I am honored to join Food Rescue US as CEO. Leading an organization powered by thousands of dedicated, talented and compassionate individuals is an extraordinary privilege. Every day, they ensure that no food is wasted, that people facing food insecurity receive nourishing meals, and that our planet is protected in the process.

As government food assistance declines and grocery prices rise, the need for our services continues to grow. Thanks to Food Rescue US’s community efforts, our impact has never been greater. We now serve 48 communities across 24 states and DC, and this year we are on track to rescue 35 million meals—an all‑time high. Yet many more communities still need our help.

Our model becomes even more efficient as we scale. Every $1 donated provides 20 meals, allowing us to turn potential food waste into nourishment, health, and hope with unmatched effectiveness.

This impact is only possible because of donors who believe in our mission. Despite our nation’s wealth, food insecurity remains a pressing challenge for millions. Together, we can expand this powerful network and make meaningful progress in ending hunger and food waste.

Thank you for your support as we strengthen and grow this essential work. Your contribution today can go even further, as you’ll see below.

Limited-Time $100,000 Matching Gift!

Thanks to the generosity of a special donor, we invite you to join our network of good and take advantage of a rare opportunity to double your impact.

Now through December 31, 2025, every dollar donated to Food Rescue US – National will be matched—dollar for dollar—up to $100,000. That means your gift today will provide twice the support for individuals and families experiencing food insecurity this winter. If the full $100,000 match is unlocked, together we will make up to 4 million meals possible.

Matching opportunities like this are uncommon for us, and this one comes at a particularly critical time. Your 100% tax-deductible gift will go twice as far to help neighbors who need it most.

With gratitude,

Sharon Enright
CEO
Food Rescue US

P.S. I’d love to share more about our daily impact—please reach out anytime at sharon@foodrescue.us.

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The First 12 Fridges

Initially designed to launch at a modest scale with 12 fridges across six community-supported locations, the Food Rescue US “Fridge the Gap” initiative set out with a clear goal: increase fresh food access by combining reliable refrigeration equipment with our nimble food recovery model — and learn from the process. In keeping with our responsive, people-powered approach to our every day work, “Fridge the Gap” was grounded in deep community collaboration and tailored solutions, ensuring every fridge was placed where it could make the most impact. The Food Rescue US team worked hand-in-hand with local social service agency partners to identify the best placement and type of fridge for each location—whether indoors to expand food distribution, outdoors for increased accessibility, or in custom enclosures for long-term durability.

Immediate Impact

As the initiative rolled out, our participating locations saw immediate, tangible benefits of placing fridges in their communities — including 24/7 availability of fresh food, dignity and choice in food access, and greater community connection. The response from the field was greater than anticipated and interest in this initiative rapidly spread to more communities. 

Continued Growth

Seeing an opportunity to scale the impact of this initiative beyond our original goal, we proposed reallocating unused funds to quickly reach new communities. With the support of the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation, we were able to more than double the original scope of the initiative, placing 28 fridges at 26 social service agencies across the country. Through the support of the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation and our connection to communities, thousands more individuals will have greater access to fresh, nutritious food and our local partners will feel better equipped to fight food insecurity for the long term.

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What is RECIPES?

RECIPES is a National Science Foundation–funded initiative led by American University, bringing together more than 40 researchers across 14 academic institutions. Their work takes a comprehensive look at food waste, tracing its causes and consequences across the supply chain.

With a focus on resilience, equity, and circular solutions, RECIPES is studying how food recovery and redistribution can reduce waste, strengthen communities, and improve access to nutritious food. Just as importantly, they’re exploring the human side of food recovery: what motivates people to take action and what barriers prevent them from doing so.

Why Our Volunteers Step Up

As part of our partnership, we surveyed volunteers at 16 food recovery sites across 23 counties to learn more about what drives them to join us in this work.

One of the most compelling findings was how volunteers responded to a question that was designed to explore why they join us in this work. Respondents were given a list of statements and asked to indicate how strongly they agreed or disagreed with each. Almost across the board, the statement volunteers agreed with most strongly was “food recovery volunteering is aligned with my values”. This finding affirmed what we’ve long observed in our community: rescuers don’t just show up; they show up with purpose.

• 95% of volunteers believe food recovery has a significant environmental impact. They see themselves not only fighting hunger, but also addressing climate change and resource waste.
  
• Local impact matters. A majority of respondents reported that they had seen concrete improvements in their own communities thanks to food recovery efforts.
  
• Volunteers strongly felt that their actions could make a difference in society, reinforcing the sense of agency and empowerment that comes from rescuing food.

