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Peter Getty is a philanthropist and contributing blogger for the Huffington Post. His work and writings revolve around environmental issues. Getty's philanthropic initiatives, as well as the organizations he supports, are committed to protecting the environment and spreading environmental awareness.

Waste No Food Mobile Philanthropy App

An online marketplace that connects people to philanthropy? Yes, there’s an app for that. Waste No Food, a California-based nonprofit has a mobile app that bridges people who want to donate food with the people who need it. When seventh grader Kiran Sridhar discovered that the United States could feed the world’s hungry six times over, Waste No Food (WNF) was founded. Using the power of mobile, the nonprofit is able to enter the technological age of philanthropy by using tech to disseminate it.

Mobile App for Philanthropy

Mobile App for Philanthropy

During one of Ebay’s Hackathons, groups of tech wizards were challenged to create a mobile nonprofit app. One of the groups chose a young nonprofit called Waste No Food. The “Appcelerator” went on win the Hackathon by creating a lightweight prototype.

After using the app for over a year, WNF decided to take it to the next level. The nonprofit turned to Appcelerator and WinWire, who took a month to expand the existing app into a full-featured cross-platform app.  Already, the app has seen significant traction in the San Francisco Bay Area.  After two weeks of donations from Downtown San Jose, Waste No Food donated approximately 30,000 meals.

Originally developed to connect donors with charities, Waste No Food is now also beginning to work with the cafeterias of large companies to decrease the amount of food wasted in the corporate world — and a handful of Bay Area restaurants have already teamed up with Waste No Food.

The hope is international expansion. With today’s hectic lifestyle, mobile is an ideal way to connect. Waste No Food has proven that mobile is a faster, more efficient and a more effective means of communication. When applied to social problems, mobile can be a valuable weapon.

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