South Lake Tahoe food rescue
Good food belongs on Tahoe tables.
Every day, volunteers pick up extra food from local kitchens and drive it to neighbors who need it. Not tomorrow. Today.
Since October 2024
Rescued, not wasted.
One in five South Lake Tahoe residents is food insecure. Meanwhile, good food gets thrown out every night. We close the gap, one car at a time.
120,000 +
pounds of good food rescued
that’s100,000+ meals*
*An estimate, at 1.2 lbs of food per meal (a common food-rescue conversion). Totals since October 2024.
Four ways to help.
Pick one. Every one of them puts a meal on a table this week.
Donate food
free pickupRestaurant, café, grocer or caterer with extra? We pick it up, usually the same day. Schedule a pickup
Volunteer
~30 min a runClaim a rescue in the app, drive it across town. Most take about 30 minutes. Become a driver
Give
Your gift keeps rescues moving: bags, coolers, gas and the app that runs it all. Donate now
Get food
Rescued food goes to 15+ local partners: shelters, pantries and senior homes. Find the one nearest you. Find food near you
How a rescue works
From kitchen to table, the same day.
- 1
A kitchen has extra
A hospital café, bagel shop or grocer posts its surplus in the Feed Tahoe app.
- 2
A neighbor drives it over
A volunteer claims the run in the app and heads out. Most rescues are claimed within minutes.
- 3
Dinner, not dumpster
The food goes straight to a shelter, pantry or senior home that needs it tonight.
Rescues run through the free Feed Tahoe app.
claim a run, drive it over, done
500 turkeys from Kings Meats
2nd annual Fall Food Drive
500 bags.
500 Thanksgiving meals.
Kings Meats is donating 500 turkeys. You fill the tote bags with the sides. It's back for a second year, and it only works if the whole town joins in.
180 of 500 bags filled
Demo dataeach tote = 10 bags · goal: 500
- 1 Grab a FeedTahoe tote bag at a collection site
- 2 Spend about $20 filling it from the shopping list
- 3 Drop it back in the bin — a volunteer picks it up
- 4 Bags go to 15+ local partners with a turkey for Thanksgiving
Fill a tote (about $20)
- Cornbread mix
- Cranberry sauce
- Green beans
- Instant mashed potatoes
- Yams
- Stuffing
- Mac & cheese
- Rice
- Broth
Key dates
- OCT 22 Volunteer kickoff, Cowork Tahoe
- NOV 1 Drive opens, bins go live
- NOV ~20 Turkey distribution
- NOV 23 All bags filled
- NOV 30 Drive closes
Last year: 6,000+ lbs collected from 25+ partners.
Partner story · The Red Lodge
The fridge that never stays empty.
Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless runs the Red Lodge, and it receives more rescues than any other partner. Food from kitchens like Barton Hospital's café, Tahoe Bagel and Holiday Market ends up in its community fridge.
Tevia Herrmann and the team keep it open to guests,
and the next driver fills it again.
Tahoe's kitchens, feeding Tahoe.
21+ food donors and 15+ partners so far. Here are a few.
Food comes from
- Barton Hospital
- Starbucks
- Tahoe Bagel
- Holiday Market
- Beach Hut Deli
- Cuppa Tahoe
- Fox and Hound
- Edgewood Tahoe
- Stanford Sierra Camp
Food goes to
- Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless (The Red Lodge)
- LTCC Food Pantry
- Tahoe Senior Plaza
- South Lake Tahoe Family Resource Center
- El Dorado County Probation
- Christmas Cheer All Year
- Tahoe Youth and Family Services
- Phoenix Food Pantry
Keep the cars rolling.
A gift covers bags, coolers, gas cards and the app behind every rescue. Monthly gifts help us plan the winter, when need is highest.
What your gift pays for
- bags
- coolers
- gas
- the app