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My Food Rescue - Lehigh Valley

Feed hungry people & reduce carbon emissions by rescuing food!

Why My Food Rescue LV needs your support:

My Food Rescue Lehigh Valley is a nonprofit organization that aims to end hunger and food waste in our community. Our mission is to make healthy food accessible to anyone in need and turn this rescued nutrient-dense food into delicious value-added meals free of charge, wherever they are all while reducing carbon emissions.  


The staggering statistic that we waste up to 40% of our food supply while over 800 million are undernourished is an unacceptable disconnect. According to the UN, we produce enough food to feed everyone who is food insecure four times over. Moreover, food waste is one of the leading causes of greenhouse gas emissions. https://www.who.int/news/item/06-07-2022-un-report

My Food Rescue LV will partner with an already existing successful technology platform called Food Rescue Hero which rose out of a demand to respond to this challenge. The technology platform connects donor to volunteer to recipient to address waste at the retail segment of the supply chain, where approximately 40% of food waste occurs—approximately 25 million tons per year in the US. Food Waste Solutions - Reduce Food Waste, Food Recycling & Recovery (refed.org)

We are part of the solution to end food insecurity and affect climate change in 3 ways:

  1. Rescue food that would otherwise be sent to landfills to feed the food insecure.

  2. Turn this rescued nutrient-dense food into delicious value-added meals that can be delivered fresh or frozen. 

  3. Rescue the already rescued food that is past expiration or rotten from going into the landfills and delivering to partnering farms for compost.

Rescues will be carried out around the Greater Lehigh Valley by volunteers using a proprietary app developed by Food Rescue Hero. This technology seamlessly manages the process of collecting fresh food, that would otherwise be sent to landfills, from food donors directly to recipients using volunteers for transportation. The app also collects data for the donors to seamlessly track their food donations for beneficial tax credits. Volunteers will also retrieve compostable food scraps that are past expiration or rotten keeping this food from going into the landfills and delivering to partnering farms for compost.

The state-of-the-art app has already proven to be successful across the United States with fifteen other partners providing similar food rescue services.  There are several notable differences that make My Food Rescue LV unique. Our model addresses nutritious food security versus conventional food security. Up to 90% of what we rescue is perishable food that improves nutrient-dense diet quality for recipients. Our food collection and distribution model will positively impact social, and mental well-being and overall physical health.  Our framework of food justice reduces food insecurity, increases nutrition security, and affects climate change at the same time.

Mission Statement 

Divert fresh, healthy food from the waste stream as well as compostable food scraps using technology and volunteers. Our system eliminates barriers to food access and composting service to measurably reduce food waste, and food insecurity, and impact climate change.

Vision 

To transform access, nutrition security, and the food system by rescuing surplus food and distributing it to people with dignity and efficiency. We want to put fresh, healthy food within reach of everyone! We will additionally support our community by offering a robust composting program for our food donors. 

Examination of Need

1 in 10 people in the Lehigh Valley and across the US are dealing with food insecurity. Nearly 60 million tons — 120 billion pounds —40% of food is wasted every year in the United States, more than any other country in the world. food insecure Archives - Lehigh Valley Sustainability Network (lvsustainabilitynetwork.org) Food Waste in America in 2023: Statistics & Facts | RTS


On September 16, 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and EPA announced the U.S. 2030 Food Loss and Waste Reduction goal, the first-ever domestic goal to reduce food loss and waste. The goal seeks to cut food loss and waste in half by the year 2030. https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/united-states-2030-food-loss-and-waste-reduction-goal#goal  

Funding needs 

My Food Rescue LV


Budget Item

Description

Total Cost

Phase 1-Startup

Bare bones needed to begin operations.


Software

Purchase of the App

$40,000

Website Development

Building a basic website

$4,400

Website Hosting

One Year

$220

Website Maintenance

One Year

$1,020

Administrative Support of Program

Fiscal sponsor provides insurance, 1099 management, grant management, A/R, A/P, Consulting Services

$5,238

TOTAL PHASE 1


$50,878




Phase 2-Growth



Salaries cofounders

Executive Director ($50k), Director Operations ($50k), Director Development ($50k)

$150,000

Marketing

Social media ads, printing materials, entertainment

$15,000

Networking Events

Launch of project, communication support, sustainability, and food rescue conferences

$10,000

Auxiliary Technology

Cell phones per employee @ 3 = $3,000

Computers per employee @ 3 = $2,000

Landline = $500

$5,500

TOTAL PHASE 2


$180,500




Phase 3-Composting



Salary

Compost Manager

$42,000

Rent

Farmland rent

$24,000

Equipment

Materials and goods

$12,000

Subscription

One-Year Use of the App

$1,500

Auxiliary Technology

Cell phones per employee @ 1 = $1,000

Computers per employee @ 1 = $700

$1,700

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Humanitarian Social Innovations
301 Broadway, Suite M100-F
Bethlehem, PA 18015
Phone: (610-) 451--4798
EIN: 46-4779591

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About Humanitarian Social Innovations

Humanitarian Social Innovations is a nonprofit organization with a humanitarian mission to create social impact through fiscal sponsorship, incubation, and mentoring of early stage nonprofits and grassroots movements. Our mission is inspiring and connecting social entrepreneurs with the resources necessary to empower them and to maximize their humanitarian impact. We serve people who impact humanity.