Food Waste Reduction App

Project Overview

This project aims to develop a mobile application that tackles food waste and food insecurity in NYC. It connects businesses, restaurants, and individuals with surplus food to users in need, promoting a more sustainable and equitable food system.

Problem Statement

• Food Waste: Businesses discard substantial amounts of surplus food daily, contributing to environmental and economic burdens.
• Food Insecurity: Many individuals and families, particularly in NYC's homeless population, face food shortages and limited access to healthy meals.

Target Users

• Business Owners: Restaurants, delis, and grocery stores with surplus food to donate or sell at discounted prices.
• Food Insecure Individuals: People seeking affordable or free food.
• Community Organizations: Groups that coordinate food drives or manage community fridges.
• General Users: Individuals offering extra food from events or looking for discounted food options.

Vision Statement

Our vision is to create a platform that fosters a strong community network by connecting surplus food sources with those in need. By facilitating food donation, reduced prices, and efficient food access, we strive to:

• Reduce food waste and its associated environmental and economic impacts.
• Combat food insecurity by providing access to nutritious food for underserved communities.
• Promote sustainability within the food system by encouraging resourcefulness and reducing waste.
• Cultivate a culture of community care by enabling businesses, individuals, and organizations to contribute to a more equitable and food-secure society.

Key Features

• Food Donations: Businesses/Restaurants/Users can list surplus food for donation
• Real-time food availability dashboard: Users can browse offerings from nearby businesses and individuals in real-time.
• Location-based search: Find nearby donation locations and discounted food options.
• Seamless communication: Users can coordinate food pickups or ask questions through messaging between the person picking up and the vendor or donor, not between donors or receivers.
• User Reviews and Ratings: Recipients can leave reviews and ratings for businesses and organizations, sharing their experiences to guide future users.
• Maps Integration: Locate nearby donation sites and community fridges with integrated Google Maps/similar maps for easy navigation.

Getting started with Development

Project Structure

.
├── .github/               # GitHub workflows and settings
├── system_design_docs/    # System design documentation
├── src/                   # Django application root
│ ├── manage.py            # Django management script
│ ├── django_management/   # Main Django project folder
│ ├── static/              # Static files (CSS, JS, images)
│ └── templates/           # HTML templates for front-end
├── README.md              # This file
├── requirements.txt       # Requirements to be installed with pip
├── .djlintrc              # Setup for HTML linting and formatting
└── .pylintrc              # Setup for Python linting and formatting

Prerequisites

• Python 3.x
• pip (Python package installer)
• Virtualenv (optional but recommended)

Setup Instructions

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/gcivil-nyu-org/wed-fall24-team5
   cd wed-fall24-team5

2. Set up the virtual environment:

   python3 -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Run database migrations

   python src/manage.py migrate

5. Run development server

   python src/manage.py runserver

Development

Branches

• Branches must be named as follows in order for a pull request with that branch to be accepted: branch-type/issue-##/short-description

  • branch-type must be one of bugfix, feature, hotfix, chore, release, test, doc, or refactor

Pull Requests

• Ensure your branch follows the appropriate naming conventions (above)
• While only one review is required, aim for two reviews.
• Do not resolve conversations you did not create. All conversations should be resolved before merging
  • If your change after opening the Pull Request greatly modified your code, you should request a re-review
• All tests and lints should pass before merging
• Only the developer who opened the Pull Request should merge the Pull Request
• Always use Squash and merge to keep the commit history clean
• Delete branch after merging to keep the branch tree clean

Linting

This project uses pylint for linting and formatting Python files and djlint for HTML templates. To run linting locally:

pylint src/
djlint src/templates/

Running tests

• More information will come as tests and coverage are added

Deployment

• This application is set up for deployment using AWS Elastic Beanstalk. Detailed deployment instructions will be added when the application is ready for deployment.