in a “food desert” correlates with significantly higher rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. By treating nutrition as a vital sign, Vivery Community is turning food access into preventive healthcare.
Across two Chicagoland Food is Medicine programs, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, Sinai Chicago, local pantries, and community-based organizations, Vivery Community has provided more than 250,000 pounds of groceries, 85,000 pounds of fresh produce, and 282,000 meals to food-insecure neighbors living with disabilities in Chicago’s Austin community and food-insecure patients facing chronic disease on Chicago’s South and West Sides — while creating local community jobs.
“By partnering to provide patients with nutritious, medically tailored groceries and produce, Vivery Community and Sinai Chicago are truly changing lives,” says Dr. Ngozi Ezike, President and CEO of Sinai Chicago. “This program is about giving people in need the ability to fundamentally take charge of their health for the long term with dignity and respect.”
4. Scaling a Model That Works
What began in Chicago has become a nationwide blueprint for change. Vivery Community now supports 91 food banks across 34 states, with all-time searches reaching 7.8 million.
The organization’s impact has earned national recognition, including a Chicago Innovation Award for social impact in partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository. As Vivery Community expands, its goal is statewide coverage across the country — ensuring that no one goes hungry because a local pantry doesn’t appear in a Google search.
5. From Seasonal Giving to Sustainable Impact
As the holidays approach, many families feel called to give back — often through volunteering at soup kitchens or donating to local drives. Those efforts remain vital, but Vivery Community is showing how community generosity can extend beyond a season into systemic change.
Supporting Vivery Community is impact investing in action — building infrastructure that helps local pantries operate more efficiently and equips communities to break the hunger-health cycle.
The organization urges supporters to volunteer, donate, and champion partner pantries across its network. “Vivery makes it easier for us to do our jobs — it has been a game changer!” says Rev. Dr. Lisa Heilig of Toco Hills Community Alliances.
In an era when federal aid is uncertain and demand continues to rise, Vivery Community’s model shows how the tools of technology and the values of community can work together to build a healthier nation — one meal, one neighbor, and one app at a time.
How to Help
If you’re looking for ways to help nearby, visit Vivery’s Find Food map to locate local pantries and food banks in your area. Those are the very organizations Vivery Community supports with its technology — and they still need your time, food, and financial contributions to meet daily demand.
Supporting Vivery Community ensures those local efforts go even further. It’s impact investing in action — building the infrastructure that helps pantries operate more efficiently and equips communities to break the hunger-health cycle. Every $100 donation provides 65 nutritious meals and funds the technology that makes those connections possible.
Brooke McDonald is the editor in chief of Better Magazine. She regularly reports on entertainment, theme parks, and travel and her work has appeared in Insider, The Points Guy, Parents, TravelPulse, Scripps News, and more. Her favorite nonprofits to support include SeaLegacy and the Vitalogy Foundation Follow her on Instagram @brookegmcdonald, Threads @brookegmcdonald, Bluesky, and X @BrookeGMcDonald.
