As soon as the list of Story County service providers would be completed, something -- a phone number, a service, an address -- had already changed.

Mid Iowa Community Action had compiled the list of people, places and organizations that offer food pantries, subsidized housing and utility bill assistance in the county, but the information quickly goes out of date.

So, a loosely organized group calling itself the Story County Resource Guide Task Force created a website with all the same information. The site will go live near the end of October.

Linda Voit, a member of the guide's Task Force, said, “We know we have a lot of resources, and there is a definite issue with people finding them.”

The stripped-down online resource directory currently features more than 100 agencies, a list of their services, addresses and phone numbers, in searchable categories complete with icons that tell people if the place is on a bus route, as well as other services.

“It will be an up-to-date, reliable, easy-to-use resource guide for residents and service providers in Story County,” said Sipele Knowles, one of the site's administrators.

More than 100 agencies, churches and organizations are listed, and it will be up to those agencies to update the directory when information changes.

The site is stripped of bells and whistles for a very specific reason; it can easily be downloaded, said Scott Walker, a task force member and volunteer coordinator of Food at First.

“We wanted to focus on the mission which was to get it into the hands of people who need it quickly and simply,” Walker said.

A live launch party will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 22 in the Ames Public Library, where laptops will be available to test drive the site. For more information, email storycountyresourceguide@gmail.com.