Food Rescue US - Lansing Communities

05/23/2026

Late Friday afternoon, at the start of Memorial Day weekend, a partner donor reached out: a large produce donation, two vehicles needed — could we assist?

Within the hour, our volunteer network had the food delivered directly to a local shelter facility preparing hundreds of meals twice a day. Staff shared that the donation would provide fresh produce for their guests throughout the long holiday weekend.

This is yet another example of what volunteer-powered direct delivery looks like in practice — nimble, same-day response alongside the many regularly scheduled rescues happening throughout the week.

Homelessness and housing insecurity continue to grow across Greater Lansing. Shelter facilities and service organizations are working every day to meet immediate human needs, including food. Food Rescue Lansing Communities is proud to regularly supply fresh food to organizations doing some of the hardest work in our community:

• Homeless Angels, providing grab-and-go food and hot evening meals for families and individuals at their Lansing hotel facility — including weekend coverage
• City Rescue Mission, serving roughly 400 meals each day
• Advent House, providing approximately 300 meals during weekend day shelter operations

Fresh food matters. Reliable meal access matters. Volunteer-powered direct delivery networks help ensure highly perishable food reaches the organizations and guests who need it most — quickly, at peak nutritional value, and without waste.

Thank you to the volunteers who show up — sometimes on short notice — and to the donor and receiving agency partners helping make this combination of excess food rescue and food waste reduction possible while strengthening healthy food infrastructure across our community.

05/13/2026

Food donors come in all sizes and operational needs.
Michigan Farm Bureau corporate kitchen's chef set up a rescue the day after their big corporate event, at a time convenient to their operations. When our volunteers arrived, everything was staged — fresh produce, dairy, baked goods. The direct delivery went to two area receiving agencies that same afternoon, both of which had empty coolers from the day's demand. Volunteers on their end gratefully stocked their shelves for the following morning, pleased to have fresh foods ready for their guests come morning.
The needs of donors and social service agencies are all unique — and we meet them where they are. Our committed volunteers aim to please and, like donors, abhor the thought of good food going to waste!
Thank you to the team at Michigan Farm Bureau and to the volunteers who made same-day delivery happen. Neighbors helping neighbors — one cooler at a time! 🥬
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05/10/2026

🥦 Donor Spotlight
Our food donors have made donation a deliberate part of how they operate — not as a last resort, but as a planned commitment to their communities and the environment.
Many of our largest donors share something with us: the understanding that keeping good food out of landfills is an environmental act as much as a community one. Food that ends up in a landfill generates methane. Food that reaches a family generates nourishment.
That kind of partnership works because both sides show up. Our donors give consistently and with quality. Food Rescue US – Lansing Communities has never missed a scheduled rescue — and when a last-minute opportunity arises, we're there for that too. That reliability matters to donor staff, and it matters to the volunteers who make every rescue happen.
The result is food moving same-day, directly from donor to receiving agency — no warehousing, no delay — reaching organizations large and small across Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton counties. Fresh food, handled with care, on both ends.
Since September 2023, our volunteers have rescued 726,730 pounds of food — nearly 606,000 meals — valued at over $1.39 million, while offsetting 2.18 million lbs of CO2 and 71.7 million gallons of water.
We treasure every one of these community partnerships.
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04/28/2026

Every Saturday and Sunday, like clockwork, the Food Rescue US–Lansing Communities volunteer network across Michigan’s Capital Area coordinates neighbors helping neighbors — making sure good fresh food reaches people instead of the waste stream.

This weekend, like every weekend, volunteers are delivering rescued fresh food directly to Believers Food Pantry in Grand Ledge, Advent House (both days), Saturday Breakfast Outreach, Homeless Angels (both days), Pagans In Need, LMTS Outreach (twice), and the downtown First Presbyterian Food Pantry.

The growing network of trust, shared values, collaboration, and relationships built locally with our volunteers, food donors, and receiving agencies make it happen! Same-day & everyday deliveries helping strengthen food access while reducing waste across our community. If your business is interested in exploring this flexible/reliable service, please reach out - [email protected] or 517-349-6660 to chat! Together we can do more! ❤️

04/19/2026

https://www.wkar.org/wkar-news/2026-04-15/feed-people-not-landfills-inside-lansings-growing-volunteer-food-rescue-movement

Food Rescue US Lansing rescues fresh surplus food from local businesses and delivers it to Tri-County agencies. Part of a national movement, 170+ local volunteers have saved 416,000 lbs and provided 347,000 meals — feeding neighbors, not landfills.

