A Mystery at Last Mile 

Julie and husband Steve on a rescue

August 19, 2026

By Julie Shifman, Co-founder and VP of External Relations

Recently, a check arrived at Last Mile for $100,000 — with no name attached. 

I respect the donor’s wish for privacy. But I’ll admit, I can’t stop wondering who they are.

Maybe they’re someone who, like me, is energized by the idea that we could solve food insecurity in Greater Cincinnati by 2030 

We’re making hunger a problem tackled not someday, but in our lifetime. I founded Last Mile because I was so motivated by the idea of rescuing food. But the ability to solve an intractable problem is what really got me. How could it not?  

I’ve supported a lot of social causes and they’re all important to me. What’s different about Last Mile is that we aren’t making gradual changes. We’re changing the way this city approaches hunger. I’ve talked to a lot of people about Last Mile over the last six years, and I’ve found that nothing motivates them quite like the chance to be part of a solution they’ll actually get to see. 

Maybe this donor understands, on some deep level, that food is the foundation everything else is built on  

You can create better educational experiences. You can encourage the kind of economic development that brings new jobs. You can pass better public policy for a variety of issues. But it’s hard to really change society while hunger is still prevalent. Well-fed children learn better. Adults who aren’t worrying about their next meal can work and provide and build a life for their families. Access to fresh food makes people healthier. Solve hunger and it addresses a lot of other social challenges.

Maybe this person once knew what it was like to stand in a kitchen and wonder how to stretch what little was there  

Maybe this gift isn’t abstract at all for this person. It’s possible they understand exactly what it means when Last Mile, our food donors, our volunteers, and our partner agencies show up for someone who’s hungry, because they were once that someone.  

I find inspiration when I think that perhaps this person came from want, found their way to abundance, and chose a path to help others. 

Or maybe our mystery friend is a food lover who can’t stomach the thought of 120 million pounds of good food going to waste  

The amount of food we throw into a landfill every year in Greater Cincinnati is astounding. It’s enough to shock anyone. Even without hunger, so much food grown and harvested just to be thrown away is absurd. Perhaps this is someone whose gift is really a stand against senseless waste. 

Maybe they’re part of Cincinnati’s tech community  

At Last Mile, we believe hunger is not a food problem — it’s a logistics problem. Maybe someone saw the logistics puzzle at the heart of hunger and fell in love with how we’re solving it. Maybe it’s someone who had an idea as disruptive as overnight package delivery or ride share and wondered, beyond profit, what good could this technology contribute. 

Whatever their reason, here’s what we know for certain: because of Last Mile’s 10X return on investment, this single $100,000 gift will provide $1,000,000 worth of free food to pantries and food banks across our community. 

We may never know the story of this donor. But whatever brought them to us, we’re deeply grateful they’re now part of ours.