Full Plate Food Rescue

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Executive Summary

Full Plate Food Rescue is a nonprofit in Washington that rescues good food that would otherwise be thrown away and delivers it the same day to people who need it. We pick up surplus food from grocery stores, restaurants, farms and caterers in a refrigerated van and take it directly to food pantries, shelters, meal programs and community fridges. Food that is safe and still good gets eaten instead of wasted.

A large share of food in the United States is never eaten, and at the same time many families struggle to afford groceries. Food that is perfectly good may be thrown away because it is close to its date, was overstocked or was not sold. Many pantries do not have trucks or cold storage to pick it up themselves.

With this grant we will rescue about 500,000 pounds of food from about 25 donors in Year 1 and deliver it to about 20 partner agencies and four community fridges. We will also train volunteers in food safety. We do not repackage or sell food, and we never accept food that is unsafe. We follow state rules for donated food, and we do not promise that every donated item will be usable.

Our Year 1 budget is about $191,000, growing to about $237,000 by Year 5 as we add routes. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small surplus each year. We have 3 paid staff in Year 1 and 4 by Year 3, supported by volunteers.

We are asking the Puget Sound Community Fund for $56,000 for our Operations Manager and for the costs of our refrigerated van. Grocers, restaurants, the city and county, and individual donors also give, so this grant is one part of a shared funding plan.

I am Paul Nakamura, the Executive Director. The numbers in this proposal are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end, not promises.

Company Description

Full Plate Food Rescue is a small, independent nonprofit in Washington, organized as a 501(c)(3) public charity. We serve donors and recipient agencies across our metro area and nearby towns.

Our mission. To connect good food with the people who need it, and to keep it out of the landfill.

What we believe. Wasting good food hurts people and the environment. We treat donors as partners, recipients with dignity and the food with care. We follow the rules for safe food handling, keep careful records and share what we learn with the community.

What we offer:
- Food rescue pickups. Scheduled and on-call pickups of surplus food from grocers, restaurants, farms and caterers.
- Same-day delivery. Delivery to pantries, shelters, meal programs and community fridges, with a temperature log.
- Community fridges. A few stocked fridges at community locations that anyone can use.
- Training. Short courses in food safety for volunteers and partner staff.

Who we serve. Food donors, partner agencies and the people who receive the food, including families, older adults and people experiencing homelessness.

What we do not do. We do not accept food that has been served to customers, has left the safe temperature range or is spoiled. We do not sell donated food, give cash or promise that a donor will receive any tax benefit.

How we are run. A volunteer board of seven governs the organization. I am the Executive Director. The Operations Manager runs routes, donor and agency relationships and safety. A rescue driver and coordinator works from Year 1, and a second joins in Year 3.

Where things stand today. We have signed interest letters from 18 donors and 14 agencies, a lease offer on a cold storage space, a quote for a used refrigerated van, a city waste reduction partner and a donor agreement and food safety plan under review by an attorney and the county health department. (Replace this with where you really are.)

Problem & Opportunity

Good food is wasted every day. A grocery store may have extra produce that will not last until the next delivery. A restaurant may prepare more than it sells. A farm may have crops that are not perfect enough to sell. Much of this food is safe and nutritious, but it ends up in the trash.

Food banks and pantries work hard, but most are short of trucks, drivers and cold storage. A donor may call with a pallet of food that must be picked up by evening, and no one can come. Fresh food spoils quickly, so pickups must be fast.

Donors may also worry about liability or paperwork. Many do not know that federal and state laws protect good faith donors of food, or how to donate safely.

For a small nonprofit, the hard parts are the cost of a refrigerated van, hiring reliable drivers, building trust with donors, making sure food is safe and keeping up with changing donor schedules.

We want to be clear about what we know and do not know. Food rescue is a practical way to reduce waste and feed people. We will use the most recent local numbers on food waste and food insecurity in our final plan. We do not know exactly how much food donors will give, so our plan uses a first-year goal and will report what really happens. We confirm the donor protection laws with an attorney and the health department before we start.

Products & Services

Full Plate Food Rescue will move good food fast, keep it safe and get it to people who will use it.

