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When officials from SOS Berks and Penn State Berks College of Medicine cut the ribbon on the Health to Go Vending Machine at the Reading YMCA in May 2024, it was the first of its kind in the state. Not only did it dispense wellness and harm reduction items at no cost, but the 42″ interactive touch screen allowed users to find information on nearby social services, food banks, housing, health care and more.
Recently, the vending machine reached its one-year milestone. To celebrate that, we’re sharing some data on what items have been dispensed, who’s using the machine, and what services people have connected with.
Over the past year, the Reading Health to Go Vending Machine has dispensed a total of 5,860 wellness and harm reduction items. Those include:
A total of 528 individuals have been interested in connecting with 67 services. Below is a breakdown of the types of services people clicked on::4% sought hotline numbers
A total of 1,113 users signed on using unique user IDs, including:
By Gender
By Race & Ethnicity
By Employment
By Housing Status
The following quotes were taken from machine users who participated in focus groups and answered questions about the vending machine.
Whatever the cost is to maintain it being a free distribution, I think the benefits well outweigh the cost.
The biggest benefit is that you can remain anonymous.
I even saw a case manager come in with a homeless woman to help her use the machine and get feminine products and other essentials. It was nice to see someone showing others where they can get help if they need it. I’ve seen people showing homeless people, ‘Here look, this is here for you.’
Learn more about the Health to Go vending machine
