Keep Austin Fed Absorbs Save the Food

Food Rescue organizations join forces to serve more in community

Two well-established, local non-profits with a shared mission to reduce hunger and food waste by connecting surplus food with neighbors in need have decided to merge. Last fall, the leadership at Save the Food approached Keep Austin Fed about the possibility of joining forces.

Beginning in September, Keep Austin Fed, which was founded in 2014, will absorb Save the Food to combine existing resources, networks and expertise to expand reach and serve more of Austin’s food insecure communities.

The process to combine the two organizations was supported by Austin Together, an organization that helps nonprofits partner strategically and formally with other organizations to align services, strengthen their infrastructure and scale their missions.

“Absorbing the Save the Food program into Keep Austin Fed’s operations is a true win-win situation. We know that we will be stronger together. When we can remove the competition for resources - whether they be surplus food, volunteers, or financial support - then we can capitalize on the unique strengths of the programs and the expertise that each organization possesses to improve upon and expand our services to the community. We are grateful to Austin Together for recognizing the power of collaborations and providing us support and guidance throughout this process,” said Lisa Barden, executive director of Keep Austin Fed.

In 2021, a projected 14.7% of residents in Travis County, or more than 190,000 members of the community, experienced food insecurity, while more than 450 million pounds of food in the city went uneaten. At a time when more families are struggling with increased food costs, Keep Austin Fed is confident the collaboration will help to engage more volunteers, find more sources of food and serve more neighbors in need across the region.

"It's been an honor to grow Save the Food to this point, and I have great respect for the leadership from Keep Austin Fed. We believe that our organizations can accomplish more together than we can apart, and I look forward to expanding food rescue in Austin," said Allen Schroeder, founder of Save the Food.

The programs put in place by both organizations to rescue food and distribute it to thousands of Austinites living with food insecurity will continue, and volunteer commitments will be honored.