Food for All 2017: Benefit to End Food Insecurity in Fairfield County Presented by Whole Foods

We are thrilled to invite you to attend our signature annual fundraising event, Food for All, presented by Whole Foods Market on April 26 at 6:30 pm at Abigail Kirsch at The Loading Dock.

The event highlights our Food Rescue US goals for the coming year, celebrates our milestones, and is an important way we express our gratitude to the many volunteers and supporters who share in the desire to put an end to food insecurity in our community by rescuing food. 

Purchase Tickets

The event itself has become one of Fairfield County’s most popular annual events, featuring the hottest restaurants and artisans on the local dining scene. This year’s craft cocktail bars will be presented by the mix masters of Match, Cask Republic and Room 112. Food Rescue US is grateful for the generous sponsorship of this year’s event: Naming Sponsor Whole Foods Market, Northern Trust, MAV Foundation, Moffly Media, Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, Nestle Waters, CTbites and The Elizabeth and Joseph Massoud Family Foundation.

“Every year we are able to make a larger and larger dent in Fairfield County hunger because of this fun and delicious event. This year our sights are set on raising the funds necessary to rescue and deliver 2.5 million meals and because of our game-changing hunger relief platform and the generosity of those who attend Food For All that’s a real possibility!” said Kevin Mullins, Executive Director and co-founder of Food Rescue US.

Event Details

Time: 6:30-9 PM
Location: Abigail Kirsch at The Loading Dock, 375 Fairfield Avenue, Stamford, CT 06902
Tickets: $100

Featured Restaurants

  • Abigail Kirsch
  • Bareburger
  • Broken Symmetry
  • Eggz
  • Fjord Fish Market
  • Fleisher’s Craft Kitchen
  • Fortina
  • Hapa Food Truck
  • Harlan Publick
  • India
  • Killer B
  • Mecha
  • South End
  • Village Tavern
  • Whole Foods Market

Craft Cocktail Bars

  • Match
  • Cask Republic
  • Room 112

Opportunity: Food Rescue US Office Administrator

Position

Food Rescue US is seeking a part time office administrator to work in our Norwalk office (our only office). This position provides support for the Executive Director, the organizations national sites and reports directly to the Executive Director.

Position Benefits

• Part-time salary

• Ground floor access and voice to help build a game-changing, innovative food justice platform

• Ability to work directly with Food Rescue US’s core team including our National Site Director & Executive Director

• Opportunity to see direct impact on underserved, food insecure people

Responsibilities

• Compose/edit correspondence.

• Schedule appointments and manage company’s schedule

• Answer the telephone with a pleasant and professional demeanor

• Manage incoming and outgoing mail and email

• Filing, faxing, copying, etc.

• Light bookkeeping

• Data entry into and maintenance of proprietary food rescue application

• CRM entry and maintenance

• Responsible for processing donations and gift entry

• Manages a timely donor acknowledgment process, with close attention to detail

• Provides planning support for special events, including communicating with vendors, caterers, event set-up/prep, purchasing supplies

Qualifications

• Interest in non-profit organizations, passion for the cause and desire to learning about and

supporting Food Rescue US’s mission.

• Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills

• Proficiency in Quickbooks

• Knowledge of: Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Twitter, Facebook

• Knowledge of HTML, WordPress, Adobe Suites and database management systems a plus

• Strong interpersonal, oral, and written communications skills

• Detail oriented and solid personal organizational skills

• Ability to manage time, balance multiple tasks, and meet deadlines

• Using web-based CRM for gift entry/processing

• Proficient with mail merge

• Ability (or willingness to learn) to generate various lists using CRM for staff support

Compensation & Time

We are looking to fill this position as soon as possible.

Compensation: $20 per hour

Time: 15-20 hours per week, schedule can be determined based on availability, some hours can be completed remotely, some set office hours.

Location: Office location in Norwalk, CT

· Application Deadline: March 3, 2017; Will review applications on a rolling basis

How to Apply: To apply, send cover letter and resume to opportunities@foodrescue.us. Please include “Office Administrator” in the subject line.

February Newsletter

We are Looking For Volunteers!

We have launched our annual Volunteer Drive across all our sites and are actively looking for volunteers to join the food rescue revolution. Food Rescuers are the bedrock of our operations and as you all know, the more we volunteers we have, the more neighbors we can feed. So if you have friends, family, colleagues, etc., who may be interested in joining us please get in touch with your local site director. We can end this problem together!

Whole Foods Market Kicks off Food for All 2017

Whole Foods Market, the Naming Sponsor for Food for All, sets the bar high for this year’s event with a generous donation of $26,589! Food Rescue US was selected as the recipient of the WFM’s 5% Day in 6 Fairfield County stores. Thanks to our volunteers who helped spread the word and customers who shopped!

Speaking of Food for All…Save the date for April 26 at the Loading Dock in Stamford, CT! Email invitation and ticket information will be available soon.

Spotlight on Columbus

Calling all bourbon drinkers – thirsty to own a piece of history? Here’s your chance! Our Columbus site received a rare, collectible bottle of 1982 O.F.C Bourbon as a donation from Buffalo Trace Distillery. There are just 50 in the country. You can own this bottle today by participating in our online auction, available only until Feb. 28!

Volunteers Share the Love

Food Rescuers across the country are celebrating the spirit of Valentine’s Day by making a donation of $47.12 – the value of 2 hours of volunteer time – in honor of someone special. We’re so grateful for our volunteers and how much they care for hungry people in the community. Thank you!

