Columbus Food Rescue
What is Columbus Food Rescue?
Columbus Food Rescue is a program of Local Matters that fights food waste and food inequity by rescuing excess foods and directly re-distributing it to shelters, agencies, and other community groups serving people facing food insecurity. Headquartered at IMPACT Community Action, Columbus Food Rescue operates Ro's Kitchen, a transform kitchen where a portion of rescued food is transformed by talented chefs and generous volunteers into ready-to-enjoy meals that are distributed to those same shelters, agencies, and community groups.
Nearly one million pounds of food ends up in Franklin County’s landfill every single day. At the same time, over 11% of Franklin County residents—more than 147,000 people—are food insecure, and 49% of those people make too much money to qualify for federal food assistance.
By keeping good, fresh food out of the landfill and ensuring it goes to those in need, CFR volunteers and partners work every day toward a more sustainable and accessible food system.
By the Numbers
900,000 lbs
Of Food Rescued in 2024
(750,000 Meals)
13,900 meals
Created by Ro's Kitchen in 2024
15,700,000 lbs
Of Food Rescued Since 2012
How do I donate food to Columbus Food Rescue?
Do you have surplus food or goods that you’d like to donate? We rescue donations of all sizes and types of food—bags of leftover bagels, pans of refrigerated prepared meals, remainder Grab ‘n’ Go sandwiches, boxes of produce, and more. No donation is too small or infrequent—and we can pick up morning to evening, seven days a week. If you have any questions about what food can be donated, check this handy infographic here! Contact Susan Swinford/Emily Rials: 614.285.5043 or erials@impactca.org to join our network of donors!
How can I receive food from Columbus Food Rescue?
Do you operate a program or site that serves people in need of food? We work hard to ensure a good match of donated food to the recipient site—we don’t want to bring food you can’t serve, or pass along food waste. Click here to provide us with more information about your agency’s storage capacity, food needs, and outreach.
How can I volunteer with Columbus Food Rescue?
This work wouldn’t be possible without the help of an impressive network of volunteers. In 2023, volunteers completed more than 10,000 rescues, keeping 1.1 MILLION pounds of food from the landfill. Interested in volunteering with Columbus Food Rescue? Click here to sign up as a rescuer!
What is Ro’s Kitchen?
In Ro’s Kitchen food donated by the greater Columbus community is transformed by volunteers under the guidance of Chef Terence Zheng into healthy, fresh, and tasty meals that volunteers then deliver. Named after Roshelle Pate, a friend and mentor to many, Ro’s Kitchen aims to harness the power of food to help and heal people and the communities they live in. Click here to volunteer at Ro’s Kitchen, and click here to see the Ro's Kitchen Amazon Wishlist.
Watch the video below to learn more about Ro's Kitchen.