Willing Hands Enterprises
Willing Hands Enterprises is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that recovers surplus fresh food from farms, grocery stores, and wholesalers and delivers it free, year-round, to roughly 80 social service organizations across Vermont's and New Hampshire's Upper Valley, serving 30,000 individuals annually via volunteers and a small paid staff.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersNorwich, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Willing Hands Enterprises does
Willing Hands Enterprises is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit food recovery organization founded in 2003 (operating since approximately 2004) and headquartered at 198 Church Street in Norwich, Vermont. The organization recovers surplus fresh food from local farms, grocery stores, restaurants, and regional wholesalers, and delivers it year-round, free of charge, to approximately 80 social service organizations across the Upper Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire. In 2024, Willing Hands moved 942,854 pounds of food, completed approximately 80 deliveries per week, and served roughly 30,000 individuals with 4 million servings of food, while mitigating an estimated 1 million pounds of CO2 emissions. The operation is supported by 748 volunteers (2024), more than 100 food donors, and a paid staff of approximately 15 employees organized into specialized roles including Gleaning Coordinator, Operations Manager, Farm Manager, Delivery Coordinator, Executive Director (Gabe Zoerheide), and others.
The organization's product surface is an integrated set of programs rather than discrete products: a core food recovery and redistribution service, a volunteer-powered gleaning program harvesting leftover produce from partner fields, four community gardens totaling approximately 8 acres (including The Farmacy at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Sunny Fields at Cedar Circle Farm), the Give Local Food Program (formerly Share-a-Share) that channels CSA shares from roughly 16 partner farms, the Veggies for Vets CSA-box program (200 boxes weekly for the VA Medical Center), and a Grow-a-Row home-garden donation program. Operational infrastructure includes a warehouse and delivery fleet capable of up to 92-mile routes, plus a 35kW on-site solar array covering approximately 85% of facility electricity.
The revenue model is donation- and grant-based rather than transactional. There are no fees charged to food donors or recipient organizations. Revenue streams include individual donations (including via the Give Local Food CSA donation mechanism), corporate and foundation grants (Hypertherm Associates Foundation, King Arthur Baking Company, Mascoma Bank, Ledyard National Bank, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Couch Family Foundation, Granite United Way, Vermont Foodbank, Claremont Savings Bank, Dartmouth Health), a community round-up program through Co-op Food Stores' Pennies for Change, and government grants (notably a $20,470 USDA-funded Vermont Farm to School Grant in 2026). A prior $2.4 million capital campaign (2019-2021) from nearly 1,000 donors funded facility improvements and staff growth. Governance is by a volunteer Board of Directors, with no parent company, venture capital, or equity ownership.
Willing Hands Enterprises firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Willing Hands Enterprises
- Legal name
- Willing Hands
- Website
- https://willinghands.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Willing Hands Enterprises is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that recovers surplus fresh food from farms, grocery stores, and wholesalers and delivers it free, year-round, to roughly 80 social service organizations across Vermont's and New Hampshire's Upper Valley, serving 30,000 individuals annually via volunteers and a small paid staff.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Willing Hands Enterprises industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Hunger Relief and Food Recovery Services
- NAICS
- Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Community Food Services (624210)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Donation, Reuse & Sustainability Returns Programs (TLAIAHAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Asset Recovery, Surplus & Decommissioning Services (EUAIANAD), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD)
Keywords
Where Willing Hands Enterprises is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Norwich
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Willing Hands Enterprises business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Community members make monetary donations to support Willing Hands' operations, including the Give Local Food program where donors purchase CSA shares or farmstand credit for the organization.
- Corporate and Foundation Grants: Businesses and foundations provide financial support through corporate giving programs, employee matching, and dedicated grants. The organization has received funding from entities like Claremont Savings Bank Foundation, Mascoma Bank, King Arthur Baking Company, Hypertherm Associates Foundation, and others.
- Government Grants: Willing Hands received a $20,470 grant through the Vermont Farm to School Grant Program to expand access to local food in early childhood education programs.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Willing Hands Enterprises product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Willing Hands recovers fresh surplus food from local farms, grocery stores, restaurants, and regional wholesalers, and delivers it year-round for free to over 80 social service organizations across the Upper Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire. The organization also operates four volunteer-powered gardens totaling approximately 8 acres that grow produce for donation.
