TMCnet News
Not Impossible Labs Launches Program To Feed Hungry Youth And VeteransNEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at the UN Social Good Summit, Not Impossible Labs announced its latest project, Hunger: Not Impossible (HNI), leveraging mobile technology to provide healthy, ready-to-eat meals to homeless or food-insecure youth and veterans. Currently in pilot phase, the long term vision for HNI is to provide an efficient, zero-infrastructure, plug-and-play service for school systems and NGO's with existing hunger or food scarcity programs. As with all Not Impossible projects, HNI stemmed from a problem or observation the team considered absurd - in this case, that 50-60 percent of homeless youth and vets have cell phones, but do not have access to regular meals. Armed with that knowledge, Not Impossible created a text and app-based solution to augment existing offerings like soup kitchens and food banks. Working through partner nonprofits, hungry youth and vets opt-in to receive twice-daily notifications asking whether they would like to order a meal; once they say yes, they are given location and healthy food options and can pick up their ready-to-eat meal shortly thereafter. "Hunger: Not Impossible is a simple soltion to a very complex problem. We leverage the technology that homeless youth and vets are already using, namely cell phones - and the nonprofits with which they are already engaging - to provide them with healthy, ready-to-eat meals," said Mick Ebeling, CEO and Founder of Not Impossible. "We hope this solution will be an efficient, cost-effective way for school systems, NGOs and even quick service restaurants to get healthy food to the people in need who they already serve." The three-week pilot program ran in collaboration with Safe Place for Youth, a nonprofit serving homeless youth in Venice Beach, where Not Impossible is based, along with local Subway restaurants. Over three weeks, Hunger: Not Impossible served 261 meals to 51 young people. "While it's a dream for SPY to be open 24/7, we're only able to provide food to our young people three days a week, leaving four straight days where our clients have to find food elsewhere. Hunger: Not Impossible's mission to provide meals when we're not open is already making an incredibly huge difference in their days and lives," said Michelle DiBattiste, Operations and Volunteer Manager at Safe Place for Youth. "By satisfying that initial survival instinct of finding food, Hunger: Not Impossible provides the necessary space for personal growth, self actualization and finding stability." Using data gleaned from the pilot program, Not Impossible will begin developing an SMS- and app-based mobile program that can be used by schools, NGO's and other organizations. HNI is expected to expand to several US cities in 2017. About Not Impossible: About Safe Place for Youth: Press Contact: Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160916/408684LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/not-impossible-labs-launches-program-to-feed-hungry-youth-and-veterans-300329505.html SOURCE Not Impossible Labs |