Agency fights hunger with mobile app

From GrubHub to OpenTable and DailyBites, mobile apps help Americans find takeout, make dinner reservations and pursue their endless quest for pizza. But a Longwood nonprofit is hoping its new mobile app will do something more noble with food: end hunger.

Feeding Children Everywhere — the charity that has distributed more than 65 million meals to people living in poverty around the world — quietly launched its free “Fed 40” app in early November as a pilot program. Available through the App Store and Google Play, it allows users living in designated low-income areas to request food for up to 40 meals by submitting a simple, four-question form.

Then, typically one business day later, a box of the nonprofit’s rice-and-lentil casserole mix and a few suggested recipes are delivered to the person’s doorstep, all at no cost. The casserole provides complete nutrition by itself, but recipients can add other ingredients to spice it up. “We believe this is going to disrupt how we fight hunger in America,” said Dave Green, CEO of Feeding Children Everywhere. “In the first week and a half alone, we delivered about 1,000 meals.”

So far, the program is limited to the Orlando section of Parramore — considered a “food desert” for its lack of a major grocery store. There, Feeding Children Everywhere has contacted foundations, neighborhood organizations and churches to spread the word. Green said he wants to get feedback to fine-tune the program before he expands it to other neighborhoods and cities.

Research in 2015 found that half of low-income Americans own smartphones, a rate that was expected to rise, and they are more likely than wealthier Americans to rely on those phones as their sole means of accessing the internet. But for those without phones, Green said, the meals can be ordered online (at fed40.com) by using a free computer at a public library.

In Parramore, Pastor Glendy Hamilton of Harvest Baptist Church said many residents could use the additional food. “They told me about this app, so I tried it, and in two days, the box was at my house,” he said. “It’s a good thing — especially in these times. I know people want mashed potatoes and meatloaf, but if you’re hungry, you need to get this.”

Hamilton, a vegetarian, gave the delivery to his church’s food pantry. But he was a little skeptical that a package intended to serve six would actually stretch that far. “If they’re big eaters, they’re not going to get six meals,” he said. “But my brother has [tried it], and he said it’s good food.”

Initially, most of the meals were targeted for distribution in developing countries. But in 2012, as Americans continued to struggle through the Great Recession, the charity launched a domestic program. Now, 75 percent of its meals are distributed within the United States via food pantries, schools, churches and other nonprofits.

Although the casserole is not typical American fare, supporters contend that it’s versatile enough to appeal to a wide variety of palates by adding a few inexpensive extras — tomato sauce, cheese, tortillas or fresh vegetables, for instance. The suggested recipes include burrito bowls and jambalaya.