2 million pounds of food rescued since 2013

The issue

Prior to 2020, 10% of Teton County residents were food insecure. The ALICE Project run by United Way found that an additional 27.8% of Teton County residents fall into the ALICE threshold. ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) defines families, neighbors, and colleagues who work hard and earn above the Federal Poverty Level, but not enough to afford their basic needs. ALICE paints an accurate picture of hardship in our community, where economic struggle is widespread as the cost of living outpaces local wages.

Our solution

At the same time that local residents are experiencing food insecurity, there is a remarkable opportunity to rescue food deemed “unsuitable for sale” due to imperfections and approaching expiration dates. The United States is the global leader in food waste, where 40% of all food produced is thrown away annually. Food waste is responsible for 22% of municipal solid waste in U.S. landfills. In response to these staggering figures, food organizations such as Hole Food Rescue mobilize volunteers to rescue and repurpose this perfectly edible food and distribute it to our most vulnerable community members. Since our inception in 2013, Hole Food Rescue has saved more than 2 million pounds of food from entering the waste stream. As we like to say, feed people not landfills.

Learn More about how you can reduce food waste at home.

Actions to prevent and divert food waste

our food recovery hierarchy

  • We aim to help local food donors reduce their excess inventory by tracking the total pounds of food rescued from them.

  • Our main focus as an organization is rescuing excess nutritious food and redistributing it to our food-insecure community members who need it most.

  • Anything we rescue that is unfit for human consumption we send to the animals of Haderlie Farms.

  • Any food unsuitable for the farm animals is composted with WyoFarm Composting to create nutrient-rich soil.

  • This is our last resort! We put as little as possible (non-recyclable plastics, meat, etc.) into the waste stream.

A team of 200 dedicated Hole Food Rescue volunteers rescue approximately 30,000 pounds of food from going to the landfill each month.  About 5.7% of that food is composted because it is deemed unsuitable for consumption. That means we are able to redistribute 28,640 pounds of imperfect yet nutritious food to community members each month through our programs.

OUR PARTNERS

  • Albertsons
    Aspen Market
    Basecamp Wilson
    Hand Fire Pizza

    Hungry Jacks General Store
    Maverick
    Pearl Street Market
    Persephone
    Persephone West Bank
    Picnic

    Smith’s

    Snake River Roasting
    Target

    Vertical Harvest

    Whole Foods Market
    WY Game and Fish
    Yeah Buddy Pizza

  • 3 Creek Ranch
    Amangani
    Aspen Travel
    Backroads
    Bistro Catering
    460 Bread
    Caldera House
    Calico
    Clear Creek Group
    Canewater Farm
    Colter Bay Convenience Store and Ranch House
    Colter Bay Ranch House
    Cosmic Apple
    Cowboy Coffee
    Creekside Market
    Cultivate Cafe
    Dornans
    Food Bank of Wyoming
    Four Seasons
    Friends of Pathways
    FRX
    Gather
    Good Samaritan Mission
    Grand Teton Lodge Company
    Grand Teton National Park
    Great Harvest BreaH Company
    Hayden’s Post
    Healthy Being Juicery
    Hunters for the Hungry
    Jackson Hole Airport
    Jackson Hole Classical Academy
    Jackson Hole Community School
    Jackson Hole Golf and Tennis
    Jackson Hole Highschool
    Jackson Hole Ski Club
    Jackson Cupboard
    Jackson Hole Farmers Market
    Jackson Hole Marketplace
    Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
    Jackson Hole Wildlife Safaris
    Jackson Lake Lodge
    Jedediah’s
    Jenny Lake Lodge
    Kampai Sushi
    Kate’s Real Food
    Local Restaurant and Bar
    Mangy Moose Saloon
    Million Dollar Cowboy Bar
    Mountain Property
    Management
    Outpost
    Shooting Star JH Golf Club
    Signal Mountain Lodge
    Slow Food Farm Stand
    Snake River Grill
    Snake River Sporting Club
    Snow King Resort
    Spur Restaurant and Bar
    Suda
    Sweet Cheeks Meats
    Sweet Hollow Farm
    Teton County School District #1
    Teton County 4H
    Teton Mountain Lodge
    Teton Pines Country Club
    Teton Science School
    The Continuum
    The Inn at Jackson Hole
    Trio
    The Lodge at Jackson Hole
    The Bird
    Western Wyoming Beverages
    White Buffalo Club
    Wyoming Game and Fish

  • Aspen Meadows

    Blair Place Apartments
    HFR Hub

    Pioneer Homestead
    Senior Center of Jackson Hole (Thursday & Friday)
    Sage Meadow Road (South of town)
    Teton Free-Clinic
    The Grove
    The Timbers at Jackson Hole

  • Aspen Meadows
    Blair Place Apartments
    Evans Mobile Home Court (not pictured)
    Karl Johnson Mobile Home Park
    May Park
    Mike Yokel Park
    Miller Park
    Powderhorn Park
    Timbers Apartments

Check out our impact reports

 

Impact Report 2022

 

Sprout Summer 2022

we run on love and donations

help us make an impact