Courtesy GiftAMeal
Courtesy GiftAMeal
One app, five years, 200 restaurants, 400,000 free meals to St. Louisans in need.
When Andrew Glantz developed the GiftAMeal app in 2015 as a student at Washington University, he had no idea how broadly the community would embrace the concept and that 400,000 meals would reach people in need.
“It’s amazing to think that each time a new restaurant gets involved in our program or another person downloads our app, food will be put on the table for a hungry family,” says Glantz, GiftAMeal founder and CEO. “It’s humbling to be a part of an ecosystem in St. Louis that cares so much about its community.”
Operation Food Search director Kristen Wild shares Glantz’s enthusiasm: “GiftAMeal plays a key role in helping Operation Food Search fulfill its mission of healing hunger. The donations have allowed us to expand our reach, providing more people with access to healthy food. We are so grateful to GiftAMeal, its users, and its partner restaurants for advancing our cause.”
Courtesy GiftAMeal
GiftAMeal provides an easy way for diners to make a difference in the fight against hunger, faced by one in seven children in the St. Louis area. Push notifications remind customers when they’re dining in a partner restaurant; app users can then simply take a photo on the app, and GiftAMeal makes a donation to Operation Food Search.
Local restaurants, which pay a monthly subscription of $49 to $149, benefit by reaching customers who care about giving to the community and appreciate businesses who are doing something positive.
“That socially conscious incentive helps drive traffic in the door and increases loyalty,” Glantz adds.
Colin Tillman, operating partner at The Baked Bear, touts the upside of being a partner restaurant. “When I opened my business and was approached by GiftAMeal, the partnership was a no-brainer. Doing business well means doing good in the community. The integration was seamless, and the marketing and back-end support have added value to an already excellent partnership.”
The GiftAMeal milestones, a testament to the giving nature of the St. Louis community, is just the beginning, says Glantz. “We’re confident that GiftAMeal can grow to thousands of partner restaurants nationally and provide millions of meals to those in need to truly put a dent in our national hunger problem.”
Visit GiftAMeal's website for more information.
Courtesy GiftAMeal
GiftAMeal founder and CEO Andrew Glantz with his team
