Turning Food Waste Into a Solution for Hunger
By Valeria Carrasquillo
More than 42,000 pounds of sweet potatoes were rescued by So What Else’ s Hunger Relief program and offered to families experiencing food insecurity in Montgomery County.
Every week in Montgomery County, Maryland, countless families face an unrelenting challenge: food insecurity. Despite being one of the wealthiest counties in the United States, the growing need for food assistance is undeniable and increasing dramatically by the day. At the same time, the issues surrounding food waste continue to plague our community, with tons of edible food being discarded while families struggle to put meals on the table.
Unfortunately, much of the food that is wasted is perfectly edible and nutritious. Grocery stores, restaurants, and households often discard surplus food due to aesthetic imperfections, nearing expiration dates, or over-purchasing. On a local level, the“ 2022 / 23 Montgomery County Waste Composition Study” conducted in 2023 revealed that approximately 97,000 tons of food scraps are disposed of in the county annually.
Additionally, farms contribute to food waste by tossing out imperfect produce, growing more crops than the market demands, and leaving food unharvested due to labor shortages or low prices. In fact, the World Wildlife Fund-UK’ s 2021 report, Driven to Waste, estimates that farms lose about 1.2 billion tonnes of
plenty I spring sowing 2025 25