By Jaclyn Elwell, Senior Manager – Strategic Partnerships
Philabundance has long been known for its work to feed the community, and part of that work is rescuing food from retailers through our Grocers Against Hunger program. Last year, we helped save over 10 million pounds of food from going to waste and distributed it to our neighbors facing food insecurity. While we’ve been able to leverage our fleet and network of agencies to rescue these large amounts of food, it has been challenging to find an efficient solution to rescue smaller donations of less than 500 pounds. As a result, tens of thousands of prepared and perishable food have gone to waste. With 1 in 5 people in the Philadelphia area facing food insecurity there is still so much more to be done!
To combat this waste and feed our neighbors in need, Philabundance is excited to announce our partnership with Food Connect – a Philly-based app with an advanced logistics platform that matches donors, drivers and recipients in real time, ensuring food ends up on the plates of those who need it within a few hours. Donors use the app to schedule pickups, donations are matched with volunteer, recipient, or paid drivers, and the food is delivered to shelters with an immediate need for it.
This innovative partnership is being funded by Shipt, a membership-based online grocery marketplace delivering fresh foods and household essentials through a community of shoppers and a convenient app. Shipt is new to the Philadelphia area but has wasted no time connecting with the community. Shipt shoppers have volunteered at our Hunger Relief Center in South Philadelphia and are eager to continue in the fight against hunger.
Combining Shipt’s generosity and grocery delivery knowledge with Food Connects’ proprietary technological platform and Philabundance’s expertise in food recovery, we hope to rescue over 22 thousand pounds of food and recruit 15 new small retails donors in the next 6 months.
Philabundance is grateful for the support of Shipt and Food Connect – we truly can’t do this work alone. There are also ways for you to get involved! Email today to learn how to volunteer to rescue food or if you or someone you know has excess food, schedule a donation here!
