FHE Night
Monday evenings
Repackage, prep and process rescued food.
Details & sign up for FHE Night (opens in a new tab)The problem
Perfectly good food ends up in landfills.
One produce wholesaler alone was paying tens of thousands of dollars a year just to throw food away.
Our solution
We step in before it's wasted.
- Overripe produce from a local produce wholesaler (partners since April 2023)
- Products rejected for damaged packaging, relabeling or being slightly underweight
- Overflow from food banks that lack fridge space or can't accept items under FDA limits
How it works
From almost-wasted to on your table.
Everyone is welcome. Order online, pick up Tuesday morning, and pay at pickup.
Getting your food
First time here? Sign the Food Hero Agreement before you order or visit. You only need to do this once.
Sign the agreement (opens in a new tab)-
Step 1
Order online
Monday 4:00pm to Tuesday 6:00am
Choose what your household will use.
Open order form -
Step 2
Pick up
Tuesday 9:00am–11:30am
57 N 1380 W
Orem, UT 84057 -
Step 3
Pay
At pickup
Cash or Venmo @Rescue-Food (opens in a new tab)
Missed the order form? Walk in Tuesday 9:00am–11:30am and browse.
Preview inventory (opens in a new tab)Our impact
Small rescues, big difference.
150+
families every week, many getting about half their groceries from us
93
volunteers in one record evening (Nov. 4, 2024), more than double our usual
200,000
cupcakes rescued from a single shipment
2022
the year Rescue Food was founded
Some groups drive 3–4 hours from the West Desert with a trailer to feed 30 families back home.
Zero waste: unclaimed food goes to Sanpete County. We're the Sanpete Pantry's only source of fresh produce, spoiled produce becomes compost or animal feed, and broken pallets become firewood.
Research: we fund a BYU study in the Gene Ahlborn Lab on how long yogurt really lasts past its date. Early results are promising.
Figures as of fall 2024.
Volunteer
Many hands, lots of food.
Individuals, families and groups are all welcome. Pick a shift and sign up on JustServe.
Sign up on JustServe (opens in a new tab)
Before your first shift, every volunteer signs the Food Hero Agreement. You only need to do this once.
Sign the agreement (opens in a new tab)Monday Produce Sort
Monday mornings
Sort and inventory produce pallets for Tuesday.
Details & sign up for Monday Produce Sort (opens in a new tab)Tuesday Morning Help
Tuesday mornings
Prep, then help hand out food and greet the community.
Details & sign up for Tuesday Morning Help (opens in a new tab)Core Volunteer
One day a month
Lead a volunteer day: train newcomers and keep it safe.
Details & sign up for Core Volunteer (opens in a new tab)Partners
Rescue takes a whole community.
Many of our food donors partner with us under confidentiality agreements. We're grateful to every one.
- Food manufacturers
- Wholesalers & distributors
- Local food banks
- Sanpete Pantry
- BYU Gene Ahlborn Lab
- Nature's Fusions
Our story
It started with leftovers and a hunch.
David Peterson's food rescue began small: saving extra food from church events and teaching neighbors how to dehydrate, recook and ferment what might otherwise be tossed.
Then one day, the same produce wholesaler's truck cut him off. Four times. David took the hint, called the number on the back of the truck, and asked what they did with produce they couldn't sell. The answer was a lot of waste, and a partnership was born.
David felt a real sense of calling in that moment: good food was going to waste just as neighbors needed it. In 2022 he founded Rescue Food to close that gap, and a community of volunteers has grown up around it ever since.
Our mission
- Not a food bank.
- Not a grocery store.
We're a movement of people dedicated to eliminating food waste.
We use science, creativity and hard work to rescue and recondition food that food banks and manufacturers would otherwise throw away: overripe produce, expired products and bulk ingredients.
Anyone can join! Volunteer with us
Your gift buys more food.
Pickup payments help cover our operating costs. Donations let us buy additional food at salvage auctions, so even more good food reaches Utah families.
Give on Venmo (opens in a new tab)Rescue Food is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (IRS letter, opens in a new tab). Donations may be tax-deductible as allowed by law. To make your gift a donation, add “Tax-Deductible Donation” to your Venmo note.