Got Food? is an application designed to help food insecure people find the nearest and most accessible food pantries and soup kitchens. It was created in the summer of 2015 by James and Phillip Mathew, two brothers from Hinsdale, IL. However, the inspiration was born a couple of years before the product. One day while walking home from school, James, 13 years old at the time, was approached by a woman looking for directions to the local food pantry. After living in Hinsdale for nearly 10 years, James was embarrassed that he had no knowledge of a food pantry even existing in the town. This interaction strongly disproved the myth of unanimous stability and wealth in affluent communities, an eye opener for James.
Two years later, he was given the opportunity to serve on the Junior Executive Board of the same pantry. As a board member, he tackled food insecurity by volunteering and increasing awareness in the community. These experiences, coupled with his initial epiphany, highlighted the potential of a technological aid. There were government and professional organization websites with information on various food pantries and soup kitchens, but someone was yet to create a phone app. James's vision and Phillip's technical prowess was a promising combination for the project. After a month of programming and design, the Got Food? iPhone app was built. Today, James and Phillip are presenting their product and developing an Android version, furthering their mission to ease the lives of the food insecure.
