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RETHINK FOOD NYC INC
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 821632259 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE K30 · Food, Agriculture & Nutrition · Very Large (>$50M) · rethinkfood.org
revenue
$58.7M
expenses
$61.2M
net assets
$8.0M
employees
81
volunteers
16
program ratio
94%
mission · from form 990

OUR MISSION IS TO REDUCE FOOD INSECURITY BY DEVELOPING PRACTICAL MODELS THAT DISTRIBUTE NUTRITIONALLY DENSE, CULTURALLY SENSITIVE MEALS TO NOURISH HEALTHY AND THRIVING COMMUNITIES.

profile · synthesized from sources

Rethink Food NYC is a chef-led nonprofit addressing food insecurity by converting rescued food into nutritious, culturally sensitive meals. It partners with local restaurants and operates a Sustainable Community Kitchen to distribute meals to food-insecure communities. The organization also provides medically tailored meals to eligible Medicaid recipients in New York.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $3.72M
    COMMISSARY KITCHEN - OUR COMMISSARY KITCHEN CONVERTS DONATED FOOD ITEMS FROM GROCERY STORES, CORPORATE PARTNERS AND RESTAURANTS INTO NUTRITIOUS MEALS TO DELIVER TO CBOS AT NO COST. ON AVERAGE THE SITE PROVIDES OVER 5,000 MEALS A WEEK.
  2. #2 $1.45M
    RETHINK CERTIFIED - RETHINK CERTIFIED IS A PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM WITH TWO PURPOSES: FEED COMMUNITIES AND KEEP RESTAURANTS IN BUSINESS.
named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

Medically Tailored Meals
Provides free, home-delivered meals designed by dietitians and chefs for Medicaid-eligible individuals with chronic conditions under NYS 1115 Waiver.
Neighborhood Meals
Partners with local restaurants to prepare and donate chef-crafted meals for distribution by community-based organizations.
Rapid Response
Emergency meal program launched during NYC's migrant crisis, fulfilling government and private contracts through vetted restaurant partners.
Restaurant Programs
Network of over 200 restaurant partners who prepare or donate meals, with 80% being minority- or women-owned businesses.
Sustainable Community Kitchen
Centralized kitchen facility that prepares 30,000 meals weekly using rescued ingredients, distributed to community-based organizations across New York City.
activities · 6 groups

