Today we had our last sight visit to the long-anticipated Food Cloud! FoodCloud is a not-for-profit company that connects grocery stores and other food providers to charities in order to help those who may be suffering from food insecurity. After spending almost two weeks in Ireland where we learned about Ireland’s history, culture, and current events, it’s clear that FoodCloud must be incredibly impactful to the community.  

Thinking back to Dr. Kelly’s lecture in the financial district of Dublin, Ireland’s economy has really grown immensely since the 1990s. Since then, it has become a huge tech hub, attracting thousands of workers from all over the world. The city is in the middle of growth, and you are constantly reminded of it when you walk outside and see all the cranes developing new properties. Unfortunately, this also means that some of its most vulnerable population have been left behind as gentrification takes over. Dublin’s housing crisis has been brought up in discussions and lectures countless times, showing that it is a huge problem that no one really has the right answers to. In the midst of this, there are nonprofits like FoodCloud that try alleviate some of the pain and uncertainty that come with being in precarious positions, like being homeless and/or food insecure. 

Ironic to my previous point about how Big Tech in Dublin has implicitly increased food insecurity, I think what has made Food Cloud so successful is actually the way technology plays a role in their business model. Grocery stores and other food providers are able to utilize an app that directly connects them to local charities, providing more seamless approach in the redistribution of food waste. With tech often getting a bad reputation for unethical, FoodCloud shows how technology can be harnessed for greater social and environmental good.