Driven by the belief that good food belongs to people, not landfills, 412 Food Rescue launched in Pittsburgh, PA in 2015 to redirect healthy food from the waste stream to households and nonprofits that serve people experiencing food insecurity. In the United States, up to 40 percent of food produced is wasted while 1 in 5 people go hungry.
The only organization in the Greater Pittsburgh Region focused on food that would otherwise be discarded, 412 Food Rescue addresses both hunger and food waste by mobilizing volunteers to bring surplus food from retail locations to households and nonprofits serving people in need.
The growing team of 20,000+ volunteer drivers, mobilized by the Food Rescue Hero technology platform, has redirected more than 21.5 million pounds of food in the SW Pennsylvania region. Locally, the organization works with over 800 food retailers and 600 nonprofit partners. Nationally, Food Rescue Hero measurably impacts food insecurity in 15 North American cities, with 39,000+ volunteers receiving push notifications of available rescues. This network recovers surplus food from over 4800+ food retailers, partners with 2700+ nonprofits, and serves over 1 million people.