WasteLess Solutions aims to reduce food waste in Utah through education, prevention, and diversion. We envision a community that works together to provide sustenance and promote a healthy planet by preventing edible food waste. In Utah over 600,000 tons of edible food rots in our landfills annually, while 400,000 Utahns face hunger. If we could save this wasted food, we could feed every food-insecure Utahn three meals a day for over two years. This highlights that hunger is fundamentally a distribution problem, not a supply problem, and WasteLess Solutions is dedicated to solving this logistical challenge. As the only dedicated Food Rescue program in Utah, we provide a unique and vital solution to this critical need. While local food pantries offer essential services, they often face limitations in distributing fresh produce and refrigerated foods, and may not be accessible to individuals with transportation barriers, inflexible work schedules, or lack of cooking facilities. WasteLess Solutions fills these gaps by rescuing surplus edible food from a diverse range of sources, including restaurants, grocery stores, food distributors, caterers, schools, and even backyard gardens. We strategically partner with local nonprofits that serve vulnerable community members, ensuring this surplus food reaches those who need it most in appealing, convenient, and nutritious forms. Populations benefiting from our work include low-income and food-insecure individuals, families, and children; seniors; unhoused individuals; and victims of abuse. Since our founding in 2018, WasteLess Solutions has built a robust network, engaging over 300 food donors, nearly 200 receiving agencies, and more than 900 volunteers across four major Utah counties. Our collective efforts have resulted in the rescue of 2.6 million pounds of edible food, providing sustenance to approximately 100,000 people struggling with food insecurity. Current receiving partners include organizations such as YWCA, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake, Neighborhood House, Salt Lake City Mission, Utah Community Action of Utah County, Utah Aids Foundation, and Centro Civico Mexicano.
