#FoodWasteFriday: A New Show In Town!
Image credit: Food to the Rescue
Did you hear? Seven Valleys Health Coalition is currently developing a food rescue program called Seven Valleys Food Rescue (SVFR)!
Here are a few common questions we get asked regarding this fledgling program:
What is “food rescuing”? Food rescuing is the practice of collecting edible food that would otherwise go to waste from places like restaurants, grocers, farms, and local gardens and distributing it to local hunger relief or community agencies.
What type of items have SVFR rescued so far? SVFR, with help from other community partners, has rescued over 3,500 pounds of fresh food items like greens, cabbages, carrots, and blueberries, as well as helped to distribute dairy items in the Cortland County Dairy Distribution event.
What are the outcomes of having a community food rescue program?
Reduces local hunger rates.
Reduces the amount of waste in the local landfill.
Increases awareness of important community issues. (Cortland has a pre-COVID food insecurity rate of 11%.)
Increases community connection. (We are all in this together!)
How can I get involved? To expand SVFR's work in the upcoming year we will need a group of dependable volunteers. Most SVFR volunteer opportunities can be done at a safe distance, making it a perfect way to support your community during these challenging times. Some volunteer duties can include: sorting food items, picking up and/or delivering food items, helping identify where food waste is happening (we need your connections and networks!), and becoming an advocate for program sustainability efforts.
Want more info on SVFR? Contact us or visit here.