What they do

  • Food Distribution and Hunger Relief 4 activities
    • Convert donated food into meals via commissary kitchen and food rescue operations
      Operates a commissary kitchen and the Sustainable Community Kitchen that accept in-kind food donations from grocery stores, corporate partners (including Whole Foods), and restaurants to produce over 5,000 meals per week. Since 2017, has converted over 3 million pounds of donated food into nutritious meals.
    • Invest in local restaurants through meal production contracts and partnerships
      Directs funding to local restaurants through contracts and partnerships to support meal production for community distribution. Since 2017, has directed over $157.5 million to restaurants; between 2021 and 2023, invested $140 million to support small businesses and communities.
    • Operate donation-based cafe and on-site food pantry using rescued food
      Runs a donation-based cafe that serves chef-prepared meals using rescued food, with a suggested $5 donation, and includes an on-site pantry offering shelf-stable groceries for home cooking.
    • Prepare and distribute chef-crafted meals through restaurant partnerships
      Partners with over 200 local restaurants to prepare and distribute nutritious, high-quality meals to food-insecure communities through programs like Neighborhood Meals and Rapid Response. Since 2017, has distributed over 35 million meals across multiple cities, including New York City, Miami-Dade County, and Chicago.
  • Church and Congregation-Based Financial Aid 1 activity
    • Fund restaurant meal production through grantmaking to support community food distribution
      Provides grants to restaurants through the Neighborhood Meals Program to prepare and donate meals for food-insecure communities, enabling the distribution of 2.4 million meals.
  • Food System Convening & Public Engagement 1 activity
    • Host educational programs and public conversation series on food justice and sustainability
      Hosts student educational programs in kitchen facilities and a public conversation series featuring chefs, policymakers, and changemakers focused on building a more equitable and sustainable food system.
  • Home-Delivered Meals for Seniors and Homebound 1 activity
    • Provide home-delivered medically tailored meals and grocery boxes to Medicaid recipients
      Under New York State’s Medicaid 1115 Waiver, delivers free, medically tailored meals and grocery boxes—heart-healthy, diabetic-friendly, vegetarian, vegan, halal, and kosher options—to eligible individuals. Offers flexible nutrition plans allowing recipients to choose between prepared meals and grocery staples, delivered directly to homes in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Long Island.
  • Nonprofit-Operated Cafés and Social Enterprises 1 activity
    • Run Rethink Certified partnership program to support restaurant sustainability and community feeding
      Manages the Rethink Certified program that partners with restaurants to support sustainable business practices while enabling them to contribute to community meal distribution.
  • Uncategorized 2 activities
    • Launch public awareness campaigns in partnership with sports and health organizations
      Co-leads the “Eat & Move Better” campaign with the Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty, and Hospital for Special Surgery, featuring community events, in-arena activations, and collaborative programming at HSS facilities and the Sustainable Community Kitchen.
    • Raise funds through opt-out donation programs and partner campaigns
      Generates funding through initiatives like a 2% opt-out donation program at Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink and Amara at Paraiso, which raised $1.3 million to support meal production, and partner campaigns like Chobani’s Let’s Eat Week, contributing to the delivery of over 46,000 meals.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$58.66M
Contributions & grants$58.35M99%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$76K0%
Other revenue$238K
expenses
Total expenses$61.23M
Program expenses94%
Admin / overhead5%
Fundraising1%
Salaries & benefits$5.43M
Grants paid out$40K
Largest expense lineProfessional Fees
balance sheet
Total assets$14.37M
Cash$3.29M
Investments$0
Liabilities$6.38M
Net assets$7.99M
Liquid reserves0.6 mo
3 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +16.1%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 11
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
MATTHEW JOZWIAK FOUNDER, CEO 38 $238K
SHARLENE FRANK CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER 49 $233K
CHRISTOPHER HOLLINGER CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER 38 $225K
JORDAN CORREA CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER 39 $207K
TARA FRANCOIS VP OF ENGAGEMENT 40 $161K
ADAEZE OKOLI CHIEF OF STAFF 40 $149K
RAKAN AMMOURI CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER 50 $135K
CLINTON SIMON SENIOR DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND DATA 20 $133K
KEN BAKER CULINARY DIRECTOR 40 $133K
LAUREN KAUFMAN SENIOR DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS 10 $132K
NATHAN RICKE CHIEF NETWORK OFFICER 45 $93K
board members · 14
  • CHERYL COHEN EFFRON — BOARD MEMBER
  • DANIEL HUMM — BOARD MEMBER
  • DINAKAR SINGH — BOARD MEMBER (AS OF 4/24/24)
  • ERIC COSTELLO — BOARD MEMBER
  • JJ JOHNSON — BOARD MEMBER
  • JON GRAY — BOARD MEMBER
  • JULIAN BAKER — CHAIRMAN
  • LEO KIRBY — TREASURER
  • LUNA DROUBI — BOARD MEMBER
  • MARSHALL SMITH — BOARD MEMBER
  • MAURICE OBEID — BOARD MEMBER
  • NICK LESCHLY — BOARD MEMBER (AS OF 7/16/24)
  • SHAUN DONOVAN — BOARD MEMBER
  • TIM BARAKETT — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 32

