The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri’s Post

In 2023, 8.8 million Californians experienced food insecurity. This means that nearly 1 in every 4 individuals are unsure where their next meal will come from. Every year, lawyers across the state come together to try to provide critical funds to local food banks. So please join us in donating to your local food bank. If you don't have one, please consider donating to our firm's local food bank. Contra Costa County often receives far less resources than San Francisco and Alameda. But Contra Costa County has areas of significant need, including Richmond, Concord, and Pittsburg. https://lnkd.in/gYviBwzJ

We must accept that inventory at food and beverage (F&B) establishments (e.g. restaurants, retail grocery stores) does expire. Food service workers at restaurants must discard any inventory received within 7 days or product that was defrosted and refrosted [1, 2]. That’s even with so many F&B establishments following the Food Safety and Inspection Services’ (FSIS) guidelines. Food eventually rots, then sent to a landfill or incinerator to emit carbon dioxide and methane. The guidelines aren't helping reduce food insecurity in the US, which remains above 10% for households since 2001 [3]. The 1996 Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act intended to change that. Without criminal or civil liability (i.e. potential to be sued), F&B establishments could donate an “apparently wholesome food” or an “apparently fit grocery product" to nonprofits that would distribute it to "needy individuals" [4, 5, 6, 7]. They could only be held reliable if food service workers knew that the food wasn’t safe to eat (i.e. intentional misconduct) or didn’t check for pathogens like mold (i.e. gross negligence). Then why must I repeat that food insecurity has increased since 2001, and "up to 40% of the edible food supply ends up as food waste [and loss] [8]?" The Bill Emerson Act should make donating easy, especially when no company has been sued. There hasn't been enough education on food donation protection laws [9]. Moreover, the ambiguity of "apparently wholesome" or "apparently fit" renders civil and criminal immunity pointless. Rather than focusing on what to donate, F&B establishments focus on what won't get them in trouble. For context, Walmart’s Frank Yiannas’ team counted 47 "different" labels [10]. The 2023 Food Donation Improvement Act is a step in the right direction. It specified who qualified as a donor: retail grocers, wholesalers, agricultural producers, agricultural processors, agricultural distributors, restaurants, caterers, school food authorities, and institutions of higher education. Additionally, donors could set up a network of nonprofits, agreeing on a fixed rate to sell donated food to them: a "good Samaritan reduced price," which is not greater than making the food available for sale (e.g. handling, processing, packaging). F&B establishments could donate directly to individuals with civil and criminal immunity, too. Yiannas’ departure from the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in February 2023 indicates there’s more to be done. In his departure letter, Yiannas spoke about how the FDA is entering a "new era of smarter food safety," where it’s "bending the curve of foodborne illness once and for all” [11]. That curve must overcome 50% of food manufacturers, 25% of retail grocery stores, and 21% of restaurants feeling that liability concerns were still a barrier to donation, after being surveyed by the Food Waste Reduction Alliance in 2016 [12]. Until that curve is fully realized, however, F&B establishments won't donate. 

One of the most common concerns we hear from potential food donors is the fear of liability—many worry about being sued if donated food unintentionally causes harm. Some even mistakenly think donating surplus food is illegal. ⁠ ⁠ Good news 📣 ✨️ The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act protects individuals, businesses, and nonprofits that donate food in good faith. ⁠ ⁠ Dispelling this myth encourages more food donations and less waste. Click the link below to learn more about how this law supports food recovery and help us spread the word!⁠ https://lnkd.in/eBtsY6hh #foodrescueus #foodrecovery #fooddonation #goodsamaritan

📢 All donations to our Emergency Food Relief Appeal are tax deductible! (link in bio to donate) For as little as $15 a month, you can become an Addi Road supporter and help us feed the community. $15 covers 10 meals - which will go a long way in helping those struggling to put food on the table. The cost-of-living crisis making it harder on people to meet basic needs. "Demand for our Emergency Food Relief has gone up by a massive 180% just in the last few months but at Addi Road we believe food is a human right; which is why we're committed to providing as much help as possible. * We do this with minimal government support and we rely on donations - both large and small - from people like you to help us do this vital work. *We have fed thousands of people across the state and we don't turn people away or ask for proof of need. Help us support the community by donating here: https://lnkd.in/gUAkEXCW We assure you, your money will not go to waste. #AddiRoad #EmergencyFoodRelief #Marrickville #Innerwest #innerwestsyd #innerwestsydney #camperdown #costofliving #costoflivingcrisis #foodjustice #foodrelief

