How this donation app helped get food directly to hungry people during the pandemic

As the novel coronavirus outbreak continues to spread, the San Antonio Food Bank is working with other organizations to get more food out into the community. Although volunteer turnout has decreased, the Texas food bank has partnered with groups like Pre-K 4 SA to hand out food to students and their families. Every day, the food bank says it is sending $500,000 worth of food into the community.

Community members in North Carolina are crowdfunding campaigns to help provide meals to healthcare workers who are on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. Working with the hospital, the campaign organizers make sure to deliver enough meals for the number of staff working each day, while also rotating units "to reach as many people as possible."

The Do-Good Auto Coalition in northern New Jersey is recruiting car dealerships and automakers to help shuttle supplies and food to people experiencing economic hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic. The closing of restaurants, schools, and other businesses has created a disconnect in the food supply chain, with fresh produce stuck on farms with no easy way to get it to consumers. While there’s no quick fix to reduce food waste, the organization is hopeful they can bridge the gap between farmers and people who can’t meet their basic needs.

A community organization in Indiana called Cultivate "rescues" food from local caterers, hospitals, casinos, and businesses to then be packaged into take-home meals for students at Woodland Elementary School that come from food-insecure homes. Cultivate is in its second year of existence, has three staff and 400 volunteers, and hopes to expand beyond their pilot program to reach all 21 schools in the district.

Organizations across Wisconsin work in tandem to combat widespread hunger using a combination of fundraising, nonprofit supply, and low cost food delivery services. While organizations use different methods to accomplish their mission, they all work together to lower the rate of hunger in Wisconsin.

Want to help fight food insecurity? There’s an app for that. Food Rescue Hero helps connect extra food with those who need it. Volunteers use the app to see if any food is available and when it is, they pickup and deliver the donation to a pre-approved recipient, all through the app.

Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank battled food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic by distributing groceries directly to consumers rather than its previous role of supplying other charities. Ohio National Guard members helped distribute food using a contactless pickup line where they put bags of food in the trunks of cars. Hundreds, sometimes over 1,000 cars were served a day.

To help prevent food waste, Coldhubs provides solar-powered cold stations in local markets where farmers can store produce and perishable goods until they are ready to sell them. The organization has served more than 5,000 small farmers so far.

A Cup of Cold Water is a volunteer collaboration between four local Episcopal churches that has been providing assistance to residents who lost their homes in the recent wildfires through the group’s community outreach program. Since a day after the wildfires started on August 8, volunteers have driven a van around the island to distribute supplies like toiletries, food, clothing, bottled water and other necessities.

To reduce landfill use and greenhouse gas emissions while feeding those in need, New York’s food donation program requires big businesses to donate edible food to places like food banks instead of throwing it out.