Food Rescue US - DC

Food rescue, also called food recovery, is the practice of collecting fresh, edible food that would have otherwise gone to waste from restaurants, grocers, and other food establishments and distributing it to local social service agencies.

Food Rescue US - DC is the local chapter of the national nonprofit committed to reducing food waste and food insecurity in America through food rescue. Using our web-based app, we engage volunteers to transfer excess fresh food from grocers, restaurants, and other sources, to social service agencies that feed people who are food insecure. 

Since launching in DC in 2016, we have provided over 10 million meals and kept 12 million pounds of excess food out of landfills. In 2023, our DC Site Director Kate Urbank was recognized with the Spirit of Service Award for Community Impact.

Through the use of our web-based app, Food Rescue US has developed a simple solution to connect the vast amount of healthy, usable surplus food with the critical hunger demand:

1. Using our simple and efficient proprietary app, food donors register available fresh food, social service agencies communicate their food needs and details for delivery, and volunteers sign up for a “food rescue.” 

2.  Once a match is made between a food donation opportunity and a social service agency, a volunteer self-schedules to pick up the food from the donor and deliver it directly to the local social service agency serving the community

The beauty of volunteering with Food Rescue US is that volunteers can select the schedule that works for them. Our food rescues are designed to be convenient and quick so that the food spends minimal time in transport. Some of our volunteers rescue food several times each week while others rescue food sporadically throughout the year as it fits into their schedule. We encourage volunteers to "adopt" a weekly rescue so it becomes part of their routine.