About the foodBox Project

The genesis of the Nohaus FoodBox was a relatively simplistic idea: sharing leftovers with people who need it. We realized that even in our own lives there was copious amounts of food being wasted. Leftovers that we swore would be eaten the next day (the day after that, maybe, at maximum) was going uneaten and eventually disposed of. We desired to set up a solution to better distribute that food, to share it with those who are in need. Organizations exist that help distribute food from corporations, but what can a mere citizen do? What about the food that the average American wastes? Not everyone is ready and/or willing to begin that relationship with a neighbor in need. It is a difficult and awkward process. However, what if there was a way to share food easily and anonymously? That is what we at Nohaus set out to do.

Example Use

The FoodBox is easy to use. Imagine a man who has just eaten half of a delicious chicken sandwich. As he is leaving the restaurant for a 7:00 showing at the nearby movie theater, he knows that it will be hours before he can get his food home, and he doesn't want to lug the other half of his sandwich around with him for the remainder of the night. He decides to drop it off at a nearby FoodBox. If he knows where one is in the neighborhood he can easily alter his course slightly to pass by on the way to the movie. But what if he does not know where a local FoodBox is located? Well, he has a few options. If he has an internet-enabled phone, all he needs to do is look up the online database of Nohaus FoodBox locations. He can easily see a visual representation of the nearest location. However, if he has requested a special FoodBox takeout bag from his restaurant it is even easier. Each of these bags will have the intersections of nearby FoodBoxes printed on them. All he needs to do is find the closest one and swing by.