Our Beginnings
ICT Food Rescue began when founder Stephanie Merritt returned to college at the age of 46. The courses that she took to obtain her degree at Wichita State University in conjunction with a job where food surplus was thrown out every day inspired her to find a way to make a change. Merritt started small, just rescuing whatever food surplus, whenever she could. She found out that if she were to form a non-profit organization the sky would be the limit. In February 2016, ICT Food Rescue (formerly known as Wichita Area Coalition for Kindness) came to life. Soon after, Merritt began inviting friends to ride along on food rescues and even riding along on some rescues herself in bigger cities on the coasts. ICT Food Rescue is what it is today because of those that are passionate about feeding people and not landfills.
Our mission is to distribute unavoidable food surplus, sharing with the food insecure of Wichita.
#feedpeoplenotlandfills
How Food Rescue Works
1. donor
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Whether it’s a one-time donation or a regular pick-up, become a donating partner here to begin the donation process. Donors are typically restaurants, grocers, catered events, etc.
*We do not accept donations from individuals at this time.
2. rescuer
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Our volunteers can access and claim available donation pick-ups by registering on the Food Rescue US App. Each rescue has specific timeframes and instructions for the rescuer to reference.
3. receiving agency
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The donated food is then transported by the rescuer to one of our 17 Receiving Agencies. Our Agencies include places like food pantries, foster homes, recovery centers, etc.
4. community
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It all begins with a conversation. Know someone with a food surplus that isn’t on our donor list yet? Send them our way!