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2 million pounds of rescued food

Eric Gutierrez
Posted 12/27/17

ORANGE PARK – Volunteers gathered Friday morning at the Waste Not Want Not to celebrate reaching a milestone for the nonprofit organization – rescuing two million pounds of food in a single …

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2 million pounds of rescued food


Posted

ORANGE PARK – Volunteers gathered Friday morning at the Waste Not Want Not to celebrate reaching a milestone for the nonprofit organization – rescuing two million pounds of food in a single year.

Sandra Staudt-Killea, executive director, said she made a personal goal of rescuing two million pounds of food in a single year after the nonprofit came close to raising that amount last year.

“It’s kind of a silly goal. … Our mission really is to prevent the waste of items that can be used to fight hunger,” Staudt-Killea said. “As long as we’re actually preventing the waste of all the food that is offered to us that can be used, we’re happy, but we all have these artificial goals that we set.”

The food rescue organization conducts 152 rescues a week and serves over 78 different charities within 10 counties, including, Clay, Duval, St. Johns, Putnam, Baker and Alachua counties. Waste Not Want Not works with a number of soup kitchens, missions, school programs, foster associations, group homes and more, Staudt-Killea said.

“We were founded back in 1990. We started with one store. It was the Publix down on the corner of Kingsley and Blanding. We were serving one organization at the time. It was St. Francis Soup Kitchen in Downtown Jacksonville,” Staudt-Killea said. “Since then, we have grown and we now pick up at 15 Publix stores, 3 Fresh Markets (and) our newest store is Trader Joes. We also pick up at some restaurants including Red Lobster, Outback, 4Rivers Smokehouse, Chipotle, Oliver Garden, Carrabba’s (and) Bonefish Grill.”

In addition to rescuing food from grocery stores and restaurants, Waste Not Want Not also receives food from bakeries, such as Starbucks and Panera, and drink companies like Pepsi and Dr. Pepper Snapple Group. The food rescued by the nonprofit is close to its “sell by date” and “may not be perfectly marketable anymore, but is still wholesome and it’s still perfectly good for human consumption,” Staudt-Killea said. She added that the nonprofit collects everything from bread products, produce, dairy and meats to prepared foods like sandwiches, desserts, salads and more.

“(The) food is always moving,” Staudt-Killea said. “All the food that’s brought in this morning for the most part will be gone by noon today.”

Volunteers drive their personal vehicles to each rescue location and haul the products back to the Waste Not Want Not building. The nonprofit has over 250 volunteers that help keep the food moving.

Longtime volunteer Mary Holtcamp said in an interview that she enjoys the work she does for Waste Not Want Not.

“Never has there been anything I have done that has been more rewarding than this,” Holtcamp said. “I love it. One of the experiences that I had many years ago was when I picked up some product and took it to a church (that) was having a food distribution. And when I left, the line of mothers that were there, it was very, very touching to me that every mother there thanked me as I left. That’s when you know that you’re doing something worthwhile.”

Waste Not Want Not Board Chairman Gene Bowers said he’s been involved with the organization for 12 years, adding that he enjoys helping those in need.

“The only thing I found that made any sense in my life is people helping people that are in need and keeping (food) waste down and reduced,” Bowers said. “No one should go hungry in this country. There is so much waste.”

Food waste in the United States is estimated at about 30 to 40 percent of the food supply, according to the United States Department of Agriculture website.

“Food waste is a huge problem right now and it’s actually a problem that’s coming to the forefront. It’s kind of trendy now, but we’ve been doing it since 1990. We do waste about a quarter of all the food we produce in this country before it ever reaches a consumer; before it’s ever in your home,” Staudt-Killea said. “It’s paradoxical to have hungry people. One in six people in this country does not have enough to eat, and yet we’re throwing away huge amounts of food.”

Individuals can get involved by making financial donations or by donating any food that is “packaged or prepared by a caterer or food service industry,” Staudt-Killea said, adding, “we can’t take homemade food.” She added that individuals looking to volunteer could sign up on the Waste Not Want Not website at www.WasteNotFlorida.com.

“We’re trying to put good food to good use,” Staudt-Killea said. “Food should be in bellies, not landfills.”