This fetching Bronx waitress really is dishing up change.
Andra Tomsa wants to end hunger in the city — and now she has a cellphone app to aid her cause.
The 27-year-old stunner — who works at Charlie’s on Lincoln Ave. and holds a master’s degree in economic development from Fordham — started the nonprofit Spare Change last year, encouraging customers at select bars and restaurants to round their dinner bills up to the next dollar and donate that money to charity.
Now, Tomsa is going high-tech with an app that will allow participants to track how many times they’ve donated — and how many people they have helped — in real time. Participants can also receive gifts like free cocktails from the participating bars.
“I realized that there was a ton of money exchanging hands in the service industry,” Tomsa said of the idea. “What other charity can you donate to and see a real-time effect?”
Users can download the app from sparechangeintl.org, use it to record how many times they’ve rounded up and receive free drinks and other goodies from participating eateries and bars when they hit donor targets.
“This is a real tangible difference,” said Tomsa, who grew up in New Jersey. “People will be able to see the meal gap closing one meal at a time.”
While she plans on expanding to other charities, Tomsa is currently partnered exclusively with the Food Bank for New York City.
Nearly 1.4 million people in New York City rely on a network of 1,000 food pantries and soup kitchens, the Daily News reported last month. That’s an increase of 200,000 people in the last five years.
Six Bronx bars and restaurants will help feed the hungry when the app launches in May, including the Bronx Beer Hall and the popular Mott Haven sushi outpost Ceetay.
Anthony Ramirez, the owner of the Bronx Beer Hall on Arthur Ave., said other round up-style charities had approached him in the past, but Spare Change seemed “more interactive.”
“What I like is that it’s customer-driven,” Ramirez said.
Furthering the Bronx connections, Tomsa has been working with with Dr. Christine Janssen’s “Exploring Entrepreneurship” class at Fordham University to perfect the app’s functionality.
“It’s really a great case-study location,” Tomsa said. “We can really see the app in action.”
The technology behind the altruistic app was developed by Tomsa’s friend, Max Asciutto, with graphic design by Marcus Mills.
The team of do-gooders is hopeful that the new features will encourage young people to become more active in their communities, and to donate more to local causes.
“I just feel like there isn’t always that sense of village or community,” Tomsa said. “I feel like here it can be every man for himself. I really want this to create a sense of togetherness and accomplishment.”
