Hi, I'm Randy Rosens, and I have a passion for Food Rescue.

In 2004, I was volunteering at a high-end fundraiser at an art museum in Austin, Texas. Folks paid a lot of money to attend the event, which included an abundance of expensive food. There was a goodly amount left over. A woman who supported a domestic violence shelter in town was a friend of mine. I called her and asked if they would like these fine leftover meals -- her response was an emphatic "Yes, please!" Rescuing quality surplus food and donating it to folks experiencing food insecurity was not commonplace at the time. I assured the caterer that her marvelous cuisine would be handled safely and go to people who both needed and would appreciate it. The direct transfer was made and the recipients were delighted.

I saw the magic in this transaction:

• Good food was not being tossed, nor ending up in the waste stream to decompose into environmentally toxic methane greenhouse gas.
• Our neighbors experiencing food insecurity (where is my next meal coming from?) were able to enjoy a good meal.
• Community members who wanted to help their neighbors were able to participate in simple, efficient, impactful work. I thought, in a city like Austin this could be done every day. It was almost too easy.

The fulfillment I experienced led me to start doing Food Rescue on a regular basis -- first alone, then with a few friends, then with a few more. I called the operation "Keep Austin Fed" (KAF), and it continued to grow as volunteers, donors, and recipients were all excited to join the cause. Fast forward to 2022, and KAF has grown into a nationally recognized nonprofit that rescues over 10,000 meals every week, enabling quality surplus food from restaurants, bakeries, grocers and caterers to feed lots of neighbors in need. My experience starting KAF led me want to help others start their own small, grassroots Food Rescue operations by sharing what I've learned -- find out more about that in The FoodRescueDude Story

I spend my days as a full-time volunteer. In addition to working on FoodRescueDude, I am a KAF Board member, and do Food Rescue volunteer work for both KAF and the local Port Townsend (WA) Food Bank, where my activities include volunteer engagement and recruitment, community outreach, scheduling/operations, and donor management.

When not active in Food Rescue, I participate as a founding Board member and volunteer for Olympic Neighbors, a nonprofit that provides housing and enhanced lifestyles for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, where I helped create community inclusion programs that engage the Olympic Neighbors residents in Food Rescue. I am also a projectionist for the Port Townsend Film Festival, a bartender for the Port Townsend International Wooden Boat Festival, and an avid reader, bicyclist, and Netflix watcher.