Google Launches One-Stop-Shop Feature to Assist People With Food Insecurity in All 50 States

Google announced a new tool that is meant to help people who are suffering from food insecurity. The announcement was posted on Google's website, and it is built to be a one-stop shop.

Google's New Feature to Combat Food Insecurity

The new tool is called Find Food Support, and it is a food locator powered by Google Maps. People can use the tool to search for the nearest food bank, school lunch program, food pantry, or any non-profit organization in their community.

Google is currently working with FoodFinder and No Kid Hungry, two of the biggest non-profit organizations in the country. Google has also partnered up with the US Department of Agriculture to aggregate 90,000 locations with free food support across all 50 states.

The new tool is a product of the company's Food for Good team, which was previously known as Project Delta when it was under Alphabet's X moonshot division, according to Tech Crunch.

Project Delta's mission is to create a better and smarter food system to help the people in need. This system includes standardizing data to improve the connection between non-profit organizations and food distributors to prevent food waste.

Food Insecurity Issue

The US Department of Agriculture defined food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough nutritious food for a healthy life.

During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people who experienced food insecurity increased.

Food insecurity affected more than 45 million people in the country, that is 1 in 7 Americans, including more than 15 million children.

Google stated that the searchers for "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program," "food stamps application," "food bank near me," and "school lunch pick up" has spiked in 2020, according to The Verge.

Aside from the new food location tool, Google is set to publish five new videos on YouTube, aiming to help de-stigmatize food insecurity.

The tool will also include links to numerous food support hotlines, benefits guides per state, and information for communities like families and children, seniors, and military families that are in need.

People who want to help can find more information about the program and instructions on how they can donate food, time, and money to support anyone in need.

Google's COVID-19 Relief

Google is also working with numerous organizations to help communities still affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On June 24, Google announced it would grant 113 million Rupees or $15 million to GiveIndia to help them develop oxygen generation plants and run skilling programs for Accredited Social Health Activists workers.

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said that they wanted to help those in India that are affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and they will continue to look for ways to reach out.

The company said in a blog post that they would be working closely with GiveIndia, Apollo Medskills, PATH, and ARMMAN to focus on setting up oxygen generation plants and to expand the health workforce by strengthening COVID-19 management skills among the frontline workers.

Google's move came two months after it announced it would set aside some funding to give cash assistance to families hit by the pandemic and assist UNICEF in distributing medical supplies.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Sophie Webster