Pittsburgh food rescue scales up as hunger deepens
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios Visuals
A food recovery platform created in Pittsburgh is celebrating 10 years and 250 million pounds of food saved from landfills nationwide.
Why it matters: 412 Food Rescue's Food Rescue Hero app mobilizes tens of thousands of volunteers across two dozen partner organizations nationwide to deliver fresh food directly to those facing insecurity, says CEO Alyssa Cholodofsky.
- "It's like a DoorDash for good," she says, noting Pittsburgh's wealth of tech talent was instrumental in developing the platform.
The big picture: About 1 in 5 Pittsburghers is food insecure, and local food banks are bracing for a surge in demand as SNAP benefits for 2 million Pennsylvanians — including 160,000 in Allegheny County — are set to pause in early November amid the federal shutdown.
Between the lines: Food deserts — neighborhoods with little access to fresh, affordable groceries — coupled with hurdles like scarce transportation only deepen the hunger crisis, Cholodofsky tells Axios.
How it works: Retailers donate items that are fresh but unsellable like produce, bread, dairy, meat or packaged goods close to expiration.
- Volunteers download the Food Rescue Hero app, claim nearby surplus food and deliver it to community partners like pantries, child care centers, veterans' groups and senior homes.
- In Pittsburgh, the platform relies on 400-500 active volunteers annually, says Cholodofsky.
What they're saying: "The food is always good," says Cholodofsky. "Grocery stores may have over-ordered, or sometimes a can is dinged and they can't put it on the shelf. Roughly 70% of what we're rescuing is fresh, so it has to get (to its location) very quickly."
Zoom out: Since its founding, the platform has expanded to include partners in Illinois, Arkansas, California, New York, Colorado, North Dakota and Texas.
What's next: Cholodofsky says the group is recruiting volunteers in Pittsburgh and seeking licensed partners in new cities and countries.
The bottom line: For quick food help during the shutdown, visit pa-navigate.org, call 211, or check pa211.org, feedingpa.org, 412 Food Rescue's resource map or other resources.