Based on this appalling fact:
"Official surveys indicate that every year more than 350 billion pounds of edible food is available for human consumption in the United States. Of that total, nearly 100 billion pounds -- including fresh vegetables, fruits, milk, and grain products -- are lost to waste by retailers, restaurants, and consumers. By contrast, the amount of food required to meet the needs of the hungry is only four billion pounds, according to Food Not Bombs, an advocacy group, which estimates that every year more than 30 million people in the United States are going hungry on a regular basis." (IPS News Article: Food Waste and Hunger Exist Side by Side)
And this basic principle:
"We are not to throw away those things which can benefit our neighbor." ~ Clement of Alexandria
What we propose to do is:
Find restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, buffets, etc. that are currently throwing away large amounts of food on a daily or weekly basis, and asking them to let us bring that food to local homeless shelters, food banks, soup kitchens, and individuals for whom hunger and malnutrition is an unfortunate and preventable fact of life.
Here's how you can help:
Let's say you work or know somebody who works in a restaurant or other establishment that prepares and/or sells food in the Los Angeles area and know that they frequently throw away lots of unused, edible food. Comment on this post or email us here: wastenotproject@gmail.com and let us know!
Let's say you know of a shelter, community center, food bank, or soup kitchen that doesn't have enough food to feed all the people who depend on them. Comment on this post or email us here: wastenotproject@gmail.com and let us know.
Let's say you drive a car, truck, van, or suv, and have an hour or two of free time during the week and would like to use that time picking up food from one location (where it was going to end up in a dumpster) and taking it to another (where it will end up in the stomachs of people who cannot afford to feed themselves). Comment on this post or email us here: wastenotproject@gmail.com and let us know.
"Official surveys indicate that every year more than 350 billion pounds of edible food is available for human consumption in the United States. Of that total, nearly 100 billion pounds -- including fresh vegetables, fruits, milk, and grain products -- are lost to waste by retailers, restaurants, and consumers. By contrast, the amount of food required to meet the needs of the hungry is only four billion pounds, according to Food Not Bombs, an advocacy group, which estimates that every year more than 30 million people in the United States are going hungry on a regular basis." (IPS News Article: Food Waste and Hunger Exist Side by Side)
And this basic principle:
"We are not to throw away those things which can benefit our neighbor." ~ Clement of Alexandria
What we propose to do is:
Find restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, buffets, etc. that are currently throwing away large amounts of food on a daily or weekly basis, and asking them to let us bring that food to local homeless shelters, food banks, soup kitchens, and individuals for whom hunger and malnutrition is an unfortunate and preventable fact of life.
Here's how you can help:
Let's say you work or know somebody who works in a restaurant or other establishment that prepares and/or sells food in the Los Angeles area and know that they frequently throw away lots of unused, edible food. Comment on this post or email us here: wastenotproject@gmail.com and let us know!
Let's say you know of a shelter, community center, food bank, or soup kitchen that doesn't have enough food to feed all the people who depend on them. Comment on this post or email us here: wastenotproject@gmail.com and let us know.
Let's say you drive a car, truck, van, or suv, and have an hour or two of free time during the week and would like to use that time picking up food from one location (where it was going to end up in a dumpster) and taking it to another (where it will end up in the stomachs of people who cannot afford to feed themselves). Comment on this post or email us here: wastenotproject@gmail.com and let us know.
You get the idea. If there's any way you think you can help further our mission of reducing the want of some by preventing the waste of others, let us know!
"The time is now for the City of Los Angeles to ensure that we are doing all we can to make sure good, consumable food ends up on plates and not in dumpsters." - Councilmember Jose Huizar
