The ReFED COVID-19 Food Waste Solutions Fund

Last Updated 12/2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has completely disrupted the food supply chain, resulting in a surge of on-farm food loss, food business closures, and a growing number of food insecure individuals. In response to these challenges, we launched the ReFED COVID-19 Food Waste Solutions Fund to quickly deliver more than $3.5 million in vital funding to mid-sized organizations that could rapidly scale food waste reduction and hunger relief efforts.

The ReFED COVID-19 Food Waste Solutions Fund is a streamlined, one-stop, rapid response vehicle for donors to deliver critical support to these organizations. 100 percent of donations were directed to well-vetted food waste solution providers on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. The Fund raised and distributed more than $3.5 million to 37 for-profit and nonprofit organizations that collectively drove impact of more than 90 million pounds of food waste prevented (or 75 million meals) rescued within 90 days. We continue to help these organizations grow their impact beyond financial support by facilitating coordination and collaboration among the grantees, as well as connections to potential funders and partners.

Beyond these 37 organizations, there are many others doing impactful work. To continue saving as much food as possible from going to waste along the supply chain and getting it to people in need, ReFED continues to showcase the work of other food waste heroes in our COVID-19 Food Waste Fundable Initiatives Directory to help them attract additional funding and partnerships to fully scale their work.

In collaboration with

The REFED COVID-19 Food Waste Solutions Fund

Grantees:

412 Food Rescue

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Aloha Harvest

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BlueCart

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Boston Area Gleaners

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Brighter Bites

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Central Pennsylvania Food Bank

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DC Central Kitchen

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Dreaming Out Loud

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FarmDrop

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FarmLink

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Food Connect

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Food Forward

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Food Rescue Alliance

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Food Rescue US

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Forager

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Full Harvest

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Goodr

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Harvard Food Law & Policy Clinic

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Harvest Against Hunger

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L&M Companies

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Lovin’ Spoonfuls

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Move for Hunger

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Natural Upcycling

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Oceanside Unified School District

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Partnership for a Healthier America

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Plentiful (City Harvest)

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Replate

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Seashare

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Second Harvest Heartland

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Second Servings of Houston

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Table to Table

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Take Care (Bitwise Industries)

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The Wave Foundation

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Treasure8

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United Against Poverty

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Vermont Foodbank

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White Pony Express

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Priority Solution Focus Areas

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Prevention and recovery of fresh and healthy otherwise wasted food, especially at the farm level

Increase the preservation and rescue of food that would otherwise go to waste through new sales markets, donation outlets, or processing techniques.

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Elimination of logistical constraints along the entire food supply chain

Increase the coordination and distribution of otherwise wasted food on a more frequent basis and in ways that account for the requirements of particular food types and form factors – as well as leveraging idle, available capacity such as cold storage.

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Last-mile delivery — distributing directly to end recipients, especially vulnerable populations facing food insecurity

Increase the delivery of nutritionally-rich food to individuals in a convenient and dignified way.