When eating out in the Boston area, diners can fill the bellies of children in East Africa by simply taking a picture of their food and sending it to the Good Belly Project.
Spearheaded by Boston-based advertising agency Mullen, the Good Belly Project seeks to address the malnutrition epidemic in East Africa.
Each time someone eats at a Good Belly Project restaurant and takes a picture of a meal with the Instagram iPhone application, the restaurant donates $1 toward buying food for impoverished countries in Africa.
The initiative was the result of collaboration between the social innovation lab Good For Nothing and UK-based firm Made by Many.
Made by Many created the platform 50/50, a challenge to individuals, collectives and agencies such as Mullen to launch smaller projects to raise money for famine relief.
Mullen senior brand strategist Janene Lin said that 50/50 is a global effort involving a network of agencies around the globe conceptualizing individual approaches to solving the problem of famine in East Africa.
The Good Belly Project seeks to harness Bostonian foodies’ passion for food into positive social change, she said.
More than 13 million people are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance in the Horn of Africa, which includes Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda, according to UNICEF’s website.
To date, almost 42 projects are participating in the 50/50 challenge to raise over $1,600,000 in 50 days, according to the official 50/50 website.
“We’re leveraging an existing behavior,” Lin said. “The whole driving idea is to get people to turn a passion into cause.”
The Good Belly Project launched on Oct. 16, which is World Food Day.
Lin said that Mullen is aiming for a one-month promotion of the Good Belly Project, with an end date of Nov. 16.
She said that in order for restaurant-goers to turn their meals into a donation for famine relief, they must eat at one of the 18 restaurants or two food trucks in Boston that are participating in the project.
Then, she said, they must take a picture of their meal with Instagram and upload it to Twitter using the hash tag #goodbellyproject. The tweet must identify the location of the photograph, or it cannot be considered a photo to qualify for a donation, she said.
Instagram is a free photo-sharing iPhone application that has more than 12 million users.
“It’s a great app because you can use multiple filters to get a prettier, more professional shot,” Lin said.
Lin said that Mullen employees used their connections to restaurant owners and chefs around the city in hopes of compelling them to participate in the Good Belly Project.
“The restaurant community has responded really positively,” Lin said. “It’s been a real success in that regard.”
Peter Biro, one of the owners of the Naked Pizza chain based in Boston, said that participating in the Good Belly Project is consistent with his company’s commitment to produce “product with integrity.”
“We’ve gotten some notoriety since we opened for being the social media company that sells pizza,” Biro said. “[The Good Belly Project] is right up our alley . . . it’s a great fit for us.”
Biro said that Naked Pizza’s employees have been trained to be able to explain the purpose of the project to customers.
“In the store we have a lot of information about it,” he said.
Since teaming up with the Good Belly Project, Biro said that he has noticed Naked Pizza customers mentioning the restaurant on Twitter in conjunction with the Instagram application.
“We’ve definitely gotten “tagged” several dozen times,” Biro said.
Besides helping a good cause, Lin said that restaurants that participate in the Good Belly Project also benefit from expanding their social-media reach.
“Restaurants get more than just a good conscience,” Lin said.
Patrick Lynch, co-owner of the Bon Me Truck, said that the Good Belly Project is appealing to his business not only because it benefits a good cause, but because it is another way to advertise their food.
“We like the idea of people taking pictures of our food,” Lynch said.
Lynch said that in general, his customers have received the initiative positively.
“It seems like we’re getting a fair amount of enthusiasm,” he said.
At press time, Lin said Mullen had received 383 photos that qualify for donation, with each photo raising $1, and a total of $750 in paid donations.
“It’s something that people already like to do,” Lin said. “It’s about motivating people to go and participate.”
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