Computers and Cabbage at a Food Bank That Works

When she arrived at St. John’s Bread and Life, Ms. Ruiz was given a swipe card. She sat at a computer and used a touch screen to select her own menu. As she made her choices, the system subtracted points from an allotment of 200 for the month (healthy items count for fewer points). A volunteer said she could pick everything up within a few minutes.

That's precisely what Anthony Butler, executive director of St. John’s Bread and Life, was thinking when he put the system into effect in 2008.