Who they work with

  • Agape Food Rescue Partner — Restaurant partner in Queens preparing or donating meals through Rethink Food programs.
  • Amara at Paraiso Partner — Participates in a 2% opt-out donation program that supports meal production for communities in need.
  • Amara at Paraiso Partner — Partner restaurant participating in Rethink Certified through a 2% opt-out donation model in Miami.
  • Beatstro Partner — Restaurant partner in the Bronx preparing or donating meals through Rethink Food programs.
  • Brooklyn Nets Partner — Co-launched the "Eat & Move Better" campaign, hosted community events and in-arena activations at Barclays Center, and collaborated on initiatives with Rethink Food.
  • Chobani Partner — Collaborates on meal delivery initiatives including Let’s Eat Week, contributing to the delivery of over 46,000 meals and engaging employees in hands-on efforts.
  • Corporate Partners Partner — Source of donated food items and collaborators in food distribution programs
  • Eleven Madison Park Partner — Collaborated to launch the Neighborhood Meals Program and provided initial food donations to start Rethink Food.
  • Eleven Madison Park Partner — Restaurant partner in New York, NY preparing or donating meals through Rethink Food programs.
  • Greenwich Village Partner — Operates a kitchen at 116 W Houston St. in Greenwich Village for meal preparation and events.
  • Grocery Stores Partner — Source of donated food items for meal production
  • Hospital for Special Surgery Partner — Co-launched the "Eat & Move Better" campaign, hosted collaborative initiatives at HSS facilities, and participated in community events with Rethink Food.
  • Le Jardin Partner — Restaurant partner in Miami, FL preparing or donating meals through Rethink Food programs.
  • McKinsey & Company Partner — Collaborated on an analysis of the Rethink Food Partner Kitchen model and its potential impact on food insecurity in New York City.
  • Medicaid Government — Provides free meal delivery to medically eligible Medicaid members in partnership with state health programs.
  • Michael's Genuine Food & Drink Partner — Restaurant partner in Miami preparing or donating meals through Rethink Food programs.
  • Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink Partner — Participates in a 2% opt-out donation program that supports meal production for communities in need.
  • Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink Partner — Partner restaurant participating in Rethink Certified through a 2% opt-out donation model in Miami.
  • NYC Health + Hospitals Partner — Collaborates to provide culturally sensitive meals to asylum seekers.
  • New York City Government Government — Partnered with Rethink Food on meal distribution initiatives and policy advocacy.
  • New York Liberty Partner — Co-launched the "Eat & Move Better" campaign and participated in community giveback events with Rethink Food.
  • New York State Government — Partners with New York State to deliver medically tailored meals under the Medicaid 1115 Waiver program.
  • New York State Assembly Government — Introduced the Chef-to-Community Tax Credit measure (A09055) supported by Rethink Food.
  • NoMad Partner — Donated food ingredients in the early stages of Rethink Food’s operations.
  • Restaurants Partner — Source of donated food and participants in the Rethink Certified program to support community feeding and business sustainability
  • The Genuine Hospitality Group Partner — Collaborates on a hospitality-with-purpose initiative to support community giving and local businesses through food relief efforts.
  • The Genuine Hospitality Group Partner — Lead partner organization in Miami supporting Rethink Certified, led by Chef Michael Schwartz.
  • The Genuine Hospitality Group Partner — Partnered with Rethink Food to expand operations to Miami and implement community meal programs.
  • The Hive Partner — Partnered with Rethink Food to pilot the Chef-to-Community Tax Credit by preparing and donating weekly meals to a local pantry.
  • U.S. Foods Partner — Provided major cash donation to support Rethink Food's expansion into Chicago and ongoing meal production through local restaurant partners.
+ 2 more
strategies · 4

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Dignity-Centered Service Model through Chef-Led Culinary Standards
    methodology: dignity_centered_model
    By providing chef-prepared, high-quality meals through a donation-based cafe model, we promote dignity in food access, because treating meals as an expression of care and culinary excellence increases engagement and self-worth among recipients.
  • Food-Is-Medicine with Clinical Nutrition Integration
    methodology: food_is_medicine
    By designing meals using clinical nutrition expertise, we produce improved health outcomes for individuals with chronic conditions, because medically-informed food choices function as a form of treatment and prevention.
  • Restaurant-Partnered Meal Production for Dual Impact
    methodology: restaurant_partnership_model
    By partnering with local restaurants to produce meals, we address food insecurity and support small business sustainability, because leveraging existing culinary infrastructure strengthens both community nutrition and local economic resilience.
  • Surplus Food Redistribution to Reduce Waste and Increase Access
    methodology: surplus_food_redistribution
    By redirecting surplus food from restaurants and food businesses into community meal production, we reduce waste and expand access to nutritious food, because unused edible food can be efficiently repurposed through centralized rescue and redistribution systems.