GiftAMeal posts food selfie milestone: 1 million meals donated through Missouri-made app

Foodie photos shared to social media through a Missouri tech startup’s app have provided more than 1 million meals — representing more than 1.2 million pounds of healthy groceries for families in need — thanks to GiftAMeal’s network of restaurant and food bank partnerships, the company said.

Andrew Glantz, GiftAMeal

St. Louis-based GiftAMeal this week announced the milestone donation — reached months ahead of schedule thanks to faster-than-expected adoption by fast-casual and quick-service dining organizations, said Andrew Glantz, founder and CEO.

Here’s how it works: customers take photos on the free GiftAMeal app, and for each photo shared, a (restaurant-funded) donation is made to a local food bank to ‘GiftAMeal’ to a neighbor in need. Customers can then share their photos on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to give additional meals (one for each platform selected).

The program is now available in 25 states at more than 500 restaurants. Participating Kansas City eateries include five Lion’s Choice locations, two Kolache Factory locations, two Betty Rae’s Ice Cream locations, Cliff’s Taphouse, Mickey’s Hideaway, Port Fonda and Char Bar.

GiftAMeal also works with Columbia restaurants like Andy’s Frozen Custard, Nothing Bundt Cakes, and Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken.

Click here to download the GiftAMeal app.

This week, the company is doubling all its donations, enabling users to provide up to eight meals with a single photo — for free, said Glantz.

“It’s so inspiring to see so many happy moments turned into life-changing donations every day,” he added, expressing thanks to GiftAMeal’s users and partner restaurants. “We’re so proud and can’t wait to honor the good everyone has done. The impact of even one meal is big, so reaching one million is immensely fulfilling.”

Are you a restaurant interested in joining GiftAMeal? Click here to schedule a free demo.