August 11, 2026
Provided Image/Sharing Excess
Odd Bunch founder Tyler Heppell, left, and Philly-based Sharing Excess founder Evan Ehlers teamed up to break a Guinness World Record for the most fresh produce donated in 24 hours.
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 — shattering the previous Guinness World Record by over 49,000 pounds.
Guinness World Record officials verified the feat in Surrey, British Columbia, at Ugly Potato Day — 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.
In preparation for the event, the organizations filled over five semi-trucks worth of fruits and vegetables and collaborated with motivational speaker Tony Robbins to help attract a crowd of over 30,000 people.
"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."
Ehlers, 30, began Sharing Excess from his Drexel dorm room after he cashed out his remaining dining hall points and drove around the city giving food to people in need.
By 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.
In 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.
"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."
