Hello, my name is Jaeyun, and I am the founder of Plates for Plenty. Growing up in a family deeply involved in the food industry—my father owns a restaurant, and my mother worked in food distribution—I witnessed firsthand the alarming amount of food waste that occurs regularly. Each week, my mother would bring home boxes of food that her company could no longer use, even though much was still good to eat. Once I slowly got older, I realized that what she brought home was just a fraction of what was being discarded.

Through these experiences, I learned about the stringent regulations that force companies to dispose of food that might still be good for another month or two. This insight, combined with my work with various startups and charities, opened my eyes to the stark reality of food insecurity—hundreds of people in our community go to bed hungry every night while perfectly good food goes to waste.

This realization inspired me to create Plates for Plenty. My journey began with contacting local churches and shelters, proposing that the food being forced to be discarded instead be donated to people in need. This simple idea expanded as I approached her company and others like it, encouraging them to donate surplus food to local homeless shelters instead of discarding it. Plates for Plenty was born from a desire to bridge the gap between food waste and food insecurity, ensuring that nutritious food reaches those who need it most.