In this report, we are providing highlights of our work during the first half of the year, strategic partnerships, and progress we’ve made against our commitment to consistently and sustainably providing meals to communities.

Since January 2022, we have provided over 1.5 million meals to 83 community-based organizations (CBOs) across New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Nashville, Washington D.C., and Miami. In NYC, where food insecurity outpaced the rest of the country and the use of food pantries more than doubled between 2021 and 2022⁴, we have served over 1.2 million meals. 

Through Rethink Food’s support of local restaurants, we have directed over $4.2 million to minority- or women-owned small businesses this year.

Building efficiency and self-sufficiency

As an organization, one of our top priorities is establishing partnerships and systems to provide communities with consistent access to meals and support. In Miami, we are accomplishing this through our partnership with Chef Michael Schwartz and The Genuine Hospitality Group. Since becoming Rethink Certified in November 2021, Chef Schwartz’s restaurants Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, and Amara have been fundraising for Rethink Food by adding a donation to every check. 100% of the funds raised are granted to local restaurants to prepare meals for communities experiencing food insecurity. In total, The Genuine Hospitality Group has raised over $158,000 (and counting), providing over 31,000 meals to communities. 

Our work in Miami is an important example of how we are working to create a system where meals and communities are being sustainably and consistently supported.

Learn more about our Rethink Certified program here.

Building sustainable, collaborative solutions

Sustainability and equity go hand in hand as climate change disproportionately impacts lower-income communities. This year, we have launched two significant partnerships that leverage our sustainability services for stakeholders across the food system to donate their food waste and serve our community in New York City:

• In partnership with Brookfield Properties, we launched the first Rethink Certified Campus at Manhattan West. Brookfield Properties is sponsoring efforts for all onsite restaurants and food purveyors to donate their excess food to Rethink Food which will be converted into free community meals. The campus is expected to collect over 5 tons of excess food and provide 50,000 community meals.

• In partnership with environmentally-focused waste and recycling management company, RTS, we are offering their clients a new service where Rethink Food collects their excess food to convert it into nutritious meals at our commissary kitchen. Our partnership is starting in NYC and intends to expand nationally.

Interested in learning more about our sustainability services? Click here.

By creating better connections across the food system, we’re empowering change to increase equitable food access for our most vulnerable neighbors and, ultimately, create a more sustainable and equitable food system.