Rescue, Transform, Share is the primary mission of La Soupe. This program takes over ordered or "ugly" produce from local grocers and farmers, transforms it into nutritious soupes, meals, sides, or salads, and shares these meals with food insecure organizations.
Rescue: A volunteer picks up surplus food from our food donors (grocery stores, distributors, farmers, etc.) and delivers it to La Soupe. Upon arrival, the food is weighed and sorted for food safety, use, and freshness in our Board of Health certified facility.
Food that comes in fresh and ready-to-eat (like an apple) is directly donated to partners. Food that is packaged in bulk, ugly, or a challenge to consume or cook is sent to the transform kitchen.
Our pallet partner program offers large scale manufacturers with overages and “edible scraps” with an outlet to keep food out of the landfill.
Food not fit for human consumption is given first to animals whose systems can better tolerate it. We partner with pig and chicken farmers and a local wolf sanctuary. If the food cannot be used for animal consumption it is composted if possible. Packaging is separated to be recycled through various recycle streams. The landfill is always the last resort.
Transform: The core of what makes La Soupe special is our chef driven kitchen. Trained chefs and community volunteers come together to transform the bulk of our rescued food into restaurant quality, healthy meals, soupes and salads created with the needs of our community partners in mind.
Through our Bucket Brigade program, restaurants throughout the Cincinnati region receive rescued food weekly and create soupe. These soupes are delivered back to La Soupe where it is tasted, packaged and distributed. Community partnerships such as this one help reduce food waste at restaurants (which often supplement their soupes with left over ingredients) and help bring the restaurant industry together to reduce hunger in our community. To become a volunteer, visit our Volunteer tab on this website!
Share: A volunteer delivers the transformed and directly donated food from La Soupe to our receiving agencies with deliveries tailored to their communities. All deliveries are again weighed and servings accounted for before distribution.
If you are an organization with surplus food, would like to become a bucket brigade partner or are interested in receiving food, you can Contact Amy Scarpello, Partner Relations Manager at Amy@lasoupe.org.