How it works, step by step:
1. Donor sign-up. A donor signs a simple agreement and receives a guide on what we can and cannot take.
2. Schedule. Donors set a regular pickup or call for an on-call pickup, using an app or a phone line.
3. Pickup. A trained driver arrives in the refrigerated van, checks temperatures and dates and weighs and logs the food.
4. Sort. At pickup or at our cold storage hub, volunteers sort food by type and safety and discard anything unsafe.
5. Match. The Operations Manager matches food to agencies based on need, storage and hours, using a simple list updated each week.
6. Deliver. The driver delivers the same day, with a temperature record and a receipt for the agency.
7. Community fridges. Volunteers stock fridges daily with safe, labeled food and check cleanliness and temperature.
8. Report. We send donors a monthly report of pounds rescued and meals provided, and we send agencies a report of what we delivered.

Why this approach is strong. Speed and cold storage keep fresh food safe. A single phone call for donors and a single route for agencies make rescue easy to use.

Market Analysis

Who we serve: food donors, partner agencies and the people who receive the food, across our metro area and nearby towns.

Our primary group is grocery stores, restaurants and caterers with regular surplus and the pantries and meal programs that need fresh food. Our secondary group is farms, farmers markets and event venues, and community fridge users. We will use the most recent local numbers on food waste, food insecurity and agency capacity in our final plan.

How we sized our plan. We plan to rescue about 500,000 pounds of food from about 25 donors in Year 1 and deliver to about 20 agencies and four community fridges. We grow to about 600,000 pounds in Year 2, 850,000 in Year 3 with a second driver, 950,000 in Year 4 and about 1,050,000 pounds in Year 5. Our Year 1 budget is about $191,000 and our Year 5 budget is about $237,000.

Demand data. Signed interest letters from 18 donors and 14 agencies, and requests from pantries with no way to pick up fresh food, show a clear need. We do not count on any one donor.

We do not serve every request. We decline food that does not meet safety rules, and we refer donors with very small amounts to a nearby pantry.

Competitive Landscape

Other choices for donors and agencies, and what makes us different.

- Food banks. They supply many pantries but may not pick up from small donors or do same-day rescue. We work with them and fill the gaps.
- Other food rescue groups. Some exist. We coordinate routes and serve areas and donors they do not reach.
- Donors delivering food themselves. Some do. We save them the trip and the paperwork.
- Composting and landfills. They are the default. We keep food out of them.
- Pantries picking up on their own. Many cannot. We provide the van and the driver.
- Gleaning groups and farm programs. They harvest food that would be left in the field. We work with them and carry the food they gather to the people who need it.

What makes us different.
- A refrigerated van and fast, same-day delivery.
- A single phone call for donors and a clear route for agencies.
- Community fridges for easy access.
- Food safety training for volunteers and partners.

What we do not claim. We are new. Larger food banks have more storage and a longer record. We plan to earn trust one donor and one agency at a time.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How we will reach the people we serve.

Donors. We will meet store managers, restaurant owners, caterers and farm managers, explain the protections for good faith donors and show how pickups work. A donor guide and a sticker for the door make it easy to join.

Agencies. We will meet pantry and meal program directors, explain how to receive rescued food and sign agency agreements.

Community. We will promote community fridges with signs, a map and a simple website, and recruit neighbors to help stock and clean them.

Government and business partners. We will work with the city and county on waste reduction goals and ask businesses to sponsor a route or a fridge.

Volunteers. We will recruit and train volunteers through schools, churches and clubs.

Cost to partners. Free to donors and agencies. We never charge for rescued food.

Staying in touch. We will send each donor a short note each month with pounds rescued and a thank-you, and give each agency a weekly list of what is coming, so that both feel part of the work and tell others.

Operations Plan

How the program will be carried out.

Timeline for Year 1:
- Months 1 and 2 (summer): Sign the cold storage lease, buy the van, coolers and equipment, sign agreements with donors and agencies and recruit and train drivers and volunteers.
- Month 3 (late summer): Begin pickups from the first donors and deliver to the first agencies.
- Months 4 to 6 (fall): Add donors and routes, open the first community fridges and hold a food safety training.
- Months 7 to 11 (winter and spring): Run routes, open more fridges, track pounds and adjust the schedule.
- Month 12: Survey donors and agencies, report to funders and plan Year 2.

