REFOOD

Refood is an independent, citizen-driven, eco-humanitarian charity movement operating entirely on a voluntary basis across Portugal. Founded by Hunter Halder, the organisation was created with a simple but powerful mission: to recover good surplus food that would otherwise go to waste and redistribute it free of charge to people experiencing food insecurity. The movement operates through a micro-local model, with each of its 60 active centres embedded in its own neighbourhood. Volunteers — more than 7,500 across the country — commit as little as two hours per week to collect food donations from over 2,500 partner businesses, including restaurants, supermarkets, and bakeries, and deliver them directly to 6,800 beneficiaries. Each month, the network recovers approximately 150,000 meals and prevents around 1,000 tonnes of bio-waste from reaching landfills. Refood's approach is rooted in circular economy principles and community solidarity. Rather than relying on institutional infrastructure, it mobilises existing local resources and the goodwill of ordinary people to co-create social and environmental value. The result is a self-sustaining ecosystem that addresses food waste and hunger simultaneously, while fostering a sense of shared responsibility and belonging among participants. The organisation contributes actively to more than half of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals, spanning zero hunger, responsible consumption, climate action, and reduced inequalities. Its model has proven highly replicable and continues to expand both within Portugal and internationally. By turning surplus into sustenance and community indifference into active solidarity, Refood demonstrates that collective goodwill — organised at the neighbourhood level — can generate meaningful, lasting change at local, national, and global scales.