In the late 20-teens, a sort of DoorDash service for good began rescuing donated food in Pittsburgh that was nearing its expiration and diverting to other recipients who could use it.

Connecting with hundreds of local businesses, and with the help of an app they designed, 412 Food Rescue had created the largest volunteer-led food transport network in a single urban region by 2019.

25,000 volunteer drivers used a DoorDash-like app called Food Rescue Hero to find donations of food that was perhaps not saleable for aesthetic reasons, or was nearing its sell-by date, or had arrived as part of a shipping or ordering mistake. Collecting it all, the volunteers brought it back to the organization’s Good Food Project kitchen in Millvale, Pittsburgh.

They churned out sometimes 600 meals a day for nonprofits that help feed those in need, while amassing a truly monstrous mess of good—some 70 million pounds of food were turned into 57 million meals, saving 30 million pounds of emissions from the food going to waste.

Fast forward to 2025, and their impact has become truly remarkable. At the close of 2024, they had expanded to include partners in Illinois, Arkansas, California, New York, Colorado, North Dakota, and Texas, who together rescued tens of millions of pounds of food that prevented an estimated 102 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions, which Food Rescue Hero estimates would be the same impact as removing 4,043 cars from the roads for an entire year.

In the United States, as much as 40% of the food we produce goes to waste—contributing substantially to greenhouse gas emissions along the way—while one in seven people goes hungry.

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“We were founded on the principle that people are wired for good,” says Food Rescue Hero CEO Alyssa Cholodofsky, “and our Food Rescue Hero community has validated that belief many times over.”

“Ours is a story of regular people helping each other and working together to take on some of the biggest challenges facing our world. Two hundred and fifty million pounds is just the beginning.”

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With 250 million pounds rescued, and 450 million pounds of emissions prevented, it’s the proof that people-powered solutions can prevail in the face of the biggest challenges we face today.

There are dozens of ways to get involved with 412 Food Rescue, for those in the Pittsburgh area, or Food Rescue Hero, their nationwide collaboration. More information can be found on their websites.

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