National Restaurant Association Show Donates 156,500 Pounds of Food, Supplies and Materials to Local Communities
Fight2Feed partnership and new composting initiative redirected resources and reduced waste during the 2026 Show
The 2026 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show® donated 156,500 pounds of food, kitchenware, supplies and operational materials through its partnership with Fight2Feed®, supporting 35 agencies across four Illinois counties following the event’s May 16-19 run at McCormick Place in Chicago. For the first time, McCormick Place introduced composting stations on the Show floor, giving exhibitors a direct way to divert food scraps from landfills. Together, the efforts helped recover usable resources and reduce waste while supporting communities across the Chicago region.
“The foodservice industry understands the value of putting resources to good use,” said Lisa Malikow, senior vice president for the Restaurant Show for Informa Connect Foodservice Group. “The donations contributed through Fight2Feed and the addition of composting this year show what’s possible when exhibitors, partners and the venue work together to reduce waste and support local communities.”
A large-scale food rescue effort following the Show generated 132 pallets of donated food, kitchenware and operational materials from exhibitors across the floor. Freeman supplied the labor and trucking to collect and transport donations, while Fight2Feed, a Chicago-based nonprofit focused on food recovery and hunger relief, coordinated distribution. Fight2Feed distributes recovered resources through a 22,000-square-foot donated kitchen space at McCormick Place, supporting 35 agencies across four Illinois counties and helping scale its impact for the 1 in 5 Chicago households experiencing food insecurity, according to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Since February 2021, Fight2Feed has rescued more than 8 million pounds of food and served over 3 million meals across its programs in Chicago, Atlanta and Kansas City.
“2026 marks our fourth year collaborating with the National Restaurant Association Show and more than five and a half years partnering with OVG and the MPEA Sustainability Team at McCormick Place to reduce waste and transform surplus food into meaningful support for communities in need,” said Jiwon McCartney, founder and CEO of Fight2Feed. “Together, we are proving that large-scale events can create measurable social and environmental impact through responsible recovery and redistribution efforts.”
The Show also expanded its waste-diversion efforts this year through a new composting initiative coordinated by McCormick Place in partnership with United Service Companies. At designated stations throughout the Show floor, exhibitors composted leftover food scraps, diverting 176 pounds of food waste from landfills. The initiative complemented McCormick Place’s existing sustainability infrastructure, which includes the Grind2Energy program, a rooftop composting garden and facility-wide LED lighting.
“We were excited to introduce a new waste diversion initiative for exhibitors at this year’s Show: composting. Exhibitors were able to compost leftover food scraps at designated dishwashing stations located throughout the Show floor. We look forward to growing the program with the Show in the years ahead,” said Cullyn Doerfler, senior sustainability manager for McCormick Place.
Additional sustainability measures at the 2026 Show included:
- Compostable food and beverage tableware available throughout the event from OVG Hospitality
- New, easy-to-use recycle bins to help attendees more easily identify how to separate recyclables from waste
- Digital-first resources, including mobile tools, QR-enabled signage and digital publications
- Sustainable event production practices implemented by Freeman, including recyclable graphics and non-VOC inks
The 2026 sustainability program was supported by Global Payments (Gold), Hoshizaki and Tork (Silver), and FinTitan, YesPac and Richlite Company (Bronze).
The National Restaurant Association Show continues to prioritize community support and environmental responsibility as part of its broader mission to advance the foodservice industry. For more information on the Show’s sustainability and inclusivity programs, visit nationalrestaurantshow.com/home/sustainability-inclusivity.
Planning for the National Restaurant Association Show 2027 is now underway, taking place May 22–25, 2027, in Chicago. For more information, visit www.nationalrestaurantshow.com. Connect with the Show online on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for event updates.