The Magician Who Turns Surplus into Sustenance

 Mac Florendo, known as Mr. Magic of the Philippines, is a magician, multimedia artist, and sustainability advocate. In 2015, while part of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) program, he encountered the concept of food rescue during a trip to Boulder, Colorado, where he met Boulder Food Rescue. Their approach was simple yet powerful—rescuing surplus food using only bicycles.

1. What inspired you to start Food Rescue Philippines, and what was the moment that made you realize it was needed? In 2015, I joined the YSEALI program, and during one of our trips, I met Boulder Food Rescue in Colorado. What fascinated me most was that they did food rescue entirely on bicycles. I thought to myself, This is something I can bring home to the Philippines as my pasalubong. With just a bike, I could rescue food from being thrown away, feed a hungry person, and get exercise at the same time. It’s low-cost, zero carbon footprint, and high impact. That moment made me realize this was something that could truly work in our country.

2. Can you walk us through how Food Rescue works—from gathering surplus food to delivering it to those in need? Food rescue is refreshingly straightforward—that’s what I love about it. Businesses understand it instantly, and so do communities. It simply makes sense. We partner with restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, and other food establishments that have surplus food still safe to eat. Volunteers collect it, sort it, and deliver it—often within the same day—to communities in need. No complicated process, just direct action from those who have to those who need.

3. How does your initiative help address both hunger and food waste, and what impact does it have on the environment or climate? We live in a world where so much food is produced, yet many people still go hungry. There are many reasons—poverty, unemployment, the high cost of food, and the difficulties of daily life. But one thing that has never made sense to me is throwing away good food. It’s expensive to produce, transport, market, sell, and prepare food—so throwing it away is wasting money, resources, and effort. By rescuing food, we solve multiple problems: we reduce hunger, prevent waste, and protect the environment. This is a system we should master for the next generations, because we don’t have unlimited resources.

4. What message would you like to share with people who want to take part in reducing food waste and helping the planet? The message is simple: share what you can, do what you can. You can only give what you have. It doesn’t have to be food or money—it could be your time, your talent, or your ideas. But if you have nothing to share, then you have nothing to share.

More importantly, I want to build a culture and a lifestyle. Food rescue is not an organization or a company—it’s a mindset. A culture of sharing, giving, and caring. I want Filipinos, and everyone, to have that mindset. If we make it part of our daily lives, helping each other becomes second nature. Every little bit counts, and the more people take part, the bigger the change we can make.