At Fueled, we’re lucky to work with some of the largest and most recognizable organizations in the world. But around this time of year, I find myself thinking more about the quieter, mission-driven teams whose impact is measured not in scale, but in service.
Feed More is one of those organizations. Based in Central Virginia, this nonprofit provides nutritious food and groceries to neighbors in need. Every day, they make sure children, families, and seniors have access to meals. And every day, their website helps make that work possible.
For Feed More, the season of giving is their busiest time of year. Programs ramp up. Need increases. And for many donors, Giving Tuesday represents the single most important moment to offer support. In 2024, that moment saw 36.1 million people give $3.6 billion to nonprofits across the U.S. It’s a time when reliability matters.
That’s why we’re proud to support Feed More through our SiteWatch program, a maintenance and support service designed to keep WordPress websites secure, stable, and up to date. Our role is to provide peace of mind: the assurance that their site is monitored, healthy, and ready to serve every visitor.
We recently sat down with Annie Baldauf, Senior Manager of Marketing Strategy at Feed More, to spotlight the inspiring work her team does in Central Virginia. We also talked a bit about how their website supports that work, particularly during high-traffic moments like Giving Tuesday, and why they’ve partnered with our SiteWatch team to help keep things running smoothly.
Q&A with Feed More
Fueled: For those who aren’t familiar, what is Feed More, and what does the holiday season look like for your team?
Annie: Feed More is the regional food bank for Central Virginia. We serve 29 counties and five cities across the region. One in nine people in our area are food insecure, meaning they don’t always have reliable access to the food they need to live a healthy life.
Many of the people we serve work, but unexpected expenses—like medical bills or car repairs—can throw off their whole budget. Suddenly, they’re making impossible choices between groceries, gas, prescriptions, or keeping the lights on. Our job is to make sure food isn’t the thing they go without.
We do that through a network of partner agencies and programs. Last year, we distributed 40 million pounds of food, and we’re already over 32 million this year. Need increases during the holidays because budgets get tighter. But the good news is, giving tends to go up, too.
Fueled: What role does your website play in that mission?
Annie: A big one. We think of our “neighbors” as anyone who connects with Feed More—whether they’re clients, volunteers, or donors—and they all use the site.
Donors need a secure and seamless way to give online. Volunteers need to understand what opportunities are available and what to expect. And most importantly, our neighbors looking for food use the website to find help. Our agency locator is one of the most important tools on the site. It’s interactive and searchable by zip code, language, or day of the week. People can also connect with our Feed More Help Line there. It’s really a hub for getting people where they need to go.
Fueled: How did you end up working with SiteWatch?
Annie: That’s actually a story we laugh about now, but it was a big deal in the moment. On December 6, yes, I remember the date, our former website went down. And December, as you know, is critical for giving.
The only way to keep the site online was to strip everything back to basic HTML. People were landing on white pages with black text and a few hyperlinks. We knew we needed a partner who took security, stability, and communication seriously.
We interviewed four or five web support providers, and your SiteWatch team was the last one we talked to. Halfway through the first call, we knew they were the right team. A lot of developers focused on aesthetics, but with SiteWatch, it wasn’t about something shiny or superficial. It was, “Hey, we understand the nitty-gritty of keeping your site safe and stable.” They gave us real confidence by focusing on the foundation—infrastructure, setup, and long-term management. We had just relaunched our website and we needed a partner who could help us maintain and protect it for the long haul.
Fueled: What’s it like working with the SiteWatch team now?
Annie: SiteWatch really gives us peace of mind. There’s a cadence and rhythm to the work. At the start of each month, they review plugins and handle updates or vulnerabilities. They’re always watching for changes to our host or WordPress, and proactively making adjustments so we don’t have to. I’m not a technical person, but I always understand what they’re telling me. They make things easy to follow.
Fueled: Any moments that stand out?
Annie: I remember being on PTO a few years ago, before we worked with SiteWatch, and the site went down when a huge change was made incorrectly. Our old support team wasn’t responsive. I had to cut my time off short and fix it myself. Now, I know if something happens, I can step away and trust that the SiteWatch team will take care of it.
Just recently, we got a few strange calls from donors who said they’d made a gift to Feed More, but the receipt or follow-up came from another organization. We thought, that’s really odd—is something spoofed? Is it a scam or a processor issue? I flagged it to SiteWatch and heard back immediately. They looked into everything, reassured me it wasn’t a problem related to our website, and by 5:30 I was able to close my laptop feeling confident that the site was secure.
Fueled: Beyond maintenance and emergency response, SiteWatch also includes a few hours each month for ad hoc engineering and content support. How do you typically use that time?
Annie: We get a couple hours each month and we always use them. We keep a backlog of projects and work through them based on priorities. One example: updating our agency locator. That’s a heavy lift. It involves importing data, making sure IDs and formatting are correct, and a lot of technical stuff I don’t even see. But the team handles it.
They’ve also helped us tweak user experiences, delist outdated URLs, and test new plugins. They’ve given great recommendations and helped us get the most out of our site. It’s not just maintenance, it’s partnership.
Fueled: Thanks for sharing your experiences with SiteWatch. Coming back to the season of giving, what would you want readers to know as they think about how they can help Feed More or get involved?
Annie: First, thank you. Donations are incredibly helpful, but giving your time or donating food can be just as impactful. And if you’re not in Central Virginia, that’s okay. We’re part of the Feeding America network, and there are food banks doing amazing work in communities across the country. The best way to give is whatever way helps your own neighbors.
Get Involved
As Annie reminds us, impact often starts small: a neighbor in need, a pantry with open shelves, a donation given with care. We’re honored to support Feed More in the work they do year-round, and especially during a season when generosity and gratitude are top of mind.
If you’re looking for a way to give back this holiday season, we encourage you to support hunger relief in your own community.
To Feed More: thank you for letting us be a small part of the work you do.
If you’re responsible for keeping a website stable and secure, we’d love to tell you more about how SiteWatch can help. It’s affordable, proactive support packages give teams like Feed More peace of mind.
