Heather Stewart: Logistics of Hope and the Mission of Food Rescue

In this episode of Coordinates Unknown, we sit down with Heather Stewart, Executive Director of Kentucky Harvest, to discuss the staggering reality of food insecurity and the “logistics of hope” required to solve it. Heather’s own path was redefined overnight when she discovered she had been laid off from her dream social work job by reading her name in the newspaper—a moment that eventually led her to the world of non-profit leadership and food rescue.

We dive into the “Food Rescue Hero” model, the technology doubling their impact, and the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act that protects businesses who want to do the right thing. Heather shares heart-wrenching stories of local need, from grandmothers stretching a single can of soup for a week to the 250,000 people Kentucky Harvest feeds annually. This is a conversation about passion, humanity, and why “good food belongs to people, not landfills.”

In this episode, we explore:

• The Unexpected Pivot: How a sudden layoff led Heather from traditional social work to non-profit consulting and food rescue.
• The 30% Problem: Why enough food is wasted locally to feed every hungry person in the community.
• The Bill Emerson Act: Debunking the “liability myth” that prevents businesses from donating excess food.
• Food Rescue Hero: How a mobile app has mobilized an “army” of volunteers to rescue two million pounds of food annually.
• The Climate Connection: How food rescue mitigates six million pounds of carbon gas emissions by keeping waste out of landfills.

The “Coordinates” (Timestamps)

• 00:00:40 — Defining Food Rescue: Explaining why “usable food” shouldn’t end up in landfills.
• 00:01:52 — The Grant Writer’s Path: How Heather fell in love with the simplicity of the Kentucky Harvest mission.
• 00:02:42 — The 30% Statistic: Why 30% of locally produced food is wasted while children go to bed hungry.
• 00:03:16 — Real Heroes Don’t Wear Capes: How to use the Kentucky Harvest app to rescue food in 45 minutes.
• 00:05:07 — Mission & Geography: Serving six counties and 250,000 people across Kentucky and Southern Indiana.
• 00:06:05 — Red Tape & Fear: Understanding the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act.
• 00:07:29 — The Broth Rescue: A story about rescuing 500,000 pounds of canned goods during “soup season.”
• 00:09:17 — A Mother’s Perspective: Seeing the impact of food rescue through the eyes of a child in a food line.
• 00:13:55 — The Campbell’s Soup Story: The reality of hunger in even the “nice” neighborhoods.
• 00:17:36 — The Newspaper Layoff: The pivotal morning Heather found out she was laid off via a public headline.
• 00:26:01 — Mitigating Carbon: The environmental impact of keeping rotting food out of the earth.
• 00:27:12 — Plate It Forward: How recurring giving keeps the refrigerator trucks on the road.