24-Year-Old Wash U Grad Launches App, GiftAMeal To Help Those In Need

While sitting in a local restaurant, Andrew Glantz came up with an idea for an app that would help both local restaurants and the community. The Washington University graduate’s idea has since become the app, GiftAMeal.

Available on the App Store and GooglePlay, GiftAMeal is feeding those in need, one picture at a time. GiftAMeal is easy and simple to use. Go to a GiftAMeal partner restaurant and open the GiftAMeal app. Select the restaurant and take a picture. BOOM. A meal is provided to someone in need in your city. But wait, there's more! If you share your photo on social media, another meal is provided (and yet another if you share on both Instagram and Facebook). Meals are then distributed through our wonderful partner food banks: Operation Food Search in St. Louis, Lakeview Pantry in Chicago, and Forgotten Harvest in Detroit! 

GiftAMeal seeks to inspire simple acts of kindness by making it easy for people to fight hunger in their communities. Recently, to comply with social distancing orders, GiftAMeal now allows users to upload photos of curbside pickup meals or deliveries. They are also offering a donation program for their offsite customers, financial support to hunger relief agencies, publicity for restaurants facing unexpected changes, food donations from restaurants and cost relief for struggling restaurants.

This ArchGrants recipient startup has provided 410,000 meals to the food insecure in St. Louis, Chicago and Detroit since their launch. In St. Louis alone, GiftAMeal has over 200 local restaurants as partners.

Read the full article from theSTL.