People Have to Eat: Local Startup Joins the Fight Against Food Insecurity
illi News/10325800

PALATINE, Ill. - illiNews -- According to the 2025 Greater Chicagoland Hunger Report, one out of four people across Chicagoland are facing food insecurity, and more than a third of households cannot afford the basic cost of living in their county. This continues to be a growing issue across Chicagoland.

Waste Not Want Not LLC, a startup in Palatine, has brought an app to market that makes access to fresh food more affordable while helping restaurants, bakeries, and other food shops at the same time. Called WNWN ("win-win"), their platform is a digital marketplace that allows sellers to clear out their unsold food by posting substantially discounted "deals" that local consumers can find and purchase while the food is still fresh and saleable.

"So many of these businesses are throwing food out every single day because they didn't sell it in time," explains CEO Chris Bidle, who co-founded the company with longtime friend and associate Michael Healy. "Besides losing out on the cost of the food, they have to pay someone to haul it away, too. And they're gonna do it again tomorrow!"

"The issue is chronic as well as systemic," adds COO Michael Healy. "These business owners and managers know they're going to have too much of something toward the end of their peak selling times, but they don't know what. So they create and post recurring WNWN 'Deals of the Day' with a non-specific description of things that may be included, but very specific about the value being offered, like $15 worth of bagels for $4.99 or a $21 meal for seven bucks."

More on illi News

• Super Bowl Champion Marvel Smith Inspires Launch of MVP-IQ Platform to Help Football Players Develop and Get Recruited Like the Pros
• Forum Earns Record Customer Satisfaction Scores Again for 2025
• The Future of Classic Cars in a World Moving Beyond Gasoline: How Electric Conversion Is Saving America's Automotive Heritage
• Naperville: Public Invited to Provide Input on Third Phase of Downtown Streetscape Project
• Chicago: Mayor Brandon Johnson Celebrates Earth Day with Unveiling of Third Library Solar Project

This is where the discussion gets passionate. "They're selling more food while it's still fresh," explains Bidle, "so they're throwing less stuff out later on. But also, people are buying their food who otherwise might not have been able to afford it. People have to eat!"

"We understand that the issue isn't unique to Chicago," adds Healy, "but this is our home as well as our proving ground. As we look to expand the WNWN service footprint, first regionally and ultimately across the US, our intent is to help as many people as we can, in as many communities as we can."

This passion doesn't get left at the office, either. The owners and employees of Waste Not Want Not volunteer at the Palatine Township Food Pantry and other places, such as a nearby Feed My Starving Children facility, whenever time allows. Healy sums it up as follows. "We just want people in the community to know that we see them, that we care, and we're here for them. That's the heartbeat of Waste Not Want Not."

https://wastenotwantnot.com/