CEO Spotlight: “Waste Not, Want Not” – Inspired by a Family Legacy of Ingenuity

Earlier this month, I was one of the speakers at Green Building Alliance’s Inspire Speakers Series: Decade Debrief where I provided an update on 412 Food Rescue’s story. The theme of the event was sharing stories about how the past informs the future and I drew upon my childhood experiences spending time with my grandparents. They often said “waste not, want not” and in their home nothing was wasted – from food, to string, to newspapers – and they instilled in me and my brothers that resources are limited and that things have value beyond a one-time use. My grandparents were the quintessential older adults who had lived through the Great Depression and in their small town and rural homes they knew food scarcity, job loss and sickness. Because of that experience, their vegetable garden was carefully tended and the produce they grew was central to their diet. They also readily shared what they grew with others in the community, so that nothing went to waste. From them I learned to take care of people and the planet. 

Taking care of people and the planet is our essential mission at 412 Food Rescue. When our co-founders Leah Lizarondo and Gisele Fetterman began this organization they were struck by the statistic that 40% of food is wasted. Vast amounts of resources are used to grow, process, transport, market, shelf and sell produce, meats, dairy, baked goods and other foods, and then 40% ends up in the trash and headed for the landfill where it contributes to climate change, even when it is still fresh and good to eat. And the other side of this equation is that 1 in 5 of our neighbors struggle with putting food on their tables. This could be because of transportation or mobility issues, lack of money to purchase enough food, or lack of grocery stores in their neighborhoods. Whatever the reason, in a country with plenty of food, there is no reason that people should go hungry.  

412 Food Rescue was created to address this problem, by quickly moving food from retailers and grocery stores directly to nonprofits located in areas where people need better food access. In less than 10 years we have created an organization that has changed the lives of our neighbors by increasing access to healthy fresh produce, meats, dairy and other food items. And we have also created an innovative solution – our Food Rescue Hero™ platform – to make sure good food feeds people, not landfills.

My grandparents inspired me to “waste not, want not” by paying attention to resources, taking care of the environment and other people. And now, every day I am also inspired by our team and our volunteers at 412 Food Rescue who bring our community together to reduce food waste and feed our neighbors, using technology for good. 

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