Harvest Hero

Inspiration

Our inspiration for creating this food waste prevention app stemmed from the alarming statistics surrounding food waste in America. According to the USDA, nearly 30-40% of the food supply in the United States is wasted, equating to approximately 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food each year. Simultaneously, there are millions of people facing hunger and food insecurity, with many relying on shelters and food banks for their next meal. Recognizing this disparity, we envisioned a solution that leverages technology to bridge the gap between restaurants with surplus food and shelters in need, thereby reducing waste and feeding those in need simultaneously. By facilitating a direct connection between these establishments, we aim to make a tangible impact on both food waste reduction and alleviating hunger in our communities.

What it does

We built a web app that allows restaurants to say what extra foods they are willing to donate and connects them with people at food banks who are looking for that type of food. We store this information in Firebase and connect people by comparing what foods they want/have and their distance away from each other.

How we built it

Leveraged Firebase Firestore for seamless data storage and management, and powered by React.js, CSS, JavaScript, and HTML, Leaflet.js, and Yelp API, our solution ensures a user-friendly experience.

Challenges we ran into

We had to find creatives solutions to our app outline in order to maximize the quality of the features of our app in the time we were given.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're really proud of how our web app is helping out. First off, we've managed to stop a bunch of good food from being thrown away by restaurants. It's like a win for the environment because there's less waste. Also, we're connecting restaurants and food banks in a way that's making a real difference in our community. People who need a good meal are getting it, thanks to the extra food from restaurants. Plus, our web app is easy for everyone to use, and a lot of restaurants and food banks would be definitely on board if the idea is presented with the apps many benefits. Overall, our web app is showing how simple tech can make a big impact on important issues like food waste and helping people who don't have enough to eat.

What we learned

Through this project, we've learned a lot about creating a website that brings people together for a good cause. We used HTML, CSS, and JS to make it all work, and tools like Firebase for hosting and as a database to keep things smooth. It was cool figuring out how to use APIs from Yelp and Google to bring in features like Google Maps and show which restaurants are close by. The tech side taught us how to make everything user-friendly and accessible. Plus, dealing with Firebase gave us insights into managing data efficiently. Overall, we learned that even with simple tech tools, we can do big things to help reduce food waste and make sure more people have enough to eat in our community.

What's next for Harvest Hero

Looking ahead, Harvest Hero aims to expand its reach, engaging more restaurants and food banks. We plan to enhance the platform based on user feedback, explore partnerships for increased support, and consider additional features. Our focus is on scalability, user-friendliness, and using technology effectively to combat food waste and hunger in the community.