By: Jen England
Philadelphia, PA – June 22, 2026 – Soccer’s biggest tournament has arrived in Philly and while the excitement of teams battling it out is happening on the field, a powerful effort is underway behind the scenes, uniting a team of nonprofits to fight food waste and hunger across Philadelphia.
Between June 14 and July 4, an estimated 500,000 visitors are expected to generate roughly 15 tons of surplus food. Instead of going to landfills, where it would produce about 6 tons of methane, this food will be recovered and redistributed, delivering approximately 25,000 meals to Philadelphia-area families.
Behind the scenes Musically Fed and event organizers started months in advance to get everyone on board. When the focus for rescue landed on Philly, the Musically Fed team turned to their partner FoodRecovery.org to manage the logistics of this large-scale effort. FoodRecovery.org is mobilizing a robust network of volunteers and partners to execute five scheduled recovery operations, during which surplus food will be:
- collected from Lincoln Financial Field (temporarily renamed Philadelphia Stadium for the tournament) then →
- transported to a local nonprofit for rapid processing where →
- Volunteers will then break down bulk donations into smaller, accessible portions which will be →
- distributed the same day to organizations across the city serving individuals and families experiencing food insecurity.
From stadium to community, the entire process will take just hours, ultimately reaching roughly eight local nonprofits and maximizing impact where it’s needed most.
Throughout it all, legions of organizations and volunteers will team up to execute the complex logistics. “Good things happen when many people work together as a community to benefit the community,” noted Maria Brunner from Musically Fed.
“It’s incredible to see so many organizations not just stepping up, but excited to participate!” noted Sammie Paul, Executive Director of FoodRecovery.org. “It really takes a coordinated effort by so many people and organizations to not only pick up the food but to ensure it makes an impact after it’s donated. We are all committed to making sure that happens.”
Along with FoodRecovery.org and on-the-ground organizations, a number of others are playing a critical role. Not only are nearly a dozen nonprofits making this work, but also event organizers, several teams at the Stadium plus On Location Experiences and Aramark all got on board to help reduce the amount of wasted food generated at this event. Wonder, a food technology platform with six restaurant locations in the Philadelphia area, is providing financial support through their Community Fund for transportation. TJX is providing financial support for logistics and NACS Foundation is providing more donated products in partnership with Vita Coco. Both Wonder and TJX are also helping to provide volunteers.
“At Wonder, we’re driven by a simple belief: great food should be accessible to more people. With several Wonder locations in the Philadelphia area, we’re proud to be part of this community and to partner with organizations that expand access while reducing waste in meaningful ways,” said Brianna Morris, Associate Director of Community Impact at Wonder. “We’re honored to support these food recovery efforts and help turn what could have gone to waste into thousands of meals for Philadelphia families during such a historic moment for the city.”
About FoodRecovery.org
FoodRecovery.org is an online platform connecting organizations with surplus food to communities in need. Since 2015, the organization has recovered 180 million pounds of food, providing free food to those in need while diverting edible food from landfills.
About Musically Fed
The mission of Musically Fed is to mobilize the music industry in the fight against hunger.
We work with artists, promoters, management and venues nationwide to donate unused backstage meals to community organizations that feed people facing homelessness, hunger and food insecurity. Musically Fed identifies the opportunities, procures the resources, and coordinates all aspects of food handling, transport, and distribution. Our daily goal is to make it easy for promoters and performers to leave each city they visit with a lasting positive impact.
About Wonder
Wonder is a mealtime platform built to satisfy every craving without compromise. The platform brings together delivery, pickup, dine-in, meal kits, and chef-driven food innovation in one seamless experience. Wonder features some of the world’s most celebrated chefs, including Bobby Flay, José Andrés, and Marcus Samuelsson, alongside award-winning restaurants such as Tejas Barbecue and Di Fara Pizza. With Wonder’s first-of-its-kind Multi-Restaurant Ordering, customers can mix and match dishes from multiple chefs and restaurants in a single order – something no other platform offers.