Leah Lizarondo is trying to make sure food moves around a lot more — just not in the direction of a landfill.
Utilizing her experiences and interest in technology, food and civic engagement, Lizarondo is the co-founder and CEO of 412 Food Rescue, an app-based, volunteer food recovery program established in Pittsburgh.
The award-winning social enterprise, which was initially launched via Facebook in 2015, now operates through an app, called “Food Rescue Hero,” that coordinates volunteer drivers who “rescue” leftover food, typically perishables, from local business and retailers. These volunteers then take the food directly to nonprofits and community groups who distribute it to food-insecure individuals.
412 Food Rescue has prevented more than 10 million pounds of food from going to landfills as of 2019. Lizarondo’s social enterprise has since spread to several other cities and amassed a network of more than 10,000 active volunteers — something Lizarondo said indicates how easy it is to incite change.
“We think we are out for ourselves, but we’re not,” she said.
Utilizing her experiences and interest in technology, food and civic engagement, Lizarondo is the co-founder and CEO of 412 Food Rescue, an app-based, volunteer food recovery program established in Pittsburgh.
The award-winning social enterprise, which was initially launched via Facebook in 2015, now operates through an app, called “Food Rescue Hero,” that coordinates volunteer drivers who “rescue” leftover food, typically perishables, from local business and retailers. These volunteers then take the food directly to nonprofits and community groups who distribute it to food-insecure individuals.
412 Food Rescue has prevented more than 10 million pounds of food from going to landfills as of 2019. Lizarondo’s social enterprise has since spread to several other cities and amassed a network of more than 10,000 active volunteers — something Lizarondo said indicates how easy it is to incite change.
“We think we are out for ourselves, but we’re not,” she said.
At the time Lizarondo founded the organization in Pittsburgh, about 40 percent of food produced in the U.S. was being thrown out by individuals, business and corporations. She recalled being shocked by the statistics, because at the same time one in seven people in Allegheny County were going hungry.
“Why are we making more food when we have enough to feed everyone three to four times over?” she said.
Lizarondo, a native of the Philippines, has never experienced food insecurity herself. Her parents, though, had grown up very poor, and was surrounded by hunger while growing up in her home country, where a fifth of the population lives below the national poverty line.
When Lizarondo came to the U.S. in 1997, she was surprised to discover that inequality and food insecurity still persisted in a “first world” country.
She eventually came to Pittsburgh to receive her masters in graduate degree in Public Policy & Technology from Carnegie Mellon University, then spent the following years working at various startups and nonprofits in New York City. She maintained a strong interest in food and attended culinary school there. She eventually moved back to Pittsburgh to raise her kids and began blogging about food, which soon led to her writing about it full time.
It was while writing for Pittsburgh outlets that she was inspired to launch her own startup centered around food and social good after learning about food waste in America. She took the idea of having drivers deliver food from UberEats and figured the Steel City would be a good place to try her idea.
“Pittsburgh is small enough to test things out,” she said.
Lizarondo also explained that Pittsburgh, like many cities, is home to several food deserts. People live far from food sources and lack transportation to get somewhere to buy food, or even get to a food bank or food pantry.
“We make it hard for people to access health,” she said. “We don’t consider their lives.”
Lizarondo said her past experiences working startups and nonprofits informed her strategy for launching 412 Food Rescue and attracting attention. She partnered with influencers — Including co-founder Gisele Fetterman, now the second lady of Pennsylvania — and encouraged media coverage.
The organization now consists of around 25 employees in charge of operations and Lizarondo finds herself doing more administrative work instead of volunteering like at the start. And despite the large amount of volunteers it has now, the organization still runs smoothly. 412 Food Rescue has a 99% pickup rate, Lizarondo said — higher than UberEats' rate of 95%.
Regardless, she said she had confidence in the initiative working well since people like to do good in their communities, particularly in the U.S. Lizarondo described finding the right door to deliver food to as a “bit of a reward” for volunteers.
“Volunteerism is a very American thing,” she said. “People volunteer because of the payoff...you go in, everyone is so happy to see you.”
Lizarondo said 412 Food Rescue has made her more aware of the causes of inequality, as well as increased in her humility. She encouraged people to educate themselves about food waste and buy “only what you need,” as individuals the most signficant offenders when it comes to throwing out food.