04/13/2026

If food waste reduction is truly the goal, then real-time solutions matter.

We are filling a piece missing in the circular economy stack! Fresh food needs to be rescued timely and transported directly to those in need when they need it.

The receiving agency partners collectively feed 6,781 people each week—and they are running short, and have always run short when it comes to fresh foods. Source reduction is needed in real time—not downstream.

Our volunteers and community partners in Ingham, Clinton, and Eaton county are doing that on a daily basis. An all volunteer-powered, direct-transfer network that last week:

• Completed 42 scheduled rescues/deliveries
• Redirected 9,144 pounds of fresh, nutrient-dense perishable food for immediate use
• Delivered directly to 30+ community partners—same day, aligned with donor and agency capacity -- and on time as they expected.

If you are a grocery store, restaurant, caterer, institution, or food distributor with surplus, we would welcome a conversation. Together we can build a simple, reliable way to ensure good food is used as intended—feeding people, helping your neighbors...building community.

04/09/2026

Every pound of food carries embedded resources—water, energy, labor, and transportation.

If that food is used as intended, those resources deliver full value.
If not, the system absorbs the loss: landfill methane emissions, or at best, partial recovery through composting.

Food rescue changes that equation. By redirecting excess fresh food for immediate use, we preserve its highest purpose—nourishing people—while avoiding the environmental costs of disposal.

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03/27/2026

❤️ We’re beginning to shape an Advisory Council to support the continued growth of fresh food rescue across our tri-county region (Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton Counties).
This group brings together individuals with experience across food systems, community services, retail, and regional planning—people who understand both the opportunity and the urgency of ensuring good, perishable food is fully used.
Over the past two years, more than 668,000 pounds of fresh food have been redirected for same-day use through a volunteer-powered, direct-transfer model—helping expand access while reducing waste and preserving embedded resources.
The Advisory Council is not about creating something new from scratch, but about strengthening what is already working:
• expanding relationships with food donors and receiving agencies
• supporting alignment with local Materials Management Plans
• identifying practical opportunities for collaboration
• helping ensure this work remains durable, responsive, and community-centered
At its core, this is about neighbors helping neighbors—supported by thoughtful guidance, shared perspective, and a commitment to using good resources well. So grateful for their time and insight ❣️

❤️ Marna Wilson — supporting large-scale pantry operations while also serving as a Trustee in Meridian Township
❤️ Britney Collier — Store Team Leader at Whole Foods Market in East Lansing
❤️ Jane Whitacre — long-time leader in regional food systems, policy, and community development
❤️ Judith Barry — Assistant Director at Michigan State University’s Center for Regional Food Systems
❤️ Julie Cotton — Academic Specialist at Michigan State University focused on sustainable agriculture and food systems education

If you’re interested in this work or have perspective to share, we welcome the conversation.

03/22/2026

Where fresh food rescue meets waste reduction — its the double-dip where community impact blossoms!

Each day, excess perishable food has two possible paths: into the waste stream — or directly into the hands of people who can use it.

Same-day rescue changes that outcome. It reduces disposal costs and environmental impact while increasing access to fresh, healthy food across our community. A simple model with measurable results.
..170 volunteers
..30+ partner agencies with1-4 direct deliveries each week
..Serving communities across Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton counties

This is what a distributed, volunteer-powered system can do when aligned around shared purpose. At the center of it all are neighbor volunteers — choosing to show up, move food efficiently, and ensure good resources are fully used.

A practical solution. A stronger system. A community that works together.

03/16/2026

Some of the most important community work happens quietly.
We were grateful to spend time with Child and Family Charities (CFC), a valued partner serving children, youth, and families across our community in Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton counties.
Their Jackson House supports youth ages 12–21 in a safe residential setting. Angel House provides stability for young women transitioning from foster care. Together with their food pantry, CFC helps serve approximately 150–200 people each week.
Because fresh food is delivered directly while programs are operating, rescued produce, dairy, meat, baked goods, and prepared foods quickly become part of meals, pantry distribution, and daily support.
The volunteers in this photo — and more than 100 others across the metro Lansing area — are what make that possible.
Collaboration and consistency build trust, and help ensure good resources are fully used. Quiet systems matter. ❤️