Daily Bowl, founded in 2016 by Paddy Iyer and Lance Nishihira, is an allied food recovery organization operating out of Union City. A decade in, Daily Bowl has recovered more than 5 million pounds of food and serves as an example of open-handed collaboration.
The surplus food collected by Daily Bowl moves quickly to community agencies feeding families throughout the Tri-City region. It’s critically needed work: Daily Bowl is among the few groups in Alameda County that can rescue prepared food.
For Paddy, the goal isn’t to grow the organization forever. He looks forward to the day when it’s unnecessary: “If there is no food waste, there should be no Daily Bowl.”
Our partnership runs both ways. Twice a month, White Pony Express picks up surplus donations from Daily Bowl – dairy, cheese, and fresh produce – and when we have surplus, we share it right back with Daily Bowl and their network. Paddy is a generous partner and friend, and even when he doesn’t have food on hand, he will reach across his network to help find donations for WPE. It’s food recovery working exactly as it should, with mission-aligned organizations working together to end hunger and deliver high quality surplus food.
In addition to sharing surplus, Paddy and Eve are founding members of the California Food Recovery Coalition (CFRC), a statewide alliance dedicated to sharing best practices, raising public awareness, and educating policymakers on the value of food recovery.
