Every Saturday morning, Mt. Lebanon resident Mike Hacke and his three daughters — Madison, 8, Paige, 5, and Grace, 4 — go on food rescues. They pick up baked goods from the Giant Eagle in Bethel Park and deliver them to nonprofit partners.

“We learned about it during the pandemic,” Hacke said. “We stuck with it because it’s a great way for myself and my daughters to bond and spend time with each other on the weekends.”

The girls love meeting people at pick-up and drop-off points. “Everyone makes my daughters feel very special,” Hacke said. Eldest daughter Madison added: “I like delivering it to the people and helping carry the stuff in, and I like getting a cookie at Giant Eagle sometimes.”

For Alex Parmanto, a sophomore at Mt. Lebanon High School, food rescues are a meaningful way to earn volunteer hours. “He really wanted to do something that makes a difference, and this is the closest we can get to delivering food to people in need,” said his mom, Zara Ambadar, Vanderbilt Drive.

A friend suggested 412 Food Rescue and the duo signed up as “rescue heroes.” Ambadar uses the nonprofit’s app to claim rescues that fit their schedule, picking up food and delivering it to local nonprofits.

Parmanto said the ease of the process keeps him motivated. “You don’t need to do a lot. The app tells you exactly where to go and what to do. Everyone we meet is nice.” He recommends volunteering with 412 Food Rescue to other teens: “It’s a really easy way to get community service hours, it’s fun to do and helps people in need.”

Claire Guth, Orchard Drive, volunteers with her four children — Casey, 3, Caroline, 6, Devon, 9 and Bradley, 12. A memorable rescue took them to Unity Recovery on the South Side. “There was a line out the door,” Guth said. The organization needed shoes most of all, so Guth enlisted her neighbors for help. “The next day we dropped off about 80 pairs of shoes,” she said. “It’s been eye-opening for my kids … There’s so much heart in Pittsburgh to help people who are vulnerable.”’

More than 24,000 volunteers prevent good food from going to waste through 412 Food Rescue, which marks its tenth anniversary this year. Using the Food Rescue Hero app, families and individuals can claim rescues, turning errands into meaningful moments.

“Our mission is to quickly rescue fresh surplus food and deliver it where it’s needed most using people power, technology and our many community partnerships,” said Alyssa Cholodofsky, CEO.

While many families get involved during the summer, Cholodofsky said the help is needed year-round, not just during school breaks. “Especially around the holidays, like the Friday after Thanksgiving, there are a lot of rescues needed, and your kids are generally off that day.”

Ambadar hopes more South Hills businesses will join the program to make rescues more accessible for families like hers. “It’s such a good program, good for the environment, and an easy way to help people,” she said.

For more information about 412 Food Rescue programs and volunteering, visit 412foodrescue.org.