Pia Hansen: Leftovers don’t have to go to waste
Most of us grow up hearing the adults in our lives say, “clean your plate,” “finish up what you already have, before you take seconds,” “it’s a sin to throw out food,” or “don’t throw that out. Think of the hungry people in Ethiopia.”
And as adults many of us say exactly the same thing to our own kids.
Yet, we often leave behind bountiful and barely picked-at tables full of appetizers, cheese, meats and breads at receptions and celebrations, without thinking about what happens to that food.
Well, now it can go to hungry people in Spokane.
Some years ago, a group of people behind Feed Spokane – a nonprofit organization focused on feeding the hungry – sat around pondering how to find more food.
“It started with SNAP’s sack lunch needing more food – and we weren’t sure where to find it,” said Maurice Smith, executive director of Feed Spokane, referring to Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs. “So we came up with contacting restaurants.”
And that’s how Spokane’s Food Rescue Program got started. It’s been a pilot program since 2006, “while we worked the kinks out,” as Smith puts it, and now it’s ready to roll, just in time for the holiday season.
Food Rescue is a simple idea:
Commercial kitchens sometimes have perfectly fine and fresh food left over at the end of the day. What can’t be immediately reused or easily stored is Dumpster-bound. This is where Food Rescue comes in, first bringing containers for the food, then sending volunteers to pick up and transport the leftovers to a place that serves free meals.
“We are ready to sign up more restaurants and hotels, now,” Smith said. “We want to make it easy for them to participate, so essentially, whatever schedule works for them, we will do.”
Caterers are welcome, too, as are one-time donations after company parties, weddings and other celebrations.
“Don’t call me for a baggie of food,” Smith said, “but if you have a hotel-size pan of food, we’ll come and get it.”
They can handle soup as well.
“Freeze it, and you are good to go,” Smith said. “The best way for us is if you can freeze the food. That stops the clock on it.”
Don’t wait until your Christmas party is over before you call Smith. While he may answer his phone at midnight on December 22, he’s not likely to show up with a stack of foil pans and Ziploc bags five minutes later.
Food Rescue would prefer to know in advance about your extra meatballs and cookies.
“When you start planning a wedding or a reception, think of us being the designated charity and call us,” Smith said. “That way, everyone knows what’s going on.”
Volunteers pick up 1,000 pounds of fresh leftovers every week from restaurants, including Arby’s, The Old Spaghetti Factory and Papa Murphy’s Pizza, to mention a few.
“If you have a hotel-size pan of food, it can feed 20 guys,” Smith said. He serves food at Truth Ministries every Thursday night.
The goal is to collect and deliver 8,000 pounds of food every month.
“We are trying to match the meal site with the restaurant,” Smith said. “We are hoping this will turn into a creative way to address the hunger issues we have here in Spokane.”