U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Moline, named Moline High School junior Akhil Kumar as the winner of his 2023 Congressional App Challenge for Illinois’ 17th Congressional District, his office announced in a news release.Â
Mr. Kumar won the competition with his app, FoodFlow, which connects restaurants that have excess food to nonprofits and food banks to reduce waste and feed the hungry.
“I am a strong believer that science and innovation will help solve some of our nation’s greatest challenges,” Mr. Sorensen said in the release. “I want to congratulate Akhil Kumar for winning the 2023 Congressional App Challenge with his app that connects food banks with restaurants so our neighbors who may need a little extra help can feed their families.”
Thanking all the students participating in the STEM challenge, he added “In Congress, I will continue doing everything I can to support STEM education for our talented students in Central and Northwestern Illinois.”Â
Mr. Kumar enjoys coding, and sought to help others through his talents. “Being born to immigrant parents who really taught me the value of each meal, knowing that I am able to, through my passion of coding, help others and those in need who don’t often have access to those healthy meals — it really means a lot to me,” Mr. Kumar said in the release. Â
Mr. Kumar is the first person from his district to have won the competition. He will be invited to Washington, D.C., to connect with other winners from around the country.Â
“We at MHS heartily congratulate Akhil for his winning application, FoodFlow,” said Moline High School Principal Chris Moore, in the release. “Akhil’s success and focus on community service exemplifies the best of Moline High School, and we are so proud of his achievement.”Â
The Congressional App Challenge is a national competition established by Congress in 2013 for middle and high school students to create their own software applications and gain experience with computer coding, according to the release. For more information, visit here.Â
