ATLANTA – A metro Atlanta nonprofit has found a way to eliminate food waste and help those in need throughout the community. Bagel Rescue started four years ago and has since saved 2 million bagels from waste, bringing them to community outreach programs throughout metro Atlanta.

If there’s one thing Erin Stieglitz knows, it’s the difference a good bagel can make.

“Something as small as a bagel means a lot to someone who didn’t have breakfast this morning,” she said.

Stieglitz is the founder and chief rescuer of Bagel Rescue. Her operation connects 50 bagels and pastries to more than 100 organizations helping people in need.

“So we donate to shelters, to food pantries, to youth programs, to senior apartments, to street outreach efforts. So whenever I found someone who needed a food resource, I wanted to be there for him,” she said.

Her mission began during the 2020 holidays. She initially wanted to plan a breakfast for frontline healthcare workers. Her then-9-year-old son called a local bagel shop to ask for donations.

“He called and they agreed to give us leftover bagels from the day before. We set the date and there were hundreds of leftover bagels,” she recalls.

That’s when Stieglitz found a way to reduce food waste and help those in need.

“We have now saved 2 million bagels, breads and pastries. We process about 15 to 18,000 baked goods per week. That’s the amount that would be thrown away in metro Atlanta if we didn’t do this work,” Stieglitz told Good Day’s. Lindsay Tuman.

She and her team of more than 150 volunteers visit bagel shops every day to collect what would normally be thrown away, like at Avi Ahlzadeh’s Brooklyn Bagel.

“It’s a good thing, it’s a good feeling. You never want to waste food, and you never want to waste anything. You spend money on this and it’s amazing that we can give it to people who actually need it and don’t have to throw it away. It’s definitely a great program that she’s put together,” Ahlzadeh said.

Bagel Rescue hosts workshops with businesses, religious organizations, youth groups and more to help them bag them. Then the bagels are delivered to organizations like Hunter Hill First Missionary Baptist Church.

“Here at Hunter Hill it’s just amazing to have a partnership with Bagel Rescue and I will say it’s been a rewarding experience. Together we not only serve delicious bagels but to be able to do so within the community has truly been a blessing,” said Yoshina Colbert-Bradford, the church’s community outreach director.

Every Wednesday, the church serves 50 families with food items, including bagels.

“When we started giving them out, it was like the best blessing ever. People were asking us, ‘I want the cinnamon apple!'” Bradford said.

Bagel Rescue proves that something as simple as a bagel can help reduce waste and improve people’s lives every day.

“So I hope that with my work, someone will feel inspired to do something small, because with all the small things it adds up to something big,” Stieglitz said.

Bagel Rescue is always looking for volunteers and organizations who want to help bag bagels. If you want to know more, you can visit their website.