Seeds That Feed Carecropping

What Seeds That Feed Carecropping does

Seeds That Feed Carecropping is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit food recovery organization founded in March 2012 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, that collects surplus fresh produce from regional farms and retailers and redistributes it to food insecure populations across Northwest Arkansas. The organization operates four integrated programs: CareCropping (gleaning excess produce from 71 partner farms), Mobile Food Network (a shoppable mobile pantry serving 53 partner distribution sites), Food Stations (semi-permanent farm stands at bus stops and neighborhood locations offering dignified consumer choice and SNAP/Double Your Dollar enrollment), and the pHed Initiative (a healthcare-integrated food-as-medicine program delivering produce directly to home-bound patients with chronic illness, funded through Value Based Programs). Through 2018, the organization had recovered 127,671 lbs of food cumulatively, including 31,588 lbs in 2018, and was serving 30,000+ low-income families, seniors, and differently-abled residents annually.

The business model is hybrid nonprofit: the dominant revenue stream is donations (accepted via PayPal and unspecified grants), while the pHed Initiative introduces a managed-services revenue layer through healthcare Value Based Programs that pay for produce delivery tied to patient outcomes. There is no proprietary technology platform; the moat is operational and relational, built on a two-sided community network of farm suppliers, distribution partner sites, volunteers, and healthcare provider relationships. In 2019, the organization was selected as one of 10 participants in the nation's first ReFED Nonprofit Food Recovery Accelerator, which is the most significant third-party validation in its history. The co-founders, Alyssa Snyder (Chief Seeder) and Margaret Thomas (Chief Feeder), lead a team of 1-10 employees with no disclosed external equity investors or parent company, and operations remain concentrated entirely in the Northwest Arkansas region.

Name

Seeds That Feed Carecropping

Legal name

Seeds That Feed

Website

https://seedsfeed.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Seeds That Feed is a Northwest Arkansas nonprofit food recovery organization that collects surplus produce from 71 partner farms and area retailers and redistributes it to 30,000+ food insecure individuals annually via mobile pantries, food stations, and a healthcare-integrated pHed program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fayetteville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: Seeds That Feed operates as a nonprofit organization funded primarily through donations from individuals and organizations. The website includes a PayPal donate option.
2. Value Based Programs: The pHed initiative utilizes funds available through Value Based Programs, providing a sustainable and scalable business model for healthcare-based food delivery services.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Seeds That Feed is a nonprofit food recovery and redistribution organization that collects surplus fresh produce from local farms and area retailers in Northwest Arkansas and redistributes it to food-insecure individuals and families. The organization operates four integrated programs — CareCropping (farm gleaning), Mobile Food Network, Food Stations, and the pHed Initiative (healthcare-integrated food-as-medicine) — serving over 30,000 residents annually through 53 partner sites.

Product overview

Seeds That Feed is a nonprofit food recovery organization operating a multi-program platform that addresses food insecurity and reduces food waste by collecting surplus produce from farms and retailers and redistributing it to underserved populations in Northwest Arkansas. The core offering consists of four integrated programs: CareCropping (farm gleaning and food collection from 71 partner farms), Mobile Food Network (mobile pantry distribution via 53 partner sites), Food Stations (permanent farm stand distribution sites), and the pHed Initiative (healthcare-integrated food-as-medicine program providing produce to patients with chronic illness). Together these programs form an end-to-end food recovery and distribution ecosystem serving over 30,000 individuals annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CareCropping: Gleaning fresh food from area farmers - works with local farms, retailers, and other healthy food sources to move excess foods to accessible foods.
• Mobile Food Network
• Food Stations
• pHed Initiative

Products and services

• CareCropping Gleaning fresh food from area farmers and retailers to collect surplus produce and redistribute it to food-insecure populations across Northwest Arkansas.
• Mobile Food Network Direct-to-neighborhood distribution model delivering healthier foods and nutrition education to low-income housing, senior residential centers, and food-insecure populations via a shoppable mobile pantry operating across 53 partner sites.
• Food Stations Semi-permanent farm stand structures retrofitted for on-site food distribution at bus stops and neighborhood locations, allowing residents to obtain donated produce and information on SNAP and Double Your Dollar programs.
• pHed Initiative Healthcare-integrated program providing direct-to-door access to free fresh produce for home-bound and at-risk patients experiencing chronic illness, limited mobility, or financial hardship, funded through Value Based Programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 120,000 lbs of locally grown produce collected from 64 NWA farms
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• ReFEDflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Selected as one of only 10 organizations in the nation's first ReFED Nonprofit Food Recovery Accelerator program, providing strategic support and development resources for the pHed initiative.
• 71 Partner FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional farm partners providing surplus produce for collection and redistribution to food insecure populations across Northwest Arkansas.
• Area RetailerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArea retailers providing over 40,000 lbs of recovered foods for redistribution to those in need.
• 53 Partner SitescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFood distribution sites including pantries, community meals, and housing establishments receiving recovered produce for distribution to food insecure individuals.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Campus Kitchens Project: National nonprofit that mobilizes student volunteers to recover surplus food and prepare meals for community members experiencing food insecurity. Comparable volunteer-driven food recovery model.
• DC Central Kitchen: Washington DC-based nonprofit that recovers surplus food, prepares meals, and distributes them through community partners while providing culinary job training. Comparable food recovery and redistribution model with added workforce development layer.
• 412 Food Rescue: Pittsburgh-based food recovery nonprofit using technology-enabled logistics to redirect surplus food from businesses to nonprofits serving food insecure individuals. Highly comparable operating model with stronger tech emphasis.
• Northwest Arkansas Food Bank: Regional food bank serving the same Northwest Arkansas geography as Seeds That Feed, distributing food to pantries and partner agencies. Direct peer in food assistance with overlapping beneficiary base.
• Food Recovery Network: National nonprofit that recovers surplus food from college dining halls and restaurants for redistribution to communities in need. Closely comparable model of food recovery and redistribution to food insecure populations.

Emerging players

• Rethink Food: NYC-based nonprofit that prepares and delivers restaurant-quality meals using recovered ingredients, with a growing food-as-medicine focus. Comparable food recovery model with healthcare-adjacent programming similar to pHed.
• Move For Hunger: National nonprofit that mobilizes moving companies to transport surplus food to food banks and pantries. Adjacent food recovery model focused on logistics optimization.

Others

• ReFED: National nonprofit and action-oriented think tank focused on reducing food waste across the US food system. The organization that ran the Food Recovery Accelerator that Seeds That Feed participated in, making it an ecosystem enabler and funder.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: Largest US hunger-relief organization, a nationwide network of 200+ food banks. A broad incumbent whose regional affiliates (including in Arkansas) operate in the same food assistance space at much larger scale.

Regional players

• Food for Free (Massachusetts): Cambridge MA-based food rescue and distribution nonprofit serving Greater Boston. Comparable regional food recovery model with similar gleaning and direct-distribution programs, but in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/carecropping
• Facebookfacebook.com/alica.taylor.568

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Seeds That Feed Carecropping