Product overview
Willing Hands is a nonprofit food recovery organization operating as a single integrated service rather than a platform architecture. The organization offers a unified food recovery and redistribution service comprising several interconnected programs: food recovery and redistribution (core service receiving surplus from farms, stores, and wholesalers), a gleaning program (volunteers harvesting leftover produce from fields), four community gardens (approximately 8 acres of volunteer-powered growing space), the Give Local Food Program (formerly Share-a-Share, facilitating CSA donations from local farms), the Veggies for Vets Program (delivering produce to Veterans), and the Grow a Row Program (encouraging community gardeners to donate). All programs work together to recover fresh food and distribute it free to approximately 80 social service organizations across Vermont and New Hampshire's Upper Valley.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Food Recovery and Redistribution Services Core service recovering fresh food from local farms, grocery stores, restaurants, and regional wholesalers and delivering it year-round for free to approximately 80 social service organizations across the Upper Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire.
- Gleaning Program Volunteer-powered program where volunteers harvest leftover produce from fields and orchards at partner farms to prevent food waste.
- Community Gardens Four volunteer-powered gardens totaling approximately 8 acres that grow produce for donation to recipient organizations, supplementing recovered food donations.
- Give Local Food Program
Quantifiable outcome
- Recovered nearly 1 million pounds of fresh food in 2025
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Willing Hands Enterprises
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Willing Hands Enterprises technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Willing Hands Enterprises partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
25 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- Vermont Gleaning CollectivecoreWilling Hands is a member of the Vermont Gleaning Collective, collaborating with other organizations across Vermont to coordinate gleaning efforts and reduce food waste through collective action.
- New Hampshire GleanscoreWilling Hands is a member of New Hampshire Gleans, partnering to coordinate volunteer gleaning activities across New Hampshire farms and orchards.
- Veterans Rural Health Resource CentercorePartnership for the Veggies for Vets Program entering its third year. Veterans opt to receive fresh local produce, which Willing Hands delivers to the VA Medical Center twice a week. Volunteers pack 200 CSA-style boxes weekly for Veteran distribution.
- Cedar Circle Farm & Education CentercoreHosts the Sunny Fields Garden location and is a partner farm for the Give Local Food program and CSA Week initiatives. One of four Upper Valley farms participating in the Farm to School Grant program.
- Crossroad FarmcoreRegular gleaning partner. One of four Upper Valley farms participating in the Farm to School Grant program. Phil Mason, owner, notes the program is instrumental in bolstering their CSA program.
- Deep Meadow FarmcoreOne of four Upper Valley farms participating in the Farm to School Grant program to increase access to fresh, locally grown food for early childhood education programs.
- Honey Field FarmcoreRegular gleaning partner. One of four Upper Valley farms participating in the Farm to School Grant program for early childhood education.
- Co-op Food StorescoreCo-op Food Stores hosts the 'Pennies for Change' round-up program which has raised over $1 million for Upper Valley nonprofits including Willing Hands. The Co-op also donates surplus produce and has corporate volunteer teams.
- Crossmolina FarmsecondaryGive Local Food program partner farm offering CSA shares that can be donated to Willing Hands.
- Edgewater FarmsecondaryRegular gleaning partner. Give Local Food program partner farm offering CSA shares for donation.
- Eureka Organic FarmsecondaryGive Local Food program partner farm offering CSA shares for donation.
- Farm on the RiversecondaryGive Local Food program partner farm offering CSA shares for donation.
- Fledgling FarmsteadsecondaryGive Local Food program partner farm offering CSA shares for donation.
- Flying Dog FarmsecondaryGive Local Food program partner farm offering CSA shares for donation.
- Hemingway FarmssecondaryGive Local Food program partner farm offering CSA shares for donation.
- Hogwash FarmsecondaryGive Local Food program partner farm offering CSA shares for donation.
- Luna Bleu FarmsecondaryGive Local Food program partner farm offering CSA shares for donation.
- Mink Meadow FarmsecondaryGive Local Food program partner farm offering CSA shares for donation.
- Root 5 FarmsecondaryGive Local Food program partner farm offering CSA shares for donation.
