A registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit — EIN 84-2210397. Donations are tax-deductible.
DonateCampaign ends December 31 · Goal: $85,000
In Riverton, 1 in 7 neighbors skips meals while perfectly good food is thrown away. The Empty Plate Project rescues that food and delivers it — free — to families, seniors, and shelters across the county. Your gift keeps the trucks running.
$25 ≈ one family dinner · $60 ≈ a full week of groceries for one person
Winter Food Drive
62% funded
$52,740 raised of $85,000
412 neighbors have given this month
"The Tuesday delivery is the meal my kids are counting on."
— Marisol, recipient in the Eastside program
Food insecurity in Riverton County has grown 23% since 2020, and the cold months make it worse. Meanwhile, our partner restaurants — 47 of them, from corner bakeries to hospital cafeterias — have been throwing away food they'd rather see eaten.
Our mission is simple: rescue safe, surplus food and get it to the neighbors who need it the most — within hours, not days. We don't ask for food. We ask for fuel, drivers, and refrigerated trucks. That's what your donation is for.
No vague promises. Here is the math we publish every month.
184,000
meals rescued in 2024
≈ 66 tons of food kept out of the landfill
2,900
families served each week
across 11 neighborhoods and 6 shelters
$0.91
of every dollar goes to programs
audited annually; 4-star Charity Navigator rating
9 hours
average from kitchen to doorstep
speed is why the food is still good when it arrives
Full financial statements are available on request or at annualreport.emptyplateproject.org.
Partner kitchens report surplus food through our app. A dispatcher matches it to the nearest route within 20 minutes.
Our refrigerated vans collect the food, and trained staff check temperature and safety at every handoff.
Food arrives at shelters, senior centers, and doorstep delivery points — no paperwork, no cost, no stigma.
"I used to feel embarrassed about the food bank. This is different — the vans come to my block, the food is fresh, and nobody makes me explain myself. My son thinks we just get lucky with a really good bakery. I let him believe that."
Fuel prices are up 14% this winter, and so is demand. Right now we can run 5 delivery routes a week. Your gift helps us run 7 — covering two more neighborhoods that are currently waiting.
A note on honesty:
If we reach the $85,000 goal before December 31, extra gifts will fund a second refrigerated van — the one thing standing between us and a year-round program.
Choose an amount
$60 feeds one person with a full week of groceries.
Secure processing · Tax-deductible · You'll receive a receipt by email
Yes. We follow the federal Bill Emerson Good Food Donation Act guidelines and our own stricter internal protocol: every pickup is logged with temperature, time, and handler. Anything we're not certain about gets donated to our animal-partner program instead — never to people.
We're a registered 501(c)(3), audited annually by an independent firm, and we publish our full financials every quarter. 91 cents of every dollar goes directly to programs. Ask us for anything — we'd rather earn your trust than assume it.
Yes to both. We welcome weekend warehouse volunteers (no experience needed — we'll train you), and restaurants can become pickup partners. Call (555) 014-2200 or email hello@emptyplateproject.org.
Every dollar raised is used, at whatever level the campaign ends. We simply run fewer routes. We never "roll over" unspent campaign funds into reserves without telling you.
That's roughly 120 meals that would otherwise be landfill — and 120 dinners that would otherwise be skipped.
Fund a truckload →