Space. A rented cold storage and sorting space of about 1,000 square feet. Rent is $10,000 a year in Year 1.

Equipment. We buy about $38,000 of equipment once at the start: a used refrigerated van ($28,000), chest freezers and walk-in style coolers for the hub ($5,000), scales, probe thermometers and temperature loggers ($1,500) and two community fridge units with solar lights ($3,500). Later years replace or add a few items.

Staffing. In Year 1, I serve as Executive Director. The Operations Manager, paid $44,000 a year, runs routes and safety. A rescue driver and coordinator, counted as a full-time equivalent and paid $36,000 a year, does pickups and deliveries. A second joins in Year 3.

Food safety. We follow state and local food safety rules and the guidance of the county health department, keep temperature logs, check dates, discard unsafe food, label allergens and train every driver and volunteer. We confirm the legal protections for donors with an attorney. A written plan covers recalls and emergencies, including calling 911.

Quality and learning. We review the weekly pounds, waste and agency feedback, and adjust routes. Twice a year we ask donors and agencies how we are doing.

Costs. Refrigerated van fuel, maintenance and insurance are about $12,000 in Year 1, food safety supplies and packaging about $5,000, the volunteer program about $4,000 and administration and insurance about $10,000.

Management & Organization

The people who will carry out the project.

Paul Nakamura, Executive Director. Thirteen years of nonprofit and food system work, including seven years running a food bank warehouse. He oversees the program, partnerships, fundraising and finances. (Replace this paragraph with your own background.)

Operations Manager (from Year 1). Runs routes, donor and agency relationships, safety and records.

Rescue drivers and coordinators (from Year 1). Pick up, sort, deliver and log food. A second joins in Year 3.

Volunteers. About 40 volunteers, including students and retirees, trained in food handling.

Board and advisors. Seven volunteer board members, including a grocer, a county environmental health staff member and a pantry director, who meet every quarter. An attorney reviews our donor and agency agreements.

Staff pay in this plan is a full year per person: Executive Director $54,000, Operations Manager $44,000 and rescue driver and coordinator $36,000 per full-time equivalent. Replace them with the pay you can offer where you live.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals for each year and how we will measure them.

- Year 1: Rescue about 500,000 pounds of food from about 25 donors and deliver to about 20 agencies and four community fridges. A balanced budget of about $191,000, with a small surplus of about $8,400. About 3 paid staff.
- Year 2: Rescue about 600,000 pounds and add routes in a second town. A balanced budget of about $193,000, with a small surplus of about $7,900. About 3 paid staff.
- Year 3: Add a second driver and coordinator and rescue about 850,000 pounds. A balanced budget of about $232,500, with a small surplus of about $8,700. About 4 paid staff.
- Year 4: Rescue about 950,000 pounds and open more community fridges. A balanced budget of about $234,500, with a small surplus of about $7,600. About 4 paid staff.
- Year 5: Rescue about 1,050,000 pounds and share our donor guide and food safety training with other groups. A balanced budget of about $237,000, with a small surplus of about $7,300. About 4 paid staff.

What we measure:
- Pounds of food rescued and delivered.
- Donors and agencies served.
- Share of food delivered the same day.
- Food safety checks passed and food discarded.
- Community fridge use.
- Donor and agency feedback.

How we review results. The Operations Manager reviews numbers every week. Twice a year, staff and the board review all results and share them with funders, donors and partners. If a donor or an agency has repeated problems, we meet with them and change the plan. Every number in this plan is a goal, and we will report what really happens.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $56,000 from the Puget Sound Community Fund for an Operations Manager and refrigerated van costs for food pickups, for July 2027 through June 2028.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Operations Manager salary, $44,000.
- Other: Refrigerated van fuel, maintenance and insurance, $12,000.

