Tools

Food rescue organizations often have no centralized, data-driven way to "scout" potential surplus food generators based on business type, location, or volume.

Surplus Food Scout is a custom-built digital application that leverages EPA data to visualize potential food donation partners. Currently being piloted by Miami Valley Meals to streamline their food rescue operations.

Current resources for finding food assistance are often difficult to find and navigate. My objective was to create a mobile-first directory that prioritized usability first: surfacing critical information in as few clicks as possible. The app was prototyped in a few days to demonstrate how quickly robust, user-friendly tools can be deployed without expensive custom development.

Through this prototyping process, we identified that the primary barrier is not technology, but data governance. While building the tool is fast, maintaining an accurate, real-time registry of pantry hours requires a dedicated operational workflow, which this prototype has helped the Montgomery County Food Equity Coalition begin to scope.

Note: This prototype currently utilizes a synthetic dataset for demonstration purposes.

The Food Equity Coalition Access Subcommittee is currently in the "diverging" phase of innovation—generating many ideas and identifying diverse needs. To help the group transition into the action and implementation, I developed this draft framework as a discussion piece–a 7-Step "Theory of Change" proposal designed to structure future decision-making.