Lewes Food Sharing

Connecting Communities to Local Food

A community-powered map to find, share,
and responsibly access seasonal local produce.

February 2026

Unity Grant Pitch

Project Lead

Current Reality

Abundance without Access

Valuable local resources are going to waste simply because connections are missing.

The Challenge

The Hidden Cost of
Local Disconnection

Unused Surplus Produce

Local fruit and vegetables often rot unharvested because owners can't consume it all and lack easy ways to share it.

Lack of Visibility

Residents don't know where food is, when it's in season, or how to access it responsibly.

Fragmented Resources

Existing tools are either too generic (maps), too complex, or rely on scattered social media posts that get lost.

Missed Nutrition

Increased Food Waste

Weakened Community Ties

The Solution

A Community-Powered
Food Mapping Platform

Foodshare is a community-managed platform that makes public food visible, usable, and shared. It turns overlooked local produce into a collectively maintained resource.

Interactive Local Map

Visualizes food locations with category-colored pins and precise what3words integration for easy finding.

Seasonal & Smart Filtering

Highlights what is "In Season Now" to ensure timely harvesting and prevent waste of ripe produce.

Trust & Moderation

Community-led verification workflow keeps data accurate and ensures locations are safe and legal to access.

Lewes Food

Wild Apples

Priory Park • 0.2 miles

In Season

Map

List

Add

Alerts

Profile

Mobile First

Platform Capabilities

Tools for Smart Foraging

Built-in features designed to make finding, sharing, and verifying local food simple and accessible for everyone.

Interactive Map

Shows which food is currently available based on season, helping users plan visits and avoid unnecessary trips.

Seasonal Filtering

Features an In Season Now filter that dynamically updates based on the time of year, preventing wasted trips.

Precision Search

Integrates what3words and address search to pinpoint exact locations of wild food, often hidden off main paths.

Community Trust

Robust reporting and rating tools allow the community to flag issues, update statuses, and keep the map data accurate and safe.

Workflow

How It Works

A community-powered loop designed to ensure data quality, safety, and scalability.

1

Submit

Users find food and add details via a structured form. Items are marked as pending immediately to prevent spam.

2

Review

Trusted admins verify submissions in a dedicated panel. Simple Approve / Reject actions keep the queue moving.

3

Maintain

Community reports (e.g., "Tree gone") automatically generate moderation tasks to keep the map accurate.

4

Scale

A streamlined data model (Locations, Items, Reports) ensures the system remains fast and manageable as the community grows.

Spam Protection

Admin Gated

Efficient Schema

CORE PRINCIPLES

Built on Trust & Safety

Foodshare is designed to protect people, places, and public resources through clear governance and responsible use.

Verified Identity

Secure email verification with mandatory verification ensures real users, reduces spam, and builds a foundation of accountability.

Admin Governance

Strict role-based permissions mean only trusted community moderators can approve new locations and sensitive items.

Ethical Foraging

Built-in UI prompts remind users to seek landowner permission, respect nature, and harvest sustainably without over-picking.

Community Watch

One-click reporting mechanisms allow the community to instantly flag inaccurate data or unsafe locations for admin review.

GDPR Compliant

Data Encrypted

Private by Default

Impact Metrics

Making a Difference

Our platform has already begun transforming how the community interacts with local food resources.

20+

Food Locations Mapped

200+

Aiming for Community Members

15+

Food Categories

Community Feedback

"Finally, a way to find all the local fruit trees! I've already found three apple trees within walking distance."

— Local Resident

"The seasonal filter is brilliant. No more wasted trips looking for out-of-season produce."

— Community Forager

Live in Production

Current Status
& Tech Stack

A proven, production-ready web platform built on modern, scalable technologies designed for community maintenance.

CORE TECHNOLOGIES

Frontend Core

HTML5, CSS3, Vanilla JS (No overhead)

Mapping Engine

Leaflet.js + OpenStreetMap

Backend & Auth

Firebase Auth + Firestore Database

Hosting & CI/CD

Netlify (Fast global CDN)

Web Client

Responsive Mobile-First UI

Netlify

Static Hosting

Leaflet API

Map Tiles

Firestore Schema

Scalable NoSQL

collections('locations') {
  id: string
  coords: GeoPoint
  items: Array<{
    type: 'apple',
    season: 'autumn',
    status: 'approved'
  }>
}

Why Support Us

Building a Sustainable Future

Your support helps scale a proven local model into a reusable framework for communities everywhere.

Environmental

Reduce food waste and carbon footprint from imported produce.

Social

Connect neighbors and build stronger community relationships.

Educational

Teach sustainable foraging and seasonal awareness.

Funding Proposal

The Ask

We are seeking Unity Grant funding to transform our successful web pilot into a production-ready mobile ecosystem.

"Empowering the community to reduce waste and share abundance through technology."

Let's Build This Together

Use of Funds

Mobile Engineering

Development of native Unity app (iOS & Android)

Offline Maps & GPS

Caching infrastructure for remote field usage

Smart Notifications

Seasonal alerts and harvest reminders

Testing & QA

Usability studies and community field trials

Partnerships

Outreach to local Councils and NGOs