Leah Lizarondo

2022 Alumni Service Award

Bio

Leah Lizarondo had a vision of technology, logistics and civic engagement coming together to combat food waste, promote sustainability and fight hunger in low-income communities. And she made it happen.

The Philippines native and Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy graduate with a master’s degree in public policy and technology viewed hunger as a distribution issue. In 2015, she co-founded 412 Food Rescue, which quickly became one of the fastest-growing food recovery organizations in the country. Today, she is CEO and founder of Food Rescue Hero, which won Fast Company's World Changing Ideas Award in 2020. In the same year, it was recognized as a CES Innovation Honoree.

Using technology to mobilize a network of 35,000 volunteer drivers in 25 cities, the Food Rescue Hero platform has facilitated the recovery of more than 100 million pounds of good food that might otherwise be discarded, which equates to more than 90 million meals, since 2015. The app works by pushing notifications to volunteers who can make deliveries near them with little disruption to their regular daily schedules — and helping to remove good food from the waste stream and getting it to people who are at most risk of hunger. The Food Rescue Hero technology platform aims to expand to 100 cities by 2030. Leah’s work at 412 Food Rescue has garnered national media from NPR, Martha Stewart Living and Food & Wine.

She applies this same innovative vision and expertise to her efforts to empower and uplift others. She is a Rockefeller Foundation/Acumen Fellow and served as entrepreneur in residence at CMU’s Block Center for Technology and Society, engaging with students as a mentor and teacher.

Leah also has won numerous awards for her work including Grist 50 in 2022, the Vital Voices' Global Leadership Award in 2020 and WE Empower UN SDG challenge in 2019, a global award for women social entrepreneurs.