The Salvation Army in Haiti, working with international delivery company UPS, is replacing handwritten ration cards with high-tech barcode technology to ensure that more than 4,000 families receive food, shelter and medical supplies.

The system is based on UPS's Trackpad technology, which its customers use to track packages within campus environments. The company has donated the technology and adapted it for disaster relief supply distribution.

The Salvation Army has been given responsibility by the United Nations for around 20,000 people living in makeshift camps near its Port-au-Prince compound. This is the first time The Salvation Army has been given such a responsibility.

Salvation Army staff members are now able to confirm what goods each family receives by tracking the information via a laminated card that bears unique barcodes linked to the number of family members, their location in the makeshift camp and their needs. The system helps to ensure that all families receive the right supplies at the right time, and should help reduce theft or fraud. More than three million meals have been distributed by The Salvation Army in Haiti since the earthquake on 12 January.

'We are grateful to UPS for providing this new distribution system,' says Damaris Frick, the International Emergency Services worker who, until the end of February, was manager of The Salvation Army's camps. 'The technology will improve the speed of the distribution, helping us to keep the process as orderly as possible. We were struggling with paper cards which disintegrate in the pockets of the bearers.' She reveals that it took a team of 40 people to work through the camp, replacing damaged cards – a problem that should be almost eliminated with the new system.

Damaris adds: 'We will no longer need to manually input distribution data, which will also speed up and increase the accuracy of our reporting process to other NGOs (non-governmental organisations) and donors.'

The tracking system will also give The Salvation Army a way to track the families and their needs in the future as they move from the temporary camp where they currently live to more-permanent shelter, she added. Beyond the immediate need to optimise food distribution, The Salvation Army plans to use the barcode cards and tracking technology to help with the distribution of hygiene kits and tarpaulins to prepare for the upcoming rainy season.

'This is a perfect example of how UPS's commitment to disaster relief extends well beyond financial support,' said Ken Sternad, president of The UPS Foundation. 'By capitalising on our employees' intellectual capital and the company's technological capabilities, UPS is putting the infrastructure in place to help families in Haiti begin to rebuild their lives for the long term.'

UPS logistics experts configured the specialised application in less than a week. The system includes 4,000 laminated cards, two handheld scanners and a laptop. This is the second time UPS has configured the Trackpad technology for disaster relief. After Hurricane Katrina in the USA, the system was used for tracking displaced pets.

The new system was being implemented when the Salvation Army camp was visited by Kris Allen, 2009 winner of the TV talent show American Idol. Kris even helped with one of the registrations.

The visit – organised through the United Nations Foundation – was arranged to bring wider awareness of the work in Haiti as well as the continued need for support. Footage from Kris's visit was shown during the results show of American Idol – the USA's most popular TV programme.

The Salvation Army camp in Port-Au-Prince was chosen as one of four locations for Kris to tour while on his whirlwind visit. He toured the camp, visited with staff and played with children, as well as communicating with camp residents through an interpreter.

Damaris Frick and Major Cedric Hills, who was The Salvation Army's incident commander in Haiti at the time of the visit, provided information to Kris as he toured the camp. He was also introduced to the chair and vice chair of the Camp Committee, which is formed of Haitians who help provide leadership and act as liaisons for the camp residents.

At the end of the visit, Kris spoke with staff from The Salvation Army's partner agency in the camp, Concern Worldwide. He visited their mother and infant tent and sang 'Amazing Grace' while accompanying himself on the guitar.

Top photo: The new UPS-supplied ration cards – here in the hands of people waiting for food – are easy to use, durable and help to make distributions more efficient; second photo: Kris Allen, winner of 'American Idol', with with a UPS-supplied ration card