LEFT2LIFT

From waste to worth — feeding lives, not landfills.

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Inspiration The idea for Left2Lift came from a deeply emotional scene: A restaurant was tossing trays of untouched food into the trash, while just outside, a beggar sat hungry and ignored. That moment made me realize how broken the system is, not because there's not enough food, but because there's no structured way to get excess food to those who need it. Inspired by this contrast, I wanted to build something meaningful, a platform that could transform food waste into food relief.

What it does Left2Lift is a web-based platform that connects: Restaurants with surplus food to NGOs that distribute it to the needy It provides: A real-time food listing system. Instant geo-based NGO notifications. Optimized routing for pickups. Dashboards for both NGOs and restaurants. Secure login for role-based access. In short, it helps feed people, not landfills.

How we built it The project was built using a modern tech stack: Frontend: Next.js (App Router) TypeScript Tailwind CSS ShadCN UI + Lucide Icons

Backend: Firebase Firestore for real-time data Firebase Auth for secure role-based login

Additional: Geolocation APIs for proximity-based matching Dynamic routing logic for NGO pickups We followed a mobile-first design approach, ensuring usability on-the-go for field workers and restaurant staff.

Challenges we ran into Handling real-time updates: Making sure food listings were claimed only once by a single NGO. Geolocation filtering: Matching NGOs to food listings based on location radius was tricky and required fine-tuning. Auth separation: Creating smooth, role-based navigation and dashboard flows for two different user types. Optimized routing: Integrating map-based routing while keeping UI clean and responsive on mobile.

Accomplishments that we're proud of Built a fully functional prototype that solves a real-world problem. Implemented real-time, role-based interaction between users. Created a UI that works well even on older or low-end devices. Delivered a scalable foundation for future features like multi-pickup routing and food safety tagging.

What we learned Mastered Next.js App Router and TypeScript integration. Understood how to manage user roles securely using Firebase Auth. Gained practical experience with real-time Firestore syncing. Learned to balance functionality with simplicity, especially for NGOs who may not be tech-savvy. On a deeper level, we learned that tech can be a powerful tool for social good when used thoughtfully.

What's next for Left2Lift Here’s what we plan to add in the future: NGO-level pickup scheduling and multi-route optimization Push notifications for last-minute food alerts Restaurant-level food analytics to track donation impact Support for food expiration tagging and safety ratings Multilingual support for better accessibility And of course, we aim to bring this platform to life with real partners and pilot testing in local communities.

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