March 9: Give Where You Live

Support Food Rescue US on Fairfield County Gives Day! This one-day effort by Fairfield County’s Community Foundation inspires and empowers our community to make a difference through 24 hours of collective generosity. Last year, over $1.2 million was raised to support local causes.

 

Community Plates Becomes Food Rescue US; Launches New App

Community Plates, the volunteer driven, direct transfer, national food recovery organization,  has changed its name to Food Rescue US (FRUS) and has launched the next generation of their award winning app.  FRUS is focused on transferring healthy, usable foods to where it can feed those in need. This volunteer driven, technology fueled process coordinates with restaurants, grocers, bakeries, caterers and other food-service organizations, who have foods destined to be thrown away, and delivers the food to soup kitchens, food pantries and other hunger relief organizations serving food insecure individuals and families.

Established in 2011, Food Rescue US, specializes in large scale, grassroots, fresh food recovery resulting in equally large scale waste reduction. Currently operating in ten locations around the country, to date the organization has rescued and delivered over 16.6 million meals, saving 25 million pounds of food from landfill, at an estimated value of $42.3 million.

Executive Director, Kevin Mullins stated, “We’re excited to have a new name that better reflects our national focus and continued expansion initiative.  Through the recovery and direct transfer of fresh food, we have seen our national impact grow and intensify.  The launch of the next generation of the app is even more important as we move toward our expansion goal of 25 sites by the end of 2017.  We are actively seeking individuals and organizations to partner with us and bring FRUS to their communities. Our simple solution to ending local hunger works everywhere.”

The FRUS app, now available in the app store, is a unique, proprietary tool, allowing collaboration on an unlimited scale. The technology empowers individuals or food industry organizations, nonprofit and for profit alike,  to start a new food rescue community or expand an existing  food rescue program. Improvements include:

  • Viewing  the complete food rescue schedule through the Volunteer Food Rescuer Portal
  • Sign up for food rescues at the volunteer’s convenience
  • Following the Food Rescue Matching algorithm based on supply, demand, capacity and distance
  • Food Donors list and track their food donations through the Food Donor Portal
  • Allows the front line hunger relief organizations to list their specific needs and track the food they receive through the Receiving Agency Portal.

Download Our New App

We’re excited to announce our next generation app, now available for download!

The Food Rescue US app helps connect fresh usable excess food with hunger relief organizations who serve America’s food insecure population.

 

  • Available in the iOS App store
  • Faster, easier
  • New features so we (you!) can rescue more food
  • On-demand, self-scheduling volunteering
  • Volunteer recognition program

Big News! We’ve Changed Our Name and Launched a New App

Since 2011, food rescuers at Community Plates have delivered over 15 million fresh and healthy meals to people who don’t have enough to eat. Now it’s time for something even bigger. We’re proud to launch a new app – available for download now in the iOS store – that will make food rescue simple and seamless wherever you are.

And as we lead the food rescue movement from coast to coast, we’re excited to introduce you to our new name – one that shows who we are and where we’re heading.

Community Plates is now Food Rescue US.

 

Happy 2017 Food Rescue Community!

Best wishes for a fresh and healthy 2017!

Thank you to the 300 restaurants, grocers, and farmers markets; 120 shelters, soup kitchens, and food pantries; and to our volunteers and 10 national sites that make up this wonderful and growing food rescue community.

We look forward to our most impactful year with you yet!

Happy Holidays From Our Family to Yours

Friends,

Kevin_webIt’s kind of mind-boggling what all of you accomplished this year. Now that we’re tallying up this year’s food rescue effort, it adds up to more than 5 million meals rescued and delivered to people who need access to fresh food in the US. 5 MILLION MEALS! And I’m saying you did this because if you rescued, donated, or distributed food through Community Plates this year, you made it happen. Those of you who were able to support us financially also played an invaluable part in this 2016 success. So to all of the individual “you’s”…thank you for your passion, compassion and generosity.

In 2017 our vision is to be everywhere you are. To some degree, we always have been but stay tuned for some news early in the new year that will make it clear where we are going together (spoiler alert: it’s everywhere.)

On behalf of everyone at Community Plates, our best wishes for the Warmest and Happiest Holiday Season.

Food For All,

Kevin

Kevin Mullins
Co-founder/Executive Director, Community Plates

Meet the Team: Nicole Straight, Fairfield County Site Director

 

Hometown/Current City:
Los Gatos, CA/ Westport, CT

What is your role at Community Plates?
Fairfield County Site Director.

What’s on your desk?
I don’t use a desk, I do everything on mobile so I can work anywhere.  I’m sitting on the couch at the moment!

What do you like to do in your free time?
I’m an avid poker player and have been playing for the past 10 years. I love to listen to Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Star Talk podcasts among many others. I’m also a self proclaimed music nerd and dream of dj’ing, but I get too tired after 10:00 pm…

How/when did you first become inspired around issues of American food insecurity?
I’ve worked in the food industry for the past 15 years, and have always been shocked at how much food gets thrown away while prepping.  It’s always been a source of frustration that chefs didn’t creatively repurpose the scraps, it would feed so many hungry people.

Who or what inspires you most?
I have been practicing Buddhism for the past 13 years, and am always inspired by the wisdom and gentleness of Sharon Salzberg and Pema Chodron.

If there is one thing you recommend we could do to end hunger our communities, what would it be?
Slow down.  We are all so consumed with our own “busyness” that we forget to slow down and notice people.  You’d be surprised how taking just a little time to give a little service can help so many people.  It also feels really good.  We don’t have to do these big global things to help,  choosing to take one small action of giving service, really does make a very big difference.