In short, food rescue resonates with people’s values, environmental concerns, and their desire to build stronger communities.

A Vision for the Future

The insights from this research go beyond data, they’re shaping how we grow.

• Recruitment: By emphasizing the values that resonate most with volunteers, we can reach new people who share the same passion for sustainability and community change.
  
• Retention: When we highlight the aspects of volunteering that rescuers find most meaningful, we strengthen their connection to the mission, helping them stay engaged for the long term.
  
• Impact: Every new and returning volunteer means more food saved from landfills, more meals delivered, and more support for local communities.

Ultimately, this partnership demonstrates the power of combining research and action. With RECIPES, we’re learning not just how to rescue more food, but how to build a volunteer movement rooted in purpose, resilience, and equity.

Join the Movement

The future of food recovery depends on all of us—researchers, rescuers, donors, and community members alike. If you’d like to be part of this growing effort, sign up to volunteer, share our mission, or support Food Rescue US in other ways. Together, we can continue building a food system where surplus food feeds people, not landfills.

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This year, The Nest Climate Campus will be more dynamic than ever, featuring 34 main stage sessions with 150+ speakers, two full days of co-hosted events with leading corporations, NGOs, academics, and government officials, and a vibrant Climate Collective Experiential Learning area. On top of that, the Campus is designed to make Climate Week more efficient and sustainable—unifying actionable climate solutions, networking, and collaboration in a single location that reduces both travel and carbon emissions.

Food Rescue US is honored to once again serve as the official food rescue partner of The Nest Climate Campus, helping to demonstrate that climate action is not only about ideas on stage, but also about what happens in practice, every day.

Reducing Waste, Rescuing Food

At Food Rescue US, we know that fighting food waste is one of the most effective ways to combat climate change. By rescuing surplus vegetarian and vegan food from the Campus’ Garden Eatery, we ensure that nutritious meals go to people in need rather than ending up in landfills.

• 183 million meals provided nationwide since our founding.
  
• 541,641 tons of CO2eq emissions avoided through food recovery.
  
• 26,000+ volunteers using our app to connect surplus food with agencies feeding food-insecure populations.

Last year alone, our partnership at The Nest Climate Campus made a direct impact: more than 1,200 pounds of fresh produce were rescued and delivered to NY Common Pantry, providing nearly 1,000 meals and preventing almost 900 pounds of CO2eq emissions. It was a powerful example of how the Campus’ commitment to sustainability translates into real-world results.

Why Partnership Matters

The Nest Climate Campus is more than just an event. It’s a catalyst for collective action. By creating a central hub where climate professionals can collaborate, learn, and inspire one another, the Campus is redefining what Climate Week can achieve.

Our partnership amplifies this vision by showing that sustainability extends into every detail, including how food is sourced, served, and rescued. Together, we’re turning surplus into solutions and proving that climate leadership is most powerful when it is both global and local.

Looking Ahead

As anticipation builds for this year’s Climate Week, Food Rescue US is excited to build on our shared success with The Nest Climate Campus. With thousands of climate leaders gathering under one roof, we know the conversations, collaborations, and commitments made here will shape a more resilient and equitable future.

We’re proud to be part of that story—filling plates instead of landfills, and showing how even small actions on the Campus can add up to global impact.

Join us in making climate action tangible!

Learn more about volunteering with Food Rescue US or supporting our mission to create a food system where surplus nourishes people, not landfills.

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Q: How did you get started with Food Rescue US?

Kate: I first became acquainted with Food Rescue US back in 2012 when I lived in Stamford, Connecticut, and it was still called Community Plates.  I became a volunteer for them when I learned about this easy way to self-schedule my volunteer hours. And I loved it. When I moved back to DC, I thought, ‘Well, let me go cover some food rescues because that’s a great way to reacquaint myself with this community.’

I was astonished to discover that there was no such program rescuing food in DC at the time. So I decided to bring Food Rescue US to the nation’s capital. It started off slowly, as things often do, but over almost nine years, we’ve grown to the point where we’ve rescued around 15 million pounds of food since October 2016.

Q: Tell us about the Food Rescue US – DC site

Kate: Every site is unique, and I give great credit to the site directors who know their audience and know what works for their program. Here in Washington DC one of the things we do, which is unique, is rescue a lot of corporate cafeteria food – prepared food. We are nimble because we use our own cars, trucks, vans, and sometimes bikes. This allows us to pick up the food and drop it off at a location that can serve it within 10 minutes or so. I make a point of ensuring that those prepared food rescues have a very short pickup-to-drop-off time. It opened up a whole new world for us, with all the amazing food providers at cafeterias, who are truly grateful that they no longer have to waste food. 

