What Urban Gleaners does

Urban Gleaners is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2006 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, that operates a food rescue and redistribution model targeting food insecurity and food waste simultaneously. The organization collects surplus edible food from grocery stores (New Seasons Market, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Zupans), restaurants and food producers (Charlie's Produce, Blue Star Donuts, Honey Mama's, Spielman Bagels), corporate campuses (Nike, Intel, Columbia), universities (Reed College, Lewis & Clark, University of Portland, Pacific University), and local farms (Wild Roots Farm, 47th Ave Farm, Zenger Farm), then sorts, packages, and in some cases cooks the food at its central warehouse at 15 SE 6th Ave before distributing it through 20+ Free Food Markets in Multnomah and Washington Counties. Free Food Markets are shopping-style, barrier-free distribution sites co-located with schools, parks, housing communities, and community centers, reaching approximately 8,500 families weekly and rescuing nearly 1.2 million pounds of food annually.

The underlying technology is operationally rather than software-driven: manual warehouse logistics, refrigerated vans, volunteer route management, and a partner-hosted site network. There is no proprietary software platform, mobile application, API, or AI/ML component disclosed; a Food Finder on the website locates the nearest market but does not appear to be an intelligent system. The product portfolio includes the Free Food Markets themselves, the Food Collection and Gleaning Program, on-site meal preparation using rescued ingredients, a Volunteer Program, and an institutional Food Donation Program accepting both individual and business contributions. Supporting donor products include the Gleaners Guild monthly giving program (starting at $5/month) and signature fundraising events such as Summer Supper, The Gleaners Feast, and the Supper Series.

The revenue model is donation-based and event-based rather than transactional. Cash inflows come from individual donations, monthly recurring gifts via the Gleaners Guild, corporate and institutional food donors (whose primary contribution is in-kind food rather than cash), foundation grants implied through community partner relationships (Oregon Food Bank, EcoTrust), and proceeds from annual fundraising events. Food itself is provided free of charge to recipients with no income verification or identification requirements, eliminating any pricing-based revenue stream on the distribution side. Financial allocation per the 2023 Annual Report is 83% to programs, 8% to administration, and 9% to fundraising. The organization is led by Executive Director Haris Kuljančić with a management team of approximately 14 named staff covering program management, sustainability and operations, farm gleaning, communications and development, and community outreach.

Name

Urban Gleaners

Legal name

Urban Gleaners

Website

https://urbangleaners.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Urban Gleaners is a Portland-based nonprofit that rescues surplus food from grocers, restaurants, corporate campuses, and farms, then redistributes it through 20+ Free Food Markets serving 8,500 families weekly across Multnomah and Washington Counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Rescue and Hunger Relief Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421)

SIC

Retail-Food Stores (5400)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Curbside Organics Programs (Municipal/Franchise) (BPALAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Organics (Food/Yard) Collection (Residential & Commercial) (EUAIAAAO)

Keywords

• Food rescue
• Food redistribution
• Hunger relief
• Food waste reduction
• Gleaning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute money through one-time gifts or monthly recurring donations via the Gleaners Guild program. Donations are tax-deductible and go directly to supporting food rescue and redistribution programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Urban Gleaners is a nonprofit organization that collects surplus edible food from grocery stores, restaurants, corporate campuses, farms, and universities, then sorts, packages, and redistributes it through barrier-free Free Food Markets to food-insecure families in the Portland Metro area. The organization also prepares meals from gleaned ingredients at its central Portland warehouse and rescues approximately 1.2 million pounds of food annually, diverting it from landfills.

Product overview

Urban Gleaners is a nonprofit hunger-relief and food waste reduction organization operating a dual-purpose model that collects surplus food and redistributes it to food-insecure community members. The core offerings include: (1) Free Food Markets at 40+ sites across Multnomah and Washington Counties providing barrier-free access to fresh food; (2) Food Collection and Gleaning Program that rescues food from restaurants, grocery stores, farms, and corporate cafeterias; (3) Sorting, Packaging, and Cooking operations at their Central Portland warehouse producing meals from gleaned ingredients. Supporting services include volunteer programs for sorting, farm gleaning, pickup routes, and market support; food donation acceptance from individuals and businesses; and a monthly giving Guild program. The organization also hosts fundraising events including Summer Supper (annual tasting experience), The Gleaners Feast (chef-collaborative dinner), and Supper Series dinners. Educational resources include the Glean Like Us guide for communities wanting to replicate the model, plus an Annual Report documenting impact and financials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free Food Markets

