We’re proud to say that thanks to all of you that downloaded our app Noodle! Coins over the past two months, that we raised $2600 for SF Marin Food Bank. In San Francisco and Marin, one in four people faces the threat of hunger. The common misconception is that only those who are homeless face the threat of hunger. But in a place as expensive as the Bay Area, people from all walks of life struggle with hunger. So this ‘one’ in four includes a huge amount of students, seniors and low wage workers.
San Francisco seems to be a city of brutal juxtaposition; the Bay Area enjoys breathtaking levels of wealth, yet conditions for the unhoused are comparable to those in chronically-impoverished countries. This without help will no doubt increase as whilst the economy continues to improve for some, wages remain stagnant for others and rents continue to rise.
At Nodle with our Citizen Network we aim to connect and improve lives, and helping worthy causes such as this one is something close to our hearts — the birthplace of Nodle. We therefore developed an App for those in the San Francisco Bay Area that allowed us to test and grow our network whilst raising money for a cause that should be treated with a sense of urgency.
How Noodle! Coins App work
As you moved around the city of San Francisco and encountered an IoT device you collected ‘Noodles’. A “Noodle” is a beacon or a connectivity session between any bluetooth device and one of our app user — think Pokemon Go meets crypto.
With each download we donated $1 to the SF Marin Food Bank. That $1 allows the Food Bank to provide $5 worth of food due to their ability to purchase in bulk. The $2600 raised could provide $13,000 worth of food thanks to SF Marin food bank or it could mean more much needed storage space. Debbie Bullish, Community Engagement Manager from SF Marin Food Bank, tells us:
“Currently the warehouse comes in at an impressive 55,000 square feet. It’s built to hold 28m lbs / year, however we deliver 48m lbs/year, which is equivalent to 100,000 meals/day. We simply don’t have the capacity to run at full throttle and that is a grave shame considering the impact this charity is making.”
An incredible 60% of what they distribute is fresh produce. Their food pantries are designed like farmers’ markets so it’s more of a shopping experience and removes the stigma of receiving free food. Their program ‘Farm to Family’ sees them receive fresh fruit and vegetables from farms that would otherwise be discarded. 85% of the food they distribute goes to working families who can’t make ends meet, seniors on fixed incomes and youth who qualify for free school meals. 15% of what they distribute goes to homeless populations, mostly via kitchens and homeless services programs.
They receive thousands of volunteers each year, corporate and government food donations and leverage every dollar donated helping nourish 225,000 people a year and long may this establishment continue. We hope at Nodle that we can continue to help great causes such as this one.
Big thank you to the Hackernoon community for their support!