Mikaela's San Giorgio – Digital Portfolio

In this project, we developed a pitch for a digital platform called Neighbourly, designed to address SDG 2: Zero hunger by providing real-time, dignified access to food support within local communities. This system connects individuals experiencing food insecurity directly with nearby community members, donors, and delivery drivers through either the app or a free hotline service, accessible on your nearest phone box. Unlike traditional food relief systems, Neighbourly removes barriers such as applications, waitlists and stigma, ensuring individuals in need have immediate access to support.  

 A key part of engaging the class is through our hotline stimulation activity, which demonstrates how the system would function in practise. In this scenario, a user calls the “ Neighbourly Navigator” hotline to request some food support: 

“You’ve reached Neighbourly- you called, we care. Let’s find you some food. Press 1 for any allergies or Press 2 to go ahead.” 

The user then gets to indicate they are gluten-free, confirms dietary requirements, and verifies their location at UOW. The system then responds in real time. One of us acts as the hotline helper. 

“Thank you for placing your order, your food is on the way. Your ETA (estimated time of arrival) is 20 minutes.”

The purpose of this activity is to highlight how Neighbourly prioritises speed, accessibility, and dignity, especially for users who may not have smartphone access. Demonstrating how the platform can operate across both digital and low-tech access points, ensuring inclusivity.

Our idea was developed in response to growing food insecurity in Australia and globally. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, over 122,000 people experienced homelessness in Australia, and more than 1 in 8 households face food insecurity (ABS, 2021). Additionally, OzHarvest (2025) reports a 54% increase in people being turned away from charity services, highlighting the strain on existing systems.

Neighbourly disrupts traditional food relief models by moving away from centralised, scheduled charity distribution systems such as OzHarvest and FoodBank, and instead enabling a real-time, peer-to-peer support network within the community. Food requests are made instantly visible through the neighbourly app where community members receive notifications and can contribute small amounts towards a meal These micro-donations collectively fund an individual’s order, creating a fast accessible response system. In addition, Neighbourly integrates with platforms such as UberEats, allowing users to contribute while making their own purchases through an optional “round up” feature (e.g. donating $2 to support someone in need at checkout). Once the amount is reached, a gig-based delivery driver such as Uber Eats completes the order.This model removes any additional responsibility from donors, as they are not required to coordinate, deliver, or interact directly with recipients. Importantly, the platform maintains accessibility for all users by offering both a digital app and a free hotline service enabling individuals without smartphones to request food from Neighbourly through  public phone boxes. 

The platform is also informed by sharing economy and gig economy principles. Similar to Uber Eats (2026) or DoorDash (2026) , delivery drivers operate flexibly, but instead of commercial orders, they can complete socially impactful food deliveries. This creates new forms of community participation while also increasing efficiency in local resource distribution.

Throughout class discussions, we also considered ethical implications. Key risks included user safety, food hygiene, and privacy concerns. These were addressed through anonymised requests, secure handling processes, safe drop-off locations, and adherence to workplace health and safety standards. The platform is designed to minimise data collection to protect vulnerable users and ensure dignity and privacy.

Overall, Neighbourly demonstrates how digital media can be used to solve real-world social issues through Innovation, accessibility, and ethical design. It strengthens community connection by transforming hunger into an immediate, visible, and solvable issue within local areas, supporting both short-term relief and long-term social impact.

REFERENCES

Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021) Estimating homelessness: Census. Available at: https://www.abs.gov.au (Accessed: 1 May 2026).

OzHarvest (2025) Hunger report 2025. Available at: https://www.ozharvest.org (Accessed: 1 May 2026).

Uber Eats (2026) About us. Available at: https://www.ubereats.com (Accessed: 1 May 2026).DoorDash (2026) About DoorDash. Available at: https://www.doordash.com (Accessed: 1 May 2026).