Meet the Team Behind: Rescuing Leftover Cuisine

Rescuing Leftover Cuisine fights food waste and hunger by redistributing surplus meals from businesses to communities in need—turning excess into access through a network of everyday volunteers. Learn more here!

What is your mission? 

We redistribute excess food to people experiencing food insecurity, ensuring that the only thing left behind is hunger. We’re headquartered in New York City but work across the United States to feed people instead of landfills. Our founder, Robert Lee, was inspired by his own experiences with food insecurity as a child. He was very familiar with the hunger issues facing our society, leading him to start Rescuing Leftover Cuisine. 

Can you tell me about the need for your work?

Wasted food is a drain on our natural resources, our wallets, and our communities. 40% of food in the US is thrown away, while 1 in 8 Americans are facing food insecurity.  There are billions of pounds of food being wasted instead of going to those who need it. Nationally, we spend hundreds of billions of dollars growing, processing, and disposing of food that is never eaten. If we diverted just 15% of all wasted food, we’d reduce the number of food insecure Americans by 50%. 

What is your solution to food insecurity? 

Food rescue closes the gap between wasted food and food insecurity with food that already exists. Our solution works by matching our food donors to nonprofit organizations feeding the food insecure in our communities. With the help of our proprietary technology and amazing rescuers, we’re able to efficiently redistribute that excess food on a daily basis. Since 2013, we’ve provided over 19 million meals to those in need and diverted over 53 million pounds of food from ending up in landfills. 

How do organizations receive food? 

We strategically match each of our food donors to each organization we serve, working around their specific needs, schedules, and storage capacities. Organizations choose between delivery options such as prepared food, produce, baked goods, or pre-packaged meals. Food safety is always our priority, and all donations comply with our strict food guidelines. We make donating food easy— no donation is too small, and we coordinate pickups on the schedule of your choice.