The Food Recovery Network is launching a new certification program, to get restaurants, caterers and cafeterias across the country donating their leftovers
As someone who was homeless this hits home for me. Im so proud of and grateful to the businesses that are doing this. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.
I think when he says "especially in America," I don't think he is implying that Americans deserve it more than others, but rather, because he/the organization is a US based organization, it should strive to make a difference in their local communities and not see their fellow brothers/sisters starving on the streets. I think it's pretty easy to overlook the homeless here and I'm glad to see an organization that is stepping up to make a difference doing something that really just makes complete sense and helps everyone. I saw waste as a huge issue going to college and working in the dining hall with all the food that was tossed out after lunch/dinner service and it's exciting to see some people out there who are trying to make a difference. Praying that this really makes a difference both locally and potentially internationally as well.
Hooray! In all the flurry of sad, troublesome, even tragic news which is reported daily, it is wonderfully enlightening ... even inspiring to see this video! The subject of hunger is one that I, along with most U.S. citizens rarely recognize to be an existent issue considering the many stopgap agencies for support offered by our governments, Federal, State and local. But alas this video relayed, if nothing other, the recognition of potentially thousands of homeless and/or otherwise destitute persons for whom their positions or lifestyles preclude anything but self-sustained and often humiliating panhandling. For any who are needy, regardless of circumstance, meals must always be made available for the asking and this program appears to be answering that need in two very beneficial and important ways.
Nice project! But if you really want to make a difference in regards to hunger: research show that eating less or no animal products would benefit a growing world (not only U.S.) population from a food perspective.
NationSwell I love this video! I did want to point out that "establishment" is misspelled at 2:48. However, this is a brilliant idea and I'm glad this is being done. :)
When I worked as a closer at the Red Onion Cafe in very liberal Burlington, VT in late 2006, I saw many homeless people come up and ask for leftovers. Usually I'd give it to them, OR, I'd put all the stale home-made breads in their own bag and leave the bag outside the dumpster, instead of locked inside. Eventually this was found out and I was scolded. I asked the manager why they didn't just set the stale bread and leftover whatever in a box outside after closing everyday and they said it was for insurance reasons. You see, if someone gets sick eating their old food, they could be sued. And who sues people? That's right, the Liberal Nanny State of America sues them. Funny, isn't it? At the time *I* was very liberal (well it was during W's reign, after 8 years of Clinton, what do you expect?) and I went to a meeting of Socialists and they all told me the same damned thing- And that is what's really wrong with this country. We need a good samaritan law to extend to food and other donated items to homeless people so that lawyers cannot take on a homeless person's case to sue an otherwise helpful individual, cafe or store... If liberals stopped making everything illegal b/c of a few isolated incidents, and if conservatives stopped thumping the bible all the time, I think politics in this country might actually make sense and not suck.
I've been saying this for very long actually, doesn't take a genius. What upsets me is that the government says "oh we care about the poor and the hungry"... how about sending out trucks picking up leftovers not only from restaurants, but from food retailers. They throw out food many days before expiration date and that food is good even a couple of weeks after expiration date.
I believe he meant it more in the vein of, that there is so much abundance in the United States (and Canada), that there should be no reason why anyone should go hungry. Not neccessarily that they deserve it more than anyone else. At least that's how I understood the statement.
Hahaha, I was about to say the exact same thing! It kind of ruined the whole video for me... I get what he's trying to say, but it came off really bad.
GrasserGreen That's how I understood it too. We've got so much stuff here, there's really no excuse for having hungry people anywhere. We may not have a solution to the lack of jobs or homelessness in general or a lot of other things, but the food thing? We've totally got a way to fix that and it's a relatively simple one in comparison to nearly every other problem. If we could get it to work here all over the country, imagine what the idea could do for people across the globe. That would be awesome. =D
For everyone targeting supermarkets about throwing away their food, the reason most places get rid of their food is for the economy. Think about it, you can either pay money for food, or wait for the left overs and get free food. Food is in less demand and in higher quantities, food price goes down and businesses go bankrupt or always lose money at the end of the fiscal period. Yeah it sucks that all the extra wheat grown is thrown out and yeah it sucks that Supermarkets and restaurants throw out their food, but they have to do it for the sake of their pockets. I agree it would be nice to have less starving people and this program will help, but at the end of the day, economies require SOMEONE to be poor, it's just the sad reality.
No. The actual reasons for relegating surplus of outdated food product, especially 'prepared ready-to-eat items' to the dumpsters are based on legalities regarding potential claims of illness and possible lawsuits. This program appears to expertly and professionally countervail those possibilities.
***** And I don't doubt that he meant it that way...I can only hope that was his intention. Regardless, he should have clarified. Because that blanket statement came off as ethnocentric, insensitive, and ignorant.
Gianne Marie Relax that is exactly how he meant it. It doesn't make sense that American people should be starving with the abundance of food in one of the leading nations in the world.
