With Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits being drastically reduced to pre-COVID levels, the need for hunger relief solutions is critical, as these cuts come at a time of rising food prices making it harder for people to afford meals.
That's where an app — that expanded its reach — can help.
Besides reducing food waste, Careit, a Los Angeles-based free food donation and rescue app, connects businesses to local nonprofit organizations to combat hunger, and it's available in all 50 states, according to a news release. The app provides a free online marketplace for grocery stores, restaurants, caterers, food distributors and corporations to donate surplus food directly to local nonprofits.
Available nonprofit groups claim the food, arrange for transport and track the donation's details and weight, all from within the Careit app.
Also, grocers don't have to worry as much about the possibility of being sued based on donations. The Food Donation Improvement Act (FDIA) signed into law in December has helped calm fears of litigation from businesses, food manufacturers, retailers, restaurants, farmers and schools donating surplus food. Food donors are protected from any liability when they register and use the Careit app, according to the release.
With impending cuts of COVID-era SNAP benefits set to hit at the end of March for the remaining 35 U.S. states, Careit is tackling the food insecurity and homelessness crisis at a time when some families are seeing a $250 decrease or more a month in their SNAP benefits.
Careit has rescued 8 million pounds of food from 25,000 donations since its inception in 2021. With the app's national expansion, the company's goal is to rescue 50 million pounds of surplus food to feed those in need.
The recipient of the food donations is responsible for pickup and transportation. (Photo: Courtesy of Careit)
“We're proud to be the first woman-owned, free app to tackle prepared food waste to help feed people of all ages — young to our honored senior citizens — who need food and may not have access to kitchens,” Careit CEO Alyson Schill said in the release. “During this critical time in our country, our goal is to onboard more businesses and nonprofits in the Careit app and increase impact tracking for policy initiatives to rescue more surplus food to provide hunger relief.”
How to share it with Careit
Careit uses smart algorithms and Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to empower local nonprofits and communities with equal access to the surplus of resources. The Careit app can be downloaded on all iOS and Android devices. Businesses, restaurants, nonprofits and cities registered in the Careit app include Sprouts, Compass Foods, Google, Levy Restaurants, Whole Foods, Target and Amazon.
The process to start donating surplus food is simple:
- Post a donation — Businesses, nonprofits and institutions can post surplus edible food and essential goods for pickup or drop-off.
- Match to a nonprofit — Local hunger-relief agencies browse (and reserve) posted donations. Donors can also directly assign a post to their preferred charity.
- Arrange transportation — Nonprofits assign their own trained staff or volunteers to schedule a pickup or drop-off with the donor.
- Manage data — Careit provide businesses, nonprofits and governments a robust platform for data and impact tracking — used for taxes, fundraising and quality control.
All-inclusive food donation tech
Careit is not proprietary for any nonprofit and doesn't require donors to sign exclusivity contracts.
The app is free to use for all U.S.-based food donors, businesses, municipalities and nonprofits to give and receive food. App users are charged subscription fees when they want to access advanced features, such as data reporting, to help with tax deductions and record-keeping for food rescues and donations.
Careit enables corporations to track their food donation efforts for new food waste policy compliance, committed environmental social good (ESG) campaign efforts and tax-deductible charitable contribution tracking.
The company offers in-person and virtual workshops to train new users on how to safely donate food and use the Careit app.
Since starting in 2021, Careit has helped more than 1,600 edible food donors connect with more than 770 local nonprofit food recovery organizations and service providers through its platform.