As this month's Zero Hunger-Zero Waste spotlight, we find out how Wasteless Solutions uses an app to rescue food and fill up growling tummies around Salt Lake.
We followed Wasteless Solutions founder Dana Williamson on a food rescue mission. She checks an app she calls "Uber for food rescue" to see which local eateries have extra food they want to donate. Today, the app - called Food Rescue US - says the company Overstock is ready donate food that their chefs didn't get around to using in the cafeteria.
Dana packs the food into her car, and checks the app again; this time for a recipient ready to take and distribute food to people who need it. She drives the haul over to a center for families healing from addiction, where the representatives show such gratitude for the delivery.
As a former corporate executive, Dana Williamson is used to solving problems, and to her, food rescue seemed like a no-brainer.
"In Utah, there's 600,000 tons of food going to waste, while 400,000 Utahns go hungry," she said. "It doesn't make sense. So why don't we get some of that good food and instead of it ending up in the landfill, get it to people who need it?"
These efforts to bridge the hunger gap are why Dana's nonprofit Wasteless Solutions is being recognized as this month's Zero Hunger-Zero Waste Hero by Fox13 and Smith's Food and Drug.
And whether you want to donate food or help rescue it - or even if you'd like to be a recipient of fresh leftovers - you can find out more at WastelessSolutions.org or by downloading the app, Food Rescue US from iTunes or Google Play.
