Our food rescue programs saved 450,000 pounds of food from going to waste!
Food rescue, also called food recovery or food salvage, is gathering edible food that would otherwise go to waste from places such as restaurants, grocery stores, farm fields, or dining facilities, and distributing it to those in need.
The City of Riverside and the Riverside Food Coop teamed up to create the Riverside Food Rescue program, thanks to a grant from CalRecycle.
Gleaners harvest foods that would otherwise be left in the field to go to waste.
The Riverside Food Rescue Program picks up leftover food from local food facilities and redistributes it to agencies that offer hunger relief, including food pantries, soup kitchens, and homeless shelters.
For information about becoming a food donor or recipient organization, please contact:
Refrigerated Van
The ChowMatch app is available for food donors to submit a request for food pick-ups or fruit gleaning. After the request is sent, the Riverside Food Co-op will send a food runner to pick up food for redistribution to a hunger relief organization.
Want to get involved in preventing food waste and help alleviate food insecurity? Become a donor. The food we pick up can be frozen, ready to eat, fresh produce, or packaged. Benefits for participating in the Food Rescue Program include tax deductions, recognition and waste reduction!
The Riverside Food Rescue and Waste Reduction Ambassador program is a free, 40-hour certificate program that includes five workshops followed by a community-based project. Workshops include 20 hours of lecture with industry guest speakers, field trips, and hands-on experience. Participants also complete 20 hours of volunteer work or a project pertaining to food rescue and waste reduction. Activities might include:
For more information about the Food Ambassador Certification Program or food salvage, please contact:
During 2020, USDA contracted with RUSD’s Food Hub to purchase and distribute produce for the Farmers to Families Food Box program. The contract provided funding to purchase from local farmers, for packing the boxes, and for distributing the boxes to food pantries, churches, food banks, and other non-profits that are doing food access work.
Help by donating to our organization or become a sponsor.
Help by volunteering your time or joining us. Fill out our application.
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© 2021 Riverside Food Systems Alliance
