Via and Rescuing Leftover Cuisine task New Yorkers to reduce waste and tackle hunger, one shared ride at a time

December
6, 2019 (NEW YORK) -- Via,
New York’s leader in on-demand shared rides, has partnered with Rescuing
Leftover Cuisine (RLC), a non-profit food rescue organization, to tackle food
waste and hunger in New York City this holiday season. Through December 15, Via
will provide free shared rides for RLC volunteers and “Lead Rescuers” to
transport excess food between partner locations in Manhattan and designated
non-profits in need of donations. To encourage all New Yorkers to get involved,
Via will provide every volunteer with a free shared ride home with the code
“RLCVIA19”.

Via and RLC share a vision for a more sustainable
future, reducing waste - emissions and unnecessary food waste - while
connecting the community. By joining forces, Via and RLC are able engage
environmentally and socially minded volunteers to take action at the touch of a
button.

The challenge for RLC, who relies on crowdsourced food
pickup and delivery from volunteers, and many non-profit organizations focused
on hunger, is often not the availability of food, but transportation of that
food from partners such as restaurants, catering companies, and corporations to
the final donation locations within each community. Via and RLC seek to remove
that barrier with free shared rides to encourage New Yorkers to sign up, share
a ride, and donate a meal.

How to Rescue and Ride for Free:
(Friday, December 6 - Sunday, December 15)

1. Register to be an RLC volunteer at rescuingleftovercuisine.org, and download the Via app.
2. Once registered for RLC, sign up for an available food pickup, and head to the designated pickup location at the time listed.
3. Once you and your Lead Rescuer have food in hand and are ready to roll, your Lead Rescuer will book a shared ride for all volunteers from the pickup location to one of 15 designated donation locations.
4. After the donation is complete, enter promo code “RLCVIA19” in the Promo Codes section of the Via app.
5. Book a free shared ride home from on of the designated donation locations (**listed below).

Small actions create big change. According to the
Natural Resources Defense Council, 40 percent of food, or $162 billion in
waste, is thrown away every year in the United States. This means 58 billion
meals go uneaten (using the national average amount spent on a meal, $2.79).

RLC focuses on a few key areas to reduce this food
waste and accomplish its mission. First, they connect volunteers and
organizations with food donations through an online platform. Second, RLC
identifies other non-profits that can use excess food from RLC’s donors such as
homeless shelters, churches, schools, etc. Through the use of technology,
transportation, and sustainable practices, RLC hopes to create efficient
food-sharing communities within NYC and other cities around the country.

Via also believes that individual actions can have a
meaningful impact on communities. If just one commuter made the switch from
private to shared rides to-and-from work for one year, his or her carbon
footprint would be reduced by the same amount as planting 17 trees.

Via’s technology was built for
shared rides with the vision to reduce single occupancy vehicles on the roads,
tackling greenhouse gas emissions while connecting the community one ride at a
time. Via’s smart algorithm enables multiple riders to seamlessly share a
single vehicle and directs passengers to a nearby corner - a virtual bus stop -
for pick up and drop off. This allows for quick and efficient shared trips
without lengthy detours, reducing carbon emissions and vehicle miles. Via’s
collaboration with RLC is an opportunity to use Via’s community-minded,
sustainable ride-share technology to support the RLC mission.

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Valid Rescuing Leftover Cuisine
Donation Locations for Free Ride Home

**Free Via ride home must begin at one of the following 15 RLC donation locations in Manhattan. Code is not applicable for private rides, +1s or airport rides.

1. Alliance Midtown Central, 64 W. 35th St., 3d Floor
2. Barbour Hotel, 330 West 36th St.
3. Bowery Mission, 227 Bowery
4. Clinton Housing, 300 West 46th St.
5. Clinton Housing, 554 W. 53rd St.
6. Helene and BJ’s Place, 28 E. 35th St.
7. Ivan Shapiro House, 459 W. 46th St.
8. Kenmore, 145 E. 23rd St., #A
9. Metro Baptist Church, 410 W. 40th St.
10. Moravian Open Door, 347 E. 18th St.
11. NYC Rescue Mission, 90 Lafayette St.
12. Project Find Woodstock, 127 W. 43rd Street, #2
13. Salvation Army Rehabilitation, 535 W. 48th St.
14. Publicolor, 20 W. 36th Street
15. The Door, 710 E. 9th Street

About Via:
Via is re-engineering public transit, from a regulated system of rigid routes and schedules to a fully dynamic, on-demand network. Via's mobile app connects multiple passengers who are headed the same way, allowing riders to seamlessly share a premium vehicle. First launched in New York City in September 2013, the Via platform operates in the United States and in Europe through its joint venture with Mercedes-Benz Vans, ViaVan. Via's technology is also deployed worldwide through dozens of partner projects with public transportation agencies, private transit operators, taxi fleets, private companies, and universities, seamlessly integrating with public transit infrastructure to power cutting-edge on-demand mobility. For more information, visit www.platform.ridewithvia.com.

About Rescuing Leftover Cuisine:
Rescuing Leftover Cuisine is a national 501(c)3 non-profit food rescue organization, operating in 16 cities and headquartered in New York City, that provides solutions to prevent excess wholesome cuisine from being wasted. RLC provides services such as food waste consulting, excess food delivery, co-branding services, and tax credit assistance. RLC has thus far received funding totaling $668,594 to date to provide $2.9 million of meals for the hungry.