What Haven's Harvest does

Haven's Harvest is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2015 and officially launched in 2019, headquartered in New Haven, Connecticut. It operates a hyper-local food rescue model that recovers surplus perishable and prepared food from grocery stores, restaurants, colleges, bakeries, hospitals, farmers markets, and other food businesses and redistributes it through 660 receiving partner sites—daycare centers, senior centers, schools, subsidized housing, clinics, faith communities, and other nonprofits—serving food-insecure individuals in the Greater New Haven, Lower Naugatuck Valley, and New London regions. Since 2019 the organization reports recovering over 10 million pounds of food (valued at $55.3M) and preventing more than 7.4 million pounds of CO2 emissions.

The operational backbone is the Food Rescue Hero (FRH) mobile application, available on iOS and Android, which coordinates a 470-volunteer network that picks up food from donor sites and delivers it directly to receiving partners, typically within a 15-minute radius. A 3,500-square-foot warehouse in Hamden, CT, equipped with freezer and walk-in cooler capacity, supports the Partner Provisions program, food safety handling, and Casual Catering operations. The org runs an unpaid 8-week internship program (240 hours) and a 365-day-a-year dispatch line for same-day scheduling.

Revenue is diversified across individual and corporate donations (with stock, crypto, and DAF accepted via Every.org, PayPal, and StockDonator), four-tiered corporate partnerships ($500 KIWI to $5,000 Watermelon), a Beyond the Plate program ($1 per event attendee), Casual Catering event fees, nominal Partner Provisions logistics contributions, and grants such as the KFC Foundation award in September 2025. The organization has been awarded the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency (2025, 2026) and was recognized as 'Murphy's Innovator of the Month' by U.S. Senator Chris Murphy.

Name

Haven's Harvest

Legal name

Haven's Harvest

Website

https://havensharvest.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Haven's Harvest is a New Haven, CT–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that uses a volunteer network and the Food Rescue Hero app to rescue surplus perishable food from businesses and deliver it to 660 receiving sites—senior centers, schools, shelters, and other nonprofits—serving food-insecure communities across three Connecticut regions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Rescue & Surplus Redistribution Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD)

Keywords

• Food rescue services
• Food waste reduction
• Surplus food redistribution
• Volunteer logistics coordination
• Community food access

Headquarters

HQ city

New Haven

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: Individual and corporate donations support operations. The organization accepts stock, crypto, and donations from Donor Advised Funds.
2. Corporate Partnership Tiers: Four-tiered corporate partnership program (KIWI $500, Peach $1,500, Grapefruit $3,000, Watermelon $5,000) providing varying levels of recognition, branding, and engagement benefits.
3. Beyond the Plate Program Fee: Corporate event food recovery program charging $1 per attendee (up to 200 guests, minimum $50 donation) to cover logistics and operational costs of food rescue and redistribution.
4. Casual Catering: Recovered food made available for events at suggested donation levels based on guest count, with optional add-ons (chafing dishes, warmer fuel, ServSafe managers, cutlery, containers).
5. Partner Provisions Fair-Share Contribution: Receiving partner organizations contribute a nominal logistics fee to offset transportation, storage, and food safety costs. This sustains the systems and infrastructure for food recovery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Haven's Harvest is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates a volunteer-driven, hyper-local food rescue and redistribution service. It collects surplus perishable and prepared food from food donors (grocers, restaurants, hospitals, universities, caterers) and delivers it directly to community agencies including senior centers, daycare centers, schools, clinics, faith communities, and addiction/recovery programs using the Food Rescue Hero mobile app and a network of 470+ trained volunteers serving 660 receiving sites across Greater New Haven, Lower Naugatuck Valley, and New London.

