5 Questions for Taelor Denton, Site Director of Food Rescue US – Quad Cities
Meet the leader who sparked a growing food recovery movement in Iowa
As soon as Taelor Denton graduated from university with a degree in science and a focus on nutrition, she set out to tackle the problems she’d studied—food waste, food insecurity, and access to healthy food. Determined to find a solution that didn’t reinvent the wheel, she discovered Food Rescue US and immediately recognized the power of its technology to manage the complex logistics of food recovery.
Since launching Food Rescue US – Quad Cities in 2022, Taelor has built a dynamic volunteer network that spans both sides of the Mississippi River, connecting surplus food from food retailers with agencies in communities facing food access challenges. With a focus on partnership, logistics, and community impact, she’s bringing structure and collaboration to an area that needs both.
In this Q&A, Taelor shares how she got started, what makes the Quad Cities unique, and why food rescue is all about connection.
Q: What’s your Food Rescue US origin story? How did you get started doing this work?
Taelor: My degree is in science with a focus on nutrition. I learned about our global food system and how much food is wasted on a global scale, along with issues of food insecurity and malnutrition. So, I was fired up about it when I graduated in the summer of 2022.
I just started researching my options. I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel, but I was sure we needed something to bring together volunteers who are interested in reducing food waste. And then, as I got to know the food landscape here in the Quad Cities, I realized that there was definitely a need for help with transportation, and I was in a position to do something about it. I found Food Rescue US and joined them because of their app. It’s a great tool to manage the complex logistics of our growing food recovery operation.
Q: Tell us about Quad Cities. What makes the community unique?
Taelor: Quad Cities is technically just four cities, two on the Iowa side and two on the Illinois side. We sit right on the Mississippi River, where there’s a lot of manufacturing and really big factories. So it’s a lot of working-class folk who are struggling to make ends meet. And it’s very diverse too – you can drive 10 minutes from the absolute country with nothing in sight but farmland, and then all of a sudden you’re in a metropolitan area. It’s very diverse and unique. There are folks from all over the world.
And there’s a big issue with food deserts here as well, because everything is really concentrated in just a couple of streets downtown, but in other parts of town, there’s nothing.
We’ll pick up from a lot of stores on the Iowa side and take the food across the river to agencies on the Illinois side. Rock Island, in particular, has a serious food desert issue, with a lack of grocery stores offering a variety of good food options. So, yeah, it’s really an exercise in rebalancing the flow of food from areas with a surplus to communities where it’s needed.
Q: Describe your model for food rescue in Quad Cities
Taelor: When I first started, I asked around to figure out what the need was. We quickly discovered that the food pantries already had donations from retailers, but they didn’t have logistics in place to manage volunteers, track donations, and set schedules. We coordinated with the Scott County Health Department to identify which food pantries needed help receiving their donations, and we had a lot of work to do almost immediately. We brought structure and organization to the process.
I made it clear to all of our partners that we’re not here to take over anything – just lend logistical support. Think of us as a service to you. Now we receive calls from large food banks to help distribute food in the community.
We do about 6 or 7 rescues every day, except on weekends, when there are only a couple. Our biggest donors are Walmart, Target, and Quickstar.
Q: What does your typical day look like?
Taelor: I really rely on the app. Every day, I’m looking to see which volunteers have claimed which rescues, which ones still need to be claimed, which ones I might be able to fit into my schedule, or who I can call. It’s great to have all the information right there on my phone.
I have some flexibility because I work for myself as a dog walker and trainer. But that balance is tricky because sometimes you get volunteers who claim rescues and then drop them at the last minute. I’ll pick those up whenever I can because I don’t want to miss those opportunities.
Q: What advice would you give to somebody who’s interested in starting a Food Rescue US site?
Taelor: I would say surround yourself with like-minded people. Find your allies – identify the agencies and the people within those agencies who share your vision and understand the importance of this work. Go in with the mindset that you’re here to serve your community and make it better; it’s not about competing with people.
One of my favorite things about food rescue is how it seems to be bringing so many people together. All of these agencies that were competing for food sources are sharing now, and they’re communicating with one another. And it’s creating an environment where we’re helping each other successfully feed this community. And that is the number one priority.