{"id":995700,"date":"2026-08-12T08:18:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T08:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/995700\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T08:18:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T08:18:16","slug":"sharing-excess-helps-break-guinness-world-record-for-largest-donation-of-fruits-and-vegetables-in-24-hours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/995700\/","title":{"rendered":"Sharing Excess helps break Guinness World Record for largest donation of fruits and vegetables in 24 hours"},"content":{"rendered":"

Philadelphia nonprofit Sharing Excess was part of a record-breaking food drive in Canada over the weekend that collected 543,501 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables in 24 hours \u2014 shattering the previous<\/a> Guinness World Record by over 49,000 pounds.<\/p>\n

Evan Ehlers, a Drexel alum\u00a0who founded the local organization in 2018, called the achievement an \u201cincredible milestone\u201d that he hopes to use as inspiration to start future campaigns that are closer to home.MORE<\/b>:\u00a0Ellen Yin aims to bring the ‘ritual and community’ of Italian cafes to Philly<\/a><\/p>\n

Guinness World Record officials verified the feat\u00a0in Surrey, British Columbia,\u00a0at Ugly Potato Day \u2014 an annual food rescue event. The produce that grocery stores donated may have been misshapen, oversized, undersized or just odd looking, but all of it was healthy to consume. Canadian nonprofit Odd Bunch has hosted the food drive since 2022, and Sharing Excess agreed to be a partner earlier this year.<\/p>\n

\nIn preparation for the event, the organizations filled over five semi-trucks worth of fruits and vegetables and collaborated with motivational speaker\u00a0Tony Robbins<\/a> to help attract a crowd of over 30,000 people.\n<\/p>\n

“Breaking a Guinness World Record is an incredible milestone and we’re especially excited about the awareness it brings to how much food already in our food system can be redirected to people instead of going to waste,” Ehlers said. “To see over 30,000 people come together and 500,000 pounds of fresh produce distributed in a single day shows what’s possible when farmers, food businesses, nonprofits and communities work together.”<\/p>\n

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\nEhlers, 30, began Sharing Excess from his Drexel dorm room<\/a> after he cashed out his remaining dining hall points and drove around the city giving food to people in need.\n<\/p>\n

\nBy working with food wholesalers, farmers and restaurants, Sharing Excess collects and redistributes food to hunger relief organizations and communities through its headquarters at the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market.\n<\/p>\n

\nIn eight years, the organization has expanded to over 2,000 distribution sites across 36 states and has helped feed an estimated 10 million people across the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“This is one of many events we’re hoping to do,” Ehlers said. “We’re excited to take the model of Ugly Potato Day and scale it across the country.”<\/p>\n