Be a Food Rescue Hero!

By now, you may have seen me share about 412 Food Rescue several times! Why do I keep sharing? Because I love how the Pittsburgh community is coming together to ensure that food surplus does not go to waste! We're so thankful for all the restaurants, grocery stores and other organizations who are passing on their food surplus to those who can use it. 

Some important factors to remember about 412 Food Rescue:

• They do not rescue spoiled food, wilted vegetables, expired food or consumer waste. 
• They do not rescue food that has been served to the public (e.g. at buffets) 
• They only rescue food that we would eat ourselves and instruct volunteers to ask themselves if they would eat it themselves.  

It's a great family endeavor and an easy way for your kids to come along with you and participate! 

What’s on your holiday wishlist this year? Make it something meaningful. By donating to 412 Food Rescue, you ensure that good food is reaching individuals and families struggling with food insecurity, rather than landfills. There are variety of ways to financially support #412FoodRescue. 

Here is how you can directly support 412 Food Rescue this holiday season: 

• Make a monetary donation 
• Ask friends and family to donate in your name 
• Host a fundraiser / raise money online or in person (such as at a holiday party or similar event with friends, family, coworkers, or similar group) on behalf of 412 Food Rescue

Our family enjoyed a fun superhero-themed event last spring to benefit 412 Food Rescue! 

The holiday season is often a time to reflect on what we are most grateful for and when we resolve to do more to make a difference. Join us as we seek to spread joy, comfort, and sustenance with those who need it most. 

• Family rescues - kids home for the holidays? Want to take part in a meaningful activity together that benefits our community? Download the 412 Food Rescue Hero app today to explore real-time rescue opportunities. 
• Already an experienced #FoodRescueHero? Take the next step and commit to rescuing on a regular basis. There will be a growing number of available rescues this holiday season and into the new year. Email Mel at volunteer@412foodrescue.org if you can help! 

And finally, here are some easy and practical ways to end food waste this season. The holidays are a time of abundance during parties, gatherings, and get together. To be more thoughtful this season, take these steps to reduce food waste. 

At the Grocery Store 

• Make a list and stick to it. 
• Buy fresh veggies that you know you will use and use them rfist, and augment with frozen veggies so you know they won’t go to waste if you can’t get to them right away. 
• Before you go to a warehouse club, ask yourself if you will really eat a 5 pound bag of that product.
• Only buy food you know you will eat. 

At Home 

• Have one day of the week (maybe the day before your weekly grocery trip) where you use everything up in the fridge. 
• If you take home leftovers from a restaurant, don’t forget about them - explore how to repurpose them and be sure to use them within a few days! 
• If a recipe says it serves four, but there are only two people, halve every ingredient. 
• Only cut fruits and veggies right before you cook or eat them. 
• Remove rotten apples right away! They will make all other fruits go bad. 
• Do not wash grapes or other fruits until you are ready to eat them. 
• Sour milk can be used in recipes for baked goods and cottage cheese. 
• Freeze fresh meat unless you plan to use it within a couple of days. 
• To revive limp broccoli or greens, plunge them into an ice bath. 
• Cracked eggs should be used within 2 days. 
• 412 Food Rescue - facts from savethefood.com.

Ready to be a #412FoodRescueHero? Download the app here via iTunes/iPhone or GooglePlay/Android. Find a tutorial for using the app here. 

Follow 412 Food Rescue social media channels: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• YouTube

 #412FoodRescue 

This post sponsored by 412 Food Rescue in conjunction with The Motherhood. All opinions remain my own. 

412 Food Rescue

40% of food goes to waste. 

1 in 7 people go hungry. 

I'm so thankful that people have taken the initiative to change these statistics here in Pittsburgh. I'm thankful that grocery stores, markets and restaurants have a desire to see their surplus food passed on to people who can use it and that thousands of volunteers have come together to make this happen. 

The mission of 412 Food Rescue is to prevent perfectly good food from entering the waste stream.

412 Food Rescue is the only Pittsburgh organization that directly addresses the fact that we waste 40% of our food while 1 in 7 go hungry. Founded in 2015, 412 Food Rescue and its growing corps of over 2,000 volunteers in the Pittsburgh region have recovered over 1 million pounds of food from over 200 retailers and donated to over 250 nonprofits! 

412 Food Rescue is providing huge resources of ending food waste in our community. They are facilitating thousands of pounds of food from stores and restaurants that would typically be thrown away and engaging a volunteer army to move it to organizations that will put it to use.  It's important to note that this is not "food waste". They do not rescue spoiled food, wilted vegetables, expired food or consumer waste. They recover perfectly good, healthy food –mostly fruits and vegetables. Food is donated for many reasons:

• They are approaching their sell-by dates and need to be used within the day or a few days.
• They are not up to consumers’ “cosmetic standards” for food – consumers want the perfect apple, tomato etc.
• They need to be cooked or eaten today or in a few days – e.g. yellow bananas and other ripe fruit, day old bread that are still good, vegetables that are ready to be cooked today or in a few days. All perfectly good but will need to be consumed soon. 

"412 Food Rescue has helped to ensure that no HACP resident will be denied access to fresh, healthy food. Despite major cuts to the federal SNAP program....412 Food Rescue has managed to effectively end hunger in our public housing communities."

Michelle SandidgeHousing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh

My daughter and I recently had the opportunity to do a Food Rescue. It was shockingly easy, close to our home and took less than an hour of time out of our day! We were able to sign up for a pick at a local Giant Eagle and drop off at a family center that were both within 10 minutes of our house. With hundreds of food donors in our region, you can most likely find a location near you as well!

As more food donors come together to eradicate food waste in our city, more and more volunteers are needed! It's a simple task that many of us could add into our weekly schedule. The first step is to download the 412FR app. Go here for  iTunes/iPhone and here for GooglePlay/Android. 

The app allows you to login, see if there are any food rescues needed in your area and allows you to accept the rescue. It's so easy to use! This tutorial explains exactly how to use the app for your rescue. 

 In 2017, 412 Food Rescue is set to hit two million pounds of food rescued and is gearing up to launch its technology in other cities. In less than two years, 412 Food Rescue has been recognized nationally as a leader in food recovery. It is so exciting to see the way food surplus can be distributed in a city and to see other cities getting ready to follow the model that has been initiated in Pittsburgh!

GIVEAWAY:

Want to help spread the word about 412 Food Rescue? Enter our giveaway to win special 412FR swag! Includes a t-shirt, an apron, a bag and stickers (valued at $50).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Want to learn more about 412 Food Rescue in person? One of the 412FR co-founders,  Leah Lizarando, will be speaking at NextFest Pittsburgh on Friday, April 7. Go here for more information. 

·    See more on the 412 Food Rescue social media channels:

o    Facebook: http://bit.ly/2nTiW6L

o    Twitter: http://bit.ly/2oRkEmY

o    Instagram:  http://bit.ly/2oR0rxF

o    YouTube: http://bit.ly/2nPjU2m

#412FoodRescue 

#FoodRescueHeroes

#EndFoodWaste

Sponsored post in partnership with The Motherhood on behalf of 412 Food Rescue.