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| Fresh Produce |
"In the United States, we waste 62.5 million tons and spend $218 billion a year (or 1.3% of our GDP) in “growing, processing, transporting, and disposing of food that is never eaten." (412 Food Rescue, quoting EPA, 2014)
This post is sponsored by 412 Food Rescue
Wasting food makes me crazy. It's probably because my grandmother was a child of the Great Depression and wasting food was presented to us as a surefire way to go directly to hell. So, on the Saturday before Easter, I woke up early. The sun was shining and I had a job to do. I didn’t wake up early to run, although I did get a long run in later in the day. I woke up early so that I could participate in a "food rescue". A food rescue addresses the inequity between organizations who have food that will go unused and those deserving individuals who need that food. It is a genius concept because it takes out the middle man by soliciting volunteers who will pick up the food from those organizations and directly distribute the food to those in need.
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| My hatchback full of produce |
My Food Rescue Journey
My journey began by me telling my daughter about where I was leaving that early morning. When I explained that I was donating food to those in need, she asked and innocent question, "Are you going all the way to Africa this morning?" She had recently become aware of the food insecurity on the continent and her six year old mind could not comprehend that there were hungry people just around the corner.
To see real time footage of my journey, click here.
Indeed, when I typed in the address for the Giant Eagle store making the donation, it lead me to the Quaker Village Shopping Center. Once I found the store I pulled my car to the loading dock and loaded my hatchback with pounds of high-quality produce mostly zucchini, melons, onions, and corn on the cob. I rescued that food and my delivery point was not far away. I delivered it to a senior housing development within ten minutes of that story. My heart was overjoyed because instead of the produce being discarded and/ or put in a compost heap, it was used by the residents to make Easter dinner.
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| Chatón T. Turner and the gracious Giant Eagle Produce Manager |
Here's a recommended
Tweet: Help end hunger by promoting 412 Food Rescue! #412FoodRecue#FoodRescueHeroes #EndFoodWaste
412 Food Rescue is Committed to Eradicating Hunger
The Pittsburgh community is fortunate to have a local organization who is leading the charge called 412 Food Rescue. This wonderful. organization was founded in 2015 and is one of the fastest-growing food organization in the country. As such, it is committed to redirecting unsellable, yet fresh, food to those who food insecure. According to the USDA, food insecurity is defined as "the condition assessed in the food security survey and represented in USDA food security reports—is a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food." (See definitions of food security at USDA)
I received my Easter weekend assignment from The Motherhood who was hired by 412 Food Rescue to help promote that organization. I accepted this assignment because I truly believe that in this bountiful country that we call home, nobody should be hungry. Although I am not yet a true food rescue hero, I do hope by my efforts, participating in a food rescue and promoting this organization, I have contributed to helping all American become food secure.
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| One of the great people I met on my journey |
I received my Easter weekend assignment from The Motherhood who was hired by 412 Food Rescue to help promote that organization. I accepted this assignment because I truly believe that in this bountiful country that we call home, nobody should be hungry. Although I am not yet a true food rescue hero, I do hope by my efforts, participating in a food rescue and promoting this organization, I have contributed to helping all American become food secure.
If you would like to learn more about the organization and/or promote it, please keep reading!
412 Food Rescue Social Media Channels:
Website: 412 Food Rescue412 Food Rescue Promoting Hash Tags:
#412FoodRescue
#FoodRescueHeroes
#EndFoodWaste
Don't forget to Tweet: Help end hunger by promoting 412 Food Rescue! #412FoodRecue#FoodRescueHeroes #EndFoodWaste
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