Venmo, the popular money exchange app, is partnering with the grocery chain Aldi to harness a bit of charity this Thanksgiving—or Friendsgiving!—season. The app now includes a built-in feature that allows users to donate meals to families in need.
How does it work? The chain of charity is actually pretty simple. When sending money to friends, Venmo users now have the option to include a turkey hand (like the ones from grade school) emoji in their payment notes. For every turkey hand typed, Aldi will donate ten meals to Feeding America, the domestic hunger relief organization. Easy enough right?
"Delicious food is key to Friendsgiving, but the centerpiece is the people," said Venmo spokesperson Josh Criscoe in a press release. "By creating the first-ever Friendsgiving emoji and teaming up with ALDI, Venmo is happy to help feed hungry families in America while celebrating the season with friends and family."
The custom emoji is pretty cute and hearkens back to turkey hand drawings in kindergarten classrooms. I’m eager to throw it into my next Venmo payment—at least I’ll feel something good as I watch my funds slip into the hands of friends.
Thanksgiving, and the holiday season at large, are times to reflect on abundance, consider others and give what your means can allow. While many charities are worth consideration, here at Food52, we have a special partnership with No Kid Hungry, a nonprofit committed to ending child hunger in the U.S. So here's to the holiday season and doing what we can to help out. Even if it's as easy as typing an emoji.
How do you give back? Let us know about your favorite charities in the comments below.
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