He Left Wall Street To Help Those In Need And Already Rescued Over 100,000 Pounds Of Food.


By now you’re aware that the United States is the world’s leading food waster, as well as the nation with the biggest waistlines. Did you also know, however, that 1 in 7 Americans are at risk of going to bed hungry tonight?

It’s a modern-day conundrum. In a nation obsessed with riches and indulgences, how can a modest percent of its population still lack basic necessities like food and shelter? With 40% of food being wasted in the United States, many have taken it upon themselves to finally ‘be the change,’ as they have not yet witnessed others stepping up to do the same.

In doing so, they are changing lives and inspiring countless others across the world. Meet one food-crisis hero, Robert Lee, who despises food waste so much he quit his job on Wall Street to put an end to the food waste phenomenon going on.

In an interview with CNN, 24-year-old Lee shared his Korean ideals about ‘never wasting food,’ as well as the reason the issue hits so close to home. His parents were immigrants to America who struggled to get by, and their need to be frugal and appreciative the little they had at times was passed on to Robert.

While in College, Lee joined a student group centered on delivering leftover dining hall food to homeless shelters in the New York area. That experience helped illuminate the severity of the food-waste problem.

“Just the sheer amount of food that’s being wasted is enough to eradicate hunger,” Lee said.

It was two years after Lee graduated that he decided to take the concept of food rescuing off campus. In partnership with fellow NYU alum Louisa Chen, he co-founded Rescuing Leftover Cuisine, a non-profit which picks up fresh food that would otherwise go to waste from NYC restaurants and transports it to people in need.

Credit: Rescued
Credit: www.cpxample.com

The group has rescued over 100,000 pounds of food and delivered it to homeless shelters and food kitchens around New York. Inspired by the impact he was contributing to, Robert decided to give up his finance job at J.P. Morgan last year and focus his efforts instead on the non-profit full-time.

Supported by over 50 food providers throughout New York City, Lee believes it’s just the beginning for the non-profit. He shares that Rescuing Leftover Cuisine recently expanded to six other cities across the United States.

The full interview with CNN can be found here, and is hilighted in the video above.

Kudos to Robert Lee, Louisa Chen, and all volunteers of the non-profit for ‘being the change.’ Share your thoughts with us in the comments.


This article (He Left Wall Street To Help Those In Need And Already Rescued Over 100,000 Pounds Of Food.) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and TrueActivist.com.

Popular on True Activist