MealResQ 🍽️ ➡️ 🏪

Food Distribution Management System for RBC Hackathon

Connecting restaurants, food banks, and drivers to reduce food waste and help communities.

🎯 Problem We Solve

Every day, restaurants have leftover food that could help people in need. Our platform automates the entire process:

1. Restaurants create alerts for leftover food
2. Food banks get notified and can accept within 10 minutes
3. Drivers are assigned to pick up and deliver the food
4. Real-time tracking ensures efficient delivery

🏗️ Architecture

• Backend: Flask + Firebase (Real-time notifications, Auto-escalation)
• Frontend: React (Real-time UI updates)
• Database: Firebase Firestore (Real-time sync)
• Notifications: WebSocket (Instant alerts)

🚀 Quick Start

Backend Setup

cd backend
chmod +x setup.sh
./setup.sh
source venv/bin/activate
python app.py

Frontend Setup

cd frontend
npm install
npm start

📱 Core Features

For Restaurants

• ✅ Create food alerts with item lists
• ✅ Track pickup status
• ✅ Auto-notification to food banks

For Food Banks

• ✅ Receive real-time alerts
• ✅ 10-minute response window
• ✅ Auto-escalation if no response
• ✅ Capacity management

For Drivers

• ✅ Receive delivery requests
• ✅ Real-time navigation
• ✅ Status updates (pickup → delivery)
• ✅ Availability management

🔄 Workflow

Restaurant → Food Alert → Food Bank (10 min timer)
    ↓
Food Bank Accepts → Driver Notification
    ↓
Driver Accepts → Pickup → Delivery → Complete

🛠️ Tech Stack

Backend:

• Flask (Python web framework)
• Firebase Admin SDK
• WebSocket (real-time)
• Flask-SocketIO

Frontend:

• React
• Socket.io-client
• Material-UI/Tailwind

Database:

• Firebase Firestore

📊 API Endpoints

See backend/README.md for detailed API documentation.

🔮 Future Enhancements

• GPS tracking integration
• Mobile apps (React Native)
• Analytics dashboard
• Multi-language support
• Payment integration for drivers

Core MVP Features:

• Restaurant alert creation
• Food bank notifications
• Driver assignment
• Real-time status updates
• Auto-escalation system

Nice-to-have (later on):

• Advanced geo-location
• SMS notifications
• Analytics dashboard

Making food distribution efficient, one delivery at a time! 🚚💨