SHAREPLATE
Delivering kindness. One plate at a time
Inspiration
Every day, perishable foods are being wasted. Large corporations cannot sell all of it, so they donate it to food banks. However, food banks can only serve a limited number of people. Food banks are available in every city, yet many potential users are unaware that they can receive food assistance. Others may know about the service but are unable to make the trip and carry the food back home. At the same time, there are many people willing to volunteer, yet the food banks cannot take any more volunteers. Our solution to this problem aims solve both problems at the same time by connecting food bank users and volunteer through a platform.
What it does
Our app helps reduce food waste by increasing awareness of food bank services, connecting volunteers with people in need, and optimizing food delivery. The app will:
- Allow users to register with their local food bank using proof of residency.
- Allow eligible users to request food assistance based on the policies of their local food bank.
- Allow volunteers to register and participate in food delivery drives.
- Match volunteers with nearby food delivery requests.
- Optimize delivery routes to reduce delays and food waste.
- Provide volunteers with verified volunteer hour confirmations.
How we built it
We used React as our frontend UI design, using JavaScript as our main language. We used IBM Watson as our AI that reads in the prompts it is provided and provides the most optimal route based on the provided and calculated information, such as distance, map routing, etc.
Challenges we ran into
Some challenges we ran into was trying to setup our GitHub repository and make sure everyone on our team knew how to use GitHub, and the setup process. Using some of these libraries and languages we have never used before was also a challenge, as we had to learn these in such a short amount of time.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
The most important takeaways/accomplishments from this event was learning how to work together as a team and learning some of the basic programs used in the development industry such as GitHub, VS Code and React. We are also proud of our SharePlate app demo, creating a backend connection to an AI model, something new for us. But most of all, we are very proud of creating an idea and an implementation that not only help our community but other communities and hopfully, one day we can help the entire country. We plan to continue to improve this app and deploy it into our community in Toronto in the near future.
What we learned
Some important points we took away from this experience is working together as a team, and the importance of proper communication. We have to make sure each of our members understands and is up to date to our application/program. We also learned some technical skills in new languages such as JavaScript and React library.
What's next for AI Food Bank App
Our goal is to expand SharePlate across every city in Canada. Starting in Toronto, we plan to partner with food banks in major metropolitan areas such as Vancouver, Montreal, and Edmonton. From there, we aim to expand into smaller municipalities and surrounding communities until the platform can support food banks across the entire country.
In the future, we also hope to collaborate with:
- local grocery stores
- restaurants
- community centers
- shelters
- local charities volunteer organizations
By building a larger support network, SharePlate can help reduce food waste while making food assistance more accessible to people who need it most.
Our mission is to create a future where no food goes to waste and no person goes hungry. We hope to make food assistance more efficient and accessible for everyone.
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