Across the entire food production and consumption chain, up to 40% of all food in the United States never gets eaten. This translates to $218 billion lost.* That is a lot of wasted resources (water, labor, material, transportation, fuel, etc).
According to Feeding America, more than 490,000 Connecticut residents struggle with hunger and more than 131,000 children are food insecure.
In Connecticut, 30% of our municipal solid waste is made up of food and a majority of that food COULD have been eaten.
Replacing the original Food Recovery Hierarchy, the NEW EPA Wasted Food Scale, released in October 2023, prioritizes actions that prevent and divert wasted food from disposal. The scale highlights the most preferred pathways with the most environmental benefits to the least preferred pathways with larger environmental impacts.
According to the E.P.A Wasted Food Scale we should be preventing wasted food as much as possible followed by FEEDING hungry people with surplus food well before we let food go to incineration or landfill.
Are you hungry to rescue food?
Get Involved with Food Rescue US
WHO IS FOOD RESCUE US?
Food Rescue US is dedicated to eliminating hunger and food waste (keeping food out of landfills and reducing greenhouse gasses). We engage volunteers and food donors through our proprietary web-based app to directly transfer fresh excess food to social service agencies serving the food insecure.
Volunteers sign up on our Web Based app and claim the rescue that fits in with their schedules. Our volunteer service suits students looking for community service hours, families who like to rescue after work or on weekends and individuals who want to help reduce local hunger and food waste in their community.
JOIN OUR MOVEMENT
Our app will guide you to available rescues by day, time, or location. Once you’ve signed-up, you will see instructions on where to pick-up the food and deliver it, along with any other details you need to complete the rescue. Sign up here to join our team of Food Waste Warriors.
BECOME A FOOD DONOR OR AGENCY PARTNER
If you are a business or school with a surplus of food or an organization that wants to receive food, please contact your local Site Director to get involved. Sign up HERE to become a donor or agency partner today.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
You’ve got questions. We’ve got answers. Feel free to check out our FAQ Page here, and sign up for our newsletter to keep up to date with the latest. Please contact us for more information.
FAIRFIELD COUNTY
Food Rescue US – Fairfield County
Haley Schulman & Karen Saggese
Co-Site Directors
fairfieldcounty@foodrescue.us
800-280-3298 ext 10
NORTHWEST CONNECTICUT
Food Rescue US – Northwest CT
Colleen Stradtman
cstradtman@foodrescue.us
203-584-0826
Connect with Food Hub
The Northwest Connecticut Regional Food Hub aggregates source-identified locally grown and produced food. NWCT Regional Food Hub picks up produce from farmers around their region and delivers it to wholesale customers who want to know where their food comes from.
School Food Donation Resources and Guides
FOOD DONATION BY CONNECTICUT SCHOOLS
Guidelines & Resources
Produced by Center for EcoTechnology in partnership with CT DEEP and CT Dept. of Health
Produced in 2019, is intended to provide guidance for Connecticut schools on opportunities to donate food internally and externally. The document consolidates federal and state regulations, including information on liability protection, health codes, and more.
BILL EMERSON GOOD SAMARITAN FOOD DONATION ACT
- 2022 Federal Amendment to improve the program, and for other purposes.
- FAQs for Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act
Business Food Donation Resources
Support for food industry donations
BILL EMERSON GOOD SAMARITAN FOOD DONATION ACT
- 2022 Federal Amendment to improve the program, and for other purposes.
- FAQs for Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act
CONNECTICUT FOOD DONATION: LIABILITY PROTECTIONS
Find Surplus Food
Flashfood App allows shoppers to browse grocery store items nearing their best by dates, like meat, fish, dairy, produce and baked goods for up to 50% off. Locations in Connecticut.
Use the Too Good To Go app to explore stores and restaurants in your local area and save surprise bags of surplus food from going to waste at a great price.
GUIDE TO ACCESSING FOOD IN DANBURY
The Danbury Food Collaborative publishes and regularly updates A Guide to Accessing Food in Danbury in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
*savethefood.com