iOS app for a good cause
Post-COVID societies require smart solutions
Contributing to social equality by facilitating food donations
Let me introduce George to you. George is 61 years old and lives in Southern Europe. Life has not been kind to George. He lost his job in the harbour following the banking crisis in 2008 and unfortunately his wife passed away a few years ago. Ever since George tries to make ends meet through temporary jobs for friends. But there is never any contract and no money is being paid into his pension fund. He fears the day he will no longer be able to work. How will he manage to pay the rent then? This is why he saves as much money as possible. Money for bad times. In order to keep the expenditure low, George goes to food banks. There he gets hand-outs of food. However, there is a draw-back. Being at a food-bank is not an enjoyable experience. George feels treated like a second-class citizen and he fears being seen by others he might know. There is a stigma attached to being a person in need. It weighs heavy on the mind. Leaving with a bag of goods from the food bank is certainly not a walk in the park.
Given the economic consequences of COVID 19, there will be most likely an abundance of redundancies. The European Commission predicts an economic downturn of 6% and states that “workers with lower wages and worse employment conditions as well as women and young workers” will be the hardest hit. Southern Europe in particular will be affected badly given the structural problems these countries face.
This is why we created an app, called Cherries, to facilitate food donation. Supermarkets will be the food donators and people in need will be the food recipients. As a supermarket it will be possible to upload food close to the expiry date, instead of having to incinerate the food, and arrange a collection by people in need. This solution will thus be a cost-saver for the supermarkets. In turn the recipient can register, view the food offered and request such an offer via the app.
In providing this service we contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. The United Nations state that 15.70% of all food is wasted in Europe, whilst many people starve. Food loss amounts to nothing else but an unethical use of natural resources such as soil and water. This is our attempt to contribute to a greener planet and social balance.
For George it also means that he can request food online and arrange a collection time. The fear of being seen and the burden of shame for being in personal difficulty can thus be mitigated.
Source
European Commission Joint Research Centre, The impact of COVID confinement measures on EU labour market, https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/sites/jrcsh/files/jrc.120585_policy.brief_impact.of_.covid-19.on_.eu-labour.market.pdf, accessed 18 June 2020
