Putting excess food to use is called "food rescue." While it may not be a familiar concept, it makes a lot of sense. Over 2,300 donors give food to City Harvest in a year, and last year it rescued and delivered 27 million pounds.

Humble beginnings
Before the 1980s, there was no system in place to rescue food. Soup kitchens in New York City struggled to serve a growing number of people, while blocks away restaurant chefs and bakery owners discarded unserved food.

A potato -- one of the most basic foods -- started it all. Back in 1981, a soup kitchen volunteer who was dining out took a second look at her potato skin appetizer, in which the insides of the potato were scooped out and discarded. She told the restaurant chef that her soup kitchen could really use the extra potato pulp for its soups, and the next day the chef donated 30 gallons of cooked potatoes. Within three months, other local retailers and restaurants had started donating their excess food to the kitchen. City Harvest began in December 1982, recruiting and training volunteers to handle food safely and coordinating deliveries through a hotline. Two hundred and seventy million pounds of food later, we're still at it.

The simple concept of food rescue has caught on. City Harvest has helped launch food rescue programs in Germany, England, India, South Africa, Brazil, Israel and elsewhere since its founding. We have had visitors from all over the world take away ideas for solving their own hunger problems.

Green ideas
One reason for its wide appeal is that food rescue is, at its heart, a "green" idea. City Harvest believes that valuable resources, including food, must be used wisely. Our fleet of green trucks takes this idea to the next level, saving up to 30 percent in fuel and reducing our carbon footprint. Over the course of the year, each City Harvest truck travels 14,000 miles in the five boroughs, rescuing food on less fuel.

Our business model is based on finding the shortest distance between excess food and the people who need it. City Harvest has expanded from picking up food from restaurants to collecting every type of food from all segments of the food industry. Much of the food City Harvest rescues is highly perishable, like fresh produce. We also collect nonperishable food. Food drives run by individual New Yorkers help us keep our pantry shelves stocked, especially around the holiday season.

Keep it going
Food banks and food rescue organizations exist because people believe in the work that we do and offer their support. Before you decide to start a food rescue organization, check to see if one already exists in your area. Look at its Web site to see what it needs most. Does it need monetary donations or food? Could it use more volunteers? Give money, encourage food businesses you know to donate, participate in food drives, or donate your time. Never underestimate the importance of raising awareness. Link friends to Web sites of organizations like City Harvest, and tell them this is a cause you support.