sell by dates , and American consumers expect only the best when shopping at the grocery store . All these factors create an environment that necessitates food rescue .
Feeding San Diego stakeholders are increasingly interested in mitigating food waste , especially young volunteers . Arthur Wang , a 16-year-old volunteer lead with Feeding San Diego , runs a Produce Pantry that provides fresh produce at Feeding San Diego ’ s Sorrento Valley headquarters every Saturday .
“ Instead of food being thrown into the trash , Feeding San Diego rescues surplus food and redistributes it to folks in need . What is even better is that non-edible food can go to farm animals ,” he shared with GB Magazine . “ My whole experience with Feeding San Diego started in eighth grade . Our school provided a free lunch program , and when the lunch service was over , I noticed all the food waste in the trash . I researched online and found out that 30 to 40 percent of all food produced goes to waste . That is approximately 133 billion pounds of food wasted each year !”
Feeding San Diego rescues food three ways : food distribution partners do fresh rescue themselves ; staff drivers pick up rescued food ; and MealConnect volunteer drivers do pickups . The strategy is to connect food donors to the partner that is closest to them to keep food local and lessen the impact on the environment . With 370 food distribution partners throughout San Diego County and more than 600 food
Feeding San Diego food recipient Eulalia receives fresh produce donors , Feeding San Diego makes the connection between the food donor and the partner that can get the food to people in need the fastest . In its last fiscal year , 70 % of the food distributed was rescued , with the remaining 30 % gap filled by purchased food . Currently , there are over 800 scheduled food rescue pickups every week !
“ We have so much food in this country , but people waste it . It is really bad , because hunger is everywhere ,” shared a food distribution recipient named Oliver .
Want to help ? Feeding San Diego is powered by generous donations from the community and welcomes volunteers ages six and older at its Sorrento Valley distribution center . Visit www . feedingsandiego . org to learn more .
Con más de 330,000 personas con hambre en el condado de San Diego , Feeding San Diego se compromete a utilizar el rescate de los sobrantes de comida para aliviar el hambre .
Este dato nos deja sin palabras : según la U . S . Food & Drug Administration , la comida es la categoría con la mayor cantidad de desechos que se depositan en los rellenos municipales . Esta comida representa nutrientes que podrían haber ayudado a las familias necesitadas , como lo son las más de 330,000 personas del condado de San Diego que no tienen asegurada su alimentación .
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