OUR MISSION
Creating a more sustainable and equitable food system by closing the distribution gap between farmers and communities in need
LEADERSHIP
George Ahearn R.N., B.S.N., EMHA
Chairman of the Board & Founder​
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Caleb Fitzgerald
Treasurer & Secretary
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Kim Van Cleave Michaels
Board Member
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David Overcash
Board Member
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Monika Whitfield
Executive Director
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Mimi Hardie
Director of Development & Compliance
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Carly Campbell
Program Manager
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Carl Duvall
Support Specialist
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Diane Dempster
Advisory Council Member, Produce
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Burr Mosby
Advisory Council Member, Agriculture
OUR STRATEGY
Moving food where it’s needed.
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EastWest Food Rescue acquires or purchases surplus food predominantly from farmers and distributes it with empathy to people experiencing food insecurity. We coordinate every step from finding new sources of nutritious surplus food to organizing transportation to ensuring rescued food is given to people with food insecurity for free. We support the farming community and work towards sustainable solutions for the food system.
AGRICULTURAL & HUNGER RELIEF PARTNERS
Bolthouse
Cal Farms
Cascadia Produce
Charlie's Produce
Country Sweet
Doreva
Emergency Food Network
Farmlink
Food Forward
Harvest Against Hunger
John Loos Farms
Mosby
Muckleshoot Tribe
Pacific Int'l Marketing
Progressive Produce
Tanimura & Antle
Target AG
Treehouse Farm
Washington Lettuce &
Vegetable Company
Yakima Nation Farms
Gratitude for WSDA's Partnership and the
Food Rescue Grant Program
Through the Washington State Department of Agriculture’s Commodities Donation Pilot Program, EastWest Food Rescue recovered more than 321,000 pounds of fresh produce from local farms, enough to create over 268,000 meals for people facing hunger.
This investment put $ 166,000 directly into the hands of Washington farmers at fair market rates, helping to stabilize local agriculture while keeping healthy food out of landfills. In doing so, we saved 2.5 million gallons of water and prevented nearly 18 metric tons of carbon emissions.
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The program also strengthened our partnerships with small and underrepresented farms, such as Sasquatch Family Farm, and expanded food access across eight counties through new low-barrier distribution partners.
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Because of these results, EastWest Food Rescue has been awarded a contract to continue this work under the Food Rescue Grant Program in 2025 and 2026. We look forward to sharing updates as we build on this momentum to fight hunger, support farmers, and protect our environment.
OUR STORY
EastWest Food Rescue started from a Facebook post trying to rescue 1 ton of crops to distribute to food banks. In the first 15 days, we rescued 217 tons of food and we aren’t going to slow down anytime soon!
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Check out the video of George Ahearn, EWFR Founder and Board President, as he shares our story on the Rachael Ray show. You can also read the full article here.