Food Rescue US was founded in 2011 in Fairfield County, CT, as a national organization to reduce hunger and food waste. The national headquarters is in Norwalk, CT. “We currently have 22 operational sites, located in 13 states and the District of Columbia,” says Carol Shattuck, CEO. “Fairfield County is by far our largest location, delivering more than 2.5 million meals a year to the food insecure and keeping more than 3 million pounds of food waste out of landfills.”
HELPING SENIORS, CHILDREN, AND REFUGEES
Food Rescue US–Fairfield County currently has more than 700 volunteer food rescuers registered to deliver donated fresh, healthy food to more than 80 social service agency partners. “Our work feeds individuals who are food insecure, including seniors, veterans, children, teens, the homeless, abused women and refugees. Each month, 650 rescues are completed—more than 8,000 in a year,” says Shattuck.
The effects are far-reaching. “Food Rescue has provided us a way to feed entire refugee families who participate in our program,” says Cynthia Davis, founder of Our Woven Community, a program of the Burroughs Center in Bridgeport, CT, which fosters financial independence for African refugee women by teaching them to sew. “Every week we are able to pick up enough food from Food Rescue resources to provide vegetables, proteins, grains, fruit, milk and bread for the families.”
For John J. Ramos, II, school counselor and assistant head coach at Warren Harding High School, and co-chairman of Adversity to Prosperity 501c3, Food Rescue has truly been a godsend. They have instituted a program called Presidential Plates and through it they feed more than 80 student athletes healthy meals weekdays after school. They are currently feeding all students involved in spring sports at Harding. “Just knowing that our kids are not going to sleep hungry and that they have had something nutritious at some point every day gives me so much pride,” says Ramos.
HOW IT WORKS
The Food Rescue US platform connects food donors with social service agencies that feed the food insecure; volunteer food rescuers deliver the food from point A to point B. “Technology, specifically our proprietary app, is the engine that makes it all work by making it very easy for a food donor, a social service agency and a volunteer food rescuer to register on the app to become part of our smart solution to food insecurity and food waste,” says Shattuck.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Every day, Food Rescue US receives donations of fresh, healthy food from its food donors. It’s easy to volunteer to be a food rescuer: simply download the app to begin. Most rescues take no more than 30 minutes to an hour to complete.
Food Rescue US is the main beneficiary of the Greenwich Wine + Food Festival
