SparePlate · Last updated: October 16, 2026
These terms apply to the SparePlate iOS app ("the app"). The app is operated by SOREN TECHNOLOGIES LLC, a Massachusetts limited liability company ("we", "us", or "our"). SparePlate is a free digital bulletin board and listing platform; it is a listing and connection service only, and we do not provide, prepare, sell, inspect, store, transport, deliver, distribute, or otherwise participate in the actual provision of any food. By downloading or using the app you agree to these terms. If you don't agree, please don't use the app.
SparePlate is a free digital bulletin board and listing platform that lets people tell each other about food-related listings, offers, and connections. SparePlate is a platform and listing service only: it does not provide, prepare, sell, inspect, store, transport, deliver, distribute, or otherwise participate in the actual provision of any food, and it has no way to verify anything posted by users. SparePlate is not a party to, and does not facilitate, arrange, endorse, or guarantee, any exchange, offer, or connection between users. All listings, communications, pickup and drop-off arrangements, exchanges, and sharing of food occur directly between users, who are solely responsible for them, for their own eligibility, food handling, and safety, and for compliance with all applicable law. SparePlate is free to use. Any voluntary support you choose to give toward operating the app and platform is optional; it is not a payment for food, guaranteed access, delivery, or services from any food provider, and is not a charitable tax deduction unless expressly stated in writing.
There are no accounts, no profiles, no chat, and no direct messages. Everything you do in the app happens through posts on a board.
SparePlate is a free app. If you wish, you may voluntarily support its development and upkeep. Voluntary support helps pay for operating and maintaining the app and the boards it runs on. It is entirely optional, and you never have to provide it to view a board, join a board, post, vote, or use any feature of the app.
What voluntary support is not. Voluntary support is expressly not, and should never be understood as: (a) a payment for food; (b) a payment for guaranteed access to the app or to any board, post, or listing; (c) a payment for delivery of anything; (d) a payment for any service from any person who posts food or from any other user; or (e) a charitable, tax-deductible contribution, unless we expressly state otherwise in writing.
Providing voluntary support does not create any obligation on SOREN TECHNOLOGIES LLC, or on any user, to provide, prepare, store, transport, or deliver any food or to perform any service. Voluntary support does not make SOREN TECHNOLOGIES LLC a party to any exchange of food or other interaction between users, which happens directly between users without our involvement.
A board is a shared feed tied to a building. You can join a board when the app confirms you are near that building; boards may also require a 6-character invite code in addition to proximity. A board's creator may code-lock it, in which case proximity alone is not enough to join. A building can host more than one board. Whether you are near a building is checked on your device, and your location is not sent to us; see our Privacy Policy for how location is handled.
Boards are open to whoever can reach them. If you share an invite code, anyone holding that code who is also near the building can join and see everything posted on that board. Treat codes accordingly, and do not post anything on a board that you would not want shared beyond the people you expect to be there.
Creating a board is not a claim of authority over the building, and it does not make you responsible for what other members post. It does come with the deletion power described in section 7.
Assumption of risk. SparePlate is a platform and listing service only. All food described in the app is provided, prepared, handled, stored, transported, and offered by other users, not by SparePlate. SparePlate does not provide, prepare, handle, inspect, store, transport, deliver, or distribute any food, and does not participate in any exchange between users; it merely lists user posts. If you choose to take and consume shared food, you do so entirely at your own risk. You are solely responsible for your own food handling and safety judgments, including checking for allergens, dietary restrictions, spoilage, and proper handling, for arranging any pickup or drop-off, for confirming your own eligibility, and for complying with applicable law. SparePlate makes no promises about the safety, quality, freshness, or accuracy of any post.
Votes are not a safety signal. "Still There" and "Gone" votes reflect what other users believe about whether food remains, nothing more. A post that has not been marked "Gone" is not a statement by anyone that the food is fresh, safe, or still fit to eat. Do not treat vote counts, post age, or the absence of a report as an indication that food is safe. SparePlate does not review, verify, monitor, or endorse any votes or posts, and votes are not a safety signal of any kind.
Release. To the fullest extent permitted by law, you release SOREN TECHNOLOGIES LLC and its members, managers, and employees from any and all claims, damages, or losses arising from food shared, handled, prepared, transported, or exchanged through or in connection with the app, including foodborne illness, allergic reaction, or other injury, and from any food handling, pickup or drop-off arrangement, communication, exchange, or other sharing between users, and from any dispute or interaction between users. Nothing in these terms limits any right you have that cannot be waived or limited under applicable law.
