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Food Rescue

What is Food Rescue?

Food rescue is the process of redirecting high-quality food that might go to waste to people who need it. In the United States, nearly 40% of the food that is produced is wasted. Much of this food is high-quality and healthy to consume. By redirecting that food to our neighbors in need, City Harvest is fighting hunger and food waste through food rescue.

Since our founding more than 40 years ago, City Harvest has rescued more than one billion pounds of surplus food that would have otherwise gone to waste and delivered it, free of charge, to our partner food pantries and soup kitchens, Community Partner Distributions and our Mobile Markets® to help feed New Yorkers experiencing food insecurity. More than 70% of the food that we rescue and deliver is fresh produce. City Harvest is committed to sourcing culturally desired foods that meet the preferences, dietary, and religious needs of New Yorkers from all backgrounds and delivering these foods into the neighborhoods across all five boroughs where they are needed most.

How We Rescue Food

  • Surplus Food

    Nearly 1,600 generous food businesses—including farms, grocers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and restaurants—donate excess food to City Harvest. 

  • Trucks on the Road

    City Harvest’s fleet of 23 food rescue trucks, including three tractor trailers, is on the road seven days a week, picking up from our food donors and dropping off at our network of 400 food pantries, soup kitchens, and community food programs.

  • Food Rescue Center

    Our 150,000-square-foot home in Sunset Park, Brooklyn has been designed to accommodate the growth our food rescue and delivery operations to meet current and future levels of need for food assistance in our city.

  • Distribution & Food Programs

    Our drivers deliver the food we rescue—free of charge—to 400 food pantries, soup kitchens, our own Mobile Markets®, Community Partner Distributions, and other community food programs across New York City so that our fellow New Yorkers can enjoy fresh, nutritious foods that fit their cultural, religious, and dietary needs.

  • Investing in our Agency Partners

    We offer support to help our partner agencies serve more New Yorkers more efficiently, including providing grants, trainings, and equipment, to best meet the needs of their communities. 

Food Rescue & the Environment

#1

Food waste is the single biggest material placed in municipal landfills.

58%

Food waste causes an estimated 58% of methane emissions from municipal landfills, a key contributor to climate change.

86M+

The number of pounds of food that City Harvest will divert from landfills this year.

25.4M

Our food rescue this year will stop 25.4 million kilograms of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.

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Meeting Cultural and Religious Dietary Needs

City Harvest works to ensure New Yorkers with specific dietary needs also have access to nutritious, and culturally appropriate foods through our kosher and halal food rescue programs. We also strive to provide a variety of culturally appropriate foods to the many communities that call New York City home.

Kosher Food Rescue

Right now, 1 in 5 Jewish families in New York are struggling to make ends meet. Since 1999, we have collected and delivered more than 106 million pounds of kosher food to kosher community food programs across the city. This year, we plan to rescue and distribute 7.9 million pounds of food, including fresh produce and kosher meat, to 24 kosher community food programs across the city.

Halal Food Rescue

City Harvest partners with seven halal food programs across New York City. This year, we plan to rescue and distribute more than 1.9 million pounds of food, including fresh produce and halal meat, to seven halal food programs across New York City. Since its founding in 2021, our halal program has collected and distributed over 12 million pounds of fresh produce and halal meats to partners across the city.

Join the Food Rescue Movement

Become a Food Donor

Donate Funds

Volunteer with City Harvest

Reduce Food Waste in Your Own Home

Run or Participate in a Food Drive

Opportunities for Children

Feeding Our City Today and For Years to Come

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