Ridesharing-style technology is helping deliver food to households in need by Food Rescue Hero.
The group uses what a news release calls the “world’s largest network of on-demand volunteer drivers” to transport surplus food from businesses to access points for food-insecure communities. Since 2020, the Food Rescue Hero’s home delivery program has also brought donations directly to the doors of households facing the greatest barriers to food access, according to the release.
Launched as a response to the isolation and reduction in services experienced by vulnerable people during the pandemic, the group’s home delivery program was initially piloted in the Greater Pittsburgh area, one of 25 cities served by the nonprofit platform, the release said.
The company says early successes led to expansion, and the program has now delivered over 245,184 pounds of fresh, healthy food, translating to over 100,000 meals, with the help of 1,413 dedicated volunteers who go through an extra level of clearance on the Food Rescue Hero app to claim these rescues.
“There’s a reason why the home delivery market is growing,” Food Rescue Hero Founder and Strategic Advisor Leah Lizarondo said in the release. “There is a consumer need. And that need exists not only among those who have the privilege to be able to pay for commercial services. In fact, it is more pronounced for those who aren’t able to afford such conveniences.”
Barriers to access
One major barrier to food access is transportation, the group said.
A USDA study found that 35% of those living below the poverty line travel to their primary food store by using public transit, biking, walking, borrowing a car or some means other than driving a car they own.
Old age and disability are also barriers, the USDA said. Nearly 7% of seniors were food-insecure in 2020, the release said, and food prices have only gone up since then.
Of households with an adult who receives state disability benefits, 22% are food-insecure, and in households with an adult who is disabled but does not receive benefits, 33% are food insecure.
Women, people of color and those of lower socioeconomic status are the most likely among all workers to hold frontline positions, requiring in-person labor, the release said. Affordable child care and the lack of convenient transportation also hinder food shopping.
Food Rescue Hero says it intends for its home delivery model not only to reach increasing numbers of people, but also to motivate a broader shift toward accessibility across the sector.
“Our social services must keep pace with the innovations of the private sector, making use of up-to-date technology and human-centered design,” Lizarondo said. “That’s why we’re leaning into home delivery. We believe it’s the future of food assistance.”
