FoodRecovery.org

What FoodRecovery.org does

FoodRecovery.org (legal entity: MEANS Database, Inc., DBA FoodRecovery.org; EIN 47-4262060) is a Washington, DC–incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates a free online and mobile platform (app.foodrecovery.org) connecting organizations with surplus food to nonprofits serving food-insecure communities. Founded in February 2015 by Maria Rose Belding and Grant Nelson, the organization rebranded from MEANS Database to FoodRecovery.org in 2024 to better reflect its mission of reducing food waste and redistributing surplus food.

The platform operates a two-tier model: a self-serve online marketplace for small donors (restaurants, schools, grocers, caterers) and small recipients (pantries, shelters, churches, mutual aid groups), and a higher-touch Food Industry Program with dedicated Donation Managers for large institutional donors (manufacturers, warehouses, distribution centers) and large nonprofit recipients with warehouse and food-grade vehicle capacity. Supplementary offerings include the Community Meal Program (which pays local restaurants—often BIPOC-owned—to prepare meals for nonprofits), the Driver Network (volunteer/paid drivers handling donations over 40 pounds), and the acquired ChowBank food rescue app (integrated into the platform in 2021). The matching system uses location, food type, and storage capacity criteria with real-time email and SMS notifications; logistics coordination handles palletized donations up to 40,000+ pounds.

Revenue is non-traditional: the organization is funded primarily through grants and donations (no fees charged to donors or recipients), with disclosed funders including Grubhub Community Fund ($550,000, Jan 2025), Kellogg's Foundation, UNFI, EcoLab, Simply Organic, and others. Since 2015 the organization reports recovering 180M+ pounds of food, with 4,400+ partners across all 50 states plus international operations in Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico; in 2025 it reached a run rate of more than 1 million pounds moved per week.

Name

FoodRecovery.org

Legal name

MEANS Database, Inc.

Website

https://foodrecovery.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FoodRecovery.org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a free online platform that matches food donors (restaurants, schools, manufacturers, warehouses) with nonprofit recipients (pantries, shelters, food banks) across all 50 US states, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Waste Reduction / Food Donation Matching Platform

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food Assistance & Safety Nets (In-Kind, Vouchers, Cash Transfers) (BPADAJAA)

Keywords

• Food waste reduction
• Surplus food matching
• Food donation platform
• Hunger relief services
• Food rescue logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Grants and Donations: As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, FoodRecovery.org is funded mainly by grants and donations. Major funders include Grubhub Community Fund ($550,000 grant), Kellogg's Foundation, UNFI, Valley Venture Mentors, Venturewell, ELCA, Simply Organic, EcoLab, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, and StopWaste.
2. Donor-Funded Operations: Each dollar donated translates to 66 pounds of food. In 2024, $1 spent translated to 66 pounds of food donated. Supported by individual donations, employer matching programs, and payroll giving partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FoodRecovery.org operates a free online and mobile platform that connects organizations with surplus food (restaurants, schools, caterers, grocers, manufacturers, warehouses) to verified nonprofit recipients (pantries, shelters, food banks, mutual aid groups) for real-time donation matching and pickup coordination. The offering is complemented by large-scale food industry programs that handle palletized and truckload donations, a Community Meal Program that funds prepared meals from local restaurants, and a volunteer driver network that transports donations over 40 pounds.

Product overview

FoodRecovery.org operates a unified online platform for food recovery, connecting surplus food from donors with nonprofit recipients. The ecosystem consists of the core FoodRecovery.org web/mobile platform for donor-recipient matching, complemented by specialized programs: the Food Industry Program for large-scale commercial donors, Community Partnerships for equipped nonprofits receiving palletized donations, the Large Donation Program managing truckload-scale recoveries, the Community Meal Program funding prepared meals from local restaurants, and the Driver Network for transportation logistics. The acquired ChowBank app technology has been integrated into the core platform. All services are provided free of charge to users, funded by grants and donations as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FoodRecovery.org Online Platform A free web- and mobile-based platform (app.foodrecovery.org) connecting food donors (restaurants, schools, caterers, grocers, farm stands) with nonprofit recipients (pantries, shelters, churches, mutual aid groups) for real-time donation matching, email and SMS alerts, and pickup or delivery coordination.
• Food Industry Program A large-scale donation management service for manufacturers, warehouses, truck drivers, and major brands, including dock appointments, trucking logistics, and full-scale partnership for multiple truckloads and palletized donations handled by dedicated Donation Managers.
• Community Partnerships Program A structured partnership program for nonprofits and mutual aid groups equipped with food-grade facilities, vehicles, food safety certification, and unloading equipment, enabling receipt of large palletized donations (minimum one pallet) with warehouse space requirements.
• Large Donation Program A specialized service managing large-scale donations of 20,000-40,000+ pounds from warehouses, gleaners, and distribution centers, including procurement management, transportation logistics, and coordination with dedicated Donation Managers.
• Community Meal Program A program that pays local restaurants (particularly BIPOC-owned) to prepare catering orders for nonprofit organizations, serving prepared meals to communities in need. Since its inception it has shared over 550,000 meals and invested more than $3.5 million into small businesses across nine cities.
• Driver Network

