Rescue Me!
Who gets what's left after big food and drink events, like Taste of the Nation? In South Florida, two food rescue organizations have joined forces to tackle food waste and make a difference for those ...
Food Rescue US Miami: 65K Meals to Those in Need
Many in South Florida are food insecure, lacking reliable access to nutritious food that’s affordable. And when COVID began, the problems of hunger came into sharper view in the community, prompting relief in the form of food and meal distribution, community fridges and other initiatives by multiple agencies.
One of those groups is Food Rescue US Miami, who launched in early 2018 with the goal of rescuing unsold and unused food from restaurants and markets to keep it out of landfills and delivering it to shelters and soup kitchens. During the pandemic, they started serving meals directly to those in need, partnering with area restaurants, including Chef Creole, Red Rooster, Boia De, Alter, Ember, Naomi’s, Lil Greenhouse, Yarumba, Taquiza, Big Mama's BBQ, Rosie’s, Stanzione and Ash, Clive's, KUSH and Cafe La Trova.
Photo 1: Making a pickup at Trader Joe's Photo: Food Rescue US Miami
Photo 2: Uneaten meals don't go to waste Photo: Food Rescue US Miami
“During the height of the pandemic, over 65,000 meals were given away right out of the restaurants in a respectful takeout manner,” says Ellen Bowen of Food Rescue Miami. During the Surfside condo collapse, they provided over 1,400 meals from 10 restaurants to the grieving and displaced families staying at area hotels for days that turned into weeks. “Heartbreaking for all of us,” she says.
After the immediate need for COVID relief declined, they continued providing hot meals a few times a week at Chef Creole in Little Haiti until mid-December. Now, they're returning to their core model of rescuing unsold and unused food and taking it to area shelters, churches and pantries, and utilizing surplus food for meals delivered to at-risk youth, senior housing and after-school programs. “With 150 food donors, 50 receiving nonprofit agencies, and over 500 volunteers, we have become a leader in reducing food waste and feeding those in need,” she says.
Photo 1: Ellen Bowen, left, head of Miamis Food Rescue US Photo: Food Rescue US Miami
Photo 2: Delivering prepared foods Photo: Food Rescue US Miami
For Bowen, the experience has been especially moving because of the interaction between food donors and recipients. “I get emotional when I see our volunteers load up their cars with donated food and take to a food desert and greet the residents with respect and compassion.” she says. “At one meal distribution at Taquiza on North Beach, a homeless man came up to me to thank me for the meal and told me, ‘When I get back on my feet, I am going to come back here and BUY dinner!’”
New volunteers are welcome. “We record all of our rescues and food distributions using technology,” says Bowen. Anyone can register on their website, see the schedule and volunteer to do a rescue or join them at a food distribution. “Most rescues are easy and take less than an hour door to door,” she says.
Food Rescue’s efforts not only reduce food waste and feed the food insecure. They can help tackle climate change, too. “24% of all greenhouse gas is produced by decomposing food, so by reducing food waste we are actually helping to reverse climate change,” Bowen says.
Find out more about Food Rescue US Miami and how to volunteer here.
Rescue Me!
Who gets what's left after big food and drink events, like Taste of the Nation? In South Florida, two food rescue...
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