This year has been a complicated one. At a time of year when most families are planning gatherings with friends and family, we are being told by health experts to limit exposure to each other to stop the spread of COVID. Some stores are also experiencing shortages of food and household goods as supply chains struggle to keep up with demand. On top of all that, many families are hurting financially due to workplace restrictions and closings caused by the pandemic.

While there is always enough food to feed every citizen, it doesn't always get distributed where it is needed most. Enter Jack Griffin and his new app, FoodFinder. In 2013, Jack was a sophomore in Gwinnett County Schools who wanted to volunteer at a food pantry and had difficulty locating one. He quickly realized that if he was having trouble finding one locally, so were families who needed the food. This was the beginning of FoodFinder.

"It turns out that Google is a lot better at pointing you to restaurants than it is to food pantries and social service programs," said Mr. Griffin. "I asked myself, 'If I had this much trouble finding a food pantry online, what were people who really need the food supposed to do?'"

FoodFinder is a food pantry locator that shows when and where free food is available in your area. The map on the app's home page is a map of food pantries and school meal locations. Similar to Google maps, the pins that appear indicate food assistance nearby. Tapping or clicking on the pin will give more information. It's really that simple.

"My initial failed search for food pantries in my area was in early 2013," continued Mr. Griffin. "FoodFinder launched a year later in 2014. I’ve never written a single line of code in my life and don't plan to, so FoodFinder has been fortunate to work with several extremely talented software engineers over the course of our life cycle to build and grow our platform."

The platform now includes a mobile app (available on both iOS and Android) that works the same as the web app and helps users locate food pantries, drive-through distributions, and school meal providers. Georgia State Superintendent Richard Woods wholeheartedly supports Jack and his team and wants everyone to know about FoodFinder,

"With the holiday break approaching," Superintendent Woods said, "we know some students may face food insecurity while away from school buildings. A graduate of Georgia public schools created FoodFinder, and it allows families to find food distribution sites based on their location. We want this resource to be shared with all students and families in Georgia."

For more information on FoodFinder, or to donate to Jack and the FoodFinder team, please visit their website at the link below.

Special Note for Dec 17 and 18:
With Thursday and Friday being virtual learning days for Cobb Schools, Cobb YMCA is continuing to offer virtual learning support/childcare to all families who receive Free/Reduced lunch and all Cobb County School Employees for free.  All interested families/parents need to email Irene at irenec@ymcaatlanta.org. Drop off at the Y can be as early at 7:30 a.m., with pickup needed by 4 p.m.