Other money in the program. This request is about 47% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $191,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $8,400 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: grants $119,000 (this request plus other grants we are applying for), grocer, restaurant and business sponsors $30,000, city and county waste reduction funds $24,000, individual donors $18,000. Year 1 costs: executive director $54,000; operations manager $44,000; rescue drivers and coordinators (full-time equivalents) $36,000; refrigerated van fuel, maintenance and insurance about $12,000; cold storage rent about $10,000; food safety supplies and packaging about $5,000; volunteer program and training about $4,000; administration and insurance about $10,000; about $10,400 a year for the wear on equipment.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $46,000 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $28,000 for used refrigerated van; $5,000 for chest freezers and walk-in style coolers for the hub; $1,500 for scales, probe thermometers and temperature loggers; $3,500 for two community fridge units with solar lights; $1,500 for opening stock of totes, gloves and labels; $2,800 for attorney review of donor and recipient agreements and food donation protections; $1,400 for banners, flyers and a simple website; $2,300 for food safety training, background checks and first insurance payment.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($46,000), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $0) and a cash cushion of about $43,800, which is about three months of Year 1 costs. The cash used before it balances and the cushion come to about $43,800. In all, that comes to $90,000. We start with $22,000 of our own savings and $71,000 in startup support from a local community fund and our board, $93,000 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $191,000 in Year 1 to about $237,000 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $119,000, $103,000, $124,500, $108,500 and $93,000 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows: grocer, restaurant and business sponsors from $30,000 to $62,000 and city and county waste reduction funds from $24,000 to $48,000 and individual donors from $18,000 to $34,000. We add a second driver and coordinator in Year 3 and more routes as the program grows. Grants fall from about 62% of our income in Year 1 to about 39% in Year 5.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $61,500, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $9,550 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

After the grant. Grocers and restaurants, the city and county, and individual donors grow every year, so grants become a smaller share of our budget. Donors and agencies share their stories, and sponsors can adopt a route or a fridge by name.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- A food safety problem. We follow a written plan, check temperatures and train staff and volunteers.
- A van breaks down. We keep a maintenance plan and a back-up arrangement.
- A donor leaves. We keep adding donors and keep a list of back-ups.
- Agencies cannot take all the food. We match carefully and use community fridges and other partners.
- A grant ends. We keep savings and grow donor and sponsor support each year.

If you are just starting. A new organization can begin before it has its own 501(c)(3) status through a fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that receives grants for you and passes them to your program, usually for a fee (commonly around 5% to 10% of the grant, sometimes more; ask before you agree). Another way is to start smaller: one volunteer driver with a borrowed van, five donors and five agencies, tracked carefully. Strong results from a small start make larger grants easier to win.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach with this proposal:

- Your IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your most recent financial statements and your current year budget.
- A list of your board members and what each one does.
- Signed letters of support from donors, agencies and the city or county.
- Your donor and agency agreements.
- Your food safety plan reviewed by the county health department.
- Your cold storage lease or letter of intent.
- Your volunteer agreement and training outline.
- Quotes for the van and equipment.
- Resumes for your Executive Director and key staff.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Grant Revenue: $119,000 in Year 1, then $103,000, $124,500, $108,500 and $93,000.
- Grocer, Restaurant and Business Sponsors: $30,000 in Year 1, growing to $62,000.
- City and County Waste Reduction Funds: $24,000 in Year 1, growing to $48,000.
- Individual Donors: $18,000 in Year 1, growing to $34,000.
- Pay (a full year, per person, including payroll taxes and workers' compensation): executive director $54,000, operations manager $44,000, rescue drivers and coordinators (full-time equivalents) $36,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: refrigerated van fuel, maintenance and insurance $12,000, cold storage rent $10,000, food safety supplies and packaging $5,000, volunteer program and training $4,000, administration and insurance $10,000. These grow between 4% and 6% a year.
- Equipment: $38,000 at the start, then $3,000 to $5,000 a year.
- Startup costs: $46,000, paid once from $93,000 in startup money.
- Food rescued: about 500,000 pounds in Year 1, growing to about 1,050,000 pounds in Year 5.
- About 5% of each year's income is still owed to us at year end.
- Tax: none, as a nonprofit.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own quotes and real budget.

Startup Costs