Food Rescue Hero™ Welcomes
New CEO Alyssa Cholodofsky
The seasoned nonprofit leader is a “longtime admirer” of the food recovery organization.
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (April 22, 2024) — 412 Food Rescue has announced the hiring of new Chief Executive Officer, Alyssa Cholodofsky, who brings more than two decades of nonprofit leadership experience to the role. Fittingly, her first day on the job will be April 22, Earth Day.
Founded in 2015, 412 Food Rescue prevents good food from entering the waste stream by safely redirecting it to people in the Pittsburgh region who are experiencing food insecurity. Powered by over 22,000 volunteers, it has recovered more than 31 million pounds of food, the equivalent of more than 26 million meals, mitigating over 60 million pounds of CO2 emissions in the process.
412 Food Rescue also developed a proprietary software platform for growing food recovery, the centerpiece of which is the Food Rescue Hero app. Seventeen nonprofit organizations across the U.S. and Canada are part of the Food Rescue Hero network, scaling food recovery in 37 counties. More than 51,000 volunteer drivers registered in the app have recovered over 160 million pounds of food, mitigating over 290 million pounds of CO2 emissions.
412 Food Rescue, its Food Rescue Hero platform, and its leadership have been recognized by Grist 50 and Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas and covered by NPR, the Washington Post, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and more.
In 2023, co-founder and CEO Leah Lizarondo stepped down from her executive role, continuing to serve as a strategic advisor until early this year. 412 Food Rescue’s board appointed Karin Sabey, a 20-year veteran of nonprofit management, to serve as interim CEO while the organization sought a permanent replacement.
Jennifer England, 412 Food Rescue’s Vice President of External Affairs, notes, “We are evolving from a small but mighty start up into our next phase, growing our leadership team to continue strengthening both our local operations in the innovative tech hub that is Pittsburgh and leading a national transformation on how we approach both food waste and hunger.”
The organization’s search led it to Cholodofsky, who has deep experience leading nonprofits in the region. For the past ten years, she has served in multiple executive roles at the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, most recently as Chief Program & Policy Officer. Prior to that, she served in leadership roles at Family Services of Western Pennsylvania; the Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America; and the Veterans Leadership Program, located in Pittsburgh. She is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, with an M.P.A. in public management and policy.
“As a longtime admirer of 412 Food Rescue, I am thrilled to join this amazing organization, which has had a profound impact in Pittsburgh and across the country through its innovative approach to the interconnected challenges of food waste and hunger,” says Cholodofsky. “This work has never been more urgent, and I’m proud to be part of an organization that is trailblazing a truly effective path forward.”
“Alyssa’s deep roots in our community and her multifaceted history of organizational leadership make her an ideal steward for 412 Food Rescue as it takes on this next phase of growth,” says Beth A. Slagle, Chair of the Board.
A high-resolution headshot for Cholodofsky can be found at this link. Photo by Jason Cohn.
