The City of Seattle has partnered with Cascade Bicycle Club to address food waste, food insecurity, and carbon emissions through the Pedaling Relief Project. This initiative involves rescuing edible but unsellable food from local grocery stores and farmers markets and delivering it to food banks via bicycles. The project has received over $92,000 in funding from two city agencies: $50,000 from the Department of Neighborhoods’ Food Equity Fund and $42,097 from Seattle Public Utilities.

Since its launch in 2020, the Pedaling Relief Project has biked over 1.5 million pounds of goods, using bicycles and electric bikes with cargo trailers to transport food. The project helps reduce traffic congestion, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions, while also cutting food bank transportation costs. Volunteers play a key role in rescuing and delivering food, offering a sustainable and efficient alternative to motor vehicles in Seattle’s dense neighborhoods.

The Pedaling Relief Project is considered a national model for reducing waste and traffic congestion, and the University of Washington’s Urban Freight Lab has featured it in a research paper as an example of how cargo bikes can address public needs. Cascade Bicycle Club aims to build long-term community resilience through biking while supporting those facing food insecurity. Volunteers can sign up to participate, receiving bike trailers for their food deliveries.

Tolme, Paul. “City of Seattle Awards Cascade $92,000 to Reduce Food Waste through Pedaling Relief Project.” Cascade Bicycle Club, 28 Feb. 2025, cascade.org/news/2025/02/city-seattle-awards-cascade-92000-reduce-food-waste-through-pedaling-relief-project.