People who have lost their jobs or are otherwise impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic most likely know that help is out there. Today Waze, the crowdsourced map + best optimizing app announced a new feature to let people know where that help is.
In a corporate blog post, Waze, which is a subsidiary of Google, announced how it has partnered with WhyHunger and No Kid Hungry “to add more than 30,000 emergency food distribution locations to the U.S. map.”
Additionally, the service has invited local public agencies to share information about food distribution locations (as well as medical testing centers, road closure information, etc.) through Waze’s COVID-19 landing page.
On a less humanitarian, but no less useful front, Waze also introduced new types of Location Personality badges so restaurants and other businesses advertising on the Waze platform can identify whether they offer drive-thru and/or curbside pickup. For those still out on the roads and looking for food, they can search and filter results based on how contactless they want to go when it comes to getting their meals.
As always, we here at The Spoon want to provide news that doesn’t just inform, but also helps you navigate this unprecedented time, especially as it relates to food. Whether that’s helping you support local restaurants without endangering anyone’s health, helping small businesses understand the Paycheck Protection Program, or just helping you find an alternative to impossible-to-find yeast, hopefully you can consider The Spoon a useful resource. If you know of startups or community organizations finding innovative solutions to help those in need of food right now, drop us a line and let us know.