For years we have been advocating that Foreign Currency Fundraising works. All it takes is a single coin to help your neighbours! As mentioned by CanadaHelps and Food Banks Mississauga, a donation of a single dollar can provide a meal. That means that a single coin from so many different countries would provide one meal (or more): €1.00 or €2.00 (EUR - Euro) £1.00 or £2.00 (GBP - British Pound) 1.00fr or 2.00fr or 5.00fr (CHF - Swiss Franc) $10.00 (HKD - Hong Kong Dollar) $2.00 (AUD - Australian Dollar) ¥500 (Yen - Japanese Yen) $1.00 (USD - United States Dollar) $2.00 (NZD - New Zealand Dollar) The next time you are looking for a way to help but aren't sure how, consider your leftover foreign currency / holiday travel money. Put together an employee drive at work, tell your friends and family and put together a larger collection, or host a party and ask everyone to bring their leftover foreign cash; talk about the great times you had where the money came from. You can't use it to buy groceries for yourself, but you could use it to ensure your neighbours / friends / family don't go hungry. Any Currency, Any Amount #AllCurrencyAccepted Daily Bread Food Bank Ottawa Food Bank Calgary Food Bank Edmonton's Food Bank Greater Vancouver Food Bank Food Banks of Quebec Food Bank On Wheels Society The Food Bank of Waterloo Region Feed the Need in Durham Feed Ontario Food Banks Canada | Banques alimentaires Canada Second Harvest Scarborough Food Security Initiative Food First NL Kawartha Lakes Food Source North York Harvest Food Bank The Salvation Army in Canada The Salvation Army

Did you know that 1 in 8 Americans experience food insecurity while more than $200 billion is spent on food that will never be eaten? That’s billions of pounds of food wasted instead of going to those who need it. Rescuing Leftover Cuisine (RLC) aims to redistribute excess food to people experiencing food insecurity. RLC makes it easy for businesses to donate their excess food to their community and provides a reliable, professional food rescue service for our partners at an efficient cost. Join us at the Rescuing Leftover Cuisine Gala 2024 as we unite to end food insecurity. If you cannot attend, please donate to support the cause. The link is in the first comment below. #foodrescue #donate #foodinsecurity #nonprofit

Recent data from Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap report shows that food insecurity has increased 30% across our service territory, meaning an additional 80,000 neighbors are newly food insecure. Within our 27-county service territory alone, nearly 350,000 neighbors, including 100,000 children face food insecurity. State-funded anti-hunger programs are critical investments that are required to enable the distribution of charitable food to millions of children, families, and seniors across Pennsylvania. Despite the level-funding of these core nutritional programs, CPFB will continue to advocate for our neighbors facing hunger. #nonprofit #foodbank #centralpafb

Want to keep your #FoodWaste low for #Passover? Here are some ways to prepare before sundown: 🍞 Donate your leavened food to local charities 📋 Use a portion planner before buying ingredients 🌡️ Let your food cool before freezing

🙌 Initiatives like Aldi UK's surplus food donation program are making a crucial difference to children facing poverty in the UK. By partnering with the Neighbourly platform, Aldi ensures that food which might otherwise go to waste reaches those in our society who need it most. This approach not only addresses food poverty but does so in a sustainable and impactful way, exemplifying responsible corporate citizenship. #SurplusFoodDonation #ESG #SustainableBusiness

Three statistics about food bank usage in Barnet: 📊 The number of people referred to food banks and charitable support in Barnet has more than tripled since 2020 🥫In 2023, there were 152,000 food bank recipients 📈 This marks a 25% increase compared to 2022 🔗 Learn more about the extra support Citizens Advice Barnet provides at food banks to address some of the underlying issues of food insecurity. Find the link in the comments. #foodbanks #barnet #charity #citizensadvice