NEW HOPE, Pennsylvania — For 16 years, Rolling Harvest Food Rescue has collected fruits and vegetables that Bucks County farms cannot sell and delivered them to food pantries, senior centers, and community kitchens. On Oct. 2, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin visited one of its longtime partner farms, Solebury Orchards, to observe the operation.
Zeldin's visit was part of the promotion for Feed It Onward, the agency’s national campaign aimed at reducing food waste by keeping edible food out of landfills. He met with farmers and representatives of Rolling Harvest to discuss how surplus produce can be distributed to those in need.
Zeldin stated that the goal is to ensure food “that would’ve otherwise been disposed of, sent to a landfill, is put to good use for children and families in need.”
Jamie McKnight, Rolling Harvest’s interim executive director, selected Solebury Orchards for the visit to highlight the impact of extreme weather on small farms.
Feed It Onward was publicly launched on Sept. 5, 2025, at Scott Air Force Base in southern Illinois, where Frey Farms delivered approximately 40,000 pounds of rejected produce. Zeldin noted that some of the watermelon was not the right size or shape for grocery store shelves but was still safe and healthy to eat.
Since the launch, the agency has participated in events in various locations, including Kansas City, suburban Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando, Alabama, and others. The Bucks County visit was part of a week of engagements that included New Hampshire, Maine, South Carolina, Arizona, and New Mexico.
The EPA estimates that over one-third of the nation’s food goes uneaten, making food the largest single category of material sent to U.S. landfills. Zeldin remarked that there is no universal model for communities to address food waste.
Rolling Harvest began with one pantry and one farm. Founder Cathy Snyder initiated the program in 2010 after noticing the lack of access to fresh produce for those in need. Currently, Rolling Harvest collaborates with 52 farms and food producers and over 80 hunger-relief sites, serving approximately 40,000 people and rescuing 5.2 million pounds of produce since 2012.
Both Zeldin and McKnight acknowledged that surplus is a common aspect of farming. Zeldin explained that farmers often grow more than they anticipate needing to avoid shortages, and they prefer not to see excess produce go to waste.
McKnight quantified this, stating that farmers typically plant about 25% more than necessary to account for adverse weather and market fluctuations. Rolling Harvest provides a solution for farmers to donate their surplus.
When fields yield more produce than can be sold, volunteers from Rolling Harvest glean the excess and deliver it to pantries, senior centers, and community kitchens. McKnight noted that Rolling Harvest is the only gleaning organization in the Bucks County area.
The network extends beyond individual farms, as Rolling Harvest collaborates with organizations like America’s Grow-a-Row and New Jersey Farmers Against Hunger. In winter, it receives shipments from the FarmLink Project, sharing resources with partner organizations.
Zeldin observed a range of local efforts, noting that Bucks County is among the better-organized communities, though he found many networks to be relatively young. He expressed that food waste has been a longstanding issue.
McKnight emphasized the challenge of convincing funders of food insecurity in Bucks County, which is often perceived as affluent despite existing pockets of poverty. Philabundance, a Feeding America food bank, serves nine counties in the region, including Bucks.
Zeldin highlighted that identifying people in need is generally not difficult, citing urban areas where recipients can be found within a small radius. He also mentioned schools as a means to provide children with access to fresh food without stigma.
Zeldin linked Feed It Onward to the administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda and the agency’s collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Food and Drug Administration. He noted that in March 2025, the Agriculture Department canceled two programs that had supported local food purchases for schools and food banks.
McKnight pointed to a state program that has positively impacted hunger-relief efforts. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection awarded its first round of Food Recovery Infrastructure Grants in 2020, providing funding for equipment to support hunger-relief organizations. Rolling Harvest received $121,500 in that round, contributing to infrastructure improvements.
With the initial grant, Rolling Harvest acquired an outdoor cooler, a refrigerated van, and repaired a lift gate on its box truck. The organization has received additional grants in subsequent years to enhance its capacity for food storage.
McKnight mentioned that arranging Zeldin's visit required some persuasion, as farmers are often hesitant to welcome outsiders. She expressed satisfaction with the outcome and indicated that Rolling Harvest looks forward to collaborating with Feed It Onward in the future.