Volunteer Opportunity - Vancouver Food Runners

VANCOUVER FOOD RUNNERS

Vancouver Food Runners is a local registered nonprofit that was founded as a direct response to the disconnect between food waste, hunger and environmental sustainability.

40% of food is wasted, while 1 in 9 in BC are food insecure. Vancouver Food Runners bridges the disconnect with innovative app technology and our team of volunteer food drivers.

Our model of food recovery prevents perfectly good food from entering the waste stream and brings healthy, fresh food directly to our community partners working with those experiencing food insecurity.

What has Vancouver Food Runners accomplished since launching in March 2020?

508,000 pounds of food distributed (423,300 equivalent meals)

220,675 pounds of carbon dioxide mitigated from the environment

1200 volunteers registered on our Vancouver Food Runners app

Over 150 food donors and over 50 community partners

How does the program work?

1. Surplus food is donated by a food supplier (e.g., restaurant, bakery, grocery store, food prep company, food wholesaler)

2. A volunteer claims the food rescue in the app and then collects the food

3. The volunteer immediately delivers the food to the assigned community parter that will distribute the food to those in need

What makes Vancouver Food Runners different?

No commitment volunteering: Volunteers can do food runs as often as they want. Many of us have unpredictable schedules and can’t commit to volunteering on a specific day or time. We get that! There are food rescues all over Vancouver at different times of the day. Check out the app, see what works for you, claim the food run - it’s that simple!

We use technology: Our Vancouver Food Runners app is an end-to-end system. It matches food donations to the appropriate charity, coordinates a last-mile transportation network of volunteers, and tracks data and analytics. If you’re a volunteer food runner, it even tracks your own personal impact on hunger and the environment.

Solving the “last mile” distribution challenge: Traditional models of surplus food distribution often rely on trucks and storage facilities, which can be incredibly expensive. Often, it just doesn’t work! Partnering with a team of volunteers, we can immediately get fresh food to those who are hungry in our community, especially those hard-to-reach pockets of the city with the greatest need.

Learn more:

www.vancouverfoodrunners.com

Instagram: @vancouver_food_runners

Facebook: @vancouverfoodrunners

Download the app: Apple Store and Google Play.

#vancouverfoodrunners

#feedtheneed

#endfoodwaste

#foodrescueheroes