- Sunrise FarmsecondaryGive Local Food program partner farm (owned by Board Member Chuck Wooster) offering CSA shares for donation.
- Sweetland FarmsecondaryGive Local Food program partner farm offering CSA shares for donation.
- Winter Street FarmsecondaryGive Local Food program partner farm offering CSA shares for donation.
- Vermont FoodbanksecondaryFoundation and corporate supporter listed on the donation page.
- Norwich Women's ClubsecondaryVolunteer organization that helped upgrade the Willing Hands Water Park (food bin washing area).
- Volunteer New HampshiresecondaryFoundation and corporate supporter listed on the donation page.
Scale indicators19 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Willing Hands Enterprises competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Feeding America: The largest national hunger-relief network in the U.S., encompassing 200+ member food banks — competes with Willing Hands for the same regional corporate donations and federal funding while operating at vastly greater scale.
Direct peers
- Vermont Foodbank: The largest hunger-relief organization in Vermont, distributing food statewide through a network of partner food shelves and meal sites — overlapping mission of food redistribution and donor-supported hunger relief in the same region Willing Hands operates.
- Food Recovery Network: National nonprofit that recovers surplus food from college campuses and businesses to feed communities — shares the core food recovery and volunteer-driven redistribution model with Willing Hands.
- Boston Area Gleaners: Regional gleaning and food recovery nonprofit in Massachusetts with a farm-gleaning-to-food-pantry model nearly identical to Willing Hands, operating in a comparable New England geography.
- Society of St. Andrew: National gleaning network that mobilizes volunteers to harvest surplus crops from farms for distribution to feeding programs — directly comparable to Willing Hands' gleaning program and farm-to-recipient model.
- New Hampshire Food Bank: Statewide food bank serving New Hampshire through partner agencies, directly comparable to Willing Hands' food recovery and redistribution model for the New Hampshire portion of the Upper Valley service area.
Emerging players
- FoodCloud: Tech-enabled food redistribution platform connecting retailers with surplus food to charities — analogous technology-led model that contrasts with Willing Hands' relationship-driven, volunteer-heavy approach.
- glean: National gleaning and food recovery organization connecting volunteers with farms to harvest surplus produce; comparable in mission and volunteer-driven gleaning model, though operating at a broader geographic scale.
- AmpleHarvest.org: Nonprofit that connects home/community gardeners with local food pantries to donate excess produce — directly comparable to Willing Hands' Grow a Row program and home-garden donation mission.
- Copia: Technology-enabled food recovery platform that connects businesses with surplus food to local nonprofits — represents an emerging tech-enabled model that could disrupt traditional volunteer-driven food recovery organizations like Willing Hands.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Willing Hands Enterprises social profiles
Digital presenceWilling Hands Enterprises financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Willing Hands Enterprises leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Willing Hands Enterprises funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Willing Hands Enterprises M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Willing Hands Enterprises
What does Willing Hands Enterprises do?
Willing Hands recovers fresh surplus food from local farms, grocery stores, restaurants, and regional wholesalers, and delivers it year-round for free to over 80 social service organizations across the Upper Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire. The organization also operates four volunteer-powered gardens totaling approximately 8 acres that grow produce for donation.
Is Willing Hands Enterprises a public or private company?
Willing Hands Enterprises is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Willing Hands Enterprises founded?
Willing Hands Enterprises was founded in 2003. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Willing Hands Enterprises based?
Willing Hands Enterprises is headquartered in Norwich, United States, in the North America region.
How does Willing Hands Enterprises make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate and Foundation Grants and government Grants.
Who are Willing Hands Enterprises's main competitors?
Feeding America is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Vermont Foodbank, Food Recovery Network, Boston Area Gleaners, Society of St. Andrew and New Hampshire Food Bank. Emerging players are FoodCloud, glean, AmpleHarvest.org and Copia.
Does Willing Hands Enterprises have an API?
No public API is recorded for Willing Hands Enterprises.
What industry is Willing Hands Enterprises in?
Willing Hands Enterprises's product category is Hunger Relief and Food Recovery Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAIAHAJ, Donation, Reuse & Sustainability Returns Programs, with a secondary code of EUAIANAD, Asset Recovery, Surplus & Decommissioning Services. Its NAICS code is 562920 and its SIC code is 4953.