What Second Helpings Atlanta does

Second Helpings Atlanta is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit food rescue organization (EIN: 45-3631347) founded in 2004 and headquartered at 970 Jefferson St NW, Suite 5, Atlanta, GA. The organization functions as a logistics intermediary in the hunger-relief ecosystem, connecting a network of 75+ food donors — including grocery stores, restaurants, corporate kitchens (Chick-fil-A, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, NCR), event venues (Mercedes-Benz Stadium), and corporate partners (Delta Air Lines, formerly HelloFresh) — with 180+ partner agencies across 10 Metro Atlanta counties (Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall). Its core product is the Food Rescue Network: volunteer drivers use a custom mobile application (available on iOS App Store ID 6754114331 and Google Play) to sign up for and execute rescue routes, typically completing pickups and deliveries in approximately 90 minutes using their personal vehicles. Supporting programs include the Meals with Meaning meal-kit packing program (historically at the warehouse; paused after HelloFresh's May 2024 facility closure) and the Full Plates Project, which delivered 500K+ meals in 2024.

The business model is donation- and grant-funded rather than transactional. There is no fee charged to food donors or partner agencies; the organization relies on individual donations (including a "Pull up a Seat" recurring giving program), corporate sponsorships (with Delta Air Lines as presenting gala sponsor), grants from foundations and donor-advised funds, employer matching gifts, and event fundraising via the annual Full Plates, Full Hearts gala. Liability protection for donors is structured under the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act, and donors benefit from IRS Code 170(e)(3) enhanced tax deductions. Operations are volunteer-intensive and lean: the organization has 1-10 paid employees coordinated by Executive Director Paul Clements, with a dedicated contact line (678.894.9761) and segmented email channels for general inquiries, volunteer coordination, development, and strategic partnerships. Cumulative impact since founding reaches 32.6 million pounds of food rescued, 27.2 million meals provided, and 67,000 routes driven.

Name

Second Helpings Atlanta

Legal name

Second Helpings, Inc.

Website

https://secondhelpingsatlanta.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Second Helpings Atlanta is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2004 that uses a volunteer-driver network and custom mobile app to rescue surplus food from 75+ donors and redistribute it to 180+ partner agencies across 10 Metro Atlanta counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Rescue / Hunger Relief Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food Services (624210), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD), Emergency Food Assistance & Nutrition Response (BPADADAE)

Keywords

• Food rescue services
• Surplus food redistribution
• Volunteer logistics coordination
• Hunger relief programs
• Community food assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Financial Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 45-3631347), Second Helpings Atlanta relies primarily on financial donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations to fund operations. The organization accepts one-time donations, monthly recurring gifts through their 'Pull up a Seat' monthly giving program, corporate sponsorships, donor advised fund (DAF) contributions, wire and stock transfers, and matching gifts through employer programs. Event fundraising includes their annual Full Plates, Full Hearts gala.
2. Volunteer Services (In-Kind): Volunteer drivers contribute their personal vehicles, time, and labor to perform food rescue routes. This in-kind contribution is essential to operations as volunteers use their own cars to pick up and deliver food donations.
3. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships: Corporate partners provide financial support, food donations, and volunteer hours. Sponsorship opportunities include presenting sponsorships for events like the Full Plates, Full Hearts gala, and ongoing corporate partnerships for food rescue operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Second Helpings Atlanta is a nonprofit food rescue organization that picks up surplus, perishable food from donors (grocery stores, restaurants, corporate kitchens, stadiums, event venues) and delivers it free of charge to 180+ partner agencies (food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, youth centers) via volunteer drivers using their personal vehicles. Operations are coordinated through a volunteer mobile app, with most rescue routes completed in approximately 90 minutes across 10 Metro Atlanta counties.

Product overview

Second Helpings Atlanta is a nonprofit food rescue logistics organization operating a single integrated platform of food rescue services. The core Food Rescue Network connects surplus food donors with partner agencies through volunteer drivers who perform pickup and delivery routes. Supporting programs include the Meals with Meaning meal kit packing program and the Full Plates Project, all coordinated through a volunteer mobile app. The organization does not operate distinct commercial product tiers or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Rescue Network A volunteer-driven food rescue logistics service that connects 75+ food donors (grocery stores, restaurants, corporate kitchens, stadiums, event venues) with 180+ partner agencies (food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, youth centers) across Metro Atlanta. Volunteers use their personal vehicles and a mobile app to pick up surplus perishable food and deliver it to partner agencies in approximately 90 minutes.
• Meals with Meaning A meal kit packing program where volunteers convene at SHA's warehouse to pack 2,000 meal kits weekly, distributed to neighbors facing food insecurity. Since 2021, the program has generated over 6 million meals for the Atlanta community.
• Full Plates Project A program providing nourishing meals to partner agencies. In 2024, the Full Plates Project provided over 500,000 nourishing meals for partner agencies across Metro Atlanta.
• Second Helpings Atlanta Mobile App A volunteer-facing mobile application enabling volunteer drivers to sign up for food rescue routes, view available pickups and deliveries, and coordinate schedules. Available on iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play).

