For those too busy to volunteer time to a local food pantry, the Greater Boston Food Bank is allowing people with a creative touch to donate a meal to one of the more than 500,000 hungry people residing in Massachusetts.
A new web application called Give a Doodle will be released Nov. 1, according to a press release from the GBFB.
The application, which can be accessed by visiting www.giveadoodle.org on iPhones, Androids and tablets, allows users to draw and submit pictures of food.
Each time a drawing of food is submitted and shared, it appears on the image of a plate, triggering the donation of a real meal to a child, teen, adult or senior citizen within the GBFB’s network of 550 food pantries, shelter and other programs.
“Give a Doodle allows anyone with access to these popular technologies to join The Greater Boston Food Bank in our efforts to end hunger right here in the Commonwealth,” said GBFB President and CEO Catherine D’Amato in the press release.
She said that with this hands-on tool, doodlers would be able to contribute in ways that are “fast, easy, real and measurable.”
Users can take their creativity a step further by sharing their doodles on Facebook and an online gallery on GBFB’s website. Another meal is donated each time users share their doodles in addition to submitting them.
“From their personal electronic devices, doodlers can make a $10 donation through a text message, a gift which provides 25 meals, sign up to receive GBFB emails and updates or visit GBFB.org to learn about programs, volunteer opportunities and other initiatives,” D’Amato said in the press release.
Boston University School of Education senior Alyssa Diamani is a community outreach program manager at the BU Community Service Center. She was also a First Year Student Outreach Project coordinator for the hunger issue-area in August.
“It’s so smart to utilize the fact that so many people spend hours upon hours on their phones,” Damiani said. “I think branching out toward technology is a huge step in the right direction for the GBFB.”
The application debuted this past weekend at the Boston Book Festival. Festival attendees were able to try out the application on iPads by coloring in pre-designed turkeys in honor of the kick-off of the GBFB’s annual Turkey Drive.
“I was helping some people try it out,” said Stacy Wong, the public relations manager for the GBFB. “The younger people and the kids especially had a lot of fun.”
The idea for Give a Doodle was conceived when the GBFB was revitalizing their online presence, Wong said.
“We were sort of refreshing our brand,” she said. “We wanted to be fun and creative and increase the visibility of the GBFB throughout the community.”
The Boston-based company BEAM collaborated with the GBFB in creating the application.
“We hope that people find it fun – that they like it,” Wong said. “The need for food is up and it’s not going down. There are a lot of people to feed, and we’re looking for new and creative ways to keep people engaged with us.”
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