FoodCircles launch party Dec 19th to help feed kids in Kent County

FoodCircles Launch Party - December 19

GoJo Ethiopian Cuisine (421 Norwood Ave. SE Grand Rapids, MI 49506)

7pm-9pm

Ethiopian beverages

 Words from FoodCircles, Kids Food Basket, and local restaurateurs.

Cuisine sampler, and music

GR resident and founder intends to change the way people in the U.S. dine out: FoodCircles revenue to be donated as meals for children living below poverty line.

What if every time you ate, a square meal was given for a child in need? A recent Grand Rapids startup FoodCircles LCC aims to do exactly that.

FoodCircles reverses the traditional restaurant-diner model and lets restaurants bid on parties with group incentives. Rewards like complimentary items or VIP service are designed to thank parties for choosing their restaurant and providing the meal to the child in need.

"FoodCircles started with the idea of introducing a flea-market feel to vacant tables at restaurants," said Jonathan Kumar, Founder of FoodCircles. "But haggling is awkward, and time-consuming, when all you want to do is eat.  So I wanted an app that would negotiate for you."

With a growing list of restaurants participating in the downtown and Eastown area, dining out using the FoodCircles web app creates a meal for a local child living under the poverty line.

"So it's not just you eating when you use FoodCircles," said Kumar. "You're setting up someone else to eat as well.  What if every time someone in the U.S. ate out, a child in need ate too?"

The donated meal to a child consists of staples such as sandwiches, servings of fruit, and servings of fresh vegetables; distributed through local partner Kids Food Basket.