Our Fleet Saved 44,000 Pounds of Food. Now We Need Your Help.
The Rescue Clock Was Ticking. Our Fleet Stepped Up.
It started with a phone call, and the clock was ticking. 44,000 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes, still perfectly good to eat, were about to be discarded simply because they didn’t meet retail specs. But not on our watch. Last Mile stepped in to redirect these potatoes to kitchens and pantries that would put them to use.
Thanks to our dedicated drivers, our fleet (which includes one refrigerated box truck and three refrigerated vans), and our network of local partners, 20 pallets of potatoes were successfully rescued and rerouted to food pantries and community programs across Greater Cincinnati.
Danny, one of those aforementioned drivers, started his day at sunrise with a coffee in one hand and a pallet jack in the other. Danny is one of our drivers who is licensed to operate our refrigerated box truck, the only truck in our fleet large enough to rescue a load of this size.
This is what a fleet makes possible. This is just one example of the large-load rescues we can take on when the right trucks, people, and partnerships come together.
How It Happened:
The donation came from Caruso USA, when they contacted us about the load, we jumped into action.
Over just two days, our drivers picked up all 20 pallets from Caruso’s warehouse. Then, with the help of six of our Food Rescue Heroes, we delivered them to:
- Matthew 25 Ministries (serving as a central drop point)
- St. Vincent De Paul
- Shared Harvest
- CAIN, La Soupe, and others
- One pallet went to our own Last Mile Market in Avondale/Price Hill
- Another helped stock a community container for local access
At the same time, our fleet stayed on its regular routes, rescuing eggs from Performance Food Group, picking up from Kroger stores, and delivering to pantries like IPM, JEE Foods, Tikkun Farm, and Faith Food Pantry. The potato rescue was made possible thanks to our truck (affectionately named Chariot) that handled all 20 pallets from Caruso’s warehouse and made deliveries to the listed partners.
In just 48 hours, our team transformed 44,000 pounds of potential waste into nourishment for our region.
Why Fleet Capacity Matters:
When we get a call about 40,000+ pounds of food needing to move in less than 48 hours, we don’t have time to rent, schedule, or outsource.
Having a truck ready, turns “we’ll try” into “we’re on our way.”
When we have capacity, we say yes.
When we don’t, perfectly good food is turned away.
The Cost of Saying No:
We get offers like this all the time. Thousands of pounds of food that needs to be moved quickly.
But the hard truth is: If we don’t have the fleet capacity, we can’t say yes.
No truck means no rescue. No rescue means tons of food head straight to the dump.
In this case, we had the fleet. We had the team. And we had just enough fuel in the tank to make it happen.
But we need your help to keep that momentum going.
Help Fund A New Truck: Power the Next Food Rescue Truck
You’ve read about all we can do with an expanded fleet. Now, help us strengthen that fleet by adding a new truck and make our impact across the region even greater.
Thanks to a generous award from the Ohio EPA, Last Mile Food Rescue has the opportunity to add a new refrigerated truck to our fleet. But we must raise $50,000 to unlock the funds.
This truck will allow us to rescue an additional 100,000 pounds of food this year, enough for 80,000 more meals for our neighbors who need it most.
Another truck means more rescues. More rescues mean we are one step closer to closing the meal gap in the Cincinnati area and realizing our goals of eliminating food insecurity.
Be Part of the Movement:
Together, we can hit our goal, unlock this grant, and keep an extra 100,000 pounds of good food out of the landfill every year. That food will land where it belongs, on the tables of families across our region.
You can be the difference maker in whether or not this food is thrown away or feeds someone who is hungry.
Help Fund a New Truck: Learn More and Donate →
