PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (May 28, 2024) — 412 Food Rescue has announced the hiring of a new vice president of product, Brad Fetchin, who brings over a decade of product management experience to the role. Fittingly, Fetchin joined the pioneering food rescue team in April, which is Earth Month.

Founded in 2015, 412 Food Rescue prevents good food from entering the waste stream by safely redirecting it to people in the Pittsburgh region who are experiencing food insecurity. Powered by over 22,000 volunteers, it has recovered more than 31 million pounds of food, the equivalent of more than 26 million meals, mitigating over 60 million pounds of CO2 emissions in the process.

412 Food Rescue also developed a proprietary software platform for growing food recovery, the centerpiece of which is the Food Rescue Hero app. Seventeen nonprofit organizations across the U.S. and Canada are part of the Food Rescue Hero network, scaling food recovery in 37 counties. More than 51,000 volunteer drivers registered in the app have recovered over 160 million pounds of food, mitigating over 290 million pounds of CO2 emissions.

412 Food Rescue, its Food Rescue Hero platform, and its leadership have been recognized by Grist 50 and Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas and covered by The Today Show, NPR, the Washington Post, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and more.

The organization, which also announced Alyssa Cholodofsky as its new CEO last month, is poised for growth. “We are evolving from a small but mighty start up into our next phase, growing our leadership team to continue strengthening both our local operations in the innovative tech hub that is Pittsburgh and leading a national transformation on how we approach both food waste and hunger,” notes Jennifer England, 412 Food Rescue’s Vice President of External Affairs.

With the Food Rescue Hero tech product playing a major role in that growth, choosing a savvy vice president of product was crucial. Fetchin has more than 15 years of experience pioneering within product management. With a hands-on track record of standing up new business channels and innovative technology ahead of industry curves, he has been the recipient of industry, CEO, CPO, manager, and peer awards. He comes to 412 Food Rescue from a leadership role at healthcare technology company Omnicell and previously worked in UX and product strategy at Thermo-Fisher Scientific. He has a BSBA in marketing from Robert Morris University.

“Leading the product function at 412 Food Rescue is an exciting opportunity for an important cause, and to be able to work alongside this passionate and talented team is very compelling,” says Fetchin. “Food Rescue Hero is a true tech-for-good innovation, providing an intuitive and adaptable solution for food rescue organizations to operate in the most efficient way possible and have a huge positive impact on community food waste, food insecurity, and the environment. ”

“Brad’s experience in shepherding innovative tech products to the public and his commitment to our mission make him a strong addition to the 412 Food Rescue leadership team as it takes on this next phase of growth,” says Cholodofsky.

About 412 Food Rescue:

Driven by the belief that good food belongs to people, not landfills, 412 Food Rescue launched in Pittsburgh, PA, in March 2015 to divert fresh food from going to waste by redirecting it to people facing food insecurity. Today, it is the largest volunteer food rescue organization in the country with a growing community of 22,000+ volunteers. Since more than 80% of the food for pick up is fresh, timely delivery is essential. 412 Food Rescue developed an innovative, integrated platform, Food Rescue Hero, which includes a proprietary app that makes claiming food rescues easy and convenient, guiding each volunteer every step of the way from pick up to delivery. Food Rescue Hero is licensed for use at 17 food rescues in North America.

In the United States, as much as 40 percent of food produced is wasted, while 1 in 10 people go hungry. To date, 412 Food Rescue has diverted over 31 million pounds of food bound for the waste stream in Western Pennsylvania, the equivalent of more than 26 million meals, mitigating over 60 million pounds of CO2 emissions in the process. On a monthly basis, the organization works with over 590 food retailers and 410 nonprofit partners.