Bilin—The Food Donation App is an entry for Solution Challenge 2022, an annual international competition presented by Google Developers. It is developed by a team of four Computer Studies students from the GDSC Xavier who are participating and aiming to be included in the top 10 of the said competition. Bilin, a food rescue and donation platform, is a proposed solution that focuses on the ‘Zero Hunger and ‘Sustainable Development and Production’ SDGs and is specifically looking to solve the food hunger and food waste problems. It aims to connect forward-thinking individuals and businesses to local non-profit and charitable organizations that are interested in hosting programs, such as food drives and community pantries, using surplus food that is donated and/or rescued through the platform.

The group was inspired to develop bilin because of the following reasons:

Prevalence of pagpag - Pagpag is a Filipino term that refers to leftover food from restaurants that have been scavenged from the trash to be eaten right away or re-cooked as a regular meal. This matter will be at least minimized if only there were available food banks or places where the hungry could get food.

Lack of food banks and food rescue organizations - Only a few organizations advocate food rescue and proper food waste management. The location and logistics are also contributing factors to this problem. Since the Philippines is an archipelago, it may cause an inconvenience to transport food donations if there is no food bank available nearby.

Lack of proper visibility of NGOs and support for community pantries - NGOs and community pantries don’t have a dedicated platform where they could be visible and this makes it difficult to connect to them.

Project Hiraya’s mission is to empower non-profit organizations by providing a platform that will decrease the barrier of entry to charity and make their organizations more visible to individuals, corporations, and local food producers who are willing to give away excess food in the form of canned or processed foods that are near their expiration date, discontinued products, production overruns, and among many others that will help them in their charitable endeavors. Project Hiraya will serve as a way to reduce the number of hungry Filipinos nationwide by advocating proper food waste management, in times of normalcy and crisis.

1.)To empower non-profit organizations

2.)To provide a solution to the Philippines' lack of food banks

3.)To strengthen the effort to end hunger

4.)To implement food waste management; and 

5.)To reestablish the idea of community pantries

1.)To create a network of food businesses and non-profit organizations

2.)To provide three (3) food recovery systems:

    a.)Donate extra food to non-profit organizations, food banks and community pantries

    b.)Divert food scraps to animal feed

    c.)Create a nutrient-rich soil amendment

3.)To provide a platform that will decrease the barrier of entry to charity and make it accessible to individuals, corporations, and local food producers 

4.)To create a platform where users can locate, donate, and participate to nearby NGOs that handle Food Drive programs

5.)To collaborate with the Local Government Unit (LGU) in the reestablishment of community pantries

Note: All donations will be purely in the form of goods; no monetary donations as of yet, we are targeting to reduce hunger and food waste.

Locate - can locate partnered organizations, community pantry, events, and drop-off sites

Donate - can donate surplus food to nonprofit organizations and nearby pantries

Volunteer - users can volunteer on events organized by non-profit organizations like feeding programs and community pantries

Initiate - users and clients can co-host a feeding program with NGOs or set up a community pantry

Knowledge Hub - users can view what food scarcity and food waste is about and some data gathered in the Philippines.

The platform is divided into two parts, a small-scale operation, where users can apply & create a community pantry, and a large-scale operation, which is managed by large NGOs for feeding and other related programs.

Small-scale operation

The small-scale operation: Since users can now participate and donate easier with the platform, a few might be interested in this kind of matter. Users if interested, can now then register and apply to what we call a HIRAYA Community Pantry. Community pantries were common in the Philippines, especially during last year when everyone is still trying their best to adapt to the new normal. The pantries did not last long due to numerous problems like supply & demand and were running independently.

The large-scale operation: we are building a platform that allows users to identify which NGO is partnered with the platform around the city so users can track the org’s location and be able to donate excess foods at ease. At the same time, the platform would allow the partnered organizations to promote their programs in that week or month to the users so that they can participate or donate as well. Meaning to say, if the partnered org is having a feeding program at your city park then it would notify the users of the platform that there is a nearby feeding program you can participate in, or if you have excess foods you can drop by in the place and deliver your food.

Team Bilin has been awarded as shortlister for The Global Top 50 Finalist title is awarded to exceptional teams that qualify for the second stage of the competition. Out of 800+ entries from universities worldwide, these teams are distinguished for their outstanding sustainability and innovation in pursuing their chosen sustainable goals.

The GDSC Solution Challenge required teams of up to four members to develop innovative solutions using Google technologies. The competition involved a demanding selection process with an initial screening stage. Judges evaluated entries based on criteria like innovation, feasibility, impact, and the effective use of Google technologies. Out of over 800 entries received, only 50 teams were shortlisted to advance to the semi-finals. This rigorous screening process ensured that the top 50 finalists showcased exceptional skills, creativity, and the potential for making a significant impact. The GDSC Solution Challenge was a highly competitive competition that provided participants with a platform to showcase their talent and innovation while solving real-world problems using Google technologies. Visit the Bilin Prototype here: https://bit.ly/BILINPROTOTYPE

If you have an exciting project in mind, I'm eager to collaborate! Don't hesitate to connect with me at jamespanganiban2520@gmail.com. Together let us strive to challenge our creative minds and make it a realize!

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