It was born of necessity: when Soul Kitchen in Katoomba started free Sunday lunches for those in need, they turned to local businesses Aldi and Hominy and collected some of the food that would otherwise have been dumped.
Now, Food Rescue has added Woolworths, Bakehouse on Wentworth, Blue Mountains Food Co-op, Crust and Crumb plus a number of smaller grocers to its collection list.
And the few loaves and buns they picked up in the early days has ballooned - in the last 12 months they rescued 20,652 kilograms of everything from bread, meat and cakes to fruit and vegetables.
Food Rescue is a partnership between Earth Recovery Australia and the Uniting Church. The powerhouse behind the scheme is the co-ordinator, Rosa Del Ponte, who also runs the Soul Kitchen which still provides free meals on Sundays in the hall behind the church in Katoomba Street..
"We started Food Rescue at Christmas 2012," Ms Del Ponte said. "It was to support the Sunday lunch as we were trying to save with the budget."
They then applied for funding from the environmental trust, part of the Environmental Protection Authority's "Waste less, recycle more" initiative.
"We got the grant and it enabled us to purchase the cool room, freezers and a van," Ms Del Ponte said
Suddenly, they had room to collect and store much higher volumes of food which would otherwise go to landfill.
As well as supplying to individuals who are homeless, sleeping rough, unemployed, on benefits or otherwise struggling, they also give supplies to the Glue Factory which deals with youth in crisis, the Katoomba women's refugee and a number of neighbourhood centres.
The work couldn't be done without a big band of volunteers, who collect, sort, store and distribute the food six days a week.
Last Thursday, Jeremy Bray, Edward Dollin and Caroline Tofa were excited to come back from Woolworths with a full truck.
Mr Dollin and Ms Tofa started with the organisation as work for the dole participants but both enjoy it so much they have stayed on.
Ms Tofa is so keen she travels from Mt Druitt to volunteer.
"Growing up in my family was a struggle," she said. "I meet so many people that remind me or my mum and my family but there was nothing like this for us. I know what it feels like, not to be on your feet, so if I can help it's great."
She said she is also inspired by Ms Del Ponte - "she's just such an amazing person".
Mr Dollin not only collects food but has also turned his talents as a graphic designer to create a poster to spread the word about Food Rescue.
"It's just such a good environment. It's not like a workplace, it's like family," he said.
The other benefit of Food Rescue is the massive reduction in landfill. Ms Del Ponte said she would love to see Australia emulate France, which has recently legislated to ban supermarkets destroying unsold food. Instead they have to donate it to charity or give it to farmers for animal feed or compost.
A spokesman for Woolworths said its partnership with Earth Recovery Australia would help it achieve a commitment to reducing food waste that goes to landfill to zero by 2020.
"We're delighted that this long-term partnership can not only reduce food waste, but deliver back to the Katoomba community a real benefit," the spokesman said.
