40% of food produced in the U.S. is wasted. For Sugam Sharma, creating a way to get leftover food to those in need became a life mission, once he discovered just how much food goes into the trash.
“It is really heart wrenching to witness a mother in shabby and torn clothes, holding her baby, come to you and ask for help because her baby hasn’t had anything to eat,” Sharma said. “This I have witnessed often in my life.”
The solution comes in the form of software he developed along with Ritu Shandilya, U. Sunday Tim, and Johnny Wong, called eFeed-Hungers.
The program connects grocers, caterers, and restaurants to local donation centers and those who need food donations by an easy-to-use, interactive mapping system. “We wanted to make it as simple as possible, so people will not hesitate to donate,” Sharma said. “There is no scarcity of food. We see this as a way to take some of the food we’re wasting and save it by providing a channel to get the extra food to the needy.”[1]
[1] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180307130048.htm
