Denver, CO
A Denver entrepreneur’s new app connects neighbors with extra food to people in need
When John Akinboyewa studied at the Colorado School of Mines for his engineering degrees, he recalled digging in the couch for change to afford a 99-cent meal at Taco Bell or McDonald’s — coming to $1.08 with tax.
“I remember that number so vividly,” he said. His very next thought: “There is pizza or a sandwich or cookies somewhere on this campus that is fastly approaching the trash can.”
That college experience sparked the idea for a new app called Hungree. And in the last year, Akinboyewa, a 39-year-old Denver resident, and his three team members have brought his vision to life.
The free app follows a basic premise: A user in a small geographic area who wants to get rid of a food item can post it for another user to request and then pick up. Restaurants, food banks and other sizable providers can connect with individuals, and neighbors can link with neighbors.
Users can share either with the public or solely within their own “villages,” which are limited to specific groups like religious organizations or homeowners associations.
The app can be used to arrange very small-scale and extremely large-scale food distribution, Akinboyewa added. If an office staffer has 25 leftover sandwiches after an event, then that user can post the food items in their village and alert others to the surplus.
But to work effectively, the app needs a balance of both providers and users.
He’s developed the app to protect user privacy, keep track of food donations, avoid lines at food pickups and more. In its beta phase, the app granted access to 500 invite-only users across six cities in four countries — the U.S., Nigeria, Colombia and the United Kingdom — before expanding to nearly 1,000 users, Akinboyewa said.
Soon, his team plans to permit tens of thousands of users through several university, community and business partnerships, he said.
The app is available now on Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store, using an invite code: HUNGREE500.
For Akinboyewa, who was born in Nigeria and resided in London before immigrating to the U.S., the Hungree app is a way to fight hunger and curb food waste. In the places he’s lived, he’s seen the struggle of food insecurity.
Now, he’s watching his strategy work in real time. A local steakhouse manager listed leftover meals on the app — three servings of steak and vegetables — and another user picked them up to hand out to people experiencing homelessness, Akinboyewa said.
“I love solving problems,” said Akinboyewa, who has a background as a consultant in the oil and gas industry. “Sometimes, the simple solution is actually what works.”
To take his app to the next level, Akinboyewa hopes to garner institutional and organizational support. He’s discussed the idea with leaders at the University of Colorado Boulder who are in charge of off-campus housing, which could result in thousands of students accessing the app.
Akinboyewa wants to connect with local businesses and feature them on the app, too. He’s looking for financial backing that lets him roll it out on a larger scale.
Hungree’s nonprofit status was approved by the state on Monday. But the organization’s technology branch is for-profit, with plans to make money through investors and a business model that will eventually let users pay for enhanced features, Akinboyewa said.
“I’ll be sincere about something: Being Black in tech, you’re not connected to the right communities to help get the funding,” he said.
Still, he’s seeing progress globally. And in the next few weeks, a major update will bring multilingual support to the app, expanding beyond English to add Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian and Turkish.
Akinboyewa’s hope: “In five to seven years, we want half a billion people on there,” he said. “There are big dreams to this.”
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Originally Published:
The Mecca Sports Bar in Denver will be allowed to continue operations after it reached a settlement agreement with the city. According to the Denver Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, the business will be required to pay a $5,000 fine and have employees complete specialized training.
The bar had been under investigation for prostitution since 2024.
According to the Denver Police Department, there were two arrests for prostitution as a result of the investigation into the bar, in addition to a merchant guard license violation for failure to comply.
According to the city’s licensing department, the business will be under a probationary period, where if there are any other violations of law or rules and regulations, it could face harsher penalties, including license suspension or revocation.
Denver police investigators said they conducted three undercover prostitution stings at the bar. In every operation, officers said they were offered sex for money and told about a scheme where the women would overcharge for alcohol and keep the extra cash.
Mecca Sports Bar is located off West Mississippi Avenue and Federal Boulevard near Huston Lake Park and was formerly known as Club Dubai.
Denver, CO
Attorney for Denver Broncos defender Jonathon Cooper plays race card in domestic abuse case
Denver Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper has been in the news for all the wrong reasons this offseason and that continued Tuesday when his attorney claimed race played a role in the domestic abuse case involving the Black player and his White ex-girlfriend.
