As you wait for your food to arrive at a restaurant and look around, it becomes very clear that people love taking pictures of their food. In the last five years, the prevalence of foodies has more than doubled (Google Trends). With everyone having a camera on their smartphones, the tools to act like a foodie have never been more accessible.
The Millennial generation has largely influenced the growth in food photos, fueled by smartphone technology. Millennials, ages 18-34, are both social media obsessed and food fanatics. They also make up the largest group dining out at restaurants. Another trend for Millennials is that they, more than any other generation, self-identify as being socially conscious and care deeply about promoting change.
GiftAMeal, a mobile application started by a group of college students, is using these millennial trends to make a positive impact. Each time a user takes a photo in a GiftAMeal partner restaurant on the app, GiftAMeal provides a meal to someone in need in the local community through Operation Food Search. Users may also recommend restaurants to friends with a short message, and share their photos on social media to provide additional meals.
Since its launch on October 1, 2015, over 100 restaurants have joined, and GiftAMeal has funded the distribution of over 100,000 meals in the St. Louis area and looks to provide thousands more as they partner with more restaurants.
Join the movement to fight hunger in our local community. Download GiftAMeal for free today and start snapping photos!
Check out their website for more information: www.giftameal.com