Selling, trading, or attempting to charge for anything through the app is misuse, and all food listings must be offered free. SparePlate is a free app: any voluntary support given to SparePlate helps support the operation of the app and is not a sale of food, payment for food, a fee for access or delivery, or a charge for any exchange. The app contains no payment features, and any communication, pickup, drop-off, food handling, or exchange arranged through it is outside these terms and is solely the responsibility of the users involved.
You are also responsible for following your employer's own rules. Posting about food, taking photos in your workplace, or inviting people onto a board may be governed by workplace policies that SparePlate knows nothing about.
Voting. Anyone on a board can mark someone else's post "Still There" or "Gone". You get one vote per post, you can change it, and you cannot vote on your own posts. A post is only marked as probably gone once several members agree. Do not manipulate votes — coordinating votes to bury a legitimate post, or to keep a stale one alive, is misuse.
Duplicate posts. If you post food that someone has already posted about in the same place, the app may turn your post into a "Still There" vote on the existing post rather than creating a second one.
Reporting. Every post made by someone else can be reported. Reporting does two things: it hides that post on your device immediately and permanently, and it files a report with us for review. The hide is local and cannot be undone from within the app — other members continue to see the post unless and until we remove it from the server. Please report anything that breaks section 5; do not use reports to settle disagreements or to hide posts you simply dislike.
You keep ownership of what you post. By posting, you give us a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to store and display your content to other users of the app so the service can function, for as long as the post exists.
Leaving the feed is not deletion. A post is treated as expired about 2 hours after it goes up, and stops appearing on the board about 6 hours after it goes up. Both of these only change what the app shows you. The post itself — including the name on it and any photo — stays stored on the server until something actually deletes it.
Four things actually delete a post, and you should understand all of them before you post:
Removing a board from your own list is different from all of the above. It affects only your device: the board and its posts continue to exist for everyone else, and you can rejoin by returning to the building (and entering the invite code, if the board requires one).
We have no tolerance for objectionable content. We review reports filed through the app and aim to act on them quickly, removing from the server any post that violates these terms. We may also remove content and restrict access to the app at our discretion, and may cooperate with lawful requests from authorities.
We have no obligation to monitor content proactively, and we are not liable for acting, or for failing to act, on any report. Because the app has no accounts, our ability to prevent a determined user from posting again is limited.
The app is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, availability, or that it will be error-free. Because SOREN TECHNOLOGIES LLC operates only a listing platform and does not provide, prepare, sell, inspect, store, transport, deliver, or distribute food, we make no warranty of any kind — express or implied — regarding any food, its safety, quality, freshness, or handling, any pickup or drop-off arrangement, any user's eligibility, or any exchange or sharing between users. Notifications, proximity checks, and vote counts may be delayed, inaccurate, or unavailable.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, SOREN TECHNOLOGIES LLC and its members, managers, and employees are not liable for any damages arising from your use of the app or from any food, exchange, pickup or drop-off arrangement, communication, or interaction between users, and (because SOREN TECHNOLOGIES LLC does not provide, prepare, sell, inspect, store, transport, deliver, or distribute food) from any act or omission of any user — including but not limited to illness, allergic reaction, personal injury, property damage, or the loss of posts or boards — except to the extent caused by our gross negligence or willful misconduct. Where liability cannot be excluded, it is limited to the amount you paid to use the app (the app is free).
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless SOREN TECHNOLOGIES LLC and its members, managers, and employees from any claims, damages, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of the content, food, or communications you post or send, your use of the app, your food handling and any pickup or drop-off arrangements, any exchange you make with another user, your eligibility, your compliance or non-compliance with applicable law, or your violation of these terms.
This app is intended for adults using it in a workplace setting. You must be at least 18 years old to use it. The app is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly permit anyone under 18 to create a board, post, or otherwise use the app. If we learn that a user is under 18, we will remove their content.
The following applies because you obtained the app from the Apple App Store.
These terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. If any provision of these terms is found unenforceable, that provision will be limited or removed to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will stay in full effect.
We may update these terms as the app evolves. Material changes will be reflected on this page with a new "last updated" date. Continuing to use the app after a change means you accept the updated terms.
Questions or reports: contact@sorentechnologies.net. You can also open an issue on our GitHub page for non-private matters such as bug reports.