They’ve rescued over 32 million kg of surplus food and used it to fight hunger among the poor

Via the Salt&Light Malaysia desk

Michelle Chun // January 3, 2025, 5:01 pm

Alvin and Angela (wearing What a Waste tees) with volunteers from Starbucks Malaysia. In 2024, What A Waste and Starbucks distributed 10,000 cooked meals using 992 kg of rescued ingredients, overharvested produce and near-expiry food items.

Alvin Chen and Angela Tan (wearing What a Waste tees) with volunteers from Starbucks Malaysia. In 2024, What A Waste and Starbucks distributed 10,000 cooked meals using 992 kg of rescued ingredients, over-harvested produce and near-expiry food items. All photos courtesy of the Chens.

One image remains vivid in Alvin Chen’s mind: A family of eight seated on a bare concrete floor in their micro-dwelling, sharing a large plate of rice with very little to accompany it.

Shortly after he witnessed the plight of that family, he visited a landfill that revealed mounds of once perfectly edible food, discarded and left rotting. The stark contrast was impossible to ignore.

“I felt an overwhelming spiritual urge to act,” he said. “It became clear how much food is wasted daily. We have taken God-given resources for granted, damaging His creation and disrespecting the poor with our wasteful habits.”

In 2018, he founded What A Waste (WaW) with his wife, Angela Tan, to bridge the gap between food waste and food insecurity.

Said Angela: “We couldn’t ignore what we saw: the waste, hunger and need for hope.”

Rescued over 32 million kg of surplus food

WaW focuses on diverting the surplus of cooked food to marginalised communities. This is done by empowering food operators to channel unsold meals to designated collection points.

In Malaysia, many food waste non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and food banks avoid handling ready-to-eat food due to the high risks involved and specialised knowledge required.

After giving up their successful careers as architects, Alvin and Angela are now food warriors on a God-led mission to bridge the gap between food insecurity and food waste.

WaW deliberately ventured into this challenging space, while aligning its work with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) objectives.

To date, the organisation has “rescued” over 32 million kg of food from landfills and used it to serve more than 400,000 nutritious meals to underserved communities, including urban poor families, refugees, the homeless, welfare homes, indigenous communities and even pet shelters.

They also run initiatives like daily food rescue missions, a disaster relief mobile kitchen, corporate social responsibility (CSR) collaborations, ESG impact reporting, and environmental education talks.

Alvin giving a talk at the International Social Wellbeing Conference 2023 in Kuala Lumpur.

One standout programme was ‘Saying I Do To The Environment’, where over 600 newlyweds opted to donate surplus food from their wedding to the underprivileged.

Another notable effort was ‘Ramadan Tanpa Pembaziran’, a partnership with the Subang Jaya City Council and the State Assemblywoman’s office to rescue unsold food from Ramadan bazaars.

Over the last six years, the value of food recovered by WaW stands at approximately RM30 million (S$9 million), preventing an estimated 80 million kg of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere.

The statistics are impressive and the impact is staggering, but the journey has not been without significant sacrifices.

Seeing God’s faithfulness in the struggle

One of the biggest challenges they have faced is financial hardship.

For Alvin, the shift from architect to food warrior was emotionally challenging. He traded posh offices, high-profile clientele, and architectural awards for the back-of-house work of handling food waste and surplus food.

As parents, the couple are learning to trust God for all of their needs, and to know that He will not shortchange them or their children.

“Transitioning from a stable and rewarding career (as architects) to something new also meant letting go of financial security. Suddenly, gone were days of comfort filled with family holidays, restaurant dining and gifts for my children,” said Alvin.

As parents, he and Angela constantly struggle with being unable to afford better quality education for their two children.

Yet, all these have led Alvin to deepen his faith in a God who loves and takes care of them.

“We couldn’t ignore what we saw: the waste, hunger and need for hope.”

“Declaring God’s faithfulness and engaging Him in conversation has taught me to see goodness in every struggle, and to find peace and joy in my darkest moments,” he said.

For Angela, the hardships have revealed God’s love in deeper and more personal ways.

“After losing my mother and my younger brother to separate accidents, I carried a deep void. But over time, I felt God fill that emptiness with His love,” she said.

“So I have learned that following Christ means living with purpose and serving others, reflecting His love for the broken and needy.”

In God’s hands, nothing is wasted

Looking back, the couple sees how God has used their corporate experience as former architects and knowledge of sustainable practices to establish WaW as Malaysia’s first and only ESG-driven food rescue specialist.

“Seeing lives transformed, food rescued, the environment protected, and communities empowered is a testament to God’s faithfulness,” Angela said.

“It reminds us that this work matters. Every meal we distribute is more than just feeding someone. We are caring for His creation.”

A 100 kg of fresh cherry tomatoes were saved and repacked in rescued plastic bottles for distribution to underprivileged communities.

By God’s grace, WaW has grown from a grassroots initiative into a high-impact environmental organisation widely recognised in Malaysia for its professionalism, impact and excellence.

For Alvin, John 6:12 remains the heartbeat of WaW’s mission.

“It says, “When they had all had enough to eat, (Jesus) said to his disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.’

This verse is a powerful reminder to them that in God’s hands, nothing is wasted – not food, not resources, not lives.

Said Alvin: “This isn’t our work; it’s His.”

Are you trying to discover your God-given purpose? Alvin and Angela share keys they’ve found helpful in their journey.

Pray and listen: Spend time in His presence, asking for clarity and direction. His voice often comes in quiet moments. Allocate some undisturbed personal time in a week. “Start where you are. Look at what breaks your heart or stirs your passion. God often calls us to act in areas where we feel the deepest burden,” said Alvin.

Look at what breaks your heart or stirs your passion. God often calls us to act in areas where we feel the deepest burden.”

Step out in faith: God calls us into uncomfortable places. Change often starts at the end of your comfort zone. So, step out of your comfort zone. Trust Him and take that first step, even if it’s small.

Use your gifts: Reflect on your skills and experiences. God has uniquely equipped you to make an impact. Never underestimate even a small skill, for it leads to bigger things.

Be patient: Purpose unfolds in God’s timing, not ours. And God’s timing is perfect. Stay faithful in the waiting.

“However, don’t wait for everything to be ‘perfect’ by your standards,” said Angela. “Obedience often precedes clarity. When God calls, step out in faith, even if it’s scary. He will equip you along the way. Surround yourself with godly counsel, stay rooted in His Word, and be willing to take risks for His glory.”

Learn more about What A Waste here.