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City to pilot Hungry app to redirect surplus food to residents
Summary
The council heard a demonstration of the Hungry app and staff announced a local partnership to onboard businesses and the food bank. The technology lets residents, restaurants and pantries list available food for nearby pickup and logs distributions to support reporting requirements.
John, founder and CEO of the Hungry app, demonstrated the smartphone platform the city will pilot to connect surplus food from restaurants, neighbors and food banks with nearby residents in need. "So the Hungry app is a technology that unites neighbors, friends, families, food banks can use it, restaurants can use it, to be able to address main issues of food waste, food insecurity, and social isolation," John said during the presentation.
Assistant City Manager Jocelyn Francis said city staff have onboarded local partners and plan a formal press release to coincide with expanded food‑bank hours. John described key features that staff highlighted for Avalon — provider and recipient modes, small private "villages" (apartment buildings or organizations), certified‑provider tags for food‑safety assurance, and unique pickup codes to limit crowding. He said the app provides anonymized data for pounds saved and distributions, which can help jurisdictions comply with state edible‑food requirements referenced during the presentation.
Council members asked about user flow and operations; John explained users choose "give" or "receive," add item details and a short pickup window, and the app notifies nearby claimants. He said the platform supports donor and runner modes (paid listings or volunteer pickup), is available in dozens of languages and has been used in disaster relief contexts. Jocelyn and staff will coordinate a rollout with local food banks and businesses, including a local grocery partner cited in the presentation.
