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CHELMSFORD, Massachusetts (Jan. 23, 2026) – Last month, Reya Kannan, a junior at Chelmsford High School, was selected as the winner of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Massachusetts’s Third Congressional District.

Kannan’s app, called Yard2Yum, offers a practical and innovative solution to food waste by connecting restaurants, farms and composting facilities.

In making the announcement, Congresswoman Lori Trahan explained that the Congressional App Challenge, which began in 2013, highlights the incredible creativity and talent of students across the district.

 “Yard2Yum is not only an impressive technological achievement, but also a thoughtful response to a real challenge facing communities across our region,” Trahan shared in a press release. “Reya took an issue she saw up close, learned from local farmers and small businesses, and built a tool that supports sustainability and strengthens our local food system.”

The original concept for the Yard2Yum app came about as part Chelmsford High School’s Introduction to Entrepreneurship class, during which students team up to develop creative solutions for everyday problems. Kannan said she and one of her partners both had some experience working in grocery stores and restaurants.

“We saw a lot of food waste happening,” she said. “So, we came up with the idea of bringing food waste to compost facilities and those facilities turn it into compost and then sell it to farms at an affordable price.”

Creating the app

At that stage, the app was just an idea and had not yet been created. However, to enter the Congressional App Challenge, Kannan said she had to code the app out so she could show how it worked.

“I didn’t really have much prior knowledge about coding an app, so I watched some YouTube tutorials and talked with my friends who did know how to code,” she explained, adding that she also sought out feedback in the food service industry. “My dad has a few restaurants and some of his friends have restaurants, so I went in and asked them if they could try the app and get their thoughts.”

The Yard2Yum app is designed with two main interfaces: one for restaurants and one for farms. Restaurants can track the amount of food waste they donate, schedule pickups and earn reward points, which can be used to purchase locally sourced products from participating farms, based on pounds donated.

Kannan is still working on tweaking and updating the app and is serious about officially launching it at some point in the future.

“I looked into how much Apple charges to put it on the App Store, and it is pretty pricey,” she said. “So, I might use some of the money I got from previous pitch competitions to help out with that.”

Taking a single business class her freshman year and pitching the Yard2Yum app has changed Kannan’s outlook for her future.

“I have loved being able to connect with a lot of people and share my idea,” she said. Before taking Entrepreneurship with Mr. Sousa, I wasn’t really interested in business, but I feel like that one class helped me find my own voice and be more comfortable with sharing my ideas. … After that, I signed up for a lot of business programs and I also do DECA at school, so business became something I’m really passionate about.”

About Chelmsford Public Schools

The Chelmsford Public School District provides all students with multiple pathways to optimize their own potential for academic excellence, leadership, and social and emotional wellness. The mission of the Chelmsford Public Schools is to educate, engage, prepare, and empower well-rounded and knowledgeable learners to PERSEVERE through challenges, demonstrate RESPECT and INTEGRITY in their words and actions, are DEDICATED to their community, and display EMPATHY as global citizens while discovering and pursuing their full potential. This PRIDE-driven culture enables all members of the school community to support the growth and development of students. For more information, please visit www.chelmsfordschools.org.