This Man Quit His High-Paying Finance Job To Deliver Excess Food To People In Need

In the United States, 90 billion pounds of food is wasted every year, co-founder and CEO of Rescuing Leftover Cuisine (RLC) Robert Lee says.

So, he left a high-paying job in finance about four-and-a-half years ago to do something about it.

"It blew my mind that just taking one-third of the food that we waste is enough nutrition to eliminate food insecurity," Robert, whose parents struggled to get food on the table when he was growing up, continues. "And yet, we're throwing away 40 percent of the food that we produce in this country. We just need to distribute to the right people."

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And that's where his NYC-based non-profit, RLC, comes in.

"RLC is a non-profit organization that brings excess food from restaurants, catering companies and other food establishment to people who need it at homeless shelters and food pantries," the CEO tells us.

Over the past few years, Robert's team has grown from a team of one (himself!) to eight. Together, they transport food either by bike or by foot — using carts or simply by carrying it.

"Here at Church of the Village [in NYC]," Executive Program Director Teresa Conceptión says, "[the food RLC brings] feeds about 500 people, but it also gives them a sense of normalcy."

How amazing is that?

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Because we were so inspired by Robert's dedication, we had to help reward him somehow.

"Our friends at Barbara's [Wholesome Cereals and Snacks] heard about all of the great work that you're doing," Rach tells Robert. "As part of their Believe In Better campaign, they're donating $5,000 to RLC."

Keep up the inspiring work, Robert. ❤️