By: George Z.
Year: 2021
School: Santa Margarita Catholic High School
Grade: 11
Science Teacher: Yu Sun
My Non-profit organization PantryGo, is an app that serves to deliver resources from food pantries directly to individual households. The application targets families who have difficulties reaching food pantries because of limited transportation, multiple jobs, absence of family members, or new financial struggles due to the covid-19 pandemic. Users will create a shopping list that connects to a food pantry with the corresponding items. Then, volunteers will select the users’ order most convenient to them, picking it up from the food pantry and delivering directly to the home of the user. The app uses artificial intelligence to give data to food banks on the tendencies of families in the area on frequently requested items, as well as providing information to customers on the inventory of food banks in their area. This app also allows students who previously received free meals from schools to continue receiving meals for free directly to their doors without having to find transportation.
Many families to not have access to the free food provided by food pantries. Families may have limited to no transportation, working multiple jobs, or have time constraints in which they are unable to reach the food pantry. Additionally, there has been an increase in food insecurity among households as well as children who previously received free meals from school, but because of the pandemic, are unable to still receive those benefits.
The app PantryGo serves to fill those gaps and bring the resources of food pantries directly to the homes of families. Families will select items to a shopping list that uses artificial intelligence in selecting the closest food pantry with the matching items. Then, volunteers will select the families request most convenient for them and drive to the selected food pantry. The volunteer will then pick up the items and drop it off at the house of the family. Food pantries can also manage logistics on operation times as well as update inventory from a day to day basis. The app has not been tested yet.