P
iloted and thriving in
Pittsburgh, 412 Food Rescue
has been changing the way
people view and use food for
the past five years.
412 Food Rescue was founded in
2015 to respond to the fact that 40
percent of food in the United States
goes to waste while 1 in 9 people still
go hungry. “There is this disconnect,
and traditional logistics models just
weren’t working to redirect surplus
food in the retail sector,” says Leah
Lizarondo, 412 Food Rescue Co-
Founder and CEO. “For real change to
happen, we needed to engage everyone
in a solution, which led to the creation
of a mobile app, helping to make
rescuing food easier than ever.”
Five years later, the organization’s
incredible volunteers have completed
over 70,000 rescues, and saved more
than 10 million pounds of perfectly
good food.
Those at 412 Food Rescue believe
that usable food belongs to people—
not landfills—and their mission is
to prevent usable food from entering
the waste stream by redirecting it to
nonprofits that serve those who are
food insecure. The organization works
with hundreds of retail and nonprofit
partners to redirect surplus food from
stores, cafeterias and restaurants,
taking it directly to the people who
need it most.
412 Food Rescue now has a team
of more than 20 full-time staff, plus a
board and advisory boards. “But 412
Food Rescue’s foundation is fully built
on the belief that people will step up,
and we’ve seen that firsthand: more
than 10,000 volunteers have joined
us in the fight against food waste and
hunger,” says Lizarondo.
412 Food Rescue provides a direct
response to the disconnect between
food waste, hunger and environmental
sustainability. The group takes the
best solutions from the nonprofit
and tech worlds and innovates them
to be as effective as possible. “Our
app, Food Rescue Hero, is designed
from experience, because it was
created by an operating food recovery
organization, not just a technology
company. And our data-driven
approach makes us different from
other food recovery nonprofits—we
don’t just think about recovery, we
also think about how to redistribute
food more effectively and how food
recovery can break down structural
barriers to food access,” explains
Lizarondo.
“We strive to provide holistic
solutions to the problems of food
waste and hunger, and we test all of our
ideas in Pittsburgh first. Our growing
volunteer network has redirected
more than 10 million pounds of food,
guided by the Food Rescue Hero app,”
she continues. “Our UglyCSA program
saves previously unsellable produce
from local farmers, and is now the fifth
largest CSA program in the region.
We’ve trained more than 600 people
how to cook healthy meals on a budget
with our Cooking Matters program
in the Millvale Kitchen. And last but
not least, we’ve collaborated with local
food businesses to create new products
from surplus food. Our 412 City
Cider, made from 3,500 pounds of
locally foraged fruit, is available now at
Threadbare Cider House & Meadery.”
This year, to mark the organization’s
fifth year, 412 Food Rescue plans to
celebrate its volunteer heroes. It will
work with a Pittsburgh photographer
to create a Humans of New York-style
photo series of Food Rescue Heroes,
which will hopefully be displayed in a
community space and be published as
a book of photography.
The future is bright for 412 Food
Rescue. Together with the Greater
Pittsburgh Community Food Bank,
the goal is to functionally end hunger
in Pittsburgh. The Food Rescue Hero
app now powers food rescue initiatives
in Cleveland, Philadelphia, northern
Virginia, San Francisco, Los Angeles
and, soon, Vancouver. In line with the
UN’s Sustainable Development Goals,
the 412 Food Rescue program plans to
be in 100 cities worldwide by the
year 2030. n
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT
412 FOOD RESCUE OR TO GET
INVOLVED, VISIT 412FOODRESCUE.ORG.
There are lots of ways to volunteer
with 412 Food Rescue!
1. Pop-up food rescues: Anyone can
download and register on the Food
Rescue Hero app (iOS and Android)
to receive pop-up notifications and
specific instructions for available
real-time rescue opportunities.
2. Regular food rescues: Heroes can
commit to a scheduled rescue(s)
each week between designated
food donors and nonprofit partners.
Rescues occur on the same day
around the same time each week.
3. Event and outreach support: Heroes
can assist with hands-on event
support (fundraisers, Happy Hours,
etc.) or external volunteer initiatives
(serve as an ambassador, staff a
table at community events, etc.).
4. Administrative support: As a
growing nonprofit, 412 Food Rescue
gladly accepts assistance in the
office. Tasks vary from working
with data to stuffing swag bags.
5. Hidden Harvest gleaning: Heroes
harvest fruit and crops from city
trees, backyards, and farms that
would have gone to waste or are no
longer sellable.
6. Cooking Matters food education:
Share Our Strength’s Cooking
Matters program is a nationally
recognized food education
curriculum for adults. Heroes can
train to become cooking and/
or nutrition instructors and lead
classes at nonprofit partner sites.
HAMPTON ❘ SPRING 2020
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