A college student from Gwinnett County is doing his part to help fight hunger using technology.
Jack Griffin, a junior at the University of Michigan, was just a sophomore at Peachtree Ridge High School when he was touched by a news story showing kids his age homeless and in need of food.
“It’s such an invisible problem that, if you’re not impacted by it, it’s so hard to see,” he tells WSB.
While trying to find a place to volunteer, he found the search so cumbersome he knew it would be difficult for those in need to find them.
So, while still in high school, Griffin created the non-profit FoodFinder to help people locate nearby food pantries or free meals. He raised money to develop a website and then added a phone app last year.
“Eighty percent of these kids still have access to a phone. Sixty percent still have access to a smart phone. It’s not an iPhone 7-type deal, but they are going to have access to the internet because it’s a huge lifeline,” says Griffin.
He says organizations that offer food programs including the USDA have partnered with Foodfinder to make sure information on location and times are available on the app.
“There is about a thousand free resources all across the state of Georgia,” he says, with that number reaching more than 3,000 right now to make sure kids are fed during the summer months.
Griffin, who is a business major and community action minor, is working this summer to get the word out about the app and increase access to free meals.