Q: What motivates you to do this work?

Kate: I think the most rewarding thing about being a site director for Food Rescue US is knowing the impact that we have and seeing the difference we make in a community. And hearing from people, our agencies, and our volunteers, who will call and say, ‘I’m so grateful that I just got the opportunity to do what I did.’ And I mean, how do you beat that? And the donors, the agencies, everybody’s grateful. It’s like a triad of people who are happy to be out there getting this work done. So impact is what keeps me going.

As we know, there have been shifts in the economy, as well as in some USDA programs, such as SNAP, among others. The thing about Food Rescue US is that those changes don’t really impact our work other than increasing the need for it. The food that we rescue is food that is available in the DC area. We just need to connect with businesses with surplus food, rescue it, and make sure that instead of going to waste, it goes to people.

Q: What does your typical day look like?

Kate: A typical day starts with checking the app each morning to make sure all rescues are covered—and if they’re not, either Eva, my site coordinator, or I will step in to make sure nothing gets dropped. Beyond that, we are working on development and fundraising efforts. We’ve built strong relationships over the years, and that personal connection is often what leads to funding support. Right now, we’re in the middle of organizing our annual September event, which takes a lot of planning but brings our community together in a meaningful way.

We keep our social media active to raise awareness, celebrate partners and volunteers, and connect with new audiences.

We’re always looking to build new partnerships and onboard new food donors, while nurturing the ones we already have. We also make time to connect with our volunteers, answer their questions, and ensure they feel appreciated.

It’s all about maintaining ongoing communication and ensuring that our volunteers, agencies, and donors feel supported.

What is your advice to people interested in starting a Food Rescue US site in their community?

Kate: If you have one food donor, one soup kitchen or pantry that could accept the food, and a couple of volunteers willing to be the first ones to do food rescue, you’ve got the makings of a program. It starts off slow, and before you know it, the word gets out through a good news piece or word of mouth, especially when people see the impact.

When I started Food Rescue US -DC in 2016, the national operation was smaller. Now, there’s a great onboarding toolkit and strong support from the national team, which makes a big difference.

Are you curious about starting a food rescue program in your own community? 

Click here to learn more!

Note: Food Rescue US – DC is one of our largest sites based on meals served. Site operations vary widely in size by location.

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Q: How did you get started with Food Rescue US?

Madhu: I’ve always worked in organizations that are related to food. I volunteered with Meals on Wheels, I’ve delivered food to seniors, and I’ve worked in walk-in distribution sites that supply food to the community. But I wanted to take it another step further. I was looking for an organization that I could help grow and not just be a volunteer. 

When I found Food Rescue US, the then-site director had started the site in Nassau County. So when I reached out to her, she was happy for the help, and we started working together. We did a lot of work building relationships with food donors and receiving agencies, getting the word out about Food Rescue US. I took over for her as site director in July of 2021 and have been running the operations since.

Q: Tell us about your Nassau County site.

A really special part of our work is partnering with volunteers from local day habilitation programs. These volunteers bring so much energy and joy to the work — they love being part of the mission, and we love having them. It’s a beautiful example of how inclusive volunteering can be and how everyone has something valuable to contribute.

Each week, we coordinate around 50 to 60 food rescues from a variety of sources — grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries, and more. One of the more unique and rewarding parts of our work is rescuing prepared meals from local summer camps during the season. It’s a great example of how every bit of surplus food can be redirected to serve someone in need.

Q: Where does your motivation to volunteer come from?

Madhu: I think it came from growing up in India. It is a cultural thing, I would say. We grew up in a community helping each other all the time, and that kind of got instilled in me. I have always asked this question of myself: How can I help? And if there is a way I can help, I’ve always said, I’ll do it. What can I do to help? And that’s always in me. I don’t think it’s ever going away.

Every single person can make a difference. Are you making a difference to a community, or are you making a difference in another person’s life? There is never a situation where you cannot make a difference in another person’s life.

Q: What does your typical week look like?

Madhu: I work full-time, and this is something I do on the side, but managing food rescues is easy to do in the app. Typically, on Sundays, I check the app to see if there’s a particular day without enough volunteers to pick up rescues. So what I normally do is reach out to some of the “emergency volunteers” we have. Those are my top few rescuers whom I know I can call on. 

If nobody else is available, I’m the backup, and I shuffle my day and meetings around so that we can make sure that the full rescue is completed. It really helps that my work schedule is flexible.