Quantifiable outcome

• 32.6 million pounds of food rescued and delivered since 2004
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Delta Air LinescoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 24 March 2025Presenting Sponsor of Full Plates, Full Hearts annual gala (March 24, 2026). Delta has actively participated in SHA's mission through food rescue, hands-on volunteerism (packing 40,000 meals), and ongoing food donations providing over 500,000 meals to families. Delta employees regularly volunteer and the partnership has been recognized at galas honoring Bill Bolling.
• RetaazacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 November 2023Groundbreaking Food Rescue Partnership announced November 11, 2023 to transform fresh food access across Metro Atlanta. Retaaza, a social enterprise pioneering on-farm food rescue, compensates Georgia farmers at fair prices for surplus produce. The partnership reduces farm-to-fork process to just two days, providing fresh produce to families in need while creating a revenue stream for farmers. Aims to address 156% surge in demand for food aid.
• Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2018In April 2018, SHA and ACFB announced a formal collaborative partnership naming SHA as a Food Rescue Partner of the Food Bank, one of the largest hunger-relief organizations in the Southeast. ACFB refers organizations interested in food rescue programs to SHA, which develops logistics to pick up food and deliver to ACFB agencies within Metro Atlanta.
• Taste of AtlantaflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerCelebrating 20 years of partnership since 2001. Taste of Atlanta connects food lovers with the city's best chefs and restaurants through events including Grand Tasting Buckhead, Food That Rocks, Grand Tasting Alpharetta, and Grand Tasting Midtown. Each event supports SHA and other important causes while highlighting Atlanta's vibrant restaurant community.
• Mercedes-Benz StadiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHA began rescuing food from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in August 2017, rescuing more than 50,000 pounds of food in the first year. The stadium is a reliable source of large volumes of high-quality food for Westside, Midtown, and Downtown partner agencies. Additionally, SHA works with Mercedes-Benz USA headquarters in Sandy Springs for community service projects assembling sack lunches and snack packs.
• HelloFreshminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHelloFresh was a valued partner from 2020-2024, donating surplus food and through the Meals with Meaning Program where volunteers packed 2,000 meal kits weekly at SHA's warehouse. The partnership generated over 6 million meals for the Atlanta community. HelloFresh's Newnan facility closure in mid-2024 ended the partnership, though they pledged to continue providing food for meal kits through year-end 2024.
• NCRminorOthersNCR Corporation's corporate kitchen donates surplus food that Rev. Dawkins of True Worship Christian Fellowship Church picks up and uses to prepare meals for community members in need. NCR is listed among food donors in SHA's network.
• HelloFreshminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHelloFresh Newnan facility closure announced May 2024. Since 2021, the Meals with Meaning Program convened volunteers each Wednesday to pack 2,000 meal kits distributed to neighbors facing food insecurity. The partnership generated more than six million meals for the Atlanta community.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Move For Hunger: National nonprofit that mobilizes moving and logistics partners to donate food during relocations and uses volunteer-driven pickups. Adjacent logistics/rescue concept with overlapping volunteer coordination, though focused on a different supply stream.

Direct peers

• Forgotten Harvest: Metro Detroit food rescue organization that collects surplus food from restaurants, grocers, and event venues and distributes it to partner agencies. Operates a similar donor-agency-volunteer logistics model in a single metropolitan region.
• Atlanta Community Food Bank: The largest hunger-relief organization in metro Atlanta and the Southeast, distributing food through a network of partner agencies. SHA has a formal Food Rescue Partner agreement with ACFB since April 2018, making them the closest geographically and operationally comparable peer.
• Capital Area Food Bank: Washington DC-area food bank operating across a multi-county metro region with partner agency distribution and food rescue from commercial donors. Comparable scale and structure to SHA's Atlanta footprint and 10-county service area.
• Food Forward: Southern California food rescue nonprofit that recovers surplus produce and other food and redistributes it to agencies serving food-insecure communities. Comparable volunteer-led produce-rescue operations and agency distribution model.
• Food Rescue US: National volunteer-driven food rescue platform that connects donors with recipient agencies via app-based route management. Closest direct model match to SHA: both rely on community volunteers using personal vehicles and digital tools to perform short, frequent rescues.
• City Harvest: New York City's largest food rescue organization, collecting surplus food from restaurants, grocers, and event venues and delivering it free to community food programs. Comparable mission, donor mix, and agency-distribution model, just at much larger metropolitan scale.

Regional players

• Food Bank of Northeast Georgia: Regional food bank serving counties northeast of Atlanta with food distribution through partner agencies. Geographically adjacent and structurally similar as a donor/agency logistics operator, though serving a different service area than SHA.
• Meals on Wheels Atlanta: Atlanta-based nonprofit delivering meals to seniors and homebound residents across metro Atlanta. Operates in the same city with overlapping volunteer infrastructure, though focused on direct-to-client meal delivery rather than donor-to-agency food rescue.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: National umbrella network of 200+ regional food banks including Atlanta Community Food Bank. Provides a comparable overarching category reference point but operates at network scale rather than single-metro grassroots rescue.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@secondhelpingsatlanta
• Facebookfacebook.com/SecondHelpingsATL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/second-helpings-atlanta-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/secondhelpingsatl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Second Helpings Atlanta