SPARE Launches in New York City with Sights Set on Closing Meal Gap

NEW YORK, Sept. 30, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- SPARE unveils its iPhone application that puts diners' spare change to work, automatically rounding up their dine-out bills to the nearest dollar to feed hungry New Yorkers and contribute to closing the meal gap in New York City. While each donation is less than one dollar, $0.99 alone can help feed four New Yorkers.

"There are currently 235 million missing meals in New York City, and nearly one-in-five residents lack reliable access to nutritious food. SPARE poses a solution, hinging on the fact that if 10 percent of New Yorkers round up for a total of $6 each month, we can close the hunger gap in just one year," says Andra Tomsa, founder and president of SPARE. "A bit of simple, indisputable math demonstrates the immediate and traceable impact that can be made if New Yorkers work together to fight hunger."

SPARE donates its proceeds to charities at the frontline of hunger relief, including Food Bank for New York City, City Harvest, Citymeals-on-Wheels and New York City Rescue Mission. SPARE tracks users' donations and displays their personal impact alongside a real-time tracker of the hunger gap in New York City. Donations are tax deductible, and donors will receive an official year-end record of their donations for tax purposes. 

SPARE donors also have access to exclusive incentives such as free drinks and discounts at restaurants throughout New York City. Participating partners include Luzzo's Group, City Hall Restaurant, Parlor Steakhouse and The Writing Room.

Born in poverty-stricken Romania and a current Bronx resident, Tomsa is no stranger to widespread food insecurity. Tomsa combined her insights from an undergraduate degree in economics and a master's degree in international political economy and development economics with extensive experience acting as both a financial advisor and working in the hospitality industry to identify a source of capital and enable a solution.

Alongside Tomsa, board members and notable advisors include Philip R. Warth, former President and CEO of Feeding America, and Mathias Ingvarsson, founder and CEO of FRIGO Revolutionwear. New York technology pioneer Rameet Chawla, CEO and founder of Fueled, led the app's development. The team is working toward upcoming technology developments, including donation leaderboards and inter-user gifting, as well as tackling hunger relief in markets outside of New York City. SPARE works with accredited third parties including Plaid and Braintree to ensure data security.

SPARE is designed for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch and can be downloaded for free on the App Store. SPARE requires OS 8.0 or newer and is available in English, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Turkish. To view screenshots of SPARE's user interface, please visit SPARE's page in iTunes.

About SPARE

SPARE is a smartphone application that allows New Yorkers to automatically round up their dine-out bills to the nearest dollar to support local hunger relief efforts. Just $0.99 can help feed four New Yorkers through our beneficiary organizations: Food Bank For New York City, City Harvest, City Meals on Wheels and New York City Rescue Mission. Users can round up anywhere, but users who round up at partner locations receive rewards for giving to those in need – free drinks, food, and monetary discounts. Our goal is to inspire New York City to close its own meal gap. Currently, there are 235 million missing meals throughout the 5 boroughs each year. It might seem like a tall order to bridge this meal gap, but simple math tells us that if 10 percent of New Yorkers each round up for a total of $6 a month, we can close the meal gap in one, single year. New York can close its own meal gap and create history – with a minimal contribution from its residents!

Media Contacts:

Katie Bonneau
Kwittken
(646) 747-7170
[email protected]

Andra Tomsa
SPARE
(201) 916- 2215
[email protected]

SOURCE SPARE