New website allows for easy updating; expanded content highlights vital importance of local food banks.
Since 1985, Gleaners Food Bank (Quinte) Inc. has been addressing the growing problem of hunger in the Belleville and Quinte region. From humble beginnings in a church basement to its own building and a warehouse that supplies seven local food banks, Gleaners has worked diligently to provide food and resources to the most food-insecure people in Quinte's communities.
Donations and volunteers are the lifeblood of a not-for-profit organization, and Gleaners has excelled at developing a network of dedicated helpers and donors. Unfortunately, their existing website was difficult to use and did little to support the organization's mission. Build Marketing was approached to submit a proposal for a new website along with several other Belleville web agencies; our thorough and thoughtful presentation demonstrated that we understood their needs and could deliver a comprehensive solution.
Working with the organization's existing logo and corporate colours, we created a simple design that focuses on the website content and leads users to the information they seek. High quality images were created by Gleaners' photographer, Brad Denoon, with an emphasis on people - the staff and volunteers who deliver this valuable service to the Belleville community, as well the services offered and the facility.
Content was organized to provide helpful information to people needing food and other local services, and to let volunteers and supporters understand the various ways they can help. Sections were created to highlight fundraising events and campaigns as well as the organization's green initiatives and its history. A sponsors page was created to display logos of the organizations and corporate sponsors with whom Gleaners Food Bank is affiliated. Slide shows allow the Fundraising Coordinator to add new images to celebrate the generosity of the local community.
The events area is set up to allow flexibility in the event layout depending on the information that needs to be included. Signup forms and event ticketing are handled through integrations with third-party systems; these elements are automatically hidden once the event has passed. Online ticketing and donations are handled through embedded forms provided by Canada Helps.
Since our client had struggled to update their existing WordPress website, we recommended building the new site in Webflow, an online site builder and hosting platform. Now edits and new content can be easily handled, meaning that staff time previously spent on updates can now be devoted to other tasks.
With an easy to update website, the staff at Gleaners Food Bank can now communicate more easily with their clients and supporters, promote their events, and deliver their services. Webflow's hosted platform easily handles spikes in traffic during busy periods, such as during the pandemic when the need for their services and volunteers grew exponentially.