November 1, 2024
Humbird: Insight into the Impact of Pop-Up Pantries
Twice a month on Tuesdays since September 2020, a driver from Feed My People heads southeast to Humb...
Earth Day is April 22 and in light of that, Feed My People is launching a week-long campaign highlighting the food rescue work we do every day.
When we stand against food waste, we take a big step toward ending hunger. Each year, billions of pounds of perfectly good food go to waste while 34 million face hunger in the United States. In fact, an estimated 48% of all food produced in the United States is wasted. That's unacceptable. Thanks to food banks like ours, we're stepping in to provide that link to rescue as much food as possible from going to waste.
Feed My People is known for its hunger relief work, but before food ever reaches the community, we're working hard to procure food from all over the region that might otherwise be thrown away due to slight packaging defects, end of season surpluses, transportation delays, and other shortfalls that have nothing to do with its quality.
We partner with local businesses such as Aldi, Festival Foods, Hy-Vee, Kwik Trip, Walmart, Superior Fresh, and so many more, along with local farmers and producers to rescue good food from landfills and use it to feed our community. Last year in 2022, Feed My People rescued over 763,027 pounds of food. Together with our 250 hunger relief partners, that total rises even more to 2,138,507 pounds!
Green practices we have in our warehouse include the installation of AiroCide units in both of our walk-in coolers. Because we often receive produce that is nearing the end of its shelf life, these units are designed to reduce spoilage by pulling ethylene from the air, which helps make our vegetables and fruits stay fresher and safer for longer. Plus, we have auto shut-off lights and a strong recycling program for all the cardboard and plastic waste we process.
Additionally, our trucks cover a 15,000+ square mile service region delivering food to our partners and programs within 14 west central Wisconsin counties. That adds up to a lot of miles on the road, but we work diligently to correctly load deliveries, and order route stops to be as fuel efficient as possible.
Thanks to your continued support, you are enabling important programs and practices like food rescue that are dedicated to bridging the unacceptable gap between food waste and local hunger.