The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many families and people to lose their jobs, which means many cannot afford to buy groceries.

But now, restaurant owners are teaming up to develop an app that will provide people with leftover food that would usually go to waste after a restaurant closes.

The app is called “Too Good to Go,” and it provides people with delicious and fresh food for a fraction of the price.

It’s also not just in Philadelphia. 

Too Good to Go is getting national attention and can be found all over the country as something original and impactful to help people and restaurants.

Their goal is to eliminate food waste and food insecurity in the country, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The instructions are simple: download the app, log on, and help your local stores by purchasing food at an affordable price.

It is also catered to families because the food comes pre-prepared.

There are many restaurants in the city already signed up to give their leftover food to local residents, but one, in particular, is Judy Ni, owner of Baology in Center City.

For her, it is more than just food given away, this is an opportunity to help local families struggling financially in the city.

"Forty percent of food goes to waste," Ni told Action News. "You could feed people. It's crazy."

The food is good and is prepared by experienced cooks and chefs.

"It's a lower rate because obviously if we were throwing it away, it wouldn't make a difference anyway," she said. "It's a great way to get food in the bellies of people at a more affordable rate and the food is perfectly good."

In the process of feeding people who are trying to save money, the app is also dedicated to eliminating food waste, which means that the earth will become a cleaner, greener place.

Another positive aspect of the app is that customers can try food that they never tried before without breaking the bank.

So far, the app has helped more than 67.4 million meals from being thrown in the trash.

On top of the astonishing amount of meals being saved, there are over 83,321 restaurants, cafes, and hotels that are on board, and have kept their businesses going strong.

Lucie Basch, the co-founder of Too Good to Go, is excited to see Philadelphia being one of the latest cities to jump on board with the app.

“It’s been so impressive to see that every meal we put on the platform has been saved,” she told Action News.

So far, more than 4,000 meals have been given to families in Philadelphia.

This article is part of Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project among more than 20 news organizations focused on economic mobility in Philadelphia. Read all of our reporting at brokeinphilly.org.