Quantifiable outcome

• 256+ million pounds of food rescued since 2023
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• NACS FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnering with Vita Coco to provide donated products during major events.
• Musically FedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner mobilizing music industry to fight hunger. Works with artists, promoters, and venues to donate unused backstage meals to community organizations. Primary partner coordinating large-scale event food recovery at Lincoln Financial Field tournament.
• ChowBankcoreTechnology or IntegrationAcquired in 2021, ChowBank is a food rescue app that provides proven, easy-to-use technology for handling user growth. Fully integrated into MEANS Database technology suite.
• Orange County Public Schools (OCPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership since 2022 to recover excess food from schools in Orlando, Florida. Regular weekly donations supported by USDA grant funding. Over 370,000 pounds donated since partnership began.
• UF/IFAS Extension Family Nutrition ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlorida-based partnership intensifying outreach strategy and food recovery efforts in the state.
• Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership since 2017 to encourage food recovery across Rhode Island state, supported by EPA funding in collaboration with Rescuing Leftover Cuisine.
• Rescuing Leftover CuisineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner collaborating on food recovery initiatives in Rhode Island with RIDOH and FoodRecovery.org.
• Eat Greater Des MoinesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDes Moines nonprofit partner in food recovery efforts; helped rescue nearly 20 million pounds of food using ChowBank before acquisition.
• Double the DonationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership enabling donation matching from business partners and offering employer matching programs and payroll giving options.
• Philadelphia Parks and RecreationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarly partnership (2016) to recover excess food from Summer Food Service Program, highlighting importance of transportation for food donation.
• On Location ExperiencesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent hospitality partner helping reduce food waste generated at major stadium events.
• AramarkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood service partner at major stadium events contributing to food recovery and waste reduction efforts.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Goodr: B2B food waste management company that provides technology and logistics to help businesses track, donate, and report on surplus food. Overlaps with FoodRecovery.org's Food Industry Program, particularly for enterprise donors needing traceability and tax documentation.
• Rescuing Leftover Cuisine: US-based nonprofit that uses a volunteer driver network and technology platform to redirect surplus food from restaurants and businesses to nonprofits. Directly comparable in mission, business model, and volunteer-driver logistics.
• Copia: B2B food recovery platform that helps businesses donate surplus food to local nonprofits via a managed technology and logistics service. Closest direct competitor on the enterprise/food-industry-donor side of FoodRecovery.org's offering.
• Food Rescue US: National nonprofit operating a web/app-based platform that matches food donors with local agencies and uses volunteer drivers. Operates the same online-matching + volunteer-driver model as FoodRecovery.org.
• Replate: Nonprofit platform that connects businesses with surplus food to nonprofits in need, with a strong technology-led matching model. Directly comparable in donor-recipient marketplace design and US operating geography.
• 412 Food Rescue: Pittsburgh-based food recovery nonprofit using a technology platform to redirect surplus food to nonprofits. Comparable mission and platform-driven donor-to-recipient matching, though more regional in scope.

Broad incumbents

• Too Good To Go: Global marketplace app connecting businesses with surplus food to consumers at discounted prices. Comparable in addressing food waste via a technology platform, but commercial B2C rather than a nonprofit donor-to-nonprofit model.
• Feeding America: Largest US hunger-relief nonprofit, operating a network of 200+ regional food banks. Competes for the same donor, recipient, and grant pool and handles the bulk of large-scale food recovery, but at vastly greater scale and via a member-network model rather than a single matching platform.

Emerging players

• Waste No Food: Smaller US-based nonprofit platform that notifies nonprofits of surplus food from event organizers and businesses. Comparable in using technology to match donors and recipients, but at significantly smaller scale and narrower event focus than FoodRecovery.org.

Regional players

• FoodCloud: Ireland/UK-based food rescue charity using a technology platform to connect retailers with surplus food to charities. Comparable technology-led matching model, but operates primarily in European geographies rather than competing head-to-head in the US.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WeRecoverFood
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@foodrecoveryorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/FoodRecovery.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/foodrecovery
• Instagraminstagram.com/foodrecoveryorg

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FoodRecovery.org