In light of the fact that Thanksgiving is two weeks from today, we’ve decided to spotlight one of our clients who are doing amazing things with food. That client is Food for Free, an organization that rescues fresh food that, without being rescued, might have gone to waste, and delivers it to the local emergency food system. Pretty amazing, right?
Food for Free’s director, Sasha Purpura, explains Food for Free’s mission as this: “We take this problem that is food waste, and we turn it into a solution.” 501Partners worked with Food for Free to implement an in-vehicle Food Tracker, which is an app that integrates with Salesforce and allows the organization to keep track of the food they are receiving and distributing all on tablets in their trucks.
This incredible organization has been around for over 30 years and gets stronger as time goes on. Last year, Food for Free distributed more than 1 million pounds of food and diverted over 700,000 pounds from the waste stream. According to their website, over 25,000 people were fed by this rescued food, as Food for Free partnered with 87 different food programs in Greater Boston. Talk about something to be thankful for.
What is even more incredible is that Food for Free is able to distribute fresh, healthy food from places like Trader Joe’s, Boston Organics and Whole Foods, which can no doubt ensure that the people receiving the food are getting the appropriate nutrients and vitamins. In fact, this type of conscientious food rescuing is in Food for Free’s mission. The organization’s homepage explains: “Our programs address not only short-term hunger, but obesity, diet-related disease, and other long-term health effects of food insecurity and poor nutrition.”
If you’re in a giving mood this holiday season (or any time throughout the year), Food for Free is always looking for donations and volunteers. What’s great, too, is that, on their website, Food for Free will tell you exactly what your donation is capable of. For example, $40 will buy enough fruit for 100 kids in an after-school program. This is truly an organization to be thankful for.
So, this Thanksgiving when you’re saying what makes you especially thankful, remember to include Food for Free and all of the amazing organizations like it.
