Giving Compass' Take:

• Jasmine Crowe reflects on why she started Goodr, a company tackling hunger in America by redirecting food surplus from partner companies to those in need.

• Where is there a need in your community? How can you engage in finding innovative solutions?

• Read more about solving the hunger problem in America's cities.


One in seven people go to bed hungry. That means that, statistically speaking, someone that you know, your neighbor, your friend, your cousin, is going to bed with an empty stomach.

I did some research and found that 72 billion pounds of unused food end up in landfills each year. How could so many people be going to bed wondering where their next meal would come from while food was just going to waste all over the country?

That’s when I realized that hunger isn’t a scarcity issue. It’s a logistical one.

And that’s when Goodr was born. We started out as just a way to get food to the people who needed it most. But over the past two years, the company I founded has grown into one that not only gives back but also helps the companies who donate food to us make money as well.

In 2018, we partnered with the busiest airport in the world, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Within six months, we were able to reduce their waste by 47 percent. Together, we diverted 85,000 pounds of surplus food from landfills, converted it to 82,000 meals, and enabled the airport to claim an estimated $200,000 in tax savings.

There are so many people that want to help and there’s so much food to be shared. We at Goodr have the patience to sort through the logistics to make it happen. That’s why I believe hunger in America is a solvable problem.

Read the full article about ending American hunger by Jasmine Crowe the Rockefeller Foundation.