A Marcella Foundation program
Good food belongs to people, not landfill.
FeedTahoe is an innovative food recovery program in South Lake Tahoe. We rescue quality, surplus food from the food industry and deliver it to nonprofit partners such as food pantries, shelters, schools, daycare programs and more. Utilizing advanced technologies, we mobilize volunteers to transport food donations from food retailers to nonprofits. Collaborating with community partners, we aim to fill gaps in the existing food recovery system.
How a rescue works
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A kitchen has good food left over
Grocers, cafés, bakeries and caterers post their surplus instead of throwing it away.
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A volunteer claims it and drives
Our app pings local drivers. A rescue takes about thirty minutes of a volunteer's time.
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It's on a table the same day
Food goes straight to pantries, shelters, schools and daycares, like the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless at the Red Lodge.
Weekend food program
Nutritious weekend meals for preschool kids and families
In 2023 we launched a weekend food program for preschool children with Bread & Broth. Together we serve 70 children, ages 18 months to 5 years, at five child care centers for low-income families. Each weekend bag holds 7 single-serving meals, fruit, vegetables and snacks. Demand keeps growing, and we'd like to reach 100–150 families.
- 70 children each weekend
- 5 child care centers
- 7 meals in every bag
Your donations will
- Provide weekend food support to every preschool family in need in our community
- Create volunteer opportunities for the wider community to learn about food insecurity and help bag and deliver food
- Build an open-source online volunteer and food donation platform for Bread & Broth that we can eventually offer to every organization in Tahoe working on food insecurity
- Bring together organizations in Tahoe and El Dorado County working on hunger, in a learning circle that finds the gaps and opportunities
We match every donation to FEED, so every child in our community gets the food they need to live a healthy, vibrant life.
Donate to FEED
I'm a single parent and the food we receive for the weekends is a blessing. When my child receives her bag, she gets excited to see what's inside. Thank you so much!
Why it matters
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45%
of South Lake Tahoe kids qualify for free or reduced lunch
Preschoolers were identified as a "gap" area with high need for nutritious food (2019 Bread & Broth assessment).
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Every meal
matters at a young age
Children who don't get nutritious food as they grow can suffer from obesity, osteoporosis, irritability and trouble focusing.
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1,000 days
can change a child's life
"A great deal of the brain's ultimate structure and capacity is shaped early in life before the age of 3 years…Failure to optimize brain development early in life appears to have long-term consequences with respect to education, job potential, and adult mental health." (The Role of Nutrition in Brain Development: The Golden Opportunity of the First 1000 Days)
Turkey day · November 2024
One parking lot, a truck of turkeys and a lot of good people
Kings Meats trucked in turkeys and volunteers handed them off to local food partners in time for Thanksgiving. This November Kings Meats and FeedTahoe do it again, bigger, with the Fall Food Drive.
Join the 2026 Fall Food Drive →
Our vision
A food system in our region that works together to get food to the kids and families who need it, in the most effective way possible, using technology and an army of volunteers.
Join us!
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Drive with us
Pick up surplus food near you and drop it at a partner. Flexible, local, about thirty minutes a run.
Become a volunteer -
Sponsor FeedTahoe
Businesses and families keep the trucks moving and the weekend bags full. Every gift is matched.
Join as a sponsor