Laura Petrilla
In a bi-weekly series, we re interviewing female executives, founders, CEOs basically, boss ladies on their power suit a.k.a. the outfit they wear every day for easy dressing to conquer whatever the job throws at them.
The pandemic has impacted nearly every aspect of our lives. Now, more than 50 million American face hunger, according to Feeding America 15 million more than reported in 2019. It s a staggering and scary stat, but thankfully numerous nonprofits and volunteers are springing into action to help those in need.
Food Rescue Hero is one of those groups. As its CEO and co-founder, Leah Lizarondo, describes it, Food Rescue Hero is a DoorDash for food surplus: A user downloads the Food Rescue Hero app and volunteers to pick up food surplus from grocery stores like Safeway, Giant, or Whole Foods, then delivers it directly to families or individuals struggling with food insecurity. The company launched in 2018 and is currently in 12 cities; from then to now,
412 Food Rescue Expands Its Efforts to Provide Hunger Relief to the Region By employing its technology to power efforts such as Downtown Community Takeout, the organization is serving as an essential cog in the wheel of many programs.
January 29, 2021
PHOTOS COURTESY 412 FOOD RESCUE
412 Food Rescue is best known for moving surplus food that would have otherwise gone to waste into the kitchens of people who can use it. It’s an extraordinary effort that has impacted the lives of tens of thousands of people throughout the region since the nonprofit launched in March 2015. 412 Food Rescue’s most recent impact report notes that the organization worked with 744 donors to rescue and distribute 7,941,689 pounds of food from January to November 2020.