Food Pantry Chatbot
Donation protected
On March 17th, I created a chatbot to help Houstonians find the nearest food pantry. From March 17th - March 31st, I've gotten over 1,900 unique chatbot users!
In this trying time, I truly believe it is helping those who would normally have certain barriers to receiving important information effectively. For example, many websites provide food pantry information only in English. As of now, 30% of the users are Spanish speakers and around 2% are Vietnamese speakers.
Initially, the chatbot was self-funded and only expected a few hundred users. It costs me around $0.11 to help a new user find the nearest food pantry, but we need financial support to maintain this useful service. A $5 donation could help 45 families find the nearest food pantry.
Currently, I am working on reducing the cost by 33% and ideally, replicate this technology and apply it to other counties and states in the US. Food insecurity is an issue that has existed before COVID-19 and will exist after the pandemic is over. This chatbot will continue to provide assistance after COVID-19.
Funding Breakdown:
The funds will be used to pay for the technical costs of the platform. There are three main costs that I have to pay: server costs ($16 per month), costs for each text message sent and received ($0.005 ~ $0.0075 per text message), and costs for other API services we're using (Geolocation API, Directions API, Google Translate API). A majority of the money used will be for paying for the text messages.
Any donation is greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
In this trying time, I truly believe it is helping those who would normally have certain barriers to receiving important information effectively. For example, many websites provide food pantry information only in English. As of now, 30% of the users are Spanish speakers and around 2% are Vietnamese speakers.
Initially, the chatbot was self-funded and only expected a few hundred users. It costs me around $0.11 to help a new user find the nearest food pantry, but we need financial support to maintain this useful service. A $5 donation could help 45 families find the nearest food pantry.
Currently, I am working on reducing the cost by 33% and ideally, replicate this technology and apply it to other counties and states in the US. Food insecurity is an issue that has existed before COVID-19 and will exist after the pandemic is over. This chatbot will continue to provide assistance after COVID-19.
Funding Breakdown:
The funds will be used to pay for the technical costs of the platform. There are three main costs that I have to pay: server costs ($16 per month), costs for each text message sent and received ($0.005 ~ $0.0075 per text message), and costs for other API services we're using (Geolocation API, Directions API, Google Translate API). A majority of the money used will be for paying for the text messages.
Any donation is greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Organizer
Nile Dixon
Organizer
Houston, TX
