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Organization: Neighborly Care Network
Solution:
Insights From: Anita Frankhauser | Published: May 18, 2026 | 
6 Mins
Summary:
Neighborly Care Network is a senior services nonprofit based in Pinellas County, Florida, celebrating its 60th year of supporting older adults in the community. The organization was one of the first federally funded Meals on Wheels programs in the country and has since expanded to offer a range of aging services, including adult day care, transportation, and congregate dining. Today, Neighborly serves about 3,000 seniors.
Neighborly Care Network Modernizes Nutrition Services with ServTracker
Outgrowing a Paper-Heavy, Fragile System
Before ServTracker, Neighborly’s nutrition programs ran on disconnected legacy systems and tens of thousands of paper documents each month, causing frequent downtime and heavy manual work. For Meals on Wheels, more than 100 routes generated an estimated 20,000 paper route sheets monthly, which two full-time staff had to key in, often leaving the organization a week behind and exposed to data security risk. “We had paper route sheets flying around the county and a system that was breaking multiple times a week,” Anita recalls. The stakes included recurring outages, HIPAA risks from lost route sheets, staff time consumed by data entry, and reporting that always required IT support.
Anita Frankhauser, Nutrition Director at Neighborly Care Network, oversees the nutrition programs and has led the agency’s modernization by implementing ServTracker by CaseWorthy, including the Mobile Meals application in 2018.
Choosing ServTracker
When Neighborly evaluated alternatives, the team prioritized HIPAA compliance, reliability, and a platform designed for the complexity of Meals on Wheels workflows. ServTracker stood out because it was comprehensive, easy to use, and well regarded by other Meals on Wheels programs.
Implementation took approximately six to nine months. Staff were highly receptive to the transition because they were frustrated with the limitations of the previous system and eager for a better way to work.
What Changed: By the Numbers
| Metric | Q4 2025 | Q1 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total stops | 4,193 | 4,254 | +1.5% |
| Total miles | 7,976.87 | 6,902.1 | -13.5% |
| Total driving time (hours) | 444.1 | 425.8 | -4.1% |
| Miles per stop | 1.9 | 1.62 | -14.7% |
| Stops per hour | 9.44 | 9.99 | +5.8% |
- Served More Stops
- Drove 1,075 Fewer Miles
- Used 18 Fewer Driving Hours
- Needed Less Mileage Per Stop
Creating New Efficiencies
$361
saved in gasoline from route reorganization
1,191 miles
eliminated from route reorganization
Going Paperless and Mobile
The biggest operational transformation came with the adoption of ServTracker’s Mobile Meals functionality. Neighborly replaced its paper route sheets with an app-based process that gives volunteers secure digital access to route information, client details, and notes.
Key changes included:
Eliminating more than 20,000 paper route sheets per month, along with the related printing, handling, and storage burden.
Going completely paperless with client files, allowing the organization to remove large filing cabinets from nutrition sites and the administrative office once retention requirements were met.
Improving data security by removing the risk of lost paper packets containing protected client information.
ServTracker’s intake and demographics configuration tools also allowed Neighborly to standardize and require specific data fields at enrollment which improved overall data quality.
Efficiency, Accuracy, And Capacity
Neighborly saw clear improvements as soon as ServTracker went live, especially in Meals on Wheels operations. Staff could more easily adjust route boundaries, manage schedules, and process service information faster than before. Some of the most meaningful outcomes include:
Service data moved from being up to a week behind to being available overnight after Mobile Meals syncs.
Two staff members still support data processes, but data entry is no longer their sole job; they can now focus on client registration, volunteer concerns, partnerships, and special projects.
Morale improved because staff were no longer spending the full day on repetitive manual entry.
More than 60% of frontline staff time is now spent with clients and volunteers rather than administrative tasks in the system.
Anita credits ServTracker with helping Neighborly scale without adding back-office staff, even as client volume grew to nearly 3,000 and funding sources doubled from about 10 to 20. With the old paper-based process, Anita believes the organization would have needed up to two additional full-time staff to keep up.
Reporting and Funder Responsiveness
Before ServTracker, Anita depended on the IT manager to create or modify reports. Now, she can build her own reports directly and use both standard and custom reports to answer funder and leadership questions quickly.
She said there has not been a reporting request from a funder that the team has been unable to meet. The organization can now drill into data by municipality or program, provide more specific insight, and answer basic service questions in near real time. Leadership has noticed how much faster the team can access and share information, with some simple requests taking as little as 10 minutes to fulfill.
Better Client Care in Real Time
One of the most meaningful changes has been Neighborly’s ability to respond faster to client issues observed in the field. Because volunteers see the same older adults regularly, they are often the first to notice changes in health, nutrition, or living conditions. With Mobile Meals, volunteers can record notes, concerns, and questions directly in the system in real time. Staff can then review and respond immediately instead of waiting days for paper route sheets to come back and be reviewed. That makes it easier to address issues such as eligibility for additional meals or referrals to a dietitian.
“We’re able to answer client issues immediately,” Anita said. She added that Mobile Meals removes barriers that used to delay communication between volunteers, site staff, and the nutrition team.
Supporting Innovation and Research
The combination of HIPAA-compliant workflows, stronger reporting, and flexible configuration has also made Neighborly a stronger partner for external initiatives. The organization participated in a Humana pilot and a Brown University research study, DeliverEE, using ServTracker to securely receive referrals and integrate them directly into meal delivery workflows.
Instead of pulling information from email or spreadsheets, staff receive notifications when a referral arrives, accept it in the system, and can begin meal service as soon as the next day.
Looking Ahead
The next phase of Neighborly’s work will focus on using data more strategically. ServTracker allows for richer reporting, better impact measurement, and more automation in areas beyond routing, including client intake and future program expansion.
For organizations considering a similar investment, Anita’s advice is simple, “investing in a great system is worth it. It’s worth it for your team and for investing in your program’s abilities.” ServTracker has made day-to-day work easier, improved client care, and given Neighborly a reliable platform that can adapt to future needs.
How Neighborly Care Network Turned Data Into Evidence
See how Neighborly Care Network is using ServTracker data to support groundbreaking research and better understand the impact of nutrition services on older adults.
About the Author
Anita Frankhauser Cihlar is a dedicated registered dietitian and the Nutrition Director for Neighborly Care Network and Meals on Wheels Pinellas County. As an alumna of the University of South Florida (USF), Anita holds a Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. With a passion for enhancing the well-being of seniors, Anita plays a crucial role in developing and managing nutrition programs that support the health and independence of older adults.
Neighborly Care Network, a private non-profit organization established in 1966, has been a cornerstone in the Pinellas County community, providing essential services such as Adult Day Care, Transportation, and comprehensive nutrition programs. Anita’s expertise and commitment contribute significantly to Neighborly’s mission of serving seniors with compassion and excellence.
