LeftOvers Don't Have To Go To Waste - SpokesmanReview

Pia Hansen: Leftovers don't have to go to waste

The Spokesman-Review
October 6, 2007

Maurice Smith, executive director of Feed Spokane, serves food at Truth Ministries on Thursdays. "By day, I'm a pastor. By night, I feed guys at the shelter," he said. The Spokesman-Review (Photos by JED CONKLIN The Spokesman-Review)

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."

How to help
The Feed Spokane Food Rescue program needs four things:

•Restaurants, caterers and hotels to donate food. Food Rescue will work around the kitchen's schedule.

•Restaurant-related equipment like pans and heaters, anything used to serve food. "We don't want to become a dumping ground for small appliances that don't work," says Feed Spokane Director Maurice Smith. "But pans are something like 25 bucks a pop when they are new, so we'll gladly take your old ones instead of you taking them to the dump."

•Cash donations. To buy gas and containers. Smith isn't paid.

•Reliable volunteers who can pick up and deliver food. They run background checks, but for now food-handling cards aren't required. The Spokane Regional Health District has been involved in the program from its inception. Safe food handling practices are observed.

To help, contact Food Rescue at (509) 475-8797 or Maurice [at] feedspokane [dot] com

Food stamps for thought
A study by the nonpartisan National Priorities Project concludes that barely half of those eligible actually receive food stamps in this country.
A story in Tuesday's Spokesman-Review discusses the findings. Casey King asked for a chance to enlarge the conversation, and here it is.

Posted by Doug Floyd | 14 Aug 1:57 PM
There are 5 comments on this post.

First, I would be very interested to know what the authors of this study considered in determining eligibility for food stamps. Is citizenship or legal alien status a requirement?

Next, I wonder how much of this is attributable to the screaming economy we have been enjoying for the last few years even though we are fighting a war on two fronts.

Finally, I wonder why this apparent excess isn’t being redirected into community food banks, homeless shelters and organizations like the one Gus (bless you Gus) volunteers at to feed the poor and homeless?

Thanks for the threads Doug.

Posted by Casey | 14 Aug 10:06 PM
Hi Casey,
thanks for the little "blessing" this morning.. needed that.. Smile

We actually get a fair amount of our food from 2nd harvest... and it is donated by large corporations.. we pay as an agency for some canned goods and dry product at 18 cents a pound.. ( pancake mix, flour, beef stew etc).. a lot of stuff is up for grabs and "free"... excess produce, all of the left over bread from Rosauers and Safeway etc is free.. milk and eggs and dairy is free...

Our budget concerns are mostly with staff salaries... We do not currently have an Exec Director... I am a volunteer and have one or two persons 3-4 hours a day at minimum wage to make it go.

"Feed Spokane" is a newer non profit that tries to garner left over's from various restaurants and get them with safe transport to agencies large and small that can and will use it.

We get for instance Chicken Breasts from a local fast food chain (Arby's or Jack in the Box??) and serve that with instant potatoes and cream gravy for breakfast usually once a week.

Oh and we serve "all people" in a safe environment at Central Methodist.. quite an interesting mix of low income, disabled vets (makes me cry) and homeless, as well as the mentally ill and elderly downtown.

Happy to have anyone come and help any morning we are up and running.. amazing in a city this size how I cannot get even two or three regular volunteers... Everyone wants to help on Thanksgiving.. or Christmas... a list a mile long.. but any other day the only regular source is St Marks Lutheran, ( my parish) and Mr Mark Harmon from Mead High School, with a regular covey of teens that helps with dinner on mondays...

sorry to go on.. guess i needed to say all that... thanks again gus

Posted by John August Olsen | 15 Aug 9:06 AM