Cultivate Food Rescue

We have volunteered as a family and supported Cultivate financially over the years and truly believe in their mission and have seen firsthand the good things they’ve done in our community. We’re proud to support Cultivate and urge you to do as well.

Incredible story! I have helped package saved food for delivery to those in need.. The number of meals that can be packaged with so little volunteer labor could not happen without tremendous planning and organization. it is gratifying to know that so many can be helped with so little effort. The amount of food they save and the number of people they feed is remarkable.

Cultivate provides a service our community needs, while utilizing existing resources to implement, and giving people the opportunity to volunteer and give back. It is truly a win-win-win. We are so lucky to have such a passionate, mission-driven, and results-based organization in our community.

As a lifelong resident of South Bend, I am impressed and inspired by Cultivate's dual mission of No Neighbor Hungry, No Food Wasted. In a world with such division, Cultivate's is a rally cry that EVERYONE can get behind. Cultivate brings the community together everyday in an effort to improve the lives of our neighbors and improve the environment for future generations.

I have volunteered at this organization since I moved to the area. I could not imagine a better way to spend time to serve the community. They serve the most vulnerable in the community by providing the basic human need of food. They also are a great example of what it means to help other who are helping in the same goal. They supply many food pantries with food to make sure there are no hungry neighbors. In a time where there is constant competition for notoriety and resources Cultivate shows what it means to help neighbors no matter what or no matter if they get the credit. They also do a great job of taking care of the environment by keeping food out of landfills!

I have been involved with Cultivate for the past 4 years and am in awe of their mission -

- No Neighbor Hungry
- No food wasted

This organization is in tune with macro hunger and food waste issues and is activly addressing the issues in local communities every day of the year.

Cultivate helps us feed 145 individuals and families every Tuesday and Thursday at two dilapidated motels in Plymouth, Indiana. Cultivate is a great collaborator in the effort to fight hunger. All the meals are delivered to us and provided to feed those we serve at no cost! We. LOVE Cultivate!

Cultivate Food Rescue touches so many people throughout our communities. Either by the 100+ food pantries ordering food to distribute to their population or providing 7,000 meals for children to take home on the weekends. What an amazing organization that is making a direct impact on food insecurity.

Imagine you’re 7 or 8 and during the school week you get breakfast and lunch-wonderful!! But then Friday afternoon comes and there won’t be much, if anything, until Monday morning. Cultivate Food Rescue is there to bridge the gap. Prepared, unserved food, is rescued, packaged into microwave meals, frozen, and sent home (7 meals) with these kids. Seasonal harvests, excess shipments, overstocked non-perishables are prepared in the Cultivate kitchen for the same purpose. Come, help out, impact your neighbors with a few hours of effort.
Cultivate Food Rescue-no food wasted, no neighbor hungry!

Cultivate is a practical, hands-on nonprofit that serves several critical purposes: getting food to hungry people; rescuing otherwise wasted food, and preventing the climate impacts of that food sitting in a landfill. You can volunteer as an individual or with a group; you'll feel most welcome and appreciated either way. There are jobs for people of all ages and abilities, and if you like being able to see the fruits of your work immediately, Cultivate is the place for you!

I love the mission and how well organized they are. My role is a volunteer lead one evening a week and the Cultivate Team makes it easy for me. The volunteers they line up are amazing, the meals they prepare from donations look and smell delicious. It feels good to make a difference and that’s what makes Cultivate special.

Cultivate Food Rescue is an outstanding non-profit. They touch and impact so many lives in such a positive way. They use their resources to fight hunger and reduce food waste. So glad they are part of our community!

I began volunteering at Cultivate Food Rescue in February of 2020, right before the pandemic hit. From day one I have been so impressed by their mission and their impact on our local community. Seeing the amount of food that they rescue from local restaurants, event centers, and colleges and universities that otherwise would have gone into the landfill has been very eye-opening about the amount of food that we waste on a daily basis. Cultivate takes that fresh and healthy food and processes it into convenient take-home meals for school children and food insecure families in our community. Leading a processing shift at Cultivate is very rewarding. In 2-3 hours we can package enough meals to feed dozens of kids for a weekend. It is also a wonderful opportunity to meet people from all around town that I otherwise would never have met. I am always inspired by individuals and groups who are willing to give up a weeknight or weekend afternoon to volunteer. Every shift is different and fun, and often times competitive trying to process as many meals as we can. I’ve volunteered on many occasions with my children, and sometimes with friends or acquaintances from school or church. I’d highly recommend checking out Cultivate Food Rescue - you will leave feeling inspired.

Adding Cultivate to LaVille schools has been an incredible boost to our students morale who have been given the opportunity to utilize this amazing resource. It is so heartwarming to hear the comments the kids make to their parents when getting into their cars with the meals on Fridays like, "Mom this is great, can we get these every week?!" Just knowing that we have this resource is truly a blessing to the Lancer families in our district.

Cultivate Food Rescue is a wonderful program. I work for a Head Start program and they provide us with meals for our children for the weekend. The children receive 6 meals on Friday for the parents to use on Saturday and Sundays. This has been a tremendous help for a lot of our families. The meals are delicious and they receive a variety of different foods which include breakfast and dinner options. Our families greatly appreciate receiving the meals and the children look forward to receiving it.

As the Principal of Bremen High School, Cultivate has been a God-send to many of our needy students. Our partnership with Cultivate has been nothing but positive, and our students have expressed gratitude and appreciation for the gift of food for the weekends. Not only have the students grown gracious hearts, they have improved their attendance & grades while gaining an understanding that it's OK to ask for help. They have also commented that the food is delicious! KUDOS TO CULTIVATE!
Bruce Jennings

Cultivate Food Rescue has been an incredible partner of our elementary school! They provide 300 meals per week, feeding 50 students over each weekend.

As the cofounder, I am amazed constantly on how far this mission has come in 4 years. We are quickly approaching 2 million pounds of food rescued. This year we will be serving 1,000 vulnerable children who are on free and reduced lunch 6 nutritional frozen meals every weekend they are in school! We started with 120 four years ago and hitting 1,000 is a major milestone!