Food Rescue Hero Announced as a Gold Winner in Sustainability, Environment and Climate for the 3rd Annual Anthem Awards.

The nonprofit “DoorDash for good” has kept 186 million pounds of good food from going to landfills.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (January 30, 2024) — The Anthem Awards named Food Rescue Hero Gold Winner for Best Use of Technology for Sustainability, Environment, & Climate in its 3rd Annual Awards program. This year’s Anthem Award Winners were selected from a pool of over 2,000 submissions from 44 countries by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS).

Described as a “DoorDash for Good,” Food Rescue Hero combines technology, last-mile logistics and community engagement to create a new food recovery and redistribution network that delivers nutritious food directly to food-insecure communities. Its 50,000 users have rescued over 186 million pounds of good food, the equivalent of 155 million meals, that would otherwise have gone to waste – mitigating 334 million pounds of CO2 emissions along the way.

The organization and other Anthem Awards winners were selected by an intellectually diverse body of judges who are leaders from across the impact industry. IADAS members include: Heather Dowdy, Director of Product Accessibility, Netflix; Alex Amouyel, President & CEO, Newman’s Own Foundation; Noel Kinder, Chief Sustainability Officer, Nike; Shaniqua McClendon, Vice President of Politics, Crooked Media/Vote Save America; Rawle Andrews Jr., Esq., Executive Director, American Psychiatric Association Foundation; Alison Moore, CEO, Comic Relief US; Christina Lang, Vice President of North American Marketing, Mozilla; Michelle Waring, Steward for Sustainability and Everyday Good, Tom’s of Maine; and more.

“The Anthem Awards were born out of the desire to amplify and celebrate the voices that are creating sustainable change and to inspire others to take action,” said Patricia McLoughlin, Anthem Awards General Manager. “In a year where so much is at stake, it is incredibly important to recognize impact work and celebrate the progress happening globally. Congratulations to all of this year’s Winners.”

“We’re thrilled to receive this honor,” says Food Rescue Hero Vice President of External Affairs Jennifer England. “With 40% of the food we produce in the U.S. going to waste while 10% of Americans go hungry – and with food waste accounting for roughly 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions – ours is a fight where support and recognition for innovative, high-impact solutions are urgently needed.”

By amplifying the voices that spark global change, the Anthem Awards are defining a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to take action in their communities. A portion of program revenue is allocated to the Anthem Award’s grant program, the Anthem Fund. This year the Anthem Fund partnered with Billion Oyster Project to support their work to restore and conserve New York’s waterways.

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About Food Rescue Hero™:

Food Rescue Hero is a technology platform that enables food recovery and hunger relief organizations to launch and scale food recovery. In the United States, as much as 40 percent of the food produced is wasted while one in ten people goes hungry. Food waste is also one of the leading causes of greenhouse gas emissions. Focusing on the logistical challenges of retail food recovery, Food Rescue Hero addresses the challenges of food waste, food insecurity and climate change through technology-coordinated, community-powered networks.

Since its launch in 2016, the Food Rescue Hero Network, made up of 16 partner organizations in the US and Canada, and a growing community of 50K volunteer drivers, has diverted 186 million pounds (the equivalent of 155 million meals) of perfectly good food from the landfill and mitigated 334 million pounds of CO2 emissions. In 2022, Food Rescue Hero facilitated the rescue of 82 meals per minute, with one rescue being completed every four minutes. Food Rescue Hero facilitates partner growth and multi-county expansion, aiming to scale food recovery in 100 cities by 2030 and measurably support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2, 12 and 13.

About The Anthem Awards:

Launched in 2021 by The Webby Awards, The Anthem Awards honors the purpose & mission-driven work of people, companies and organizations worldwide. By amplifying the voices that spark global change, we’re defining a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to take action in their own communities. The Anthem Awards honors work across seven core causes: Diversity; Equity & Inclusion; Education; Art & Culture; Health; Human & Civil Rights; Humanitarian Action & Services; Responsible Technology; and Sustainability, Environment & Climate. Founded in partnership with the Ad Council, Born This Way Foundation, Feeding America, Glaad, Mozilla, NAACP, NRDC, WWF, and XQ.

About The Webby Awards:

Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites; Video; Advertising, Media & PR; Apps, Mobile, and Voice; Social; Podcasts; and Games. Established in 1996, The Webby Awards received more than 13,500 entries from all 50 states and 70 countries worldwide this year. The Webby Awards are presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include Verizon, WP Engine, YouGov, Brandlive, Canva, NAACP, KPMG, Fast Company, Wall Street Journal, MediaPost, Podcast Movement, and AIGA.

Find The Anthem Awards Online:

Website: anthemawards.com

Facebook: facebook.com/anthemawards

Instagram: @anthemawards

LinkedIn: The Anthem Awards

YouTube: wbby.co/anthem-youtube