Both Cooper and Jade Fiegen were arrested two weeks ago when police arrived at the player’s Colorado residence and determined an altercation over the contents of each other’s phones had occurred, according to court records. But on Tuesday, the 23rd Judicial District Attorney in Douglas County dropped the charges against Fiegen.
The prosecutor also decided to continue with charges against Cooper — meaning the player still faces five charges, including second-degree assault-strangulation, which is a felony.
Jonathon Cooper of the Denver Broncos celebrates a sack against Cam Ward of the Tennessee Titans during the second quarter at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado, on Sept. 7, 2025. (Tyler Schank/Getty Images)
JONATHON COOPER BREAKS SILENCE AFTER DOMESTIC ABUSE ARREST WITH AN APOLOGY
Cooper is expected to be in court on Wednesday but before that happened, the lawyers for both parties released statements to 9News and Cooper’s attorney cited race as the reason his client is still on the hook.
“White woman admits she was the aggressor,” Harvey Steinberg said in his statement to the TV station. “Admits she grabbed my client’s phone out of his hand. Admits she went through it without his permission. Admits she threw it against the wall, damaging it. She makes allegations against my client which police don’t appear to believe. Charges dismissed against white woman. Prosecution against Black man continues. Justice in America.”
Attorney Ronald Gainor, who represents Fiegen, offered a different perspective and took a vastly different approach.
He didn’t mention race.
“She should never have been charged in the first place and the decision today by the district attorney’s office confirms that,” Gainor said in his statement to 9News. “This decision really goes a long way in vindicating her and we’re very happy with the court’s decision today.”
Denver Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper warms up before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Oct. 5, 2025. (Eric Hartline/Imagn Images)
Cooper’s attorney accusing the prosecution of favoring the woman because she’s White probably isn’t going to earn him points if this goes to trial. It’s borderline unbecoming.
But Cooper’s alleged offseason activity has been that as well.
The woman and Cooper were both arrested two weeks ago when an altercation began at Cooper’s residence over allegations of infidelity. That escalated into a physical struggle involving their cell phones, according to arrest records.
Fiegen accused Cooper of cheating on her despite the pair being in a four-year relationship.
NFL FACING OFFSEASON DOMESTIC ABUSE EPIDEMIC
Then things got weird.
Cooper apologized for the incident on his social media account.
Then, he was arrested a second time in a week and had to appear in court (again) when he violated a protection order. Cooper allegedly sent Fiegen a series of text messages and showed up outside her apartment.
That earned Cooper two more misdemeanor charges.
Denver Broncos star Jonathon Cooper was arrested early Friday morning on suspicion of two counts of domestic violence and one count of criminal mischief in Colorado. (Courtesy of Douglas County Sheriff’s Office)
So now Cooper faces five charges in total:
- Second-degree assault – strangulation
- Third-degree assault – knowingly or recklessly causing injury
- Criminal mischief – $300-$1,000
- Violating a protective order
- Harassment – repeated telephone calls
The Broncos, by the way, opened a mandatory minicamp on Tuesday but Cooper was not present because he was excused.
FORMER NFL FIRST-ROUND PICK DARRON LEE INDICTED ON FIRST-DEGREE MURDER CHARGE IN GIRLFRIEND’S DEATH
“We’ve excused him from this minicamp,” coach Sean Payton told reporters. “He’s taking this time; obviously, he’s got to work on himself. The club is very much in tune to the league office, local authorities here, and we’ve had several meetings.
“Clearly, from an ownership standpoint, head coach, organizationally, there’s a bar we have and an expectation we have that’s very high. We’ll consider all that as we continue to gather information.”
That doesn’t sound like the Broncos are 100 percent certain Cooper will be able to play for them at the start of the 2026 season, or even be on the team.
It’s possible Cooper might be in jail.
It’s possible Cooper might have to serve an NFL-mandated suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
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It’s possible the club simply decides Cooper, who has 27 sacks the past three seasons, isn’t worth the aggravation or distraction.
A troubling offseason can sometimes do that.
FOLLOW ARMANDO SALGUERO ON X: @ARMANDOSALGUERO
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