Food Runners

Philanthropic Fundraising ServicesSan Francisco, United States11-50 Employees

Food Runners is to helping alleviate hunger, preventing waste, and creating community in San Francisco.

Food Runners was founded in 1987 by Mary Risely. As owner of Tante Marie's Cooking School, she realized that large quantities of food were being thrown away every day by local businesses.  Her first ‘food run’ was transporting seven wedding cakes made in cooking class to Glide Memorial Church.  In 2019 we averaged 700 food runs and 18 tons of rescued food each week.  

Despite the pandemic we continue our mission of preventing waste, alleviating hunger and building community.  We have pivoted our program by opening our first ever kitchen and hiring a Chef.  We are using donated food to prepare and individually package wholesome meals.  Importantly, these meals are easy for recipient agencies to disperse to their constituents, whether they live in an SRO or are living on the street.

change our mission of preventing food waste, feeding the hungry and building community.  Prior to the pandemic Food Runners was relaying 18 tons of rescued perishable and prepared food each week.  As the pandemic hit, many of those food donations were eliminated as offices, caterers, hotels and others closed.  But the need to feed hungry San Franciscans was as acute as ever.  So, we pivoted.  We began to prepare and package food that could be delivered to the continuing organizations throughout the city.  The need found us, but it was a natural connection.

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