Kentucky Harvest turns to business to rescue surplus food during SNAP reductions

Kentucky Harvest Calls on Louisville Businesses to Rescue Surplus Food During SNAP Reductions: Turning Waste into Hope

Local nonprofit mobilizes restaurants, grocers, and caterers through innovative app to feed families in need.

LOUISVILLE, KY — As SNAP benefits are reduced during the ongoing federal government shutdown, thousands of Kentuckiana families are struggling to put food on the table. While many food pantries are calling for donations, Kentucky Harvest is rallying the business community to act on a different front — rescuing good food that would otherwise go to waste.
For nearly four decades, Kentucky Harvest has connected food donors with local nonprofits through its volunteer-powered network. Using the Food Rescue Hero app, restaurants, caterers, grocery stores and institutions can schedule food pickups in minutes. Volunteers are automatically dispatched to collect the surplus and deliver it directly to food pantries and shelters — often within hours.
“Food donated in the morning can be on someone’s plate that night,” said Heather Stewart, Executive Director of Kentucky Harvest. “We make it easy for businesses to turn what would be waste into a lifeline for families who are struggling right now. Every meal matters.”
Unlike traditional food drives, food rescue saves fresh, prepared, and perishable items from ending up in landfills — ensuring good food nourishes people instead of going to waste.
“Every donation counts — especially now,” said Stewart. “We’re asking local businesses to see food rescue as part of the solution to hunger in our community.”

How Businesses Can Help
1. Visit KentuckyHarvest.org and click the “Donate Food” button.
2. Enter your business and donation details through the Food Rescue Hero platform.
3. A Kentucky Harvest volunteer will be dispatched to pick up your food — often the same day.
Kentucky Harvest has rescued more than 90 million pounds of food — feeding hundreds of thousands of people while preventing millions of pounds of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere. The organization currently serves nonprofit partners across Jefferson, Oldham, and Shelby counties in Kentucky and Clark, Floyd, and Harrison counties in Indiana — ensuring good food stays local and reaches those who need it most.

Contact: Heather Suell Stewart

Executive Director, Kentucky Harvest

(502) 408-1459 heather@kyharvest.org