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 through food rescue.

Using our proprietary web-based app, we engage volunteers to transfer excess fresh food from local businesses to nearby 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.

At Food Rescue US, we've created a simple yet powerful solution to connect the abundance of fresh, surplus food in our community with those who need it most. Using our user-friendly web-based app, volunteers can easily make a direct impact by recovering food that would otherwise go to waste, and delivering it to local organizations that feed people experiencing food insecurity.

How the App Works:

• Food donors (local businesses, grocers, restaurants) notify us that they have surplus food.
• Social service agencies communicate their needs and are matched with fitting food donors.
• Volunteers sign up for food rescues: picking up food from the donor and immediately delivering it to the assigned agency.

Volunteers self-schedule rescues that fit into their daily life, with most rescues taking under an hour from pick-up to drop-off. Whether you can help once a week or once a month, every rescue makes a difference.

Many of our volunteers “adopt” a weekly rescue, turning it into a rewarding routine. Others jump in whenever their schedule allows. You choose how and when to help.

Join the growing network of rescuers who are fighting food waste and hunger across the DMV!