The Lives of EMI: Last Mile Food Rescue

During a time when nothing is certain, I do know one thing – I am very fortunate.  I am fortunate to have a full-time job where I can work from home, a healthy family, a safe warm home, and the ability to stock my pantry and refrigerator with food.  I don’t say all this to brag, but simply as a reminder to myself that this isn’t the case for everyone. 

In honor of January being Poverty Awareness Month, I wanted to take a moment and share my recent volunteering experience.  Both my sister and my sister-in-law work in the non-profit space, and it has motivated me to give back more!  It’s come to my attention recently that Hamilton County produces the equivalent of 22,000 trash trucks of food waste.  Further, more than 40% of food produced in the US gets tossed out, while 1 in 5 people go hungry.  So, I asked myself, what can I do to help?  Long story short, I’ve been a proud “food rescue hero” for the past 6 weeks! 

A client of my sister’s company, Last Mile Food Rescue, was founded in 2020 and is known as “the Uber for food pickup.”  By using the power of volunteers fueled by technology, they connect Food Donors with nonprofits who serve the region’s food insecure, fighting food waste and helping to end the hunger that’s closest to home. To date, they have been able to rescue more than 1 million pounds of food that would have otherwise been thrown out for various reasons!  They do this by utilizing a user-friendly app that can be downloaded to any smartphone, highlighting your direct impact on food insecurity in Cincinnati every time you volunteer for a food pickup/drop-off.  There are several options for volunteers depending on vehicle size, availability, and location!  For example, volunteers can do a quick rescue from a nearby UDF, or larger pickups from Kroger, local restaurants, stadiums, or food pantries (anywhere that has partnerships with Last Mile).

I began by simply downloading the app, searching the map for nearby pickup opportunities, and I found one that was a great match for me!  Since early December, I dedicate 30-45 minutes on my lunch break every Thursday to rescuing food!  When Thursday rolls around, I open the app and begin my step-by-step instructions for that day’s rescue.  First, I call my nearby UDF to ensure they have a food donation set aside for that day.  If so, and they typically do, I head down the road to UDF where they now know me by name (and vehicle) for the pick-up.  I then proceed to load up my Jeep with perishable food items, such as milk, juice, donuts, pre-made sandwiches, etc. 

Once I’m loaded up, I take the goodies to a nearby church, which is also the site for a daily food pantry and a soup kitchen location from 3-5 PM on Tuesdays.  The church distributes this perishable food to those in need, further flattening the curve of food insecurity in the area.  They host food drives for most of their food, and then partner with UDF as a source of milk and grab-and-go items that aren’t as shelf stable for a food drive. 

It’s a cool concept and an initiative I’m proud to be a small part of!  Good food belongs to people, not landfills.

For more information, please visit Last Mile Food Rescue’s site at www.lastmilefood.org.