On a Saturday morning at Summit County Clubhouse, volunteers from WasteLess Solutions open the garage door and stock tables with fresh produce, bread, and pantry staples that would otherwise have ended up in the Summit County landfill. The food is free for anyone who needs it and anything left over is added to the Community Fridge, which has been at the Clubhouse since August 2025.    

For the clients of Summit County Clubhouse and the broader community, it’s a meal they don’t have to figure out or buy. For Park City Community Foundation’s Zero Food Waste initiative – with the goal of eliminating all food waste from the landfill by 2030 – it’s proof that a simple idea can make a large impact.  

Shortly after launching the Zero Food Waste initiative in 2024, the Community Foundation awarded a grant that helped bring WasteLess Solutions to Summit County, a “food rescue” nonprofit that helps connect excess, edible food with people who need it. It’s a solution that tackles two problems at once: the environmental cost of food waste and the reality that many of our neighbors face food insecurity every day. 

Through collaboration with local nonprofits and businesses, WasteLess Solutions has launched four community fridges, with eight in the works. Many of the fridges are hosted at apartment buildings and offer food for residents, like the first community fridge that launched at Slopeside Village.  

The Clubhouse is a community-based nonprofit that helps people living with mental health and substance use challenges to build connected, stable, and fulfilling lives. The organization’s community fridge is stocked a couple times a week through this partnership with WasteLess Solutions, providing food access to Clubhouse members and community neighbors. Beyond the fridge, Summit County Clubhouse also tends an on-site greenhouse, enabling their members to have a hands-on approach in growing food for themselves. They also partake in the curbside food waste program, meaning any food scraps are recycled instead of going to the landfill. 

Much of the food that comes in from WasteLess Solutions doesn’t just go straight to the fridge — the Clubhouse kitchen team turns some of the food into hot meals, often the one hot meal a member will have that day. It’s a small transformation with a big impact, turning surplus groceries and prepared foods into something warm, shared, and immediate. 

As with any new program and partnership, there have been learning curves along the way that have required tweaks and changes, but all partners are committed to the shared goals. 

None of this happens through any one organization alone. It takes funding, a nonprofit willing to coordinate the logistics, businesses willing to donate what they can’t use, and a community partner willing to open its doors. This type of partnership, innovation, and willingness to try are all necessary to reach our goal of Zero Food Waste to the Summit County Landfill by 2030. We are grateful to WasteLess Solutions, Summit County Clubhouse, and everyone in our community taking small actions every day – it all adds up!  

If you’re a local business interested in donating surplus food, or a community member who wants to get involved, reach out to Lo at: lo@wastelesssolutions.org. To learn more about the Zero Food Waste efforts and join the movement, please visit the parkcitycf.org website or reach out to Victoria at: victoria@parkcitycf.org.