Her plans for 412 Food Rescue include expanding to 100 U.S. cities in the next 12 years. She also said she’d like the organization to go international and combat food waste and food insecurity in other countries.
Despite what she’s accomplished in the past few years, Lizarondo said the term “Food Rescue Hero” really only applies to the volunteers who go out into the community to collect and deliver surplus food.
“A hero is everyone who does [collecting]” she said. “I’m just an administrator.”
Janine Faust graduated in April 2020 with a degree in English writing from the University of Pittsburgh. During her time at Pitt, she served as editor-in-chief of The Pitt News and worked as an editorial intern at various Pittsburgh media outlets. She now plans to pursue a career in journalism. When she's not out reporting, she enjoys reading, biking and exploring the Pittsburgh area.
What the judges said:
“Why are we making more food when we have enough to feed everyone three to four times over?” she said.
Lizarondo, a native of the Philippines, has never experienced food insecurity herself. Her parents, though, had grown up very poor, and was surrounded by hunger while growing up in her home country, where a fifth of the population lives below the national poverty line.
When Lizarondo came to the U.S. in 1997, she was surprised to discover that inequality and food insecurity still persisted in a “first world” country.
She eventually came to Pittsburgh to receive her masters in graduate degree in Public Policy & Technology from Carnegie Mellon University, then spent the following years working at various startups and nonprofits in New York City. She maintained a strong interest in food and attended culinary school there. She eventually moved back to Pittsburgh to raise her kids and began blogging about food, which soon led to her writing about it full time.
It was while writing for Pittsburgh outlets that she was inspired to launch her own startup centered around food and social good after learning about food waste in America. She took the idea of having drivers deliver food from UberEats and figured the Steel City would be a good place to try her idea.
“Pittsburgh is small enough to test things out,” she said.
Lizarondo also explained that Pittsburgh, like many cities, is home to several food deserts. People live far from food sources and lack transportation to get somewhere to buy food, or even get to a food bank or food pantry.
“We make it hard for people to access health,” she said. “We don’t consider their lives.”
Lizarondo said her past experiences working startups and nonprofits informed her strategy for launching 412 Food Rescue and attracting attention. She partnered with influencers — Including co-founder Gisele Fetterman, now the second lady of Pennsylvania — and encouraged media coverage.
The organization now consists of around 25 employees in charge of operations and Lizarondo finds herself doing more administrative work instead of volunteering like at the start. And despite the large amount of volunteers it has now, the organization still runs smoothly. 412 Food Rescue has a 99% pickup rate, Lizarondo said — higher than UberEats' rate of 95%.
Regardless, she said she had confidence in the initiative working well since people like to do good in their communities, particularly in the U.S. Lizarondo described finding the right door to deliver food to as a “bit of a reward” for volunteers.
“Volunteerism is a very American thing,” she said. “People volunteer because of the payoff...you go in, everyone is so happy to see you.”
Lizarondo said 412 Food Rescue has made her more aware of the causes of inequality, as well as increased in her humility. She encouraged people to educate themselves about food waste and buy “only what you need,” as individuals the most signficant offenders when it comes to throwing out food.
Her plans for 412 Food Rescue include expanding to 100 U.S. cities in the next 12 years. She also said she’d like the organization to go international and combat food waste and food insecurity in other countries.
Despite what she’s accomplished in the past few years, Lizarondo said the term “Food Rescue Hero” really only applies to the volunteers who go out into the community to collect and deliver surplus food.
“A hero is everyone who does [collecting]” she said. “I’m just an administrator.”
Janine Faust graduated in April 2020 with a degree in English writing from the University of Pittsburgh. During her time at Pitt, she served as editor-in-chief of The Pitt News and worked as an editorial intern at various Pittsburgh media outlets. She now plans to pursue a career in journalism. When she's not out reporting, she enjoys reading, biking and exploring the Pittsburgh area.
What the judges said:
- The author methodically introduces readers to Leah Lizarondo, 412 Food Rescue and Food Rescue Hero, explaining food insecurity and how it can be addressed.
- The third-place article is an engaging profile of Leah Lizarondo with a punchy lede and an ending that circles back nicely to the beginning.