Help Save ReFeed's Circular Food System

Hello, my name is Stuart Lilley, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of ReFeed Canada based in Langley, British Columbia Canada. ReFeed is an impact-first company taking a common-sense approach to fixing our broken food system. I’ve seen firsthand just how broken it is and that’s why, 4 years ago, I decided to go all in on finding and implementing a solution.

With a career background in food waste management and designing better food waste systems, I created a first of its kind complete circular food system, ensuring that food and what is called food loss waste (FLW) from the AgriFood industry is rescued and used to its highest value - feeding people in need, helping farmers supplement their livestock food sources, and boosting soil microbiology.

I wasn’t sure if others would share my vision, but they did. Through my work with food retailers, food banks, local farmers, and scientists who rallied to help me in any way they could, we started to make a real difference in the lives of the people in the surrounding communities.

Last year alone, we rescued 11,000,000 lbs of food that would otherwise be wasted to landfill and industrial composting – instead, it was 100% utilized – feeding 1,320,000lbs of rescued produce for people, 9,000,000 lbs of produce for livestock, saving 5000 tonnes of CO2e, and creating 200 tonnes of nutrient rich soil amendments - true zero waste!

At our flagship facility, we bring together all pillars of our circular model:

• We serve food banks and charities by providing them with rescued produce.

• We serve the local community by providing education to youth and by making available low-cost rescued produce boxes at the farm (Bounty boxes).

• We serve farmers by providing them with industrial amounts of food for their livestock.

• We serve the food industry by providing a professional, traceable, and transparent collection program for their industrial amounts of pre-consumer produce surplus and FLW.

• We serve agriculture and horticulture by creating regenerative living soil amendments from our worm farm and bespoke composting processes.

But running a facility like this takes significant money and in October of 2023, reality finally kicked me in the face. The grind of raising capital and the stress associated with monthly financial challenges were heavily weighing on me and my family – I had lost the spark that started ReFeed and was losing my alignment with why I started ReFeed in the first place. This is why I come to you. The investments haven’t come in, and we are facing closure if we don’t take drastic steps. That means halting the manufacturing part of the business and losing more of my amazing, dedicated team.

Equally of importance, I’ve come to realise how close we are to losing the human impact of the business, the part of the business that provides me with joy and all of those that have been touched by ReFeed since we started. It’s that realization of how important the work we are doing is that I am reaching out to you today.

Here's how you can make a difference:

1. Donate: Your financial support will directly contribute to keeping ReFeed alive and thriving. Every dollar will go towards facility lease costs, operational staffing, food recovery, and expanding our impact.

2. Share our Story: Spread the word about ReFeed and our mission. Share this campaign with your friends, family, and colleagues. Let's amplify our message and build a huge network dedicated to fixing our broken food system.

ReFeed is about community, helping others, and creating sustainable food systems. Food systems that will directly benefit my three kids, your kids, and our grandchildren. ReFeed is about doing the hard work necessary today to create the foundation of a new food system that won’t leave an even bigger mess for our children to be burdened with.

I’ve put everything I have into bringing this to fruition, but I need your help to make the vision of zero food waste and 100% nutrition recovery a sustainable reality. We are determined to overcome the obstacles in front of us and continue making a positive impact on our community and the environment.

Thank you for considering our plea. Together, we can recalibrate ReFeed, ensuring that the heart of our mission beats stronger than ever.