REFOOD

Refood recovers good surplus food that would otherwise be wasted and gives it away free to people facing food insecurity. It is an independent, citizen-driven eco-humanitarian charity movement, run entirely by volunteers, working across Portugal. Hunter Halder founded it. The model is micro-local: each of the 60 active centres sits in its own neighbourhood. More than 7,500 volunteers take part nationwide, committing as little as two hours a week. They collect donations from over 2,500 partner businesses, among them restaurants, supermarkets and bakeries, and deliver them straight to 6,800 beneficiaries. Every month the network recovers around 150,000 meals and keeps roughly 1,000 tonnes of bio-waste out of landfill. Refood does not rely on institutional infrastructure. It works from circular economy principles and community solidarity, drawing on local resources that already exist and on the goodwill of ordinary people to create social and environmental value together. Food waste and hunger are tackled at the same time, and a sense of shared responsibility grows among the people who take part. The organisation contributes to more than half of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals, among them zero hunger, responsible consumption, climate action and reduced inequalities. The model has proved easy to replicate, and it continues to expand within Portugal and internationally.