Uber lets riders help fight child hunger

Uber is partnering with giving program No Kid Hungry, which will include an update to their ride-sharing apps that lets users make donations.

Starting today, Uber riders will be able to make $5 donations to support No Kid Hungry by pushing a button directly from the Uber app. The donate option will be available to Uber riders in 100 cities.

"It's just a very seamless way for people to get involved," says David Plouffe, Uber's vice president of policy and strategy.

Later this week, Uber will host Lunch Pop-Ups and UberCHEF to deliver on-demand meals to users, with all proceeds going to No Kid Hungry. The goal of the week-long holiday campaign is to help provide 3 million meals to children in need.

"This partnership, by being able to do something as easy as hit your button on the app to donate, we think it's going to bring a significantly large number of new people into this anti-hunger work," says Billy Shore, founder and CEO of Share Our Strength.

Uber announcement's arrives as the ride-sharing upstart has navigated a series of PR missteps, most notably concerns over privacy in the wake of reports that an executive was tracking the personal ride data of a journalist.

The service has also encountered continued scrutiny over its operations, including a lawsuit filed by Portland, Ore., over running its service illegally.

Plouffe says Uber will soon address worries raised by consumers and lawmakers over how it handles rider and driver data. "We have strong practices in place," he says. "We're eager to help set a high standard here in terms of data and privacy protection."

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.