CaliDiary lets food banks and community pantries run free collection slots on their own WordPress website. Households book a time to collect, referrals can be checked before a slot is confirmed, and volunteers book the shifts they can cover. Nothing costs the household anything, and their details stay on your own website.
Riverside Community PantryBook an appointment
Live demoCheck and confirm
Demo only: a made-up business. Nothing is sent or stored.
Made-up businesses, real CaliDiary features. Each example names the features that do the work.
Riverside Community Pantry (a made-up pantry) sets 15-minute collection slots with 6 places each. Households book a time, collect without queuing in the rain, and the team knows how many parcels to prepare for each slot.
For food banks that work by referral, the form asks for the referral code. The slot is held as a request while a volunteer checks it, then confirmed, and the household is told either way.
Packing and distribution shifts are group sessions with places for the number of volunteers needed. Volunteers pick the shifts they can do, get a reminder, and a shift stops taking bookings when it is covered.
Each church hall and community centre the food bank uses is a location with its own days and volunteers. Households choose the one nearest to them first.
One person, one customer, a set length.
AvailableAppointments several people can book at the same time.
AvailableThe time is held until you accept or decline.
AvailableNo price, no payment step.
AvailableAn example to adapt: change the names, lengths and prices to your own.
| Service | Length | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Collection slot6 places | 15 min | Free |
| Referred collectionRequests you approve | 15 min | Free |
| First visit with an adviser | 30 min | Free |
| Packing shift8 volunteers | 3 h | Free |
Not every booking needs a price: free, pay later, bank transfer or card, chosen per service.
Several people book the same appointment time, up to the limit you set.
Hold the time and decide yourself whether to accept or decline each booking.
Bookings and customer details stay in your own website. We never see them, so never sell them.
Every customer can book, by keyboard, screen reader or touch. Tested to WCAG 2.2 AA.
Customers choose where to come first; each place has its own people and services.
Free collection slots, group places, requests you approve and email reminders are all on the free plan. Solo adds up to 3 locations and choice questions; a food bank with several distribution points and coordinators needs Pro.
Booked collection slots mean nobody has to queue outside in the cold, and the team knows how many parcels each hour needs. In CaliDiary each slot has a set number of places, households book one, and the slot stops taking bookings when it is full. Everything is free, with no payment step.
Where collections are by referral, the booking form asks for the referral code and the slot is held as a request while a volunteer checks it. Households who are not online can be booked in by volunteers from the Overview screen.
Food bank users are often in a difficult moment. Ask for as little as possible: household size, dietary needs, a referral code. Answers are stored in your own WordPress database and never reach CaliDiary's servers. Your own policies decide how long they are kept, and WordPress's export and erase tools include CaliDiary.
The booking form is built and tested to WCAG 2.2 AA: it works on old phones, by keyboard and with screen readers, and reflows at large text sizes.
Volunteer shifts are free group sessions with the number of volunteers each one needs. With several distribution points, each is a location with its own days, on Solo (up to 3) or Pro.
Text reminders through your own provider are on the roadmap. See the features page and pricing.
Free advice appointments and call-backs, with sensitive details kept on your own site.
Shifts with several places each, free sign-up, reminders and a link to cancel.
Room and hall hire, group sessions, repair cafés and club events.
Free resident appointments, information sessions and requests checked before they are confirmed.
More in community, charities and volunteering All industries
Start on the free plan, with no booking limit. Upgrade only when you need to.