Product overview

Haven's Harvest is a food recovery nonprofit that operates a hyper-local, volunteer-driven model to rescue surplus food from donors and redistribute it to communities experiencing food insecurity. The organization connects five core programs: (1) Full Circle Logistics for food donation coordination, (2) Partner Provisions for food distribution to agencies, (3) Individual/Corporate/Community Group Volunteering for operational capacity, (4) Casual Catering for revenue generation, and (5) Beyond the Plate for corporate events. All food runs are coordinated through the Food Rescue Hero (FRH) mobile app with real-time tracking. The organization serves the Greater New Haven, Lower Naugatuck Valley, and New London regions with 660+ receiving sites including daycare centers, senior centers, schools, subsidized housing, clinics, and faith communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full Circle Logistics Food donation program for businesses (grocers, hospitals, bakeries, farmers markets, universities, caterers) to donate surplus food. Services include pickup or drop-off options, flexible scheduling, food safety handling with warehouse freezer and walk-in cooler, and tax deduction documentation.
• Partner Provisions Connects community agencies with recovered, high-quality prepared food and donated foods including produce, bread, dairy, and packaged items stored at the warehouse. Partners contribute a nominal logistics fee and may pick up or receive coordinated deliveries.
• Corporate Volunteer Program Tiered corporate partnership program (KIWI $500, Peach $1,500, Grapefruit $3,000, Watermelon $5,000) offering food rescue runs, FRH app takeovers, volunteer recognition, social media features, and branded swag for companies seeking team-building and CSR engagement.
• Casual Catering Affordable catering service providing recovered food (snacks, prepared foods, baked goods) for events. Includes add-ons like chafing dish rental, warmer fuel, ServSafe-certified food managers, cutlery, and to-go containers. Pricing suggested by guest count from $100 (25 guests) to $275+ (200+ guests).
• Beyond the Plate Corporate event food initiative where organizations partner with Haven's Harvest to recover excess food from events. Program fee of $1 per attendee (minimum $50, up to 200 guests), with real-time tracking via app, impact reports, and social media recognition.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10 million pounds of food recovered since 2019, valued at $55,340,020
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Quinnipiac UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 December 2019Partnership with Quinnipiac University to reduce hunger in Hamden through food recovery and redistribution. Students engage with the organization for volunteer opportunities and the university donates surplus food.
• University of New HavencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnership focused on reducing food waste on campus and in surrounding communities through food rescue operations and student volunteer engagement.
• Common Ground High SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigh school partnership where Haven's Harvest provides meals for students, families, and staff. Students participate in food rescue activities and the school serves as a receiving partner site.
• Yale University (Yale Hunger Action Project)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Yale students through Matthew Kirschner and the Yale Hunger Action Project to expand volunteer base and raise awareness about food waste within Yale campus and surrounding areas.
• New Haven IndependentminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal news outlet providing regular media coverage of Haven's Harvest activities, impact stories, and community events, helping raise awareness and visibility.
• Midwest Food BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonthly distribution partnership where Haven's Harvest receives truckloads of dry goods to be distributed within the community. Volunteers help unload pallets and organize food.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• City Harvest: Large-scale food rescue nonprofit serving the New York City area, redistributing surplus food from businesses to communities in need. Directly comparable mission, food-recovery model, and nonprofit funding approach.
• Food Forward: California-based food rescue nonprofit that recovers surplus produce and prepared food and redistributes it to communities. Closely matches Haven's Harvest in mission, volunteer mobilization, and food-rescue operational model.
• FoodCloud: Tech-enabled food redistribution platform connecting businesses with surplus food to charities. Comparable technology-first approach to food rescue and nonprofit redistribution.
• Food Rescue US: Operates the same Food Rescue Hero (FRH) mobile app platform that Haven's Harvest uses, running a volunteer-driven direct-delivery food rescue model. The most directly comparable peer in technology stack and operating model.
• Rescuing Leftover Cuisine: Volunteer-driven nonprofit that uses technology to redirect surplus food from restaurants and businesses to those in need. Highly comparable technology-enabled volunteer food-rescue model.

Broad incumbents

• Philabundance: Large regional hunger-relief organization serving the Philadelphia area with food distribution, including rescue components. Represents the larger, more established end of the food-rescue/assistance space.

Regional players

• Boston Area Gleaners: New England-based food rescue organization that gleans and redistributes surplus produce. Comparable New England footprint and fresh-food rescue focus, though serves a different geography.
• Connecticut Foodshare: The largest food bank serving Connecticut, operating traditional food-bank distribution infrastructure that complements rather than directly competes with Haven's Harvest's perishable-food rescue model. Closest geographically adjacent food-assistance operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

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 Haven's Harvest