Food Rescue Hero
Network
The Food Rescue Hero Network is a collective of food rescue organizations and allied organizations with a shared mission to scale food recovery—to measurably reduce food waste, food insecurity and impact climate change.
Food Rescue Hero Partner Network
We partner with food rescue and hunger relief non-profits who have the vision and drive to grow and sustain a food rescue operation. Successful partners engage with community stakeholders, organize grassroots efforts and share a passion for acting locally and together, create global impact.
This network creates collective impact coordinated by Food Rescue Hero platform. We aim to support the work of organizations in 100 cities by 2030.
412 Food Rescue (Pittsburgh, PA)
Philly Food Rescue (Philadelphia, PA)
Hunger Network (Cleveland, OH)
Northern Virginia Food Rescue (VA)
Food Finders (Los Angeles, CA)
Haven’s Harvest (New Haven, CT)
Vancouver Food Runners (Vancouver, B.C.)
Last Mile Food Rescue (Cincinnati, OH)
Table to Table (Northern NJ)
White Pony Express (Contra Costa, CA)
530 Food Rescue (Butte County, CA)
Supply Hive (Des Moines, IA)
Lake Erie Food Rescue (Erie, PA)
302 Food Rescue (DE)
Lakeshore Food Rescue (Holland, MI)
Kentucky Harvest (Louisville, KY)
We Don’t Waste (Denver & Boulder, CO)
My Father’s Table (Minot, ND)
Chicago Food Rescue (Chicago, IL)
Today, our Food Rescue Hero Network measurably saves fresh nutritious food from going to waste in:
Delaware
2023
Pittsburgh, PA
2016
Butte County, CA
2021
Chicago, IL
2024
Los Angeles, CA
2020
New Haven, CT
2020
Cleveland, OH
2018
Louisville, KY
2023
Erie, PA
2022
Holland, MI
2023
Cincinnati, OH
2020
My Father’s Table
2024
Northern Virginia
2023
Philadelphia, PA
2018
Des Moines, IA
2023
Bergen, NJ
2021
Vancouver, Canada
2020
Denver & Boulder, CO
2024
Contra Costa, CA
2022
Strategic Partnerships
We partner with leaders in food and food recovery to advance our shared mission.
Food Donation Connection
Founded in 1992, Food Donation Connection is a world-leader in food recovery. Working with global brands such as Whole Foods, Pizza Hut, and more, FDC has redirected 1 BILLION pounds of food from going to landfill. The FDC network spans 14,000 food retailers and 10,000 charity organizations globally.
Giant Eagle
Founded in 1918, Giant Eagle is a regional grocery retailer with over 400 retail locations with the brands Giant Eagle, Market District, GetGo and Giant Eagle Express.
Impact
Food Rescue Hero Network-wide Impact Goals by 2030
2.5B+
pounds of food distributed
20M+
number of rescues
2.1B+
equivalent meals
626M+
retail value
375K+
food rescue heroes
65K+
donor partners
64K+
nonprofit partners
1.3B+
pounds of CO2 emissions mitigated
”"It is gratifying to know that the food I pick up and deliver will get to those in need within hours or minutes of my rescue."
RobertHunger Network Food Rescue
Our Impact on Food Insecurity
We focus on measuring our work’s impact on food insecurity. Our originating partner, 412 Food Rescue, has worked with the University of Pittsburgh to conduct extensive research on end-user impact using the USDA Food Insecurity Survey as rubric.
We use ESRI’s GIS platform to assess our impact on food access as we change food distribution models. Mobility and time barriers are not typically considered in the design of food access models—making food available is not enough as populations experiencing poverty and food insecurity face obstacles in transport access, child care and control of their time, making it difficult to get to traditional food banks or pantries.
Our technology enables a model of retail food recovery and redistribution—including home delivery—that radically changes food access, enabling more people in poverty to access like never before.
End User Research
Question:
Does food rescue work?
Third-party research from Dr. Catherine Greeno from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Social Work, modeled after the USDA Food Insecurity survey shows that we improve food security in 88% of the population we reach.
Food Access: Looking at Poverty, Food Deserts and Transit Deserts
Using GIS to identify high need, food insecure communities and resource access in Allegheny County.
Our approach to food distribution is grounded in an understanding that the last mile is key to ensuring access. We change food access logistics models by breaking norms on where food should be available. In this process, we reach an unprecedented number of people in poverty.
