GiftAMeal, a food-tech startup founded by social entrepreneur Andrew Glantz that turns customer photos into meals for local communities in need, has appointed three new members to its Advisory Board, positioning the company for future growth and furthering its mission to provide meals to those in need.
The new board members, Phil Crawford, Andrew Rebhun, and Dan Sokolik, bring experience from various roles in the restaurant, tech, and marketing industries with expertise in national growth.
“GiftAMeal is thrilled to welcome three exceptional thought leaders to its Advisory Board,” says Andrew Glantz, Founder and CEO of GiftAMeal. “Each has unique experiences and perspectives to offer, and we look forward to their active engagement in advancing our mission to grow at the national level.”
Phil Crawford is the CTO of CKE Restaurants which operates over 4,000 Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s quick service restaurants worldwide. A leader in CKE’s digital and technology functions, Crawford is responsible for building a technology-forward, data-driven company that exceeds consumers’ evolving expectations. Having held roles such as Global Chief Technology Officer at Godiva Chocolatier and Chief Information Officer/Head of Technology for Shake Shack and Yard House Restaurants, Crawford has over 20 years of experience in C-Level Technology roles.
“I couldn’t be more excited to join GiftAMeal’s Advisory Board at this critical time,” says Crawford. “GiftAMeal represents the perfect combination of philanthropy and hospitality and I look forward to making a national influence on folks to give year round.”
Andrew Rebhun is the Chief Marketing Officer at El Pollo Loco. Through product innovation, brand strategy, integrated marketing, digital transformation, and customer service, Rebhun has delivered first-to-market products and profitable growth for billion-dollar brands across Fortune 50 companies. An accomplished global marketing executive, Rebhun is responsible for overseeing all marketing and brand strategy functions for El Pollo Loco’s 487 company and franchise restaurants in six states.
Rebhun says, “I’m excited about my new role on the Advisory Board with GiftAMeal, and I am looking forward to contributing towards GiftAMeal’s growth goals as the company continues to establish their presence across the nation.” He adds, “Living in Los Angeles, I see the impact of hunger on a daily basis, and I am grateful for the opportunity to make a difference with Andrew and his team.”
Dan Sokolik, food industry veteran, is the Vice President of Marketing for Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken brand. Sokolik has 20 years of quick service restaurant marketing experience at the corporate, ad agency and franchisee levels. His work includes over 10 years with Subway in both corporate field marketing and agency account director roles. He also led an agency team for McDonald’s and was director of marketing for a multi-unit Domino’s Pizza franchise.
Since launching on July 1, 2022, Sokolik has seen the impact of GiftAMeal’s program firsthand as all of Lee’s 130 locations across the United States participate in the program.
“The strength of an organization like GiftAMeal lies in its multipurpose mission to engage with a younger generation to spark change while also rallying restaurants to feed local communities.” Sokolik continues, “The ease of the technology and its integration with social media platforms is exciting, and as a new member to the board, I’m eager to see what’s next for GiftAMeal’s growth.”
Now available in 28 states at 550+ restaurant locations, GiftAMeal provides restaurant guests with a free way to support local food banks, just by taking photos of their food. For each photo taken through the program, a meal is provided by a local food bank near that restaurant. GiftAMeal has provided 1,230,000 meals to date, which totals over 1.4 million pounds of food across 60 food banks in 28 states.