Quantifiable outcome

• Rescues nearly 1.2 million pounds of food per year, diverting it from landfills
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

28 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• New Seasons MarketcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor grocery store partner that donates surplus food to Urban Gleaners for redistribution to food-insecure families.
• NikecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate campus partner donating food from employee cafeterias and events.
• IntelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate campus partner donating food from employee facilities.
• ColumbiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner donating food from company operations.
• Reed CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner donating food from campus kitchens and dining services.
• Lewis & ClarkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner donating food from campus kitchens and dining services.
• University of PortlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner donating food from campus kitchens and dining services.
• ZupanscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrocery store partner donating surplus food.
• Whole FoodscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrocery store partner donating surplus food.
• Trader JoescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrocery store partner donating surplus food.
• Charlie's ProducecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduce supplier partner donating surplus produce.
• Blue Star Donuts + CoffeecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRestaurant partner donating surplus food items.
• Honey Mama'scoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood producer partner donating products.
• Spielman Bagels & CoffeecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRestaurant partner donating surplus food.
• Pacific University OregoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner donating food from campus dining.
• Wild Roots FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal farm partner donating excess or unmarketable produce.
• 47th Ave. FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal farm partner donating excess produce.
• Zenger FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal urban farm partner donating produce.
• EcoTrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner working with Urban Gleaners to divert decor from events and coordinate donations.
• Portland TrailblazersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional sports team partnership to support food donation programs and community outreach.
• Metropolitan Family Services (MFS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization hosting Free Food Market distribution sites.
• IRCOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImmigrant and refugee community organization partner for food distribution.
• APANOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAsian Pacific American community organization partner for culturally-specific food access.
• HomeforwardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffordable housing organization hosting Free Food Markets at housing communities.
• Hacienda CDCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity development corporation serving Latino communities with food distribution.
• Artist Mentorship ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth arts organization receiving food donations through Free Food Markets.
• Oregon Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated network partner. Some Free Food Market sites are affiliated with Oregon Food Bank.
• KilnminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization listed as food donation supporter.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Oregon Food Bank: Portland-based statewide hunger-relief organization that sources and distributes food through a partner network. Directly comparable to Urban Gleaners as a regional food distribution nonprofit serving overlapping Oregon geography; Urban Gleaners' Free Food Market sites are partially affiliated with Oregon Food Bank.
• Food Forward: Los Angeles-based food rescue nonprofit that gleans surplus produce from farms and wholesalers for redistribution. Highly comparable gleaning-and-redistribute model operating at similar regional scale with volunteer-driven market distribution.
• Food Rescue US: National volunteer-powered food rescue platform connecting donors directly to recipients via an app. Directly comparable food-rescue model, with a tech-enabled platform component that contrasts with Urban Gleaners' manual approach.
• City Harvest: New York City's largest food rescue organization, collecting surplus food and distributing it free to communities in need. Closely comparable end-to-end rescue and free-distribution model, though at significantly larger urban scale.
• DC Central Kitchen: Washington DC-based nonprofit that rescues food and operates a central kitchen to produce meals for distribution. Comparable dual focus on food rescue plus meal preparation that mirrors Urban Gleaners' upgraded kitchen and meal production operations.
• Lovin' Spoonfuls: Boston-based food rescue nonprofit that picks up surplus food from restaurants and grocery stores for redistribution. Closely comparable donor-collection and free-redistribution model serving a similar mid-size metro market.
• Boulder Food Rescue: Colorado-based volunteer-driven food rescue organization focused on bike-based no-emission food recovery and free grocery distribution. Comparable volunteer-led model with similar barrier-free access philosophy.
• Hidden Harvest: Volunteer-driven gleaning organization that harvests surplus produce from farms for redistribution to food-insecure communities. Highly comparable gleaning-first mission and farm-partnership model.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: National umbrella network of 200+ food banks serving all 50 states. Comparable as the dominant scaled incumbent in hunger relief; overlaps with Urban Gleaners' mission but operates at far greater scale and with a wholesale distribution model rather than retail-style Free Food Markets.

Emerging players

• Move For Hunger: National nonprofit that mobilizes moving companies to transport donated food during relocations. Partially comparable food-rescue model with a distinct collection channel; less direct overlap but thematically adjacent in food waste reduction.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/urbangleanerspdx
• Xx.com/urbangleaners
• Facebookfacebook.com/urbangleaners
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urban-gleaners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Urban Gleaners