#Jen Network: Open Source Food Recovery Network

Introduction

#Jen Network is an Open Source Software Community and a socially aware Community focused on assistance with food insecurity.
AppGal Labs is an Open Source AI startup that developed this solution. #Jen Network is our way to give back to the World as a gesture of thanks.

Solution

#Jen Network is an Uber-like Network for volunteer FoodRunners with an IOS or Android App

FoodRunners pick up surplus food from restaurants, cafeterias, parties, etc.

They deliver it to a participating Organization such as a Church, a Food Pantry, etc.

The Network is designed to assist those with food insecurity.

Vision

A solution for hunger is not fundamentally a financial issue. It is logistical in nature. Moving and delivering food can be a challenge, however it is possible when approached locally with efficiency related to proximity with respect to the source and the destination.

50 billion pounds of food a year is discarded into the landfill globally.
Organizations cook, and provide a service. However, fully prepared food is discarded as waste on a daily basis which is unavoidable.

#Jen Network concept is simple. Send a pickup request. If the network around you has Food Runners, they will pick it up and drop it off to those who can enjoy some of the best food a town offers.

Logistics?

It involves 3 entities.

Pickup Organization

A Pickup Organization is a participating local restaurant, a tech cafeteria, etc. They typically have food that is excess and have to discard as waste. As a participant of the #Jen Network you can schedule a pick up and the closest Food Runner will stop by and pick it up. They will drop this food at a participating DropOff Organization, who can then make this food available to those in need.

Food Runner

A Food Runner volunteers to pickup the food from a Pickup Organization and delivers it to a DropOff Organization or the Offline Community. Based on their location, the closet Food Runner is notified on their App to accept the pick up request. A Food Runner uses an IOS or Android #Jen Network Mobile App.

DropOff Organization

A DropOff Organization is a participating entity that will receive food from a Pickup Organization. An example of a DropOff Organization is a Church, a Food Pantry, an Orphanage, etc. They would then provide the received food to those in need.

Food Insecurity

Estimates of how much money it would take to end world hunger range from $7 billion to $265 billion per year.

Each year, 72 billion pounds of food goes to waste while 50 million people may struggle with hunger in 2020.

50 billion pounds of that has no other option than the landfill. What can the businesses do? Hence, #Jen Network provides an alternate option.

Version 1

The milestones that we aim to achieve as we launch #Jen Network today, Dec 25, 2021.

• Reach out to the local communities hoping volunteer Food Runners would use the IOS and Android Mobile App to pick up and drop off food. The App is optimized for distance and proximity just like Uber is. This will help them save time.
• Reach out to organizations that address the food insecurity issue by receiving food and making it available to those in need.
• Reach out to organizations that face the issue of having to discard excess food to sign up and make a pick up request that will be addressed by the closest Food Runner.

Version 2

The milestones we wish to achieve with the next release are

• Build an AI-powered service geared towards providing insights to pick up organizations if they choose to subscribe as an add-on
• The insights would be centered around accurate forecasting of “how much food they should prepare on a daily basis?” which does not result in food waste. This would assist them with significant cost savings as they operate their business.
• The proceeds from the subscription will be used to pay Food Runners for their service per trip.