Q: What is your biggest challenge?

Madhu: My biggest challenge as site director is finding those “emergency volunteers” we were just talking about. People who are willing to pick up last-minute rescues, or some that involve driving a longer distance, because we cover a large area. 

If you’re like me and you don’t mind spending time in the car, listening to the radio or a podcast while you rescue food, I would love to hear from you!

Are you curious about starting a food rescue program in your own community? 

Click here to learn more!

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As soon as Taelor Denton graduated from university with a degree in science and a focus on nutrition, she set out to tackle the problems she’d studied—food waste, food insecurity, and access to healthy food. Determined to find a solution that didn’t reinvent the wheel, she discovered Food Rescue US and immediately recognized the power of its technology to manage the complex logistics of food recovery.

Since launching Food Rescue US – Quad Cities in 2022, Taelor has built a dynamic volunteer network that spans both sides of the Mississippi River, connecting surplus food from food retailers with agencies in communities facing food access challenges. With a focus on partnership, logistics, and community impact, she’s bringing structure and collaboration to an area that needs both.

In this Q&A, Taelor shares how she got started, what makes the Quad Cities unique, and why food rescue is all about connection.

Q: What’s your Food Rescue US origin story? How did you get started doing this work? 

Taelor: My degree is in science with a focus on nutrition. I learned about our global food system and how much food is wasted on a global scale, along with issues of food insecurity and malnutrition. So, I was fired up about it when I graduated in the summer of 2022.

I just started researching my options. I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel, but I was sure we needed something to bring together volunteers who are interested in reducing food waste. And then, as I got to know the food landscape here in the Quad Cities, I realized that there was definitely a need for help with transportation, and I was in a position to do something about it. I found Food Rescue US and joined them because of their app. It’s a great tool to manage the complex logistics of our growing food recovery operation.

Q: Tell us about Quad Cities. What makes the community unique?

Taelor: Quad Cities is technically just four cities, two on the Iowa side and two on the Illinois side. We sit right on the Mississippi River, where there’s a lot of manufacturing and really big factories. So it’s a lot of working-class folk who are struggling to make ends meet. And it’s very diverse too –  you can drive 10 minutes from the absolute country with nothing in sight but farmland, and then all of a sudden you’re in a metropolitan area. It’s very diverse and unique. There are folks from all over the world. 

And there’s a big issue with food deserts here as well, because everything is really concentrated in just a couple of streets downtown, but in other parts of town, there’s nothing.

We’ll pick up from a lot of stores on the Iowa side and take the food across the river to agencies on the Illinois side. Rock Island, in particular, has a serious food desert issue, with a lack of grocery stores offering a variety of good food options. So, yeah, it’s really an exercise in rebalancing the flow of food from areas with a surplus to communities where it’s needed.

Q: Describe your model for food rescue in Quad Cities

Taelor: When I first started, I asked around to figure out what the need was. We quickly discovered that the food pantries already had donations from retailers, but they didn’t have logistics in place to manage volunteers, track donations, and set schedules. We coordinated with the Scott County Health Department to identify which food pantries needed help receiving their donations, and we had a lot of work to do almost immediately. We brought structure and organization to the process.

I made it clear to all of our partners that we’re not here to take over anything – just lend logistical support. Think of us as a service to you. Now we receive calls from large food banks to help distribute food in the community.

We do about 6 or 7 rescues every day, except on weekends, when there are only a couple. Our biggest donors are Walmart, Target, and Quickstar.

Q: What does your typical day look like?

Taelor: I really rely on the app. Every day, I’m looking to see which volunteers have claimed which rescues, which ones still need to be claimed, which ones I might be able to fit into my schedule, or who I can call. It’s great to have all the information right there on my phone. 

I have some flexibility because I work for myself as a dog walker and trainer. But that balance is tricky because sometimes you get volunteers who claim rescues and then drop them at the last minute. I’ll pick those up whenever I can because I don’t want to miss those opportunities.

Q: What advice would you give to somebody who’s interested in starting a Food Rescue US site?

Taelor: I would say surround yourself with like-minded people. Find your allies – identify the agencies and the people within those agencies who share your vision and understand the importance of this work. Go in with the mindset that you’re here to serve your community and make it better; it’s not about competing with people. 

One of my favorite things about food rescue is how it seems to be bringing so many people together. All of these agencies that were competing for food sources are sharing now, and they’re communicating with one another. And it’s creating an environment where we’re helping each other successfully feed this community. And that is the number one priority.

Are you curious about starting a food rescue program in your own community? 

Click here to learn more!

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