A logistics company is searching for volunteers to connect community pantries with food for those in need.
Last Mile Food Rescue is a volunteer-driven logistics partner that collects fresh food throughout Greater Cincinnati that is sellable but would otherwise end up in a landfill. Their operation is expanding to Northern Kentucky and in need of volunteers.
Last Mile recently began picking up and delivering food for Be Concerned, Northern Kentucky’s largest pantry and free food program. In the first week of adding the Be Concerned rescues, Last Mile’s Food Rescue Heroes completed nine additional rescues to pick up and deliver 1,443 pounds of additional food, according to Last Mile.
Similar to the Uber Eats model, volunteers available for “an hour or less” can help pick up food from partnering grocery stores and other sellers. The food is then delivered to one of Last Mile’s 80 nonprofit partners. All rescues are posted on a simple volunteer-facing app that allows drivers to pick up food and follow step-by-step directions from pick up to drop off.
“Our Food Rescue Heroes are the engine behind everything we do to solve the food insecurity problem and keep unused food out of our landfills,” said Julie Shifman, executive director of Last Mile Food Rescue. “Our Uber-like technology makes it simple for a volunteer with a car to take an hour or less of time to have a significant impact,” she added.
Interested volunteers can download the Last Mile Food Rescue